Elon Musk posted an AI-generated image of Anakin Skywalker, Padme, Luke, and Leia dressed in Imperial black on November 1 with the caption "This is what they stole from us." The post arrived during the final hours of the midterms, an election cycle in which Musk became the largest single political donor in American history.
The image was part of a broader "Anakin Posting" trend across social media, where users and bots created memes depicting Anakin as correct in his actions. The memes positioned Anakin as a talented young man held back by systems and institutions, comparing his conflicts with the Jedi Council to what proponents frame as discrimination against white men through diversity initiatives.
The trend repurposes Star Wars prequel memes, which exploded online around the time of Gamergate. Those memes emerged from 4chan alongside Pepe the Frog imagery. The article notes that prequel memes helped rehabilitate the reputation of the Star Wars prequels among viewers who grew up with them, and that the franchise became a flashpoint in broader culture wars starting in 2017, particularly after The Last Jedi.
Musk's endorsement of "Anakin Posting" carries weight for users who see themselves as having their childhoods ruined by Star Wars installments centering people of color or women. The meme format offers plausibility. Supporters can claim they are joking while spreading ideology through images. The strategy normalizes fascist rhetoric while providing deniability.