Darth Vader monument in Ukraine doubles as Wi-Fi hotspot
After a recent Ukrainian law bans communist symbols in the country, a Vladimir Lenin statue in Odessa gets converted into a memorial for the Sith Lord.
The city of Odessa, Ukraine, is going to the dark side.
A law went into effect in the Ukraine earlier this year banning Soviet symbols in the country, and Odessa had a pretty brilliant idea for how to handle a statue of Vladimir Lenin displayed at a manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the city. The city hired artist Alexander Milov to turn the statue into a memorial to Darth Vader, complete with Vader's helmet and a pretty awesome-looking cape fashioned out of Lenin's coat.
The statue was unveiled on Friday, and the Sith Lord looks pretty imposing. But Ukrainian Vader, like his on-screen counterpart, isn't all evil. Milov put a Wi-Fi hotspot in Vader's helmet so people visiting the statue can connect to the Internet while they enjoy his creation.
Milov achieved fame with his amazing statue "Love" that shows children trapped inside adult bodies and was featured at this year's annual Burning Man arts festival in the Nevada desert.
Odessa, Ukraine's fourth largest city, isn't short on Star Wars connections these days. Darth Sidious, aka Emperor Palpatine, was reportedly just elected to a seat on the city council. Also, someone wearing a full Chewbacca costume was arrested for violating a law that forbids campaigning on Election Day. (The Wookiee was canvassing for Darth Vader, of course.)
Those of you who happen to be visiting Ukraine might consider taking a trip to Odessa to see Milov's Vader statue, as we all know it's useless to resist the power of the dark side of the Force. It's even more useless to resist when you realize the dark side has free Wi-Fi.
(Via NBCNews)