Darth Vader will interview a player after the Eagles-Cowboys game. He finds your lack of faith disturbing.
The iconic villain will interview a player from the “Monday Night Football” game on “SportsCenter+” as ESPN prepares an alternate “Star Wars” broadcast for the Super Bowl.
Does anyone know if Darth Vader keeps a Bacta Tank with him? Asking for a friend named the Eagles.
An animated version of the iconic Star Wars character will interview one Eagles or Cowboys player next week on SportsCenter+ following their Monday Night Football matchup.
Darth Vader then will speak with one player from ESPN’s prime-time game every week afterward. SC+, which is ESPN’s SportsCenter on Disney+, also will stream “Hyperspace Highlights” weekly starting Tuesday, which will show plays from Monday Night Football in a Star Wars visual theme.
It has not been revealed who Darth Vader will be interviewing, or which team the player will be from.
The announcement came with the reveal of Star Wars Funday Football, a separate telecast for Super Bowl LXI that will show an animated version of the game set in the Star Wars galaxy and feature some iconic characters alongside the teams playing.
Star Wars Funday Football will be on Disney+, Disney Channel, and Disney XD alongside the usual telecast of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters (a King of Prussia native), and Laura Rutledge on ESPN and ABC.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts deserves better, Nick Sirianni could be on the hot seat, and more of what they’re saying about the Eagles
“The Star Wars animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI in real time, transforming players on the field into animated avatars, while Star Wars characters sub in during key moments and various Easter eggs appear throughout the game,” according to a news release.
This separate telecast was announced during this week’s Monday Night Football matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders with a 30-second teaser at halftime.
“We’re going to the Super Bowl?” C-3PO said to R2-D2 in the trailer. “Well, now that you ask, I am ready for some football.”
Previous franchise-based animated telecasts by ESPN include Toy Story, The Simpsons, and Monsters, Inc. The Eagles took part in the Monsters, Inc. game last December against the Chargers.
The Eagles’ rash of injuries, notably to quarterback Jalen Hurts, who’s sidelined indefinitely with blood clots in his lungs, means they’ve tumbled down national power rankings and hopes of another Super Bowl appearance appear dim — that is, unless Darth Vader teaches them to use the Force.
More importantly, the Eagles could really use a Bacta tank, a device in the Star Wars universe that accelerates healing and is often used by Darth Vader to manage his chronic pain and severe burns he suffered following a duel on the volcanic planet Mustafar. Along with Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Landon Dickerson have been sidelined throughout the season.
Football fans have already begun making jokes on social media regarding Darth Vader’s iconic lines and syntax. The Inquirer’s own Rob Tornoe even joked about the character asking Tanner McKee about the Hurts situation.
The first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, debuted in 1977, and the franchise will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2027.
The news keeps getting worse. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will likely miss the rest of the 2026 season with a deep vein thrombosis blood clot, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. Moments after the story broke, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Marcus Hayes reacted to the news, looking at what the diagnosis means for the Super Bowl MVP, how the Eagles handled the situation dating back to their trip to London, and whether backup Tanner McKee is ready to take the helm on a full-time basis. Listen here.
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