The Siddur Project
Hebrew Darth Vader
Last Wednesday my sons and I, Boaz Michael and his son Noach, and another friend took a trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota to see the Star Wars exhibit. I think Boaz came along as a favor for me and his son Noach.
As for me, I have been a Star Wars fan since the original movie came out in the late 1970s. A long time ago, I spent most of my childhood with my mind lost in a galaxy far, far away. Today my three sons carry on that legacy. I only hope that, as a father, I am able to transmit my enthusiasm for Torah and the kingdom as readily as I have been able to transmit my enthusiasm for George Lucas's imaginary universe.
The Science Museum exhibit displayed models, costumes and props used in the movies. As I was still admiring the model of an Imperial Star Destroyer, Boaz Michael pulled me aside to point out something he and the boys had noticed about Darth Vader. They were looking at the original Darth Vader costume that appeared in first Star Wars movie (later re-titled "A New Hope"). There on Darth Vader's breastplate, written in between the button and switches which apparently are supposed to regulate the life-support system that kept Vader alive, were three, mysterious lines of Hebrew text.
Peering through the glass case that protected the Darth Vader costume, I tried to discern the words in the dim light. The middle line was upside down with part of the text obscured, but the top and bottom lines were easy enough to read. The only problem was that I could not make intelligible sense of them.
I find it very interesting that Darth Vader was Jewish, and I thought you might find it interesting to try to decipher the Hebrew. I have attached a picture I found on the internet, taken while the display was in England last year. The text is much easier to read in this photo then it was at the Science Museum, but no more intelligible.
Do you have any suggestions as to what it might mean? Is it a secret message? A trick of the dark side? Or just a cool, alien-looking font that a costume designer used to make the Vader outfit look more other-worldly?
D. Thomas Lancaster
18 Tammuz, 5768
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My understanding is that the man behind this mask is not Jewish, rather a 'Messianic Gentile' of sorts, who, before tragically falling into the depths of unrepentant self-despair, was thoroughly trained in an ancient intergalactic form of 'Judaism' by a diminutive 'Jewish' Jedi Master named Y'hodah ...
...OBTW I'm also a fan...
I've seen similar text dispalyed in the cockpits of some of the Star Wars spacecrafts.
Perhaps the ancient nature of the text and the interstellar origins of the Hebrew-like letters lend to the ellusivity of their meanings.
I'll be in St Paul on Thursday and Friday this week, so I'll have to do some personal reconnaissance.
Shalom.
Crispin | July 21, 2008 11:12 AM
OK, for those of us without a Hebrew clue, what are you guys seeing?
This is, by the way, most interesting.
MJ
MJ Belko | July 21, 2008 11:56 AM
Consume you it will. Yes.
Steve Petersen | July 21, 2008 2:22 PM
The only reasonable explanation I found on the web is: http://www.theforce.net/swtc/chestplate.html The last commentator has the best explanation: ‘His deeds will not be forgiven, until he merits’ Interesting, but I sense I've wasted too much time on this already.
agb
Allan Baerg | July 21, 2008 3:10 PM
=) LOL, You guys are too cool! Did you hear there is going to be a cartoon starwars? I think the inscription is there to keep us searching =)
Stephanie | July 21, 2008 8:26 PM
Perhaps one can contact Lucas for the meaning?
marko | July 22, 2008 10:40 AM
Ah... I've been googling for awhile, trying to find any info on what the devil darth vader's doing wearing a version of the ancient urim and thummim. Thinking I was perhaps merely 'up in the night' I was astounded to find this page not only entitled Hebrew Darth Vader, but also revealing the most startling fact of all... hebrew script on the dadgum breastplate itself. oh no... what's going on? spielberg has always had a fetish for all things jewish and nazi... and occult/supernatural... more investigation is called for!
beelzeboba | July 23, 2008 1:37 AM