German Navy clarifies playing of Darth Vader’s Theme

Following the viral video of a German warship playing The Imperial March (a.k.a. Darth Vader’s Theme) while entering London, the country’s navy has clarified that there was nothing to read into that choice.  To quote from an Ars Technica report:

Coming eight decades after Londoners lived through the German "blitz" in World War II and then spent years waiting for a German naval invasion that never materialized, playing the Big Bad Guy's theme from Star Wars films was certainly a bold choice. But a German naval spokesperson assured the BBC that the music had "no deeper message" and added that it was not some sort of commentary from the German naval staff. Rather, the boat's commander "can choose the music freely."

The little spectacle did show two things. One—assuming this was, in fact, a joke—it put the lie to the old stereotype that the Germans have no sense of humor, a stereotype that has led to the production of actual BBC headlines like "Why people think Germans aren't funny."

Second, it's a reminder that people of my generation, those who grew up watching the original (and best!) Star Wars trilogy, are now the people running the world and its weapons systems. And we're bringing our musical tastes with us, even if they come from a galaxy far, far away.

Separately, AP News offered these notable observations:

For its departure, a tugboat pulled the warship down the river near Tower Bridge as sailors — without any lightsabers, sadly — stood on the deck.

There’s no word whether Anakin Skywalker himself was aboard.