# Depressed Stormtrooper Art Simon Willems' Works Remind Us That Stormtroopers are People Too By Michael Hines | Published 2011-01-29 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/simon-willems References: [buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/depressed-storm-trooper) & [simonwillems](http://www.simonwillems.com/projects/stormtrooper_mourning_the_loss_of_his_mother/index.php) Simon Willems is an artist who has forever changed how I view Stormtroopers with his series of paintings entitled "Stormtrooper Mourning The Loss Of His Mother." These paintings depict a distraught Stormtrooper as he grieves for the [loss of a loved one](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portrait-mom) alone. I never considered Stormtroopers anything more than clones with badass armor and terrible aim before I saw Simon Willems' work. If you're a [Star Wars fan](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ray-ban-star-wars) with a soft side, you've definitely got to check these paintings out. Even the purest of Jedis might shed a tear here. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.4/10 - Popularity: 91% | Activity: 94% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Humanizing Characters:** Opportunity for artists and writers to explore a more emotional depth to familiar characters, providing new perspectives and perspectives. - **Nostalgic Art:** Opportunity for artists to create works that evoke strong feelings of nostalgia, resonating with fans of classic franchises and franchises alike. - **Exploring Emotions:** Opportunity for artists to explore and depict complex emotions in unconventional characters with limited emotional variation. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Art Market:** The art market has an opportunity to embrace more unconventional takes on classic franchises, allowing artists to expand on established universes and characters. - **Fan Merchandise:** Fan merchandise companies can explore a new range of emotional and nostalgic products, appealing to the softer side of sci-fi and fantasy fans, expanding their market potential. - **Content Creation:** Content creators have an opportunity to explore topics on complex human emotions using franchises as a backdrop, opening new avenues for storytelling and character development. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sci-Fi-Inspired Classical Posters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sen-donnan.md) - [Chrome-Colored Action Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hot-toys-1.md) - [Highly Detailed Sci-Fi Costumes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stormtrooper-kit.md) - [Hand-Knit Sci-Fi Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handknit-scifi-sculpture.md) - [Sci-Fi Franchise-Inspired Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-wars-collection-2.md) - [Sci-Fi-Themed Replica Helmets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clone-trooper-phase-ii.md) - [Travel-Inspired Canvas Paintings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-passport-series.md) - [Mindfulness Animation Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-wars-mindfulness-movement.md) - [Dark Sci-Fi Capsules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/darc-sport.md)