# Star Wars Kid > Star Wars Kid is a 2002 viral video of Canadian teenager Ghyslain Raza swinging a golf ball retriever like Darth Maul's lightsaber, one of the internet's first massively shared videos. Star Wars Kid is a viral video from 2002 in which Canadian teenager Ghyslain Raza swings a golf ball retriever like a double-bladed lightsaber, mimicking Darth Maul from *Star Wars: Episode I*. Uploaded without his consent in April 2003, it became one of the internet's first massively shared videos, racking up an estimated 900 million to one billion views[9][4]. The clip also became one of the earliest and most high-profile cases of cyberbullying, with Raza's story eventually inspiring anti-bullying advocacy and a 2022 documentary[1]. ## Origin On November 2, 2002, 14-year-old Ghyslain Raza recorded himself in the TV studio at le Séminaire Saint Joseph in Trois-Rivières, Quebec[4]. He had been helping a classmate create a video parodying popular films, including *Star Wars*, using golf ball retrievers as stand-in lightsabers[1]. Raza was trying to add glowing lightsaber effects but couldn't get them right. After a few attempts at slower movements for the camera, he gave up on troubleshooting and decided to just goof around, swinging the retriever like a real Jedi[1]. "When I'm in front of the camera, I'm like, 'Nope, you know what? I'm just going to vent some steam, and you know, goof around basically,'" Raza told CBC in 2022[1]. He left the cassette tape on a shelf in the school's studio and forgot about it. Months later, a classmate named Jérôme Laflamme found the tape[2]. He showed it to a friend who converted the footage to a digital file. The clip circulated among students before someone uploaded it to the Kazaa P2P file-sharing network with the filename "Jackass_starwars_funny.wmv"[3]. According to court transcripts, the video first appeared online on the evening of April 14, 2003[5]. Raza wasn't even that big of a Star Wars fan[1]. - **Platform:** Kazaa (P2P upload), personal blogs (viral spread) - **Creator:** Ghyslain Raza (subject/filmmaker), Andy Baio (named the video "Star Wars Kid"), Bryan Dube (first CGI remix) - **Date:** 2002 (filmed), 2003 (uploaded) ## Overview The original Star Wars Kid video runs about two minutes. In it, a heavy-set teenager wearing khakis and a button-down shirt wields a golf ball retriever as if it were Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber[10]. He swings, spins, and lunges with genuine intensity, occasionally glaring into the camera and making sound effects to accompany his moves. The footage is grainy, shot on an 8mm camcorder in a school TV studio with no audience. What made the clip so widely shared was a strange mix of awkwardness and enthusiasm. As the *New York Times* put it in 2003, the video served as "a Rorschach test for geek self-perception," with some viewers mocking Raza and others cheering his unselfconscious energy[10]. One fan wrote in a 2003 *USA Today* piece: "Contrary to popular belief, I think it is not the Jedi kid's awkwardness that keeps him in people's hearts but his undeniable enthusiasm for what he is doing"[5]. The clip spread in a pre-YouTube world through P2P networks, email chains, and blogs. Edited versions with lightsaber effects and Star Wars sound effects made the rounds alongside the raw original[4]. The whole thing landed at a moment when broadband adoption was spiking, giving millions their first taste of what a viral video could look like. ## How It Spread The video took about two weeks to gain traction on Kazaa, but once it caught fire, it moved fast[1]. On April 22, 2003, game developer Bryan Dube posted the first CGI-edited version, adding a glowing lightsaber and sci-fi sound effects[4]. A week later, on April 29, blogger Andy Baio published both the original and the CGI version on his site waxy.org, naming the file "Star_Wars_Kid.wmv" and giving the meme its permanent name[4]. By May 2003, remixes flooded humor sites like Albino Black Sheep, FARK, and Newgrounds[4]. People added *Matrix* effects, *Lord of the Rings* mashups, and full Star Wars scores[3]. Tech blogs and forums including Metafilter, BoingBoing, and Wired News picked it up on May 19[4]. The *New York Times* ran its piece "Compressed Data; Fame Is No Laughing Matter for the 'Star Wars Kid'" on the same day[10]. Within a month, one website reported 1.1 million downloads[2]. This was years before YouTube existed. In those early days, there was no centralized platform, no report button, and no way to stop the spread[3]. The video just replicated from hard drive to hard drive. Mainstream media descended on Raza's life. Reporters showed up at his school and his parents' home, trying to photograph him through window blinds[1]. At school, students chanted "Star Wars!" when he walked by and climbed on tables to mock him[6]. He was recognized in public. ## How to Use Star Wars Kid isn't a template meme in the modern sense. People don't typically add text over it or create their own versions with new captions. The meme is the video itself. The most common way people engaged with it was through remixes. Fans with editing skills would take the original footage and add lightsaber visual effects, Star Wars sound design, or mash it up with footage from other films[4]. The CGI-enhanced versions were sometimes more popular than the original. In modern usage, Star Wars Kid is mostly referenced as a cultural touchstone. People mention it when talking about early internet virality, cyberbullying, or the ethics of sharing videos without consent. The phrase "Star Wars Kid" itself works as shorthand for "embarrassing private video that went viral." ## Cultural Impact Star Wars Kid was a landmark moment for online video culture. It hit during the exact window when broadband internet was becoming widespread but before any dedicated video platform existed[4]. In many ways, it proved that short amateur clips could reach a global audience, foreshadowing