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Are 'Slurpy Faggi' And 'Dr. Butto' Real 'Star Wars' Characters? The 'Characters' And Their Memes Explained
You ever see something that looks like it can't possibly be true, but you don't know enough about the subject matter to be sure?
Many online had that experience last week when a viral tweet purported to catch Google's AI Search Overview claiming that the first gay characters in the Star Wars canon were named "Slurpy Faggi" and "Dr. Butto."
Granted, George Lucas is famously not great at coming up with character names, but you can rest assured he did not go full J.K. Rowling and name the first gay Star Wars characters… that. Here's what's going on with "Slurpy Faggi" and "Dr. Butto."
What Is "Slurpy Faggi" And "Dr. Butto"?
The above tweet by @computer_gay was the internet's first exposure to the supposed LGBTQ pioneers "Slurpy Faggi" and "Dr. Butto," and the characters do not exist. Twitter (X) user @computer_gay was parodying the rollout of Google's AI Search function, a new feature Google is experimenting with in which AI will answer queries typed into the search bar. So far it has had some viral fails, as Google's AI scrapes jokes that some users gave to certain questions and presents them as fact.
The tweet by @computer_gay seems to highlight another fail by Google AI, with the AI coming up with some fairly offensive names for the first two gay Star Wars characters. However, this is likely a parody @computer_gay is making of Google's AI, not a genuine answer given by Google.
As the tweet went viral, other users pointed out that Google answers the question "Are there gay Star Wars characters" with accurate information, listing off some canonically queer characters in the Star Wars universe.
Furthermore, the words "Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto" had not appeared online before @computer_gay's tweet, and AI is generally not equipped to make up factoids wholesale, let alone factoids that toe the line of actual slurs.
How Has The Internet Reacted To Slurpy Faggi And Dr. Butto?
Most people immediately clocked that these were not real characters, though they were less sure if the tweet was a parody or a genuine answer from Google's AI. Regardless, the jokes focused on the ludicrousness of the names, with many comparing them to the "on-the-nose" names J.K. Rowling infamously gave minority characters in the Harry Potter books.
Others hoped the pair would soon become the subject of fan art, but that hasn't happened yet. Instead, there have been jokes about other characters in the Star Wars universe potentially being the couple.
For the full history of Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
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