A Florida alligator has garnered attention for its highly entertaining response to a very famous theme song.
Darth Gator, like many people across the world, is apparently a fan of the music from the world-famous Star Wars franchise. Surprisingly, this alligator has demonstrated a capacity for a certain degree of training, notwithstanding its menacing exterior and formidable teeth.
In an October 20 video that has gone viral, Paul Bedard, an actor prominently featured on the TV show Gator Boys and a seasoned trapper known for rescuing alligators, was filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, doing a special trick with the creature.
gator named darth vader comes when his theme song is played pic.twitter.com/HygLJmrBEb
— Gators Daily 🐊 (@GatorsDaily) October 20, 2023
The minute-long clip shows Bedard coaxing the alligator out of the water with his favourite song: the "Imperial March".
Standing before a pool of the deadly predators, who all seem to be relaxing in the water, Bedard says, "Going to see if Darth can hear from this far away," while holding up his phone up. He then presses play on a YouTube video of the "Imperial March", one of the most-iconic songs from the Star Wars franchise.
To everyone's amazement, one of the alligators responds and slowly makes its way out of the water, almost marching in time with the iconic tune. Bedard even showcases his control of the animal by pausing the song to make the gator halt in its tracks.
The alligator, Darth Gator, as he has affectionately been named, received some treats as a reward for showing off his impressive behavior. He is then showered with compliments by Bedard.
This remarkable reptile has captured the hearts of X, formerly Twitter, users with its remarkable abilities, intriguing Star Wars enthusiasts with a new adversary: Darth Gator. The video has so far been viewed 9.9 million times since it was posted on October 20 by X account Gators Daily.
Another user, Collins, wrote that the alligator should have his own TV show, adding: "Darth Gator needs his own Disney+ spinoff...At this point, why not?"
Brady Cloud posted: "Imagine being an alligator and having your own theme song. The other gators must think he's so bada**!"
One user commented that the gator almost walks in time with the song: "Did anyone else notice he even walked to the beat of the song? What a handsome guy. I love Darth Gator."
The "Imperial March" song was composed for the 1980 movie The Empire Strikes Back by renowned film-theme composer John Williams. It is one of the best-known symphonic movie themes in the world, and has become synonymous with the Star Wars franchise, which all began with the eponymous film 46 years ago in 1977.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
