Germany denies ill intent of ship that used Star Wars Imperial March on arrival in London

Germany’s navy has denied there was a “deeper message” in its decision to play the famous Imperial March — Darth Vader’s theme song in the “Star Wars” films — from one of its warships as it sailed down the River Thames through London this week.

A passerby captured the spectacle on video on Monday, which quickly went viral on social media. The song selection caused a sensation across Europe. The warship was in the area for training and dropped anchor in London for a regular supply stop, according to the German Navy.

“The commander is free to choose the music,” the Navy said in a statement on Thursday. “The choice of music does not have a deeper message.”

Another video captured the warship, the Braunschweig, playing “London Calling,” the 1979 hit by British rock band The Clash, upon its arrival in London. The song’s title comes from the BBC World Service station ID in World War II and its lyrics include the line: “London calling the zombies of death/Stop holding on and breathe again.”

Braunschweig is named after a city in Germany’s Lower Saxony – an area far, far away from the UK – and is part of the country’s newest class of ocean-going corvettes.

For its departure, a tugboat pushed the warship downriver near Tower Bridge while the sailors – unfortunately without lightsabers – remained on deck. This is the second trip of the Braunschweig to the British capital, the German embassy in London wrote on the social network X.

The warship’s commander “is a big ‘Star Wars’ fan and an admirer of John Williams’ legendary musical scores,” the embassy said in a statement. “He chooses a different Williams tune every time his ship visits a foreign port.”

It is unknown whether Anakin Skywalker himself was on board.