Palpatine plays to Anakin’s fears and insecurities, turns him into the famous Darth Vader, and uses him to kill all the Jediand seize control of space government. But Anakin becomes corrupted by Darth Sidious, a Sith lord acting asSupreme Chancellor of the Republic in the disguise ofa politician named Shiv Palpatine. Instead,he’s born to the pure Force (a mythical power between all living things) and a human mother.

The prequel films tell the story of Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi (the lightsaber-wielding space wizards), who was ostensibly prophesied to restore ‘balance to the Force’ by destroying the innately evil Sith. As ‘canonical’ entries in one of the most popular film franchises of all time, their presence in contemporary pop culture is undeniable. Mired in problematic masculine fantasies of underdogs doing righteous battle against forces that seek to either transform or take away their favorite pieces of pop culture for sinister ends, these communities use memes to reaffirm their own identity and to exclude and antagonize others, over and over again.Ī prime example is the subreddit r/prequelmemes, dedicated to the Star Wars prequel films, The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005). Subcultures dedicated to pop culture for younger men – oftentimes science fiction, fantasy, and video games – take on these characteristics more than others. Playful communities borne of experimentation, self-reflexivity and detached irony become guarded, protectingan affection for a specific pop culture that has become wholly sincerewith increasing hostility. Below their playful surface runs an undercurrent of reactionary politics that seeks to maintain thestatus quo. While memes mutate constantly, taking on different shapes and subjects, in the end what wins is what we’ve already seen before.Ī politics fitting to this recognizability that is rewarded endlessly with attention and ‘internet points’, arises within specific meme communities. Their algorithms reward speed of consumption and engagement in the form of upvotes and comments, which means that superficial, recognizable content beats meatier, more ambivalent fare. Websites like reddit are tailor-made for memes.

It’s why they spread so virally across the internet. They are a play on something we already know, reflected back to us in surprising ways and contexts. Memes are fun, because they are recognizable. In the case of Star Wars, a tale of heroism is being twisted into a sincere veneration of the villain, and an emulation of his violence and tyranny. Likewise, meme communities tend to adopt a politics that is conservative - especially when the source material readily lends itself to that very politics. Internet memes are rewarded with popularity for their repetition of recognizable ideas.

Star wars empire meme