Eddie Izard had an idea.

There must have been a death star canteen.

“I’ll have the penne arrabiata”

“You’ll need a tray”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know who I am?”

“This is not a game of who the fuck are you, for I am Vader, Darth Vader, Lord Vader, I can kill you with a single thought.”

“Well you’ll still need a tray”

You can watch the sketch here: https://youtu.be/Sv5iEK-IEzw?si=2eJyON0nm0jp99ZZ

This is not quite the Darth Vader we are used to. But we know him immediately. Even if he’s a little Lego man. And here is the surprising thing. It is this Darth Vader, who we both know and don’t know, and who can be defeated by Mr Stephens and a hot meal, that makes our idea of the real Darth Vader powerful and interesting. It is therefore actually far more interesting and amusing – and powerful – to see this one than the (yawn) evil superman we are all so sick of. 

And this is the secret truth of all humour. What exists only does so because of what is not, and therefore it is what is not that we really love. What is not is the actual force, and it is always with us. Vader is powerless before it. This is the thing we have forgotten in our preoccupation with the new tech age of communication, where we can create anything we like with a thought. We still need a tray. So don’t bother showing people what they think they are. It is invariably dull and tedious to them, because it is what they think already and they have forgotten that the food is hot. If you want to make them love you, show them what they most emphatically do not think. In fact, show them the opposite of what they think. Do it with piles of trays, and with stubborn glee and tomato relish. They will flock to you, and your brand will rise through the rose tinted clouds on wings of crispy chips.