Growing up in the 70s, I'd seen the films (some of them even at the movie theater!)--I knew the names of the main characters and could summarize the gist of the story lines. I felt pretty confident in my overall knowledge of the Star Wars saga.
This all changed when I realized I was the mother of a 5-year-old boy who was obsessed with Star Wars, Darth Vader, and anything even remotely related.
When Benjamin started asking me questions about people like Boba Fett (who?) and other lesser-known characters, I quickly referred to the literature--in the form of the very advanced Level 3 Readers that Ben was bringing home from his school library. Whenever Jason came home from work I asked him my list of Star Wars questions that had accumulated throughout the day--then memorized the answers and practiced delivering them smoothly so I could impress Benjamin the next time he asked.
However, as months have passed, I have learned that there are some facts about Darth Vader that are simply not printed in the readers, do not appear in the films, and are not readily available from even the most sci-fi savvy husbands.
Here are a few:
1. Darth Vader has been married--at least twice. I don't mean secretly, like when he married Padme Amidala in Revenge of the Sith (see how good I am getting, though?). I'm talking about full-out weddings with bridesmaids and flower girls. Fortunately, I have been able to compile extensive photo evidence to prove this.
That Darth Vader is one lucky man--I mean robot.
2. Darth Vader's primary objective is not to control the universe, build the Death Star, or complete any of the other sinister plots that have been attributed to him. His number-one goal is to invade Princess Land and convince all the princesses there to join the Dark Side. I have heard him talk about this repeatedly, and I happen to know that Jasmine and Belle have already agreed to join him.
3. Darth Vader has an extensive frog army that he uses to round up the princesses and take them to his castle (I'll bet you didn't even know he had a castle!).
4. On a lighter note, Darth Vader loves Christmas . . . and ballerinas, apparently. He has even been known to swap his mask for a Santa hat, under the right circumstances.
5. Some say that Darth Vader was even there to celebrate with the original inhabitants of the manger during that first magical Christmas Eve, although I think this might be pushing it.
6. Finally, not many know that underneath his famous black space suit, Darth Vader actually wears Winnie the Pooh gumboots. Who would have thought?
I'm sure I will continue to learn more and more about Darth Vader as the years go by, with Benjamin as my son. It just goes to show that some things can only be learned through playing :)
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