Starting from "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away," Star Wars might probably be the first franchise to spawn an entire fandom. Over the years, while some toxicity has been observed among some Star Wars fans, the fandom is still thriving well. As it contributed to the world's first fandom, it's only obvious that Star Wars also gave us the world's first fan art.
In the context of this, here are some of the funniest Star Wars fan art pieces ranging from comic strips to posters, that will make even Darth Vader chuckle.
Updated on May 12th, 2020 by Richard Keller: It's considered an honor for a successful franchise to be ridiculed. With 11 films, books, comics, and TV series over a span of four decades, there's plenty of material to make fun of in the Star Wars universe. Here are a few more fan art pieces that would make even Darth Vader laugh.
Detention
One of the first Force powers introduced in A New Hope was a form of coercion. With a simple phrase, Obi-Wan convinced a squad of stormtroopers that C3PO and R2D2 were not the droids they sought.
As a result, a few of them got in trouble, as seen in this piece of fan art. Frankly, this stormtrooper deserves to write lines on the board. Though he may be hesitant, it seems Lord Palpatine is keeping him in check.
Millennials
While there are some exceptions, Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing as examples, most of the initial Star Wars cast were quite young when they started. Back then, they were considered Baby Boomers. Today, these would be hip millennials.
This fan art is funny on two levels. First, it portrays the first and second generation of Star Wars characters as hipsters. Second, their T-shirts exactly fit their personas.
Aging
When he was first introduced, Luke Skywalker felt like a young Western hero with his low-slung gun belt. Or, considering the pouches around it, a young Bruce Wayne testing out a utility belt prototype. Either way, It gave him that come hither look that some fans swooned over.
Fast forward 40 years, and the belt is no longer loosely slung. It's tight around Luke's bellybutton. Though it's not seen, this is most likely due to the position of his pants. With a little more thickness around the lightsaber, the older Luke may remind some people of their grandfather's current wardrobe.
Awkward
There have been some awkward moments in films. However, none are as awkward as what happened between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. During the first movie and second films, filmgoers thought there would be a love triangle between Han, Luke, and Leia. It was clear Luke fancied the princess. Especially after she gave him a wet kiss on the lips in Empire Strikes Back.
Then we learned Darth Vader was Luke's father. One movie later, Return of the Jedi, we discovered that Luke and Leia were twins. From that point on, things got a bit icky as we looked back in the first two films.
Dating
The Skywalker Saga wasn't rife with romance. It had Han and Leia, Anakin and Amidala, and Rey and Kylo. There were other implied interests, but nothing to distract from the story. Thus, the reason for this funny piece of Star Wars dating art.
Would Jedis be as gentle as they were when dealing with others? Or, would they turn to the Dark Side under the sheets? In the end, we'll never really know if they're a Jedi or Sith when the lights go out.
Burn
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were Luke Skywalker's guardians in Tatooine. But, when Imperial Forces came looking for missing droids (which Luke kept at his Tatooine home), they ended up burning down them and their humble abode. That's quite dark for a Star Wars film.
A light-hearted take on this was in the form of these custom-action figures of Owen and Beru. Trending on Reddit, the boxes show their charred remains in packaging that's reminiscent of the classic 80s Star Wars figurines.
Bad Aim
Stormtroopers might intend to be intimidating but they only end up being some of Star War's biggest goofs. They might look a bit intimidating but would still miss their targets and fall on the ground like weaklings. Even Ewoks can thrash a stormtrooper.
This illustration represents how bad Stormtroopers are at aiming, whether it's the battlefield or the washroom!
Father's Day
In Greek mythology, a titan named Kronos swallowed up his children barring one who grew up to be the thunder-god Zeus. He defeated his father, and made him puke out his siblings! While Star Wars doesn't feature such extreme stories, Darth Vader almost feels like Kronos at times, and Luke Skywalker feels like he's the avenging son. In other words, Darth Vader hasn't been a very good dad.
Luke does feel sorry for his old man at times, though, and you can see the slight empathy in this comic strip. He's mean and evil, but he's still his dad. Darth Vader slew Jedi children in Revenge of the Sith, but Luke and Leia seem to ignore that here!
Bad Aim (Again)
This stormtrooper feels sad. He might have been force-choked by Darth Vader, beaten up by The Mandalorian, or just struck by a rock by an Ewok. He doesn't want to live the stormtrooper life anymore. But obviously, he can't aim his own head; he's a stormtrooper, after all. So, yes, Stormtroopers can't kill anyone—not even themselves. Sigh.
Saint C-3PO
C3PO is an annoying droid. He panics at the slightest trouble or just talks non-stop in a monotone. Bu,t the Ewoks might be an evolved species in the Star Wars galaxy, as they have developed the ability to somehow tolerate him—so much so that they treat him like a local deity.
Hardcore Wookies say that C-3PO's gold plated look made the Ewoks think that he's 'the Golden One,' a god who was prophesized to visit them. Hence, the small bear-like creatures often lift the droid in excitement and cheer around him. On the broader scale, do you feel there's a notion of a supreme God in the world of Star Wars? Could it be C-3PO?
Showdown On The Death Star
These are posters worth putting up on your wall. Made in the style of classic boxing matches, they show the ultimate showdown between a master and his apprentice. On the left, we see a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and a younger Anakin Skywalker who is yet to be burned and masked as Darth Vader. The poster on the right shifts to several years later. Old man Obi can still kick ass but we know how it all ended.
The accurate details in the art are humorously taking jabs at the exaggerated advertising which drives such showdowns.
BB-8 Is Unkillable
From Porgs to Ewoks to Baby Yoda, the franchise doesn't have a dearth of adorable characters that can be made into soft toys. BB-8 is the cutest when it comes to the droids of Star Wars. And, in this case, cuteness is the droid's strength.
Kylo Ren might try to wear a black mask like Darth Vader and act all ruthless like him, but he's soft inside. He can't even harm a small droid for its cuteness. Maybe this is what the Mandalorian also felt when he saw Baby Yoda for the first time. It feels like all the helmet-wearing characters are just concealing their mushiness!
Uplifting Vader
Designed like a generic inspirational quote, this one features Darth Vader in his signature pose of dealing with his co-workers. Anyone messes with him, and he lifts them up choking the life out of them.
As the quote mentions the Sith lord as a "philanthropist," it does open up new conversations. If you think closely, Vader has been no less of a philanthropist rebuilding the Dark side, commissioning the construction of the Death Star, and financing for the Stormtroopers' special 'bad aim' guns.
Jawas
This one is a funny tribute to the classic poster for Steven Spielberg's Jaws, which is still hailed as one of the most iconic pieces of cinematic art. Just like the shark in Jaws, the Jawas can also sneak up under you anytime. However, unlike the deadly flesh-eating sharks, the humanoid species from Tatooine would just take away your ship or space-credits.
But, if the scary Jaws theme music starts playing the next time the Jawas attempt a raid, then they too would appear intimidating.
Silent Treatment
The final fan-art piece mocks one of Darth Vader's most distinct characteristics: his breathing. Lord Vader has some tubes behind his mask which help him to breathe, but they don't stop him from exhaling heavily after every sentence. Imperial commanders around him might surely find it hard to control their laughter or annoyance on the constant breathing.
It's so hard to imagine Darth Vader breathing silently. Now, what's next? Darth Vader actually laughing?