In hopes of crafting a vaccine for the current coronavirus, Donald Trump announced he was moving forward with “Operation Warp Speed,” as announced earlier this afternoon. As far as what the term means in regards to the vaccine, Trump announced, “That means big and it means fast.” Fans of Star Trek were quick to recognize the terminology, as the warp drive of the U.S.S. Enterprise was often activated in a last-ditch effort to escape a dangerous situation, typically only utilized in the face of certain doom. Understandably, fans of the franchise were taken aback with the use of the term, not only for an attempt to solve a real-world catastrophe with a sci-fi name, but also the implication that we are on the cusp of total annihilation.
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This operation is at least a slightly more positive embrace of sci-fi nomenclature than what Trump’s campaign revealed earlier this month, as his campaign manager referred to the power of the presidential campaign as being similar to the Death Star, understandably drawing reactions from Star Wars fans about how often the Death Star was destroyed and how it was controlled by a villain attempting to rule the universe.
Scroll down to see what Star Trek fans are saying about Operation Warp Speed.
Photo courtesy of Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Paging Spock
โOPERATION WARP SPEEDโ Trumps plan for vaccines. I use to think we were on Suvivor. Now all aboard Star Trek Enterprise. Hopefully DR SPOCK will help us #TrumpHasNoPlan pic.twitter.com/khmK2513ai
โ marsha stewart (@marshas61269195) May 15, 2020
RIP Roddenberry
Operation: Warp Speed? That belongs to Star Trek! @realDonaldTrump is the personification of everything Star Trek was against. Try to RIP Gene Roddenberry.
โ TheSpaceLynx (@space_lynx) May 15, 2020
Getting Stabby
The fact that the Trump administration has co-opted the term โwarp speedโ as a name for anything connected with it makes the Star Trek fan in me want to stab someone.
โ Leslie Burns (@BurnsTheLawyer) May 15, 2020
No Kirk, Bones, or Spock
Trump is appropriating Star Trek going where no one has gone before in vaccine development with โOperation Warp Speedโ. Problem is he has neither Capt Kirkโs leadership skills, Dr McCoyโs empathy, nor Spockโs objectivity & knowledge. Most absurd statement: โWe have no ego.โ
โ Poppy Northcutt (@poppy_northcutt) May 15, 2020
Oh Really?
“It’s called Operation Warp Speed. That means big, and it means fast.”
โ Charles Lee (@Goofyfan_Chuck) May 15, 2020
Every Star Trek fan listening to this: pic.twitter.com/37z4KtCAAk
A Few Notes
First, to anyone making Star Wars references with regard to “Operation Warp Speed,” you’re confusing “Warp Speed” with “Light Speed” / “Hyperspace.” ๐ค
โ Matt (@nosoupforgeorge) May 15, 2020
Second, Trump is anti-science. Why is he naming his propaganda after a Star Trek scientific achievement? ๐ค#TrumpHasNoPlan pic.twitter.com/SkrplW4RVg
Just Fiction
As Trump brags about his new “Operation Warp Speed,” someone has told him that Star Trek was pure science FICTION?
โ Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) May 15, 2020
*Sigh*
*Logs onto Twitter , sees trending โsuper duper missileโ, โoperation Warp Speedโ, and โSpace Forceโ*
โ Anthony Dean (@diversetechgeek) May 15, 2020
*sigh*
๐
Beam Me Up, Scotty
First the Star Trek symbol was stolen, then Warp Speed. You know when Trump abruptly left the press conference, he was thinking, โBeam me up, Scotty.โ https://t.co/3oOeXTVR6R
โ reelclasspresident (@EddieYaroch) May 15, 2020
Magical Thinking
#TrumpHasNoPlan
โ ๐ด๐๐๐๐ก โณ (@Meg4MJ) May 15, 2020
He still doesn’t have one except to win in Nov!
Operation Warp Speed is
magical thinking with a Star Trek name that others are happy to get a paycheck for. It. Can’t. Happen.
