THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

German Navy Plays ‘Star Wars’ Theme While Floating Down the Thames

A German naval commander blasted John William’s infamous ‘Imperial March’ as his corvette floated down the Thames river on Wednesday.

The sounds of John Williams’ infamous Star Wars theme, The Imperial March, could be heard blasting through the streets of London near the Thames tower on Wednesday as a German naval vessel floated down the river. The Braunschweig F260 corvette, in town for a training exercise alongside the Royal Navy, began blaring Darth Vader’s anthem as it made its way through London. A spokesperson for the German Navy said in a statement to the Telegraph that, “the commander can choose the music freely” adding “the choice of music has no deeper message.” A German embassy spokesperson added, “the commander of the corvette FGS Braunschweig is a big Star Wars fan and an admirer of the legendary musical scores of John Williams,” who chooses a “different Williams’ tune whenever his ship is visiting a foreign harbor.” On X, commenters relished the joke. One commenter wrote, “Let someone else claim that Germans have no sense of humor!”