In what is perhaps the most bizarre Star Wars news story for a while, it has been revealed that fan sites for the franchise were cover-ups for CIA covert communication. In a world that is so focused on news concerning upcoming Star Wars movies, this came as a big surprise. Gone are the days of searching for news about The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s cast, replaced by Star Wars sites online being uncovered as CIA hotspots for agents trying to communicate across the world.
In a report by Techspot, this reality is highlighted. The outlet explored the research of Ciro Santilli, an independent researcher who discovered that several online forums dedicated to Star Wars – among other things like comedy, extreme sports, and even Brazilian music artists – were being used to allow CIA agents to communicate overseas. The flaw in this system, however, was that each site was poorly coded and contained similar elements, meaning once one was found, the network was exposed too.
Why Did The CIA Use A Fan Website?
They Remained Unseen
The first question stemming from this admittedly peculiar piece of news is why the CIA felt the need to run a Star Wars website in the first place. As alluded to, it was to covertly communicate with agents overseas and swap information on different countries around the world. After all, the Central Intelligence Agency needs, well, intelligence on a myriad of things. Rather than risk being tracked with the usual transmission techniques, a Star Wars fan forum became a bizarre cover-up.
Star Wars Fans Are Having The Best Reaction To This News
What makes this news slightly less pressing now is that these websites were shut down over a decade ago. Therefore, Star Wars fans are having a lot of fun reacting to this admittedly unconventional news about their beloved franchise. @atotalposer on X jokingly blamed “godawful Star Wars takes” as undercover CIA operatives:
Commenters began joking around with the concept, with some stating that Imperial loyalists on social media sites are actually more undercover agents. One profile described the concept as a “literal Palpatine move,” while others used the strange idea to humorously explain why Star Wars fans did not always agree with their opinions: “Everyone who thinks TLJ [The Last Jedi] sucked is a fed, I knew it.” Overall, Star Wars fans are reacting perfectly to this news, bringing the right amount of tongue-in-cheek humor to a story as abnormal as this one.
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren