Live Slug Reaction memes feature Klaud, an alien slug character in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The character’s befuddled, squinting expression helped this variation of another meme thrive and become a viral sensation in its own right.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: @yeb_sakoda/X
- Meme Type: Reaction, Macro
- First Appearance: February 2022
- Origin Source: X
- Peak Popularity: March 2022
Origin
Klaud, a Trodatome mechanic, is introduced in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker. The 2019 film featured the character as a helpful alien who helped make repairs on Poe and Finn’s ship. Klaud appeared in an image that was leaked from the film.
The image was shared on Twitter in April 2019 amid a Star Wars celebration. Writer Erik Davis posted photos from the film’s time on location in Jordan filming desert scenes. It’s in those photos that Klaud first appears. While his story was unknown at that time, the character immediately became a focal point among the leaked images.
Spread
The first photo of Klaud was immediately met with meme treatment by Twitter users who were following the thread. Many immediately saw the value in Klaud’s blank but knowing stare.
The image saw use through 2019 and into 2020, when it got a dedicated subreddit. r/SaltierThanKlaud opened in January 2020 with the description:
The subreddit for everyone’s favourite slug with an allergy to sodium chloride: Klaud!
Klaud. Who is he, really? A man? A myth? A legend? The true answer lies within this subreddit, buried deep beneath layers of lore and tragedy, all supplementing the moment when the realms unite and seize control; that they may one day be free of this nightmare. Also, we do comics sometimes.
Cultural context
The Klaud memes were combined with the Live Tucker Reaction meme, which went viral after Fox News had a live camera on Tucker Carlson, catching his reactions to a 2021 speech by President Joe Biden. Carlson went viral for his facial expressions during his time inset on camera.
While the two subjects seem pretty unrelated, the internet always has a way. The two memes merged during a discussion between X users about queer love. It was the first time that Klaud’s photo was shopped into a Live Klaud Reaction. Later, this would evolve into a Live Slug Reaction.
More meme examples
More Star Wars memes:
- The best ‘Star Wars’ memes
- This ‘Star Wars: Attack of the Clones’ meme detects red flags
- What is ‘Glup Shitto’ and how does it relate to ‘Star Wars’?
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