An NHS worker has been awarded almost £30,000 in compensation after a colleague compared her to Star Wars villain Darth Vader.
Lorna Rooke, who worked for the NHS Blood and Transplant service, was upset after a co-worker took a Star Wars-themed personality test on her behalf.
The employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, ruled that being aligned with the infamous sci-fi character's personality was "insulting" and constituted a workplace "detriment".
"Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting," said Employment Judge Kathryn Ramsden.
An NHS worker has been awarded almost £30,000 in compensation after a colleague compared her to Star Wars villain Darth Vader
PA
The incident occurred during a team-building exercise in August 2021 when Rooke was taking a personal phone call.
When Rooke returned, her colleague Amanda Harber had completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator quiz for her and announced to the team that she fell into the Darth Vader category.
The personality test sorts people into 16 categories based on traits such as introversion, intuition, and how they perceive the world.
In the Star Wars franchise, Vader is a half-human, half-machine villain who uses the "dark side of the force".
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Lorna Rooke, who worked for the NHS Blood and Transplant service, was upset after a co-worker took a Star Wars-themed personality test on her behalf
PAAlthough the test described the Darth Vader category as a "very focused individual who brings the team together", the tribunal found this characterisation upset Rooke.
The judge rejected attempts to argue that being compared to Vader had positive attributes.
Rooke told the tribunal the incident made her feel "unpopular" and contributed to her resignation the following month.
The tribunal found that while the "Darth Vader incident" wasn't the reason for Rooke's resignation, it did count as a detriment following a protected disclosure she had made months earlier.
Darth Vader first appeared as the main villain of Star Wars in 1977
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"It therefore reflected Ms Harber's perception of the Claimant's personality, and was shared in a group environment," the judge noted.
"It is little wonder that the Claimant was upset by it."
The tribunal heard that Rooke had previously raised concerns about a donor safety check form.
Rooke won her case for detriment after a protected disclosure but lost claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and failure to make reasonable adjustments.
She was awarded £28,989.61 in compensation, which included £12,000 for injury to feelings.
