You could sense a nervous tingle as North Korea announced plans to send a rocket into space. Was it real, or just a front for deploying intercontinental nuclear missiles?
Then one of the world’s most isolated nations invited foreign press in for the launch. It was hoping to show off in a big way. It all suddenly seemed legit and, for some, a little more frightening.
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Then the whole thing blew apart less than a minute after take-off. While some breathed a sigh of relief, the web went into meme mode.
Some poked fun at the country’s fearless leader:
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The Death Star’s PR department detected a presence in the force at the event:
BREAKING: North Korea’s rocket has failed. Farm boy in X-Wing spotted fleeing scene. #StarWars
— Death Star PR (@DeathStarPR) April 13, 2012
A number of meme favourites came out, including:
Conspiracy Keaunu
Texts from Hillary
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Ragefaces
There was even a dig at Windows XP:
Unsurprisingly (although somewhat disappointingly) there doesn’t appear to be any video of the launch failing.