Much like the way Cinco de Mayo was ruined by people who want to deport all Mexicans while drinking half-priced margaritas, MAGA tried to do the same to “Star Wars Day.”
So, let's talk about this on this “Revenge Of The Sixth”.
On May 4th, the White House’s official Twitter page shared an AI image of a fantasy Trump as a virile force wielder instead of the doughy, shambling golfer reality. The tweet’s message was both unhinged and missing any sense of self-awareness.
So much to unpack, so let’s start with their literal message.
Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy. You’re not the Rebellion—you’re the Empire. May the 4th be with you.
The tone of negativity and disdain sounds less Jedi-like and more like the type of propaganda Emperor Palpatine would spew to justify dissolving the Galactic Senate to form his Empire.
It’s also rich for the administration that subscribes to the “unitary executive theory” and has been sending people with their stormtroopers to cruel labor camps without due process to calls those who oppose it “The Empire.” George Lucas was clear, literally…
…and metaphorically, who “The Empire” is/was/always will be. It is always “a colonial, you know, the largest empire in the world.”
Then there’s the AI-generated image.
“Trump” is shown wearing dark Jedi robes, with a lightsaber on his belt while wielding another ignited red lightsaber. Choosing to drape your “hero” in robes similar to Anakin Skywalker, before he was corrupted and became Darth Vader, is certainly a choice.
The choice of a red hue for the lightsaber’s blade is even more peculiar.
Before 1999’s STAR WARS: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, series creator George Lucas only recognized three colors: blue & green for Jedi (heroes) and red for Sith (villains). But the filming of STAR WARS: Episode II— Attack Of The Clones (2002), Samuel L. Jackson (who played Jedi Master Mace Windu) asked George Lucas for a purple one.
After this request, George Lucas became more relaxed about lightsaber color diversity, and new lore was created to explain the meaning of the colors.
Only one thing remained: RED is the color exclusively for the Sith and other Dark Side users. According to Star Wars lore canon of lightsaber colors, the formation of a red kyber crystal (which is what gives blades their color) sounds somewhat similar to what Trump has done to democracy :
"Since kyber crystals are naturally attuned to the light side of the Force, those who serve the dark side must follow a different path. First, they must seize a pure crystal from the lightsaber of a Jedi they have vanquished in combat—for the saber of a Sith is not given. It is taken. Then, they must infuse that crystal with their pain, anger, and hatred, bending it to their will. This corrupts the crystal, aligning it with the dark side and making it bleed with unbridled crimson power. The bleeding process can yield unpredictable results. Some crystals shatter, making their energies unstable and unpredictable. Others resist their realignment, refusing to be bent toward the darkness. Once a crystal has been properly bled, the primal power it releases becomes not only a deadly instrument in the hands of a Sith Lord, but a symbol of their true strength in the dark side."
―Darth Sidious (“STAR WARS: The Secrets of the Sith” book by Marc Sumerak)
Replace the word “crystal” with government agencies, and you have a perfect description of the last 100-plus days of this Trump/Doge presidency.
Could this unintentional self-report have been accidental?
Perhaps made by a social media manager who didn’t get the deeper meaning of the blade color? Maybe they chose red because it’s the color often attributed to Republicans instead of blue (Democratic Party), green (3rd Party, Green Party), white (purity), purple/Darksaber (“too urban” for Trump) or yellow (piss tape).
But then another Border Patrol video was posted to Twitter depicting Trump’s CBP as literally Darth Vader while he is slaughtering a bunch of rebel soldiers in an appropriated scene from Rogue One: A STAR WARS Story.
Curiously, the video cuts out before the scene shows the rebels successfully get the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia and sets the chain of events that eventually lead to the fall of Darth Vader & The Empire.
The choice to cut it there reveals that, in some way, they are aware. They know they are villains.
They want to revel in the unchecked power and ability to subjugate everyone. That’s why they try to gaslight everyone into believing the “little guys”, the rebels, the ones who stand up to overwhelming odds are the “bad guys.”
It won’t work. As Nemik says in STAR WARS: Andor:
“Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that.” (Season 1, ep. 6)
No matter how much, Star Wars is the story of fighting oppression and rebelling against power. Even when we become complacent, Star Wars reminds us this wound is “like rust” or “a disease that thrives in darkness.”
It is never more alive than when we sleep. […] Perhaps it’s too late. But I’ll tell you this: if I could do it again, I’d wake up early and be fighting these bastards from the start.
Fight the Empire!
And no matter how powerful they are or feel, always remember…
May the Force be with you.
Always.
Have a week.
Thanks for reading The Diasporican Writer! This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Follow Michael Mora on Bluesky and Threads. (If you are still on Twitter, I’m also HERE)
Also, check out Michael Mora’s writing for Wonkette, where I do a political Sunday shows rundown and the occasional politics/pop culture hybrid post!
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.