Friday will mark the release of Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Those that have seen the film have been varied with their opinions, but New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is very excited about the latest addition to the franchise. In fact, he even recorded a recent video in which his preference for the dark side was revealed.
Speaking in a brief clip about Star Wars, Edelman said that his life compares to many characters in the franchise because he also loves racing droids and trying to embrace his powers. However, the veteran receiver turned heads when he revealed that his favorite lightsaber color was not green, blue, or even purple.
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“My lightsaber? I might be going with red. I might be going to the dark side,” Edelman said. “The force is strong with this one,” one user wrote in response. Another simply said that Edelman has the power of a squirrel, referencing a previous comment made by former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
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Edelman choosing to side with the dark side was a fitting choice for many critics of the New England Patriots considering that Bill Belichick has often been compared to Emperor Palpatine for the way he wears his hooded sweatshirt. Fans of the other 31 teams have also referred to the Patriots as the Empire.
With Belichick being called the Emperor at times, this has led to Tom Brady automatically sliding into the role of Darth Vader. After all, he is the right-hand man of Belichick, which is similar to the relationship between Palpatine and Vader. So where does Edelman fit into this equation?
Technically, Vader never had anyone close that he trusted. In Star Wars: Episode I – A New Hope, Grand Moff Tarkin was someone that shared the same goals as Vader, but he was more of a peer and competitor. Similarly, Prince Xizor, who was made non-canon after the Disney acquisition, was striving to replace Vader as the most trusted figure in Palpatine’s inner circle.
Vader had a goal of turning Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side and making him the heir-in-training. Maybe Edelman envisions himself as the alternate timeline Skywalker that joins Vader (Brady) to make the Empire all-powerful. The wide receiver did say that there were many parallels between himself and Star Wars characters, but he didn’t provide an in-depth comparison.
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