Amid the whole drone controversy and conspiracy theories, it appears that we live in a galaxy far, far away, after all. Pennsylvania Senator Doug Mastriano posted a photo of a TIE fighter - you know, from Star Wars - and went on a rant about the unidentified drones controversy. Mastriano's post was community noted, users laughed, and Mastriano attempted to save face by saying it was "sarcasm."
Mastriano posted a photo of a TIE fighter replica being transported by a truck. The picture reads: "Breaking News: Crashed drone in Orange Beach retrieved from water, and taken to undisclosed location for further investigation." First mistake, Mastriano. We all know TIE fighters blow up in epic space battles, shot down by the Millennium Falcon.
"It is inconceivable that the federal government has no answers nor has taken any action to get to the bottom of the unidentified drones," Senator Mastriano wrote on X. "The fecklessness of this administration was on display last year when a Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to fly over the entire continental United States before being shot down."
He would later describe the non-drone TIE fighter as a "threat to our nation and citizens." He would later criticize the Biden-Harris administration for giving more importance to Ukraine than the United States. "January 20th can't come soon enough," he concluded.
A Mistake Or Sarcasm?
Community notes took over Senator Mastriano's post, stating that the obvious. No, it wasn't a drone but a very big replica of a TIE fighter. Many users responded in many ways, although only some of them seemed to overly criticize Mastriano's post. "You can't be that stupid, or can you?" one user wrote.
Contrary to that sentiment, many were in for the joke, quoting Star Wars in all of its glory. "That is not the drone you are looking for!" one user wrote. "The fact that this needs a community note and people not realizing this is a joke is beautiful," a second user wrote. "Very concerning, sir. I also hear there's a moon-like space station with planet-destroying capabilities! Please look into this!" a third one said. Hilarious, I know.
Even CNN's Jake Tapper joined the fun. "I take the actual drone story seriously but re the below, I'm pretty sure Red Leader Garven Dreis shot down that TIE fighter in ep IV A New Hope," he wrote while quoting Mastriano's post.
Senator Doug Mastriano would later state that it was all intended as a joke. Of course. "You guys. Hilarious. Looks like it was piloted after all and not the drone you were looking for," Mastriano posted. He attached a picture of two officers arresting Darth Vader. He would then thank Elon Musk for X, criticizing the "corrupt media" for a lack of sense of humor and irony.
