Netflix’s latest comedy series, Space Force, didn’t shy away from mocking President Donald Trump. The show, which debuted on the streaming service on May 29, was developed by Greg Daniels and Steve Carell. The two had previously worked together on The Office where Daniels served as the creator and Carell portrayed the central character. Not only did Carell co-create the comedy but he also plays Space Force‘s lead character, General Mark Naird.
The comedy was created to poke fun at the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, the United States Space Force. The military service branch was formed within the Department of the Air Force and vows to “organize, train, and equip space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.” The proposal in making the Space Force an independent branch gained steam in 2018 before President Trump made efforts to establish the branch. Legislation for the Space Force was included in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed in December 2019, officially establishing the branch.
The U.S. Space Force received criticism since its formation. That jokes about the need for a military presence in space was amplified when the official logo was announced, resembling the Star Trek‘s Starfleet logo. Shortly after the plans for the real-life Space Force was publicized, Netflix greenlit a comedy set to poke fun at the branch. It was quite obvious that the series intended to serve as a satirical approach but it was unclear how it would handle Trