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One comment on YouTube said that it showed that “everyone connected to space command seems to be a massive nerd. I love it.”
The military responded by pointing out that the Star Wars characters were invited to promote a good cause. They also collected donations for a charity that helps military families who have disabled children.
The US Space Force insignia looks much like a Star Trek insignia.
Roughly €40 million ($65 million) was spent on the new headquarters outside Düsseldorf, which the army has claimed houses state-of-the-art equipment for defending German strategic interests in space.
“Modern societies are deeply dependent on space-based services,” Traut said at the event.
“The safe and sustainable use of space is as much a part of critical infrastructure as electricity and water supplies. Our mission is to protect and, if necessary, defend this infrastructure,” he added.
Germany announced the establishment of its space command two years ago, the same year that Britain set up a similar unit under the command of the RAF.
Berlin’s space troopers are not the first to invite characters from George Lucas’s far-away galaxy to an official event.
Star Wars robot R2-D2 was brought into the White House briefing room in 2015 during the Obama administration
The US Space Force also invited Stormtroopers to a ceremony on International Space Day in 2021.
When Washington’s Space Force was unveiled during the Trump administration it became the subject of widespread mockery due to recruits being given khaki uniforms despite a distinct lack of foliage in space.
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Despite militaries choosing to treat these new forces with a level of humour, experts believe that their mission will be of increasing importance in the coming decades as defence departments become more dependent on functioning satellite systems.
Satellites have played a key role in the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian military uses Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to stay connected to the internet on the front line.
But Musk has repeatedly threatened to cut access recently, claiming that Kyiv is using them to fly drone strikes against Russian positions.