Mark Hamill, James Gunn Band Together to ‘Sue’ Space Force

in Marvel, Star Wars

Posted on by Rebekah Barton 49 Comments
space force

Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm/Department of Defense

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If you’ve ever wanted to see a Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover, look no further than…Twitter?

You read that right. Two of the respective Walt Disney Company franchises’ big guns — Mark Hamill and James Gunn — have taken to social media for an unlikely (and hilarious) reason.

When current United States Vice President Mike Pence announced that the uniformed members of the U.S. Space Force will be referred to as Guardians — with a symbol that looks very much like the Star Trek logo — Gunn almost immediately posted, “Can we sue this dork?,” obviously referring to the fact that the name “Guardians” clearly resembles Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Related: Hamill Kept Latest ‘Star Wars’ Cameo Secret For Over a Year

Hamill wasted no time replying to Gunn’s Tweet, writing back:

So they grab the “Guardians” from your movies, they use the “Force” from our movies… then they have the gall to just steal their logo from “Star Trek”? Let’s file a 3-way joint lawsuit & really nail these larcenous bastards! #MayTheDorksBeWithYou

Related: James Gunn Returns For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

Hamill’s response was clearly tongue-in-cheek, but the ironic nature of the situation is certainly apparent: the logo really does look like Star Trek’s, the name obviously aligns with the Marvel movies Gunn directs — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently in the works, likely for 2023 — and the entire operation is being referred to as a “force” — not the Force, but the point stands.

The U.S. Space Force’s official Tweet about their unintentionally amusing moniker reads:

The opportunity to name a force is a momentous responsibility. 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.”

Related: Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith React to ‘Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale

Hamill and Gunn are both incredibly active on social media and their followers were quick to respond to their tweets about the U.S. Space Force’s new name.

Ian McAdam replied to Gunn’s copyright infringement insinuation, writing:

Would love to see a Disney versus American government lawyer battle

Meanwhile, MightyMary007 posted:

Disney is highly litigious from what I understand so you’re already well-positioned to do so. Or you can dance off with them for it. 

Irish With Some Sun responded with a hilarious Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) GIF.

Meanwhile, on the Star Wars side of things, fans are still thinking about Hamill’s incredible cameo in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale (Episode 8, Chapter 16: The Rescue) in which he — thanks to de-aging CGI technology — reprised his role as Luke Skywalker and rescued Grogu, just when all seemed lost for Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks).

One Hamill follower replied with a video of the instantly iconic Mandalorian scene, writing:

U SAY FORCE I THINK OF THIS AGAIN KING

Another Twitter user, Jennifer Houdyshell, responded to Hamill, saying:

I am really suprised [sic: surprised] no one has made this move yet! That was my first thought when this was announced.

Finally, one lawyer agreed to take Hamill’s (currently) faux legal case on a pro bono basis:

Some Marvel and Star Wars fans even responded directly to the United States Space Force, with S.V. Date posting a GIF of Guardians’ Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper).

Related: Harrison Ford’s Distaste For ‘Star Wars’ Goes Viral (Again)

No matter what your thoughts are about the United States Space Force Guardians title, the social media exchange between two of fandom’s most famous names is hilarious.

As of yet, Spock has not weighed in on the situation — we’ll keep you posted.

Did you immediately think “Marvel” and “Star Wars” when you heard about the Department of Defense’s Guardians?

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