An NHS employee has received nearly £30,000 in compensation after being likened to Star Wars villain Darth Vader during a workplace personality quiz.

Lorna Rooke, who worked for NHS Blood and Transplant, took part in a team-building exercise in 2021 where her colleague, Amanda Harber, filled out a Star Wars-themed psychology quiz on her behalf. The quiz, which assigned characters based on personality traits such as introversion, intuition, and decision-making, labeled Rooke as having the traits of Darth Vader.

Harber then shared the result with the rest of the team, jokingly suggesting that Rooke had the personality of a Sith Lord. Though the quiz described Vader as a “very focused individual” who brings people together, Rooke told an employment tribunal in Croydon that she found the comparison “insulting” and felt ostracized by her colleagues. She resigned the following month.

Rooke argued that the Darth Vader comparison was particularly distressing because the character is known for being “half human, half machine” and for using the dark side of the Force to dominate others—traits she found dehumanizing.

Employment Judge Kathryn Ramsden sided with Rooke on part of her claim, agreeing that the comment was “upsetting” and stating that it was “little wonder” she was hurt by the remark. The judge noted, “Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting.”

Rooke succeeded in her claim of suffering a detriment after making a protected disclosure but did not succeed in her claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, or failure to make reasonable adjustments. She was awarded £28,989.61 in compensation.

NHS Blood and Transplant has been contacted for a response. Photo by Bernie Thomas, Wikimedia commons.