Over the years, Darth Vader has been many things. A young boy. A brooding teenager. A violent romantic. A killer of children. A loyal apprentice. A regretful father. But one thing he has never been, at least in our minds, is framed for anything, which is why I recently found myself both confused and slightly obsessed.
Last week, I watched the 2004 Hilary Duff movie A Cinderella Story for the first time (blame Duff’s recent resurgence in the news), and, as a Star Wars fan, something jumped out like a lightsaber in the dark. In the film, which is a very of its time retelling of the classic Cinderella story, a nerdy side character named Terry (played by soon-to-be Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg) flirts with Duff’s character wearing a t-shirt that says “Darth Vader Was Framed.” I clocked this and immediately paused the movie because my mind broke. What the hell does “Darth Vader Was Framed” mean?
Now, if this film were released anytime after 2004, the answer is much clearer. That’s because, in 2005, the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out. And, in that film, Anakin Skywalker is manipulated by Senator Palpatine to become Darth Vader. That’s not being “framed” exactly, but Palpatine certainly sets Anakin/Vader up to do things on his behalf. It’s in the ballpark. Enough to make a t-shirt about a year earlier, though? Probably not.
Nevertheless, in 2004, the Terry character—and the film’s costume designer—would not yet have seen Revenge of the Sith. Certainly, Terry would’ve been aware of its pending release, probably even excited for it. But it seems like a stretch to think he was getting ahead of the buzz with such a weird, vague t-shirt. Basically, for the sake of this article, the release year is crucial. We have to pretend like Revenge of the Sith doesn’t exist yet. So, then, what the hell was Vader framed for?
© LucasfilmTo attempt to figure this out, we’re going to take things one step at a time. Step one: look at the movies. But not all the movies. Anakin Skywalker is not Darth Vader until the third movie, and the t-shirt doesn’t say “Anakin Was Framed,” does it? At a younger age, Anakin was treated terribly by Watto and even killed Tusken women and children, the latter of which he certainly kept secret. But there were no obvious instances of “framing,” and even if there were, that’s Anakin, not Darth Vader. None of it is addressed by the t-shirt, which is our sole focus. The first two prequels are out.
That leaves the original trilogy, and, of course, in those films, Vader does a lot. He kills Obi-Wan Kenobi, manipulates Lando Calrissian, attempts to capture Luke Skywalker, and ultimately turns on the Emperor, to name but a few of the bigger events. The problem is that there isn’t a good argument in any of those that he could have been framed by anybody. Boba Fett didn’t hold the cards regarding Cloud City. Palpatine didn’t make Vader kill Kenobi. It just doesn’t fit anywhere.
Step two: research. Who else can help us solve this mystery? One person instantly came to mind. The source himself, actor Simon Helberg. He wore the t-shirt. He was on set. He played a nerd on The Big Bang Theory. Clearly, if anyone would know or have an opinion, it would be him. Unfortunately, after initially connecting with his team, once I explained the question, they stopped responding to requests for comment. Disappointing but, frankly, understandable. We continue.
Photo: LucasfilmNext, I turned to Google. Seems logical enough. However, I was not exactly shocked to find there isn’t a lot of writing about the t-shirt. You can buy the t-shirt and find people mentioning it in passing, but there’s much less on its meaning. Even the platform’s AI overview explicitly states, “Darth Vader was not framed.” The little discussion we did find seems to lean towards the notion of Vader being framed for killing Obi-Wan, potentially as a way for the Empire to “drum up support for its fledgling rebellion.”
Of course, the Empire was well established by this time, and there is literally footage of Vader killing Kenobi (as one commenter pointed out), so again, that doesn’t make much sense. Our best guess is that people are assuming Palpatine potentially urged him to do it, which seems pointless considering their past. What villain would need convincing to kill the person who chopped their limbs off? It’s a theory, but a thin one at best.
Time to turn to the experts. First, we reached out to a few of our favorite online Star Wars creators, the team of Alex and Mollie Damon, better known as Star Wars Explained. They, too, were perplexed. “My guess is someone who would wear that shirt is basically saying Vader did nothing wrong,” Alex told io9, explaining that in the early 2000s, there was a side of fandom that was really into Darth Vader and the Empire. “But that was before they knew he murdered children face-to-face.” That Vader fandom of the time period offers potential insight but still no certainty.
This was it. One last shot. I made like Princess Leia and said, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” I reached out to the biggest Star Wars expert I know. This person, who preferred not to be named, had never seen the shirt but offered a different take. “The first thing that comes to mind is that most people with some familiarity of Star Wars credit Darth Vader with destroying Alderaan, when in fact, he had nothing to do with it,” our own Obi-Wan said. “[He] was actually pretty critical of the Death Star in Episode IV. That might be part of it. Also, letting him off the hook for having a terrible boss by the time the Emperor shows up.”
© LucasfilmThat’s the best answer yet. If there is truly a Mandela effect out there of people claiming Vader destroyed Alderaan when it was actually Grand Moff Tarkin, maybe that’s it. Maybe Terry thinks Vader was framed for destroying the planet, and he’s defending him from people misremembering the movies. It was the fans all along. Maybe that’s the answer.
Or, maybe, we’ll never have an answer. Maybe we are destined to live in this limbo forever. To continually ponder 22-year-old wardrobe choices in tween movies. Wardrobe choices that shatter the geek mind itself. Basically, we’re in the same place we were 1000 words ago. We simply can’t stop thinking about the Star Wars t-shirt in a 2004 Hilary Duff movie.
Now, it’s up to you. Please let us know below what you think this t-shirt means. Are we missing something? Is the fact that it’s so random the point? Feel free to dazzle or razz us in the comments below.
A Cinderella Story is currently streaming on Prime Video, though it leaves at the end of February. The Star Wars films, with or without Darth Vader framing, are on Disney+.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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