About

"You Must Construct Additional Pylons" is a memorable quote uttered in the video game Starcraft. In the game, the alien race Protoss, one of the playable character races in the game, requires Pylons to provide energy for buildings and allow construction of bases. The phrase became a popular catchphrase online, inspired YTMND pages and parodies.

Origin

On March 13th, 1998, Blizzard Entertainment released the video game Starcraft. In the game, there are three races: Terran, Zerg and Protoss. The Protoss are an advanced technological race of aliens. To play with this race, one must construct "pylons" to build bases and other instruments of combat. Pylons are one type of building that bound zones where you can construct. They provide energy to your buildings and increase the number of units you can own.

When you try to create buildings or units without fulfilling the pylon request, an electronic voice (the one that helps you throughout the game) warns you by declaring: "You must construct additional pylons!" or "We need more pylons!"

Spread

The phrase became a catchphrase that first appeared on YTMND, which increased in popularity between 2005 to 2007. YTMND^[1] page Pylon was the earliest version of the meme and was published on June 23rd, 2005 by Jax-Omen, amassing more than 126,000 views in less than 16 years (screenshot below, left).

The following year, on March 7th, 2006, YTMND^[2] user Damirith posted a variation, applying the sound to an image of a CNN homepage reporting on blackouts in New York City. The post received more than 35,000 views in less than 15 years (screenshot below, right). Nineteen additional YTMND^[3] pages involving pylons followed.

The Starcraft catchphrase gained the most of its popularity on YouTube. On February 4th, 2007, YouTuber Kajetokun, a Youtube Pooper, known for his Over 9000 and The balls are inert creations, posted a variation. The video "THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS GOING TO DIE!!" received more than 880,000 views in less than 15 years (shown below).

Various Examples

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External References