Education Department's Star Wars Meme Draws 1 Million Views Amid Right-Wing Debate

The Department of Education posted an AI-generated image of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala to its official X account on Friday morning. The graphic, which appears to be fan art from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, included the caption “there’s magic in learning” and the slogan “Make education great again.” It was not clear what specific connection the characters had to the agency's mission, but the post quickly gained traction.

The timing of the post coincided with a surge in right-wing online discourse using Star Wars imagery to discuss race and hiring practices. On Wednesday night, a user shared a screengrab from 1999’s “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” The image showed a young Anakin Skywalker standing before the Jedi Council, a group of elite masters composed mostly of aliens. The user’s post was labeled “The White male experience.” That single post was viewed nearly a million times and received 14,000 likes.

Other social media users expanded on the metaphor. One commenter compared Skywalker’s story to diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices, which are frequently criticized by right-leaning commentators. “Anakin, you are the most talented applicant we’ve ever seen, however we must hit our Jawa and Kaminoan quotas, so we have to reject you at this time,” one user wrote. The comment referenced two alien races from the Star Wars universe. Another prominent right-wing commentator, Fugitive Caesar, wrote that Star Wars captured the experience of being the only white person in a city full of mentors who do not see race.

Kangmin Lee, a right-wing streamer, said he was pleased to see young people on the right appreciating the prequels. He described Anakin Skywalker as the “archetypal disenfranchised chud.” After the Department of Education released its own image of Skywalker, Lee was among the first to link the agency’s post to the growing online conversation about the character as a symbol for the white male experience.

The Education Department is not the only federal agency using pop culture for messaging. The White House and other departments frequently use artificial intelligence and licensed characters to promote the president’s agenda. This approach has sometimes led to public backlash or legal threats from filmmakers, musicians, and video game developers whose intellectual property has been used for political purposes.

The agency’s recent social media activity includes several other deep-cut references. Days before the Star Wars post, the department shared an image of “Malfoid,” an AI-generated, gender-bent version of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. The character has been embraced by the online right in recent weeks. The name “Malfoid” derives from “foid,” a term used in the incel community to describe women. “Foid” is a mashup of the words “female” and “android,” suggesting women are inhuman robots.

Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company, which hold the rights to Star Wars, did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the use of their intellectual property. Warner Bros. Discovery, the license holder for Harry Potter, also did not immediately respond. Representatives for J.K. Rowling, the author of the book series, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Education has used imagery from other popular films and television shows this week, including “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” When asked if the Star Wars and Harry Potter memes were references to online right-wing discourse, the department replied with a quote from the Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore. “Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean it’s not real?” a department representative wrote in an unsigned email.