what YouTube would later formalize. The case also forced one of the earliest legal reckoning with internet privacy and consent. The 2003 lawsuit was among the first to argue that uploading someone's private video without permission could cause real, measurable harm[5]. Media studies professor Carrie Rentschler of McGill University has pointed to Raza's story as a prime example of why digital consent matters: "It wasn't normal, and really started a ton of meme culture... It really became a thing that you would remix short videos and post them, not necessarily knowing the origin of the original video"[1]. In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert created the Green Screen Challenge directly inspired by Star Wars Kid, presenting a video of himself fighting imaginary foes with a toy lightsaber in front of a green screen and inviting viewers to add their own effects[5]. The video's legacy also shaped how people think about cyberbullying. Raza's 2013 interview and the 2022 NFB documentary made him one of the first viral meme subjects to publicly reclaim his story and use it for advocacy[2]. He now holds a law degree from McGill and is pursuing a doctorate from Queen's University[2]. ## Fun Facts - Raza wasn't actually a big Star Wars fan when he recorded the video. He was just blowing off steam after a frustrating editing session[1]. - Andy Baio, who named and helped spread the video, later became CTO of Kickstarter. He expressed "enormous regret" about posting the clip in a 2022 documentary[2]. - The fan fundraiser for Raza raised $4,334.44 from over 400 donors, enough to buy him a 30GB iPod and multiple gift cards. Some reports put the total closer to $30,000[4][7]. - Over 140,000 people signed a petition asking George Lucas to give Raza a cameo in *Revenge of the Sith*. Lucas did not oblige[5]. - May 4th (Star Wars Day) is also the United Nations' International Anti-Bullying Day, adopted in 2012[7]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Star Wars Kid? Star Wars Kid is a viral video from 2002 showing Canadian teenager Ghyslain Raza swinging a golf ball retriever like a lightsaber in his high school's TV studio. It was uploaded to the internet without his consent in April 2003 and became one of the most-watched clips of the early web[4]. ### Where did Star Wars Kid come from? The video was recorded on November 2, 2002, at le Séminaire Saint Joseph in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Classmates found the tape, digitized it, and uploaded it to the Kazaa file-sharing network on April 14, 2003[5]. ### What does Star Wars Kid mean? The name was coined by blogger Andy Baio when he published the video on his site waxy.org on April 29, 2003[4]. It refers to Raza imitating lightsaber moves from *Star Wars: Episode I*. ### How do you use Star Wars Kid? Star Wars Kid isn't a template meme. People primarily engaged with it through video remixes, adding CGI lightsaber effects and sound design to the original footage[4]. Today it's referenced as shorthand for early internet virality and the ethics of sharing videos without consent. ### Is Star Wars Kid still popular? The video is no longer an active meme but is widely remembered as a touchstone of early internet culture. The 2022 NFB documentary *Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows* brought renewed attention to Raza's story[1]. ### Who is Ghyslain Raza? Ghyslain Raza is the teenager in the Star Wars Kid video. He was 14 years old when he recorded it in 2002. He later graduated from McGill University's law school and has pursued a doctorate at Queen's University[2]. ### How many times has Star Wars Kid been viewed? The Viral Factory estimated 900 million views by November 2006, making it the most-watched viral video at that time[9]. By the 2010s, estimates crossed one billion total views[4]. ### What happened to the Star Wars Kid? Raza suffered severe cyberbullying, was diagnosed with depression, and had to leave his school[6]. He stayed out of public life for nearly a decade before re-emerging as a law graduate and anti-bullying advocate[2]. ### Did Star Wars Kid sue anyone? Yes. In July 2003, Raza's family filed a CA$250,000 lawsuit against the families of four classmates who leaked the video. The case settled out of court in April 2006[5][8]. ### Was Star Wars Kid in any Star Wars movies? No. Over 140,000 fans signed a petition for Raza to appear in *Star Wars: Episode III*, but he was never offered a cameo[5]. ### What is *Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows*? A 2022 documentary by the National Film Board of Canada in which Raza revisits his experience and speaks about digital identity and cyberbullying. Andy Baio also appears and apologizes for his role in spreading the video[2]. ### Who named the video "Star Wars Kid"? Blogger Andy Baio gave the video its name when he published it on his website waxy.org on April 29, 2003[4]. ## References 1. [Man who became famous 20 years ago as the 'Star Wars Kid' says your digital shadow shouldn't define you | CBC Radio]() 2. [How the Star Wars Kid Became a Viral Victim and an Anti-Bullying Hero - Goalcast | Goalcast]() 3. [The Full Story Behind the Star Wars Kid Meme]() 4. [Star Wars Kid - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Star Wars Kid - Wikipedia]() 6. [Star Wars Kid: The Sad Saga of the Man Behind the Meme]() 7. [What happened to 'Star Wars Kid' after video of him with 'lightsaber' went viral - Daily Star]() 8. [Star Wars Kid Settles His Case | WIRED]() 9. [BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Star Wars Kid is top viral video]() 10. [Boing Boing - A Directory of Mostly Wonderful Things]() 11. [Compressed Data; Fame Is No Laughing Matter for the 'Star Wars Kid' - The New York Times]() 12. [Motherboard: Tech by VICE]() 13. [Star Wars Kid - The Last Hope | Videos]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/star-wars-kid Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library