About

Clanker is a slang term and a robophobic slur for droids and robots, originating from the Star Wars franchise. In the context of Star Wars, the term derives from the way droids "clank" when they move. After initially appearing in the video game Star Wars: Republic Commando and The Clone Wars in the mid-to-late 2000s, the slang began seeing use online and in memes during the 2010s. In July 2025, the term went viral on TikTok through a series of memes in which AI-powered robots and machines in general, including food delivery robots, are referred to as clankers to show disdain for them. Some memes imagine scenarios where daughters bring their AI boyfriends home and their fathers call them clankers.

Origin

The term "clanker" in the Star Wars universe first appeared in the FPS video game Star Wars: Republic Commando, released on February 28th, 2005. In the game, the character Delta 07, also known as "Sev" (voiced by Jonathan David Cook), uses clanker when referring to a droid, at one point saying, "Lousy clanker" (voice line shown below).

Then, Dave Filoni took the term and used it in season one, episode one of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled "Ambush." In the episode, Yoda and an army of clones face off against Asajj Ventress and an army of droids. In one scene, clone shock trooper Jek pops out from behind a tree and says, "Okay clankers, eat lasers," then fires on the droids. This is the earliest known use of the term "clankers" in a Star Wars TV show. The episode was released on October 3rd, 2008.^[1]

One of the earliest known memes to use the term was posted to the ModDB^[2] clan Alliance to Restore Canon by user Commissar_Delta on June 11th, 2013, that compares "old" clones to new clones seen in The Clone Wars TV series, one featuring a speech bubble reading, "attack dem clankers," garnering over 1,000 views in 12 years.

Spread

Memes using the term "clanker" to refer to droids became increasingly popularized in the late 2010s on the Star Wars meme subreddit /r/PrequelMemes and other subreddits on the platform.

For example, on September 16th, 2018, Redditor u/Da1tonTheGreat made a post to the /r/PrequelMemes^[3] subreddit titled "'Clanker' is offensive" that gained over 115 upvotes in seven years.

On November 12th, 2019, Redditor u/The_Multi_Gamer posted a clanker meme to the /r/PrequelMemes^[4] subreddit that gained over 2,100 upvotes in six years.

On July 18th, 2020, a now-deleted Redditor posted a meme to the /r/PrequelMemes^[5] subreddit sharing a mockup "c-word pass," a parody of the N-word pass, but for the word "clanker," garnering over 22,000 upvotes in five years.

On November 21st, 2021, Redditor u/TheProcess_7 posted an image macro featuring a droid saying, "Did you just say the c-word?" to the /r/PrequelMemes^[6] subreddit, garnering over 12,000 upvotes in four years.

2025 TikTok Virality

In mid-2025, the term "clanker" became the subject of memes on TikTok as a catch-all, derogatory term for robots in general.

On June 18th, 2025, TikToker^[7] @texantrooper posted an AI-generated video recreating the Jetblue Burger King Racist video but with a storm trooper, garnering over 420,000 views in a month.

On June 29th, TikToker^[8] @nicoholm13 posted a video of himself yelling "clanker" at a food delivery robot on the sidewalk, garnering over 4.8 million views in just over a week.

On June 30th, TikToker^[9] @budgetlift_bros posted a video ranting about clankers in his car, garnering over 2 million views in the same span of time.

On July 7th, 2025, TikToker^[10] @lickinallonmyhomi posted a meme using a video of Twitch streamer Kai Cenat and other streamers pushing a robot around during a livestream, captioned, "me and twin beating the shit out of the clanker my daughter brought home," garnering over 2.2 million views in two days.

Various Examples

@jackjmoore_ If the clankers come knocking on my door i’m ready for them don’t underestimate me chatgpt #fyp #clanker #clankers #ai #chatgpt #robots ♬ jerkmate.com – XWAVE06

@ayekay_ Ain’t no clanker entering my home #fyp #clanker #clankers #ai #chatgpt #robots ♬ Piano famous song Chopin Deep deep clear beauty – RYOpianoforte

Search Interest

External References