To Turn to the Dark Side, Press 3

    This fic is based on Star Wars, specifically the prequels. It is a movie trilogy that tells the origins of Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, and his wife Padme, mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. He begins as a valiant and heroic jedi padawan, but rather than follow his Jedi Master, Obi Wan Kenobi, he becomes corrupted by the dark side. Heavily influenced by Chancellor Palpatine, who is secretly Sith Lord Dark Sidious, he turns on his former friends and compatriots. All of this to attempt to stop the recurring prophetic dream he has of Padme dying in childbirth, as the dark side has no limits, whereas jedi must respect the balance that exists between life and death. Ultimately, Anakin has a final battle with Obi Wan that leaves him severely burned and disfigured. Darth Sidious then has robots operate on him and put him in the Darth Vader suit, with robotic limbs, in order to keep him alive. Simultaneously, Padme gives birth alone, dying in childbirth, and Obi Wan secrets away Luke and Leia to different families for their protection. This fic takes place during the events of the second film, Attack of the Clones, after Anakin loses an arm while battling a Sith Lord, and follows the plot all the way through the end of Revenge of the Sith.

    The fanfiction (Read Here!) is written by AO3 user frodogenic and takes a humorous approach, as Anakin struggles to file an insurance claim for the hefty expense he gets from his prosthetic arm. There is a lot of dialogue that humanizes the characters and develops their personalities in a comedic way that deviates from the seriousness of the films in a way that makes them much more relatable. It starts off seeming a lot more like a slice of life, beginning in the domestic setting of Anakin and Padme's home, before we art introduced to the Republic Health Insurance Agency (RHIA), an entirely new organization made up for the sake of the plot. It vaguely follows the same storyline, ending the same way, except much of Anakin's anger stems from denied claims and unhelpful customer service agents. 

    The following is one of his interactions with a customer service representative from Chapter 4:

"Anakin Skywalker, correct?"

"Yes."

"And it's about the prosthetic replacement procedure two and a half years ago?"

"Yes. Now why did they reject my petition form?"

She sat back. "Looks very straightforward, sir. The Order doesn't pay for Sith Lord coverage."

"If I were a fucking Sith Lord, would I be talking to you in the Jedi Temple?" Anakin roared.

The representative's mouth curved into a sudden O. "Sir, there seems to have been a misunderstanding—"

"You think?" Anakin yelled.

"—What we mean is, the Order doesn't pay for coverage of injuries inflicted by Sith Lords."

Anakin froze and blinked repeatedly. "What?" he finally asked in a very small voice.

"Well, it was reported that you lost your arm in a duel with a Sith Lord. And the Order policies don't cover that."

"Why not?" Anakin choked.

"That's an expensive premium service, sir. Since there haven't been any Sith Lords around for several hundred years, the Order dropped it to cut costs. You know how difficult the Senate budget committee can be." 

    

    This quote demonstrates the hotheadedness and aggression that we see begin to form in Anakin as he starts to turn to the Dark Side. However, in this fic it stems from his frustrations with the health care system and inability to get coverage. It completely changes the reason for his anger and makes it more realistic and relatable through its use of a real-life problem, navigating the modern healthcare system.

    The following quote is from the final chapter (5), after Anakin decides to swear his allegiance to Palpatine after he offered to pay his insurance bill:

"You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin," soothed the Chancellor. "Become my apprentice! Learn the ways of the Dark Side, and together we will destroy RHIA and reform the galactic government health insurance system! And, of course," he added as an afterthought, "we'll save your dear Padmé too. I'm sure I can rediscover the secret of cheating death and creating life in no time at all."

Anakin collapsed to his knees, profound hope surging through every vein. "I'll do whatever you ask," he pledged. "Just get rid of RHIA!"

"Good, good," purred Palpatine. "The Dark Side is strong with you. Your anger with the health insurance system makes you strong… Henceforth you shall be known as Darth—Vader."

That has a nice ominous ring to it, Darth Vader thought. "Thank you, my Master," he said. "Um—what does it mean, exactly?"

"It's Ancient Huttese," explained Palpatine. "It means, He Who Has Outmaneuvered Many HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations)"

    The author alters the characterization of Palpatine, giving him humorous dialogue, but keeping the scene just as intense and serious as in the original movies. A lot of Palpatine's lines have been memed over the years and giving him sillier lines was the perfect way to end the story.

    This fanfiction subverts cultural assumptions by taking a story known for epic battles and high stakes and subverting it through a mundane and realistic plot. Futuristic technology in movies is also typically highly efficient, but Anakins use of a holocom mirroring the endless hoops and questions of phone calls with call center operators. The audience is fans of the series that find humor in the creative liberties the author takes in order to turn an iconic story into satire.