In a bizarre yet serious workplace incident, Lorna Rooke, an employee of the NHS Blood and Transplant service in the UK, has been awarded nearly ₹34 lakh (approximately £29,000) in compensation. The payout comes after a co-worker filled out a fictional Star Wars-themed personality test on her behalf and announced she shared traits with Darth Vader — the notorious Sith Lord from the franchise.
The incident occurred during a team-building exercise in August 2021, where staff members aligned their personality types with Star Wars characters in a fictional twist on the Myers-Briggs test. While Rooke was away on a phone call, a colleague completed the test for her and claimed she had the same traits as Darth Vader — a character symbolic of tyranny and the “dark side.”
The employment tribunal, held in south London and presided over by Judge Kathryn Ramsden, found that the act was “insulting” and amounted to a workplace detriment. “Being aligned with his personality is insulting,” the judge remarked, emphasizing the negative connotations associated with Vader — a half-machine, half-human villain known for his authoritarian rule.
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While the test initially described Vader’s personality as “focused” and capable of uniting teams, the tribunal took into account the broader cultural meaning. It was ruled that the comparison was inappropriate and understandably upsetting to Rooke, who stated it made her feel unpopular and eventually contributed to her resignation the following month.
Although the tribunal did not link her resignation directly to the Darth Vader comment, it upheld her claim of having suffered detriment following a protected disclosure and awarded her £28,989.61 in compensation.
This unique case has sparked discussions online about professionalism during workplace activities and the potential harm of seemingly playful exercises that cross personal boundaries.
