About

I Am Altering the X is an phrasal template taken from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in which Darth Vader says, "I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further." Online, it used as a response to someone's disapproval of change, in a similar fashion to Deal With It. Typically, it takes the format of "I am altering the X, Pray I don't alter it any further" and is used either as a text response, reaction or image macro. Occasionally, the past tense form, "I have altered the X," is also used.

Origin

The line originates from the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21st, 1980, and was spoken by Darth Vader after Lando Calrissian expresses his dissatisfaction at Vader's broken promises (seen below). The original line is "I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it any further."

Spread

"I am altering the X" rose to internet prominence around 2004 when the Star Wars DVD trilogy was released. Parodies of the phrase were often used by fans of the movies to express their displeasure at George Lucas' latest round of changes to the classic films.^[1][2] Later, in 2008, the scene involving the line was the centerpiece of a Robot Chicken sketch in the show's second "Star Wars Special."

Soon afterward, the phrase spawned a variety of different image macros, both related and unrelated to its Star Wars source material. The line is often used to troll people who are complaining about layout changes to popular websites and forums.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References