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Revision as of 09:42, 22 September 2008
Template:Infobox Internet celebrity
"Star Wars Kid" is an Internet phenomenon which started when a fourteen-year-old Quebecois high school student filmed himself wielding a golf ball retriever like a lightsaber in a similar fashion to that of Darth Maul. This video clip was found by some of his classmates and shared online through a peer-to-peer filesharing client. The student was taunted and criticized by his peers, eventually leading to a lawsuit. The video was one of the most popular videos on the Internet in 2003, and as of 2007, had been viewed almost 1 billion times.
Video origins and publication
On November 4, 2002 the student made a video of himself swinging a golf ball retriever around as a weapon. The video was filmed at his high school studio, and the tape left in a basement. The original owner of the videotape discovered it and immediately shared it with friends. Thinking that it would be a funny prank, one of them encoded it to a WMV file and published it over the Kazaa peer-to-peer file sharing network. It was also hosted on a personal website.
Within two weeks, the file had been downloaded several million times. An adapted version of the video was created, adding Star Wars music, texts, and lightsaber lights and sounds to his golf ball retriever.
As of 27 November 2006 it was estimated by The Viral Factory that the videos had been viewed over 900 million times, making it the most popular "viral video" on the Internet.
Harassment lawsuit and settlement
In July 2003, the student's family filed a CA$250,000 lawsuit against the families of four of his schoolmates. The lawsuit stated, in part, that he "had to endure, and still endures today, harassment and derision from his high-school mates and the public at large" and "will be under psychiatric care for an indefinite amount of time." Legal proceedings against one family were quickly dropped. The lawsuit had been scheduled to begin trial on April 10, 2006; but on April 7, the boy and his parents reached an out-of-court settlement with the defendants.
Cultural influence
In 2005, CNET listed the Star Wars Kid as #8 on its Top 10 Web Fads list., while in 2007, the G4 tv show, Attack of the Show, rated it the number 1 viral video of all time. It was ranked #2 on VH1's "Top 40 Internet Celebrities", right behind the Numa Numa Guy.
In the media
The case raised privacy issues and was extensively reported in mainstream news media worldwide, including The New York Times, CBS News, GMTV, and BBC News.
The video and its subsequent popularity spawned many spoofs on television, including episodes of the Cartoon Network (United States)'s animated series The Venture Bros. (Tag Sale -- You're It!), American Dad ("All About Steve"), Arrested Development ("The Immaculate Election", "Sword of Destiny," "Prison Break-In,", and "The Ocean Walker"), "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ("Video Projects")", Cory in the House" ("Kung Fu Cats Kid"), South Park ("Canada on Strike").
In late 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert, a Star Wars fan, initiated a contest entitled "Stephen Colbert's Greenscreen Challenge". The contest began with him standing in front of a greenscreen during a taping of his comedic news show, The Colbert Report, and using a toy lightsaber to dramatically fight off imaginary foes in the fashion of the Star Wars Kid. It was then up to members of the viewing public to edit their own sound-effects, CGI enemies and settings, and music into the video around Colbert to correspond with his actions. Viewers would then send their customized videos into the show, who would select and air what they deemed to be the best ones during the program every night or two, with credit to the home editor(s). The show received thousands of submissions from amateur filmmakers and fans, and the contest eventually culminated with Star Wars creator George Lucas himself making an appearance on the program with his own elaborately effects-enhanced version of the video, with CGI done by Industrial Light and Magic.
Trivia and minor appearances
"Weird Al" Yankovic briefly imitated the Star Wars Kid in his music video "White & Nerdy" at about the 1 minute 25 second mark. In the music video Pork and Beans, which features many Internet viral video stars, Star Wars Kid does not appear but another Internet celebrity "Afro Ninja" twirls a staff in a similar fashion.
In the Disney movie Sky High, 2005, there is a point in the movie in which the main character is learning about children of two super heroes that do not have powers, saying that there has only been one person that has not had powers, the camera zooms outside and looks at a bus driver who is using a window washer to perform Star Wars moves.
In the Meth Minute 39 video, Internet People, Star Wars Kid shows up thirteen seconds into the video.
The meme also made it the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
See also
References
- BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Star Wars Kid is top viral video
- Survive your inevitable online humiliation - Netiquette - MSNBC.com
- Lampert, Allison (March 29, 2006). "High school was time of torment". The Gazette.
- Ha, Tu Thanh (July 4, 2006). 'Star Wars Kid' cuts a deal with his tormentors". The Globe and Mail.