The incalculable fan base, franchising, and nostalgia from Star Wars has culminated into a staggering amount of Star Wars memes. Let’s count them down.
When the brass fanfare and yellow-text crawl of Star Wars IV: A New Hope hit cinemas in 1977, I wonder if anyone knew just how omnipresent the space opera would truly become – especially in the countless Star Wars memes to come.
The series spawned an onslaught of diehard fans that continues to this day, constantly praising, analysing, ranking and criticising the franchises’ every move.
As the whitewash of Star Wars content continues to flood our screens, so does its prevalence in the meme community. Iconic memes like We Live In Society and Vibe-Check don’t even come close to the amount of Star Wars shit-posting and tomfoolery found online. We’ve searched far and wide to find the 10 Star Wars memes we believe to be the funniest, most influential, and long-lasting. I have a bad feeling about this.
#10 Jar Jar Binks
What’s been said about the walking mistake known as Jar Jar Binks has been said a million times. Instead of serving as the kid-friendly comic relief in Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace, JJB essentially ruined the entire public perception of the prequels. Lucas once audaciously claimed, “Jar Jar is the key to all of this”, but no one, and I mean no one, has any idea what the fuck he’s talking about.
Needless to say, the internet has since been overrun with endless incarnations of the jar jar binks meme – each one getting better, or worse – depending on how you view it.
I’m watching The Phantom Menace with my nephew and he just called Jar Jar Binks “that weird looking duck guy.” That is now his new name in my head canon. pic.twitter.com/DM8VTIsfyk
— Gilbert “Gilbz” Santillanes (@FulcrumGilbz) May 23, 2021
#9 “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
Without sounding too pretentious, memes are built on unity and contrast. A strong meme should always tie back to the original, while still allowing endless creativity. Nothing defines this blend better than “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for”, in which “droids” can be switched out to god-knows-what, and still be hilarious. It’s also an image you can hear, which is always a plus.
#8 “It’s a trap!”
This meme was already picking up speed with its original spelling, but when George W. Bush introduced their “Troubled Asset Relief Program” (T.A.R.P) in 2008, Admiral Ackbar skyrocketed to the Google Trends page. Tarp rarely pops his head up today, but when someone drops the meme tastefully, it’s a crowd favourite.
#7 Ben Swolo / Shirtless Kylo Ren
Combining Kylo Ren’s birth name ‘Ben Solo’ with ‘swole’ was nothing short of genius, but c’mon, Adam Driver’s chest speaks for itself. This meme rocked the internet because it had double the shock value. Firstly, no one expected to see Driver without a shirt on in a sci-fi movie, and secondly, no one expected such a jacked width. Are you up for the #kylorenchallenge?
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#6 Han Shot First
Han Shot First is the unanimous phrase used by Star Wars purists that don’t want their classics tampered with. Here’s why. There’s an infamous scene in Episode IV: A New Hope where a bounty hunter called Greedo is shot point-blank by Han Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina.
Flash forward to twenty years later, and Lucas has released an updated ‘Special Edition’ of the original trilogy. Most changes were just visual, but one jarring change in the story pissed people off. The new edition depicted Greedo blasting at Han first, undoing the ruthless persona of Han in the original, making his positive character development throughout the trilogy feel more insignificant. Take a squiz at Lucas’s shirt below.
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#5 Star Wars Kid
Okay, this obviously isn’t canon, but we just had to include it. Currently sporting 36million views, this video broke the internet for its immeasurable cringe, but what’s more interesting is its saddening story. School bullies found this video of Raza and posted it without his consent, resulting in one of the biggest instances of cyberbullying ever. Fortunately, Raza was able to receive help and take the bullies to court. Read about the full scoop here.
#4 “I don’t like sand.”
One of the biggest pitfalls of the Star Wars prequels was Lucas’s responsibility to pen the romantic dialogue. To say it was corny would be an understatement. Because of this, the romance between Padmé and Anakin quickly became laughing stock instead of an investing plotline.
“I don’t like sand, it’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere, not like you.”
Shakespeare’s turning in his grave.
I’m 12 years old because I still think I don’t like sand is the funniest Star Wars meme and it will never be not funny pic.twitter.com/UOC05nwQl7
— audrey🫀🪦✨ (@audreyhacker) December 10, 2018
#3 Baby Yoda
Animatronic puppet Baby Yoda (Grogu) dominated pop culture in 2019, quickly becoming a selling point of the Disney TV series The Mandalorian. It’s easy to see why. He’s got the ‘aww’ factor, resulting in countless memes employing his adorable features. It’s the most wholesome of the Star Wars meme catalogue, by a long shot.
Every. Single. Day.#BabyYoda #Grogu #memes #thestruggleisreal pic.twitter.com/A9Xrh4Yeer
— Sarah (安和 = Awa) Awooooo 🐺 (@AuthorSarahAwa) May 23, 2021
#2 “Luke, I am your father.”
Cinema’s biggest twist was a meme before internet memes were even a thing. It was on coffee mugs, t-shirts, dorm posters, everywhere. So how on Earth did it receive the Mandella Effect? The original line is “No, I am your father”, yet we all forgot, instead dubbing it “Luke, I am your father”. Toy Story 2 poked fun at the misquote, and there are video essays online dedicated to explaining how this even happened. It’s not a funny meme, per say, but it is iconic, and bewildering, considering the gravity of the scene.
#1 “I have the high ground.”
You had to know this was coming. It’s arguably the most pivotal moment in the Star Wars universe, and somehow it all comes down to Ewan Mcgregor being a few steps above Hayden Christensen. Who knew Jedis were so vulnerable to such meaningless plateaus? The ridiculousness of this scene has protruded Star Wars in every way imaginable, from Kanye West quoting it in his questionable track Na Na Na, to a Scooby-Doo reenactment. Its endless parodies continue to infiltrate internet culture, making it our surefire #1 Star Wars meme pick.
“It’s over, Anakin! I have the high ground!”
“You underestimate my power.”
“Don’t try it!” pic.twitter.com/saOsBy0WkE
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) December 1, 2020
