# I Don't Like Sand 'I Don't Like Sand' is a line spoken by Anakin Skywalker to Padmé in the 2002 film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, delivered during a picnic scene on Naboo. Critics roasted the dialogue on release, and online it grew into a go-to shorthand for the perceived failures of the prequel trilogy, spawning YouTube parodies and Tumblr edits well over a decade later. ## Origin The quote comes from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released May 16, 2002[2]. In the scene, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), tasked with protecting Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), pivots from a beach-side complaint about sand into an awkward attempt at flirting[1]. Film critic Roger Ebert singled the moment out in his May 10, 2002 review, using dialogue like this to argue that the movie's central romance was unconvincing and the screenwriting weak[6]. - **Platform:** Film (Star Wars: Episode II) / Tumblr and YouTube (viral spread) - **Creator:** Anakin Skywalker (character, film written by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales) - **Date:** 2002 ## Overview The full line goes, 'I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth,' delivered flatly by Hayden Christensen to Natalie Portman during a picnic on Naboo[1]. Fans and detractors treat the quote as shorthand for the stilted romance and clumsy writing in the Star Wars prequels[5]. The meme runs on repetition: image macros pairing the still with any beach complaint, video edits pasting the line into unrelated scenes, and Photoshops that literally cover Padmé's head with sand blocks. Formats range from earnest fan defenses that read the line as tragic foreshadowing of Anakin's fall (Tatooine being a desert planet) to blunt jokes that just quote it whenever anyone mentions the beach. The melodramatic delivery of the original clip is doing much of the comedic work, which is why so many spinoffs loop, resync, or re-edit the film audio rather than reshoot the line. ## How It Spread Mockery of the line started with the film's release. On October 1, 2002, the fan site ChefElf.com added 'I don't like sand' to its list '64 Reasons to Hate Star Wars: Episode II,' and Entertainment Weekly published a follow-up piece the next day arguing the scene should be cut from the movie[5]. Debate over the line was still active on April 14, 2004, when a user named BuriedAlien posted a defense of it on TheForce.net's Jedi Council Forums[5]. The line's second life as a proper meme took off on YouTube and Tumblr in the mid-2010s. On April 25, 2015, YouTuber Andy Pratley uploaded 'Anakin Skywalker really doesn't like sand,' a re-edit of the Revenge of the Sith finale that adds the sand dialogue and superimposes a square of sand over Padmé's head, drawing more than 134,000 views[3]. On January 18, 2016, YouTuber Gooman130 released a parody cut with a short electric guitar solo playing over Padmé's rejection, earning over 36,600 views[4]. Tumblr picked up the format too. On June 13, 2016, user esamitch posted a photo edit titled 'Sandakin' that pulled more than 75,500 notes[5]. The line is still routinely quoted in Star Wars fan spaces whenever the prequel trilogy comes up. ## How to Use Common uses pair the Anakin screenshot or clip with any sand, beach, or texture complaint, or splice the audio into unrelated films and games. Image macros typically keep the film still intact and let the original melodramatic delivery carry the joke, while video edits often loop the line or add sound-effect stings for punchline timing. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is I Don't Like Sand? It's a line delivered by Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones that fans mock as an example of the prequel trilogy's awkward romantic dialogue[1]. ### Where did I Don't Like Sand come from? The 2002 film Attack of the Clones, during a Naboo picnic scene between Anakin and Padmé[2]. Roger Ebert flagged the dialogue in his review that same month[6]. ### What does I Don't Like Sand mean? As a meme, it's shorthand for cringeworthy writing and, by extension, the perceived weaknesses of the Star Wars prequels[5]. ### How do you use I Don't Like Sand? People typically pair the screenshot or clip with any situation involving sand or beaches, or splice the film audio into other movies, as YouTuber Andy Pratley did with the Revenge of the Sith finale[3]. ### Is I Don't Like Sand still popular? The line is a classic prequel meme, still cited in Star Wars fan spaces long after the 2002 release, with edits like Gooman130's 2016 parody still circulating[4]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tLf1JO5bvE]() 2. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_II_%E2%80%93_Attack_of_the_Clones]() 3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tME-rciqydE]() 4. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geeW_hCVNRU]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-dont-like-sand]() 6. [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-2002]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/i-dont-like-sand Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library