Space Force plans blasted with Twitter Star Wars snark
Trump's Space Force plans are causing a disturbance in the Twitter force.
US President Donald Trump is really, truly serious about starting up a Space Force as a separate branch of the military. That realization has caused Twitter to mobilize and set its snark-phasers to fun-stun.
Twitter took advantage of Vice President Mike Pence's speech at the Pentagon on Thursday to tackle Space Force with sci-fi references. Pence says Space Force will debut by 2020 (pending congressional approval). Twitter says, "Yes, but will Space Force members get to dress like Stormtroopers?"
Unofficial NASA news coverage site NASA Watch gave us three options for future Space Force uniforms: Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and Star Trek.
But wait - what will the #SpaceForce uniform look like? pic.twitter.com/6LKzdw6AyM
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) August 9, 2018
Lecturer John E.L. Tenney offered up this bold vision for a Space Force theme song based on the opening to Star Wars:
Turn up the volume! #SpaceForce pic.twitter.com/UWcjb815lE
— John E.L. Tenney (@JohnELTenney) August 9, 2018
Star Wars fan and comedy writer Brian Santa Maria is hoping that camping out for Star Wars: Episode I tickets back in 1999 will now qualify him for a Space Force GI Bill.
I camped out for Star Wars Episode 1 tickets for two days and now that Space Force is a thing I qualify for the GI Bill.
— Brian Santa Maria (@briansantamaria) August 9, 2018
Movie director Chris Miller shared a very compelling recruitment poster featuring a Lego astronaut with the phrase "I want you for Space Force."
I dunno, I like the recruitment posters for Space Force... pic.twitter.com/0nlsdWgHHz
— Chris Miller (@chrizmillr) August 9, 2018
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel posted a Space Force recruitment video that aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live along with the message, "Enlist in the #SpaceForce NOW! We'll figure out what it is later."
Enlist in the #SpaceForce NOW! We’ll figure out what it is later pic.twitter.com/jW0QP69OCH
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) August 9, 2018
NASA Watch also posed a truly insightful question. It wants to know if the addition of Space Force will require the Pentagon to become a six-sided Hexagon instead.
The real question is whether The Pentagon will become the Hexagon with the addition of The #SpaceForce pic.twitter.com/pT52BiYHFS
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) August 9, 2018
At least one Twitter user is hoping Space Force can finally settle the flat-Earth debate by telling us what's on the other side.
Thank goodness for the Space Force!
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) August 9, 2018
Now we can finally find out what is on the other side of the flat Earth. pic.twitter.com/8mRzpYTYZ3
Not every Twitter user tried to crack a joke. Writer John Scalzi pointed out his Hugo-winning science-fiction cred and said, "The United States needs quality health care for its people far more than it needs a 'Space Force.' Let's take all the money and effort we'd pour into that silly thing and instead make an actual difference in people's lives."
As a Hugo-winning scifi writer, I feel qualified to say: The United States needs quality health care for its people far more than it needs a "Space Force." Let's take all the money and effort we'd pour into that silly thing and instead make an actual difference in people's lives.
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) August 9, 2018
Trump himself chimed in with a short tweet reading "Space Force all the way!" Let's hope that's the branch's new motto because it's pretty much perfect.
Space Force all the way!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2018
Fight the Power: Take a look at who's transforming the way we think about energy.
'Hello, humans': Google's Duplex could make Assistant the most lifelike AI yet.