A state senator from the Republican Party shared a photograph featuring a prop spaceship from the Star Wars cinematic series, implying that it was a genuine drone that had been recovered.
In the last week, both curiosity and worry have surged regarding a significant number of sightings of unidentified drones traversing America’s Eastern Seaboard. On Tuesday, the National Security Council clarified that these drones pose no danger, as they are being operated legally by companies, amateur enthusiasts, and law enforcement agencies.
Doug Mastriano, a member of Pennsylvania’s Senate, published a post on X on Monday evening, prior to any formal clarification about the drones being released, where he voiced his criticism over the government’s handling of the issue.
“It is beyond belief that the federal government has no information or has not taken steps to investigate the unidentified drones,” he stated. “The ineffectiveness of this administration was evident last year when a Chinese surveillance balloon was permitted to traverse the entirety of the continental United States before it was ultimately shot down. This should be seen as a threat to our country and its citizens, and decisive actions are long overdue.”
His post featured a picture depicting an unusual aircraft secured to the back of an 18-wheeler. A caption beneath the image declared, “Breaking News: Crashed drone in Orange Beach retrieved from water, and taken to undisclosed location for further investigation.”
However, the object portrayed in the image was not a drone; observant commenters quickly pointed out that it was actually one of the renowned “TIE fighters” from the Star Wars franchise, fictional spacecraft utilized by the Empire in its conflict with the Rebel Alliance.
Commenters swiftly jumped in to ridicule Mastriano for this evident error.
“That is not the drone you are looking for!” quipped user @ArtemisBSG, alluding to a well-known line from Star Wars: A New Hope.
User @seanhalfcourt bluntly expressed astonishment, writing: “I can’t believe you’re an elected state senator????”
Despite the initial post showing no signs that the image was intended as a joke, Mastriano took to social media again on Tuesday to assert that he was aware it was a replica.
“I shared a statement regarding the drones and employed an obvious Star Wars prop as a meme,” the 60-year-old asserted. “The Philadelphia Inquirer just called me asking if I realized it was a prop. Hilarious. Modern day ‘journalism.’”
Mastriano, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, was the Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 but was defeated decisively by Josh Shapiro.
He vocally contested the results of the 2020 presidential election and has connections to QAnon conspiracy theorists, as reported by Politico.
