Star Wars Kid

A long time ago, in a high school far, far away...

On November 2, 2002, 14-year-old Ghyslain Raza of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, recorded himself in his school's film studio, wielding a golf ball retriever like a double-bladed lightsaber. He spun. He twirled. He channeled Darth Maul with the unself-conscious joy of a kid alone with his imagination. Then he left the tape behind.

On April 14, 2003, his classmates found it and uploaded it to Kazaa. Within weeks, it had spread across the nascent viral internet like a Force push. By May, remixers had added lightsaber effects, sound effects, John Williams scores. Newgrounds and FARK exploded with parodies. The New York Times covered it. Star Wars Kid became one of the first truly viral videos—accumulating an estimated 900 million views before YouTube even existed.

But the Force had a dark side.

Ghyslain faced relentless bullying. Students climbed on tables to mock him. He received messages telling him to kill himself. He dropped out of school and finished his senior year in a psychiatric facility. His parents sued the families of the classmates who leaked the video.

Years later, Ghyslain spoke out about cyberbullying, earned a law degree from McGill, and found peace. But his story remains a warning: viral fame, especially involuntary viral fame, comes at a cost.

The internet learned to laugh at a kid swinging a stick. Some of us are still learning that the kid was a person.

May the Force be with you, Ghyslain. You deserved better.