You Were the Chosen One

Meaning

What does You Were the Chosen One mean?

You were the chosen one refers to the popular quote from Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III –Revenge of the Sith.

Online, the expression is used as a catchphrase to convey feelings of disillusionment and disappointment in someone who once inspired others.

It is frequently seen as the caption of an image macro, depicting Kenobi screaming at Anakin on Mustafar.

Origin

What's the origin of You Were the Chosen One?

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was premiered in the United States in May 12th, 2005.

In the final scenes Obi-Wan and Anakin (played by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen respectively) are engaged in a lightsaber duel, at the end of which Kenobi exclaims “You were the chosen one!”.

Spread & Usage

How did You Were the Chosen One spread?

Parodies of the phrase would start surfacing online in 2007, notably on YouTube and forums.

Image macros of “you were the chosen one” would first emerge on Facebook in 2011, later appearing on Tumblr as well.

It would become a popular format on Tumblr, later spreading on to other sites such as Twitter and Reddit, where it most certainly inspired the creation of the r/PrequelMemes subreddit in 2016.

External resources

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