Dark Helmet is an obvious parody of Darth Vader. He resembles Darth Vader in appearance, but is shorter and has a much larger helmet (he changes into a khaki uniform and an equally oversized pith helmet during the desert scene). Similar to his namesake, Dark Helmet serves as the main antagonist of the film, speaks in a deep bass voice, and breathes audibly - until he lifts his helmet to reveal his bespectacled face and normal voice. He is the commander of the Spaceballs' "Imperious Forces" and uses "the Schwartz" to discipline his subordinates, not by using force grip to strangle them (as with Darth Vader), but by crushing their testicles. Vader's relationship to Luke Skywalker is parodied by Helmet declaring himself Lone Starr's "father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate". He frequently breaks the fourth wall and in one scene refers to the actual VHS tape of Spaceballs (which is pulled off a shelf filled with other Mel Brooks films, like Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie).