Star Wars is just about the last movie people should associate with Father’s Day. Young Anakin Skywalker didn’t even have a father (unless you count midichlorians). In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin attacked and mortally wounded his pregnant wife, Padme. Later, as Darth Vader, he attempted to kill his children (Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa) on multiple occasions. Leia’s son, Ben Solo (aka Kylo Ren), murdered his own father, Han Solo, in cold blood.
Which makes this hand-painted sign from my daughter so much more enjoyable.
The least interesting items in my Star Wars collection are the things without stories or memories. The random action figures and toys without pedigrees are just taking up space in my room at this point. It’s the action figures worn from play, the childhood records scratched from listening to them over and over, and the toy catalogs with dog-eared corners from flipping through them hundreds of times while wishing and dreaming that have the most value to me now.
A couple of years ago, Morgan, now twelve years old, commandeered the old dining room in the back of the house and turned it into her personal art studio. I believe this was painted there. I don’t know if the sign’s actual design is original or not — sometimes the kids duplicate things they see online — but I haven’t seen another one like it. Although it’s a little difficult to see on the black background, there are two lightsabers to the left of Vader’s riding helmet.
I think what makes this sign more special to me than anything is that Morgan isn’t a big fan of Star Wars. I recently quizzed her about the films and while she can rattle off most of the major plot points, she can’t recall watching any of the classic films (either the original trilogy or the prequels) from beginning to end. The kids “like” Star Wars, but it wasn’t the genre-defining event that it was for a lot of people my age.
But the fact that she painted something Star Wars-related for me, knowing that she doesn’t love it and that I do, makes it a pretty good gift, and a permanent addition to the collection.