Ukraine’s move to dismantle symbols of its communist past has taken a turn to the dark side. The city of Odessa has transformed a statue of Vladimir Lenin into a monument to monument honoring “Star Wars” antihero Darth Vader:
The statue—complete with Vader’s infamous mask and flowing cape–also sports a Wi-Fi hookup that emits beams from his head, reports local news site Dumskaya.
Ukraine’s lawmakers passed a law that bans communist propaganda in April, resulting in the removal of countless Lenin statues across the country. Workers at the factory where the statue stands have asked that the statue be redesigned, and not destroyed outright.
The factory’s manager said, according to a translation by Meduza, that “everything flows, everything changes, old figures give way to new ones, and so the world turns.”
This is not the first time Darth Vader appears as an element of Ukraine’s political landscape. A man registered as Darth Vader to run for prime minister in last year’s elections, but could not even vote himself after he refused to take off his mask.
But as Vader proudly stands on his pedestal overlooking the Black Sea port city, the force is clearly with him once again.