Obama Combines Star Trek And Star Wars References, Outrages Nerds

President Obama made a confusing reference about a “jedi mind-meld.”

1. In a press conference Friday, President Obama gave this answer to a question about the sequester:

2. Observe:

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hejtWJ02528.

3. Star Trek and Star Wars fans everywhere:

6. What exactly did President Obama say wrong? Let’s break it down.

7. Star Trek tells us that a mind-meld (also known as a Vulcan mind-meld) is a “a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, thus in essence allowing the participants to become one mind.”

8. Whereas Star Wars teaches us that “Jedi mind tricks,” or “Force persuasion,” are the use of Force powers to influence the minds of others and is “most commonly used to coerce into agreement… or to cause one to reveal information.”

Via: starwars.wikia.com

9. The Star Wars Expanded Universe does reference a battle technique called a “force meld” or “Jedi meld,” an ancient Jedi battle technique “where a number of Force users joined their minds together through the Force, drawing strength from each other.”

Via: starwars.wikia.com

10. So President Obama could be a Star Wars EU fan making a very obscure reference, but given the context of his statement and his remark about using the “Jedi mind-meld” to “force Republicans to do the right thing,” it seems VERY unlikely.

Boehner and Obama use the Force to “connect their minds so closely as to act as a single person.”

Image by Chris Ritter/Buzzfeed

12. UPDATE: The White House Twitter account posted a Star Wars-themed tweet which seems to embrace the president’s use of the phrase “Jedi mind-meld.”

The White House @whitehouse

We must bring balance to the Force. #Sequester #JediMindMeld pic.twitter.com/lIZlgavhuR

8:14 PM - 1 Mar 13

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