I Don't Think the System Works

About

"I Don't Think the System Works" is line said by character Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. In 2018, an image macro based on the quote gained popularity in the /r/PrequelMemes subreddit, used in memes about a certain something failing to perform within expectations.

Origin

On May 16th, 2002, the epic space-opera Star Wars Part II – Attack of the Clones premiered.^[1] In one scene of the film, the characters Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala discuss politics while sitting in a field on the planet Naboo. During the scene, Anakin tells Padme that he doesn't think that the democratic constitutional republic system in the First Galactic Republic works (scene shown below).

- You really don't like politicians, do you?
- I like two or three. But I'm not really sure about one of them. I don't think the system works.

On February 28th, 2018, Redditor -Kaonashi posted a meme based on an image macro from the scene to the /r/PrequelMemes^[2] subreddit, where it gained over 7,900 upvotes in six months (shown below, left). The format did not see further spread until April 10th, 2018, when Redditor Flubby2 posted another version of the macro to the /r/PrequelMemes^[3] subreddit, where it gained over 39,300 upvotes in six months (shown below, right).

Spread

On April 10th, 2018, Redditor^[4] -Kaonashi, the author of the February post, posted another meme in which they used the image macro to react to Flubby2's repost gaining more upvotes (shown below, left). The post gained over 6,400 upvotes in six months. On May 23rd, 2018, Redditor restonex reposted this meme, gaining over 19,100 upvotes in /r/PrequelMemes^[5] during the same period.

On May 26th, Redditor Exfodes posted a meme that used the image macro to react to restonex's repost gaining more upvotes than -Kaonashi's post, with the post gaining over 5,100 upvotes in /r/PrequelMemes^[6] in six months (shown below, right).

Starting in July 2018, the format gained a notable presence in the /r/PrequelMemes subreddit, later spreading to other online communities. For example, on July 12th, 2018, Redditor^[7] Kwike posted a version of the meme that received over 21,900 upvotes in six months (shown below, left). On February 4th, 2019, Redditor L-I-G-H-T- posted a meme that received over 14,500 upvotes in the /r/memes^[8] subreddit in six months (shown below, right).

In early June 2021, the format saw a surge of popularity that followed the viral spread of the For the Better, Right? format and a viral meme about the BTS Meal Among Us Nugget by Redditor^[9] bambambdam.

Related Memes

I Don't Like Sand

"I Don't Like Sand" is a memorable quote spoken by the character Anakin Skywalker in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones. Online, people frequently point to the line as a negative criticism of the Star Wars prequels.

For the Better, Right?

"For the Better, Right?," also known as the Anakin and Padme 4-Panel and Clueless Padme, is an exploitable image macro format based on screenshots from the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The meme format is arranged in a common four-panel layout, with the setup, response and punchline in the following panels.

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References