Vice President Mike Pence made another major announcement about U.S. military‘s newest branch, the U.S. Space Force, and it once again sparked jokes on social media. Service members in the year-old Space Force will be referred to as “guardians” like airmen in the Air Force, soldiers in the Army, sailors in the Navy, and Marines, Pence announced during a White House ceremony on Friday. Jokes about the announcement were easy to make, as many suggested the name was a reference to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
“It is my honor, on behalf of the president of the United States, to announce that henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as guardians,” Pence said during the ceremony to mark the Space Force’s first birthday, reports The Hill. The vice president said the guardians will join the other service members in “defending our nation for generations to come.” He continued, “On behalf of your commander in chief, let me urge each and every one of you guardians to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing the vision and the mission of the United States Space Force, which is to ensure that America remains as dominant in space … as we are on land and sea and air.”
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Like, “of the Galaxy”? Is there a racoon?
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) December 18, 2020
The Space Force was established in December 2019, when President Donald Trump signed the annual defense bill. The goal of the service is to protect U.S. interests in space, including satellites, from U.S. adversaries. Since the branch was created, it has often been the target of mockery online. When the Space Force’s logo and flag were shown off, many noted how it resembled the Star Trek Starfleet emblem. The Space Force defended the delta logo by noting that it has been used in space organizations’ emblems since 1961 before the first Star Trek series debuted.
wow hard work really pays off thx @VP pic.twitter.com/PTFxdB8lk5
— Ryan Gielen (@ryangielen) December 18, 2020
Similarly, the Space Force claimed the “Guardians” name also has its roots in past space projects. “The opportunity to name a force is a momentous responsibility,” one tweet from the branch noted. “Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier.’”
They legit named themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. https://t.co/u7ivUbtQDD pic.twitter.com/jV2wPmjl3l
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 18, 2020
It took a year to tape together Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy?!?!? This is far more moronic than I originally thought it was.
— Being Thankful from🏡 (@justdey) December 18, 2020
The only Guardians of the Galaxy I recognize are these ones https://t.co/rZZknjiXIQ pic.twitter.com/Y2fpp0n7uC
— Jordan 🌊 (@jordangeelhoed) December 18, 2020
Christ on a Bike. It took you a year to ripoff the Star Trek logo and one of the primary MCU properties, in a decision that appears to be about as inspired as looking at a lake and declaring that it’s wet?
— Bob Mina (@HurricaneBobM) December 18, 2020
Explains a lot.
