Latest news with #DeltaSquad
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The ‘Star Wars' Slur That Has Been Mainstreamed by Anti-AI Discourse
'Clanker.' You've probably heard the term online a lot lately, as growing wariness of the acceptance of generative AI has led to an almost science-fictional world of anti-robot sentiment. It's become an increasingly common derogatory term, growing beyond the constraints of referring to chatbots and image generators to refer to any kind of non-human robotic intelligence. It's perhaps fitting then, as it penetrates increasingly mainstream social circles, that 'Clanker' itself is rooted in science fiction—and, in particular, a world where the relationship between organic and synthetic life has long been complicated. That world is, of course, Star Wars. 'Clanker' is a term as old as the prequel era itself: it first appears in Star Wars media in the 2005 video game Republic Commando—a tie-in set around the events of the Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith that would go on to inspire its own (occasionally controversial) legacy across both the then-expanded universe and ultimately contemporary Star Wars continuity. There, it's a derogatory remark sometimes used by one of the game's titular commandos in Delta Squad, Sev, who would occasionally refer to droid opponents mid-combat as 'lousy clankers.' The term rose to further popularity in Star Wars a few years later with the launch of the Clone Wars 3DCG animated series in 2008. There, much like it was in Republic Commando, 'Clanker' became a commonplace term used by Republic troopers to refer to the droid forces of the Separatist armies—and explained by Obi-Wan Kenobi himself during the season two episode 'Voyage of Temptation' as shorthand describing the mechanical clanking sound made by battle droids. Since then, the term has taken off in both Star Wars itself and in Star Wars fandom circles. While the penetration of 'Clanker' itself spread to being a derogatory term for any kind of droid, Separatist or otherwise (it's even been retroactively established as being in existence as early as the era of the High Republic, two centuries before the events of the films), within fandom, the term has mostly been fodder for memes and jokes, paralleling the term's proximity to real-world slurs. It's only been in the summer of 2025 that 'clanker' has entered mainstream viral trends. Emerging on platforms like TikTok, the term evolved from Star Wars-specific memes and jokes to become the subject of several viral videos where the term is used to refer to more conventional modern-day robots, from food delivery to automated call center operatives—and then, making the leap from there to indicate disdain for generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney. Search for the term now and you'll find multiple viral posts using 'clanker' derogatorily or remarking on its status as an almost dystopic evolution of language, or, of course, Star Wars fans trying to remind you that they had it first. But it's perhaps fitting that, regardless of the number of sci-fi franchises about robot-ruled dystopias, it was Star Wars that gave us a mainstreamed slur for artificial intelligences. From the very beginning of the series, C-3PO and R2-D2 were sold into indentured servitude; we see Wuher, the Mos Eisley Cantina bartender, snarling, 'We don't serve their kind'—synthetic life has always been treated as second-class in the galaxy far, far away. It would take years for expanded material to try and justify the horrors of what posing the simple question 'Are droids people?' even raised, and it's taken longer still for Star Wars to even really grapple with the idea of what it means to treat a droid as any form of sentient life. And yet, here we are with 'Clanker.' Star Wars has still yet to make any kind of profound leap with the rights of droids in its storytelling. Some select few are given equitable personhood, like Artoo and Threepio, but otherwise droids exist to be enslaved in some form or another, fodder that perpetually avoids the question of what it means to live a life of indentured existence, humanoid forms that are treated inhumanely. Of course, in our world, artificial intelligence is far from the level of droid sentience seen in Star Wars, no matter what any Silicon Valley tech bro tells you when they laud the arrival of generative AI as, to borrow parlance from another sci-fi franchise, futile to resist. But in an age of skepticism over even the minor roles such intelligence can play in our modern lives, maybe it's only fair we turn to one of the most mainstream fictional universes to depict widespread anti-robot sentiment to find the tools to communicate our own disdain… even if those tools have some pretty questionable roots. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
CNET
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
A Gears of War Remaster Is Coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox This Summer
Microsoft is officially bringing one of its most well-known franchises to the PlayStation 5. On Monday, the company announced it will release a remastered version of the original Gears of War, called Gears of War: Reloaded, on Xbox Series X/S, PC and PlayStation 5 on Aug. 26 for $40. Game Pass Ultimate ($20 a month) and PC Game Pass ($12 a month) subscribers will also be able to access the game on Day 1. "Gears of War: Reloaded is a celebration of one of gaming's most iconic franchises," the company wrote online. "With cross-play across all platforms, you and your friends can squad up no matter where you play -- no Microsoft account required." Read more: Get Ready for $80 Xbox Games Later This Year The game will have two-player local and online co-op for the campaign, and multiplayer matches with up to eight players. That means Xbox, PlayStation and PC gamers can come together and chainsaw some grubs together, the way it was always meant to be. This game will bring all content in the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and all post-launch downloadable content. That includes a bonus campaign act, every multiplayer map and mode, plus characters and cosmetics unlocked through progression. If you already own a digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Microsoft is offering you a free upgrade to the new remastered edition. You must have purchased that version of the game prior to 11 a.m. EST on May 5. If you did, Microsoft will send your Xbox account a direct message with a digital code for Gears of War: Reloaded before the game's launch in August. Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad are back. Microsoft Microsoft launched Gears of War almost 20 years ago in 2006, and it has spawned sequels, spinoffs and books. Now, Microsoft is bringing the first game of this successful franchise to PlayStation as the company pushes to bring its first-party games catalogue to other consoles. But this isn't the first franchise the company has brought to other platforms. In January, Microsoft announced it was bringing its Forza Horizon 5 to PlayStation, and you can play the game on that platform now. Forza Horizon 5 marked the first game developed by a studio that had released games only on Xbox to cross over to PlayStation. Microsoft also confirmed in 2024 that it would bring other games, such as Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment, to other platforms, such as PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said on the Gamertag Radio podcast in January that the company also planned on bringing games to the Nintendo Switch 2 when it launches in June. "The difference that we've seen in the last 20 years is that it's games first, not platform first," he said. For more on Xbox, check out other games available on Game Pass Ultimate now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you.
