Star Wars flashback: That time Donald Trump hooked up with Darth Vader to get his own 'Death Star'

Luke Skywalker once proclaimed he would "never turn to the dark side," but it was Yoda that revealed fear is one of the the pathways directly to the dark side.

"Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you," Yoda said, another powerful allusion to Skywalker’s turn to the darkness. In a brilliant op-ed, Daily Beast writer Marlow Stern walked through the ways in which President Donald Trump is exactly like Darth Vader.

That anger has manifested into irrational rants on Twitter about the media and Republicans who dare stand up to him. Mental health professions warn that Trump is growing increasingly unstable. Trump has an anger problem.

Stern cited accusations from ex-wife Ivana Trump that her former husband both hit and raped her after she knocked an alleged hair surgery. Donald Trump Jr.'s former roommate recalled seeing the elder Trump slap the hell out of his son in front of other classmates. Even during episodes of "The Apprentice," "Trump subjected his contestants to a parade of indignities." He mocked actress Marlee Matlin for being deaf, referred to black rapper Lil Jon as "Uncle Tom" and laughed at a female employee who alleged that Gary Busey groped her.

Only he knows whether it comes from a place of fear, but even during a special "Apprentice" episode with Star Wars characters, Trump fired Chewbacca. The task of the team was to create a store displays for the DVD launch of "Star Wars: Episode III" and the video game "Star Wars: Battlefront II."

As part of a promotion, Trump sat in his signiture boardroom with Trump Organization VP George Ross and Vader himself. Across the table sat five stormtroopers.

“Squashing the Rebellion is a $32 billion industry, so this next task is really going to be fantastic. You will be judged by these two executives, and based on their report, one of you will be fired,” Trump said. Vader whispered in his ear and Trump turned to add, “And sliced into tiny pieces by a lightsaber,” noting, “I like your style.”

Trump's proposal is to build the Trump Death Star, which would be even bigger and better than the original.

At one point, he launched into the beloved Chewbacca, claiming no one can understand him and he has atrocious grooming habits. Chewie wails in his wookie way. In a cab to the airport, he sobs over Trump's harsh words. “Bad grooming habits?" he said. "What’s that on his head? A squirrel? Sheesh!”

To make matters worse, former Trump aide Steve Bannon once sang the praises of "the darkness" himself. He even compared himself to Vader. If Bannon is the actual Vader, it ultimately reveals that Trump is really nothing but another stormtrooper being puppeted by him.

"No puppet, no puppet. You're the puppet," Trump famously spouted during a debate. With allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "working him," perhaps the analogy is more accurate than he had hoped. It could just be the fear that has led him to anger -- and ultimately the dark side.

Read the full commentary by Stern at The Daily Beast.

Watch a short clip of "The Apprentice: Star Wars" below: