About

"Check your staging" (or "Check yo stagin'") is an expression originating from the forums and subreddit dedicated to the video game Kerbal Space Program, in which the player can build a functional space rocket. The expression started being widely used by the game's fans, and turned into a meme due to its humorous implications (usually a ridiculous rocket disaster).

It refers to a very common mistake (both by beginners and experienced players) : forgetting to make sure that the rocket's "stages" are properly organized before launching the rocket. It usually results in the stages not being triggered in the right order, causing the rocket's crash.

It becomes funny when the sloppy stages cause the rocket's boosters to be separated from the rocket too early, flying straight upwards and "leaving" the rocket behind (or crashing directly into it).

History

• 2010: Kerbal Space Program is released in alpha version but there is no trace of the expression "check your staging" then.
• 2013 : The game gains a lot of popularity as it is released on Steam. The first appearances of "Check your staging" date from that year. The expression is still used seriously, as a recommendation for beginners who frequently forget to organize the rocket's stages. Meanwhile, Youtuber Scott Manley's visibility starts peaking.
• 2014 : The expression starts appearing here and there on the Kerbal Space Program subreddit.
• circa 2015 (evidence needs to be found) : Youtuber Scott Manley starts using the expression regularly in his videos, giving it a massive boost in popularity, and imprinting his thick Scottish accent onto it.
• 2017 : The expression has definitely become a Meme and is even printed on a t-shirt.

Trends

Variations

• In 2017, Youtuber Scott Manley released a rapped version of the expression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoBIaM-nBeI