While both are fully committed to insensate evil, Vladimir Putin and Darth Vader don't have all that much in common when you really think about it. Vader fell into a lava pit at the end of an epic CGI battle against his mentor and life coach Obi-Wan Kenobi, before ascending to even greater heights of power and perfidy. Putin fell down the stairs and shat his Underoos (literally this time, instead of metaphorically like in the previous 10 months) before sinking further into ignominy and despair. Vader had a cool black cape and helmet, and a booming, stentorian voice that commanded respect. Putin looks increasingly like a heavily denuded George Jetson pencil eraser.
The one thing they do have in common, of course, is that they’ve both presided over evil empires. And Mark Hamill, who has famously portrayed Jedi knight Luke Skywalker in one Star Wars installment after another, is now doing his darndest to Force-choke the Moscow murder mouse into a humiliated heap of beet-based protoplasm.
Hamill has actually been using his considerable powers to confront Putin for months as an ambassador for Ukraine’s Army of Drones project. But now, as Russia reportedly readies itself for another high-profile pratfall, Hamill is doubling down, and likely thrilling sci-fi-loving adults and younglings alike.
Hamill is now autographing and selling a limited number of Star Wars posters to raise money for United24, a charity that supplies drones to the Ukraine army.
Politico:
This really is the return of the Jedi — Hamill revealed he hasn’t sold autographed items since 2017, when “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” came out. “It’s just not something I do,” he said, adding that he is happy to do it to support Ukraine, whose ongoing fight against Russia is “nothing short of inspirational.”
Hamill said that something he learned from the world(s) of Star Wars is doing the “right thing for the good of everyone, rather than being all about self-interest,” adding that comparing the two worlds shouldn’t trivialize “the true horrors of what Ukrainians face.”
“One is really a fairy tale for children, originally that’s what Star Wars was. And the reality, the stark reality of what’s going on in Ukraine, is harrowing.”
Considering the cult-like enthusiasm many Star Wars fans have for their favorite war-crime-fighters, this small gesture could produce outsized results.
“We decided to sign Star Wars posters, a limited amount,” Hamill told Politico. “For real hardcore collectors—especially those that have disposable income—you can get way more money … than you would imagine.”
Hamill is stepping up his efforts even as a skeptical GOP House majority begins to cast doubt on our country’s commitment to Ukraine. Because, you know, they have to throw the bulk of their support behind random domestic gun massacres. (AR-15 lapel pins? Really? We had more than 600 mass shootings and 44,000-plus firearm deaths in 2022. It would be marginally less offensive if they showed up wearing Zippy the Drunk Driver lapel pins.)
Meanwhile, Hamill says he’s thrilled to be participating in the project, which he referred to as a “massive, worldwide event.”
“[A]nything I can do, however small it is, is something I feel obligated to do,” he said.
According to Politico, the details for the poster sale have yet to be finalized, but they’re expected to be made available next week—in advance of the one-year anniversary of Putin’s elective war of aggression.
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