Even if you're not that into Star Wars, you're probably familiar with one of the biggest ever twists in cinema history. In 1980's iconic The Empire Strikes back, our hero Luke Skywalker learns in the film's final moments that Darth Vader didn't kill his father - Darth Vader is his father.
Okay, so the prequel trilogy kind of completely ruined this twist for my generation by making it clear that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were one and the same long before I got to The Empire Strikes Back, but whatever. I can still watch this scene and get chills, just thinking about what a huge reveal it was at the time and what it meant to people.
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Which brings me to an incredibly touching video recently shared to Reddit by DrunkenPunchline. DP explained that his father, a lifelong fan of Star Wars, lives with a rare and strange condition known as transient global amnesia. Online GPs describe this condition as "a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that can't be attributed to a more common neurological condition, such as epilepsy or stroke," and that your "recall of recent events simply vanishes".
DP told fellow Redditors that it was a challenging situation. He said that while his dad eventually remembered who his wife and sons were, there are certain things that are just missing. "He would know certain things like the name of the city but not the street he lived on," DP explained. "He knew how to put a seat belt on but not exactly what it was used for."
Quite a lot of what happens in Star Wars lies among the things DP's father can't recall, it would seem, which gave the Redditor the idea to sit down with his old man and re-watch the original trilogy, allowing his dad to watch his favourite movies with new eyes all over again. The clip below is his reaction to the iconic Darth Vader scene.
My father, who raised me on Star Wars, is suffering from a case of Global Transit Amnesia. He doesn't know who he is, so I thought we'd watch the original trilogy. Here is his reaction to Luke finding out the truth about Darth Vader. from r/StarWars
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I don't know about you, but watching this leaves me with a lot of feelings. Having lost family members to diseases that robbed them of their memories in the past, I have some inkling of how heartbreaking a situation like this can be for everyone involved.
I also know that there can be genuine joy in those moments when an old song, photograph, or movie seems to reignite a spark in that person. Seeing DP's dad sit upright, eyes wide as he learns the truth about Darth Vader is utterly joyous, and a moment I hope this family can ultimately come to cherish. DP: you are one heck of a son, and I truly hope your dad is able to get better soon.
Featured Image Credit: Disney