Someone in Odessa may have watched the new Star Wars trailer too many times. In response to a new law banning Soviet monuments in the country, the Ukrainian artist Aleksandr Milov has turned a decayed plaster monument of Vladimir Lenin into Darth Vader by gluing on new parts. The artist told AFP that he would also install Wi-Fi in the Dark Lord’s head so that he can “communicate with the other Siths”. The ceremonial opening of the monument on Friday was attended by a living version of Vader, accompanied by the requisite Stormtroopers—and more strangely Chewbacca. The Dark Side, it seems, may be rising in Ukraine, as Darth Vader has become a popular political candidate recently, with 44 candidates by that name registered to run for Odessa’s city council. In September, Ukraine’s justice ministry registered the Darth Vader Bloc as a political party. Will we soon hear: “Luke, I am your elected official”?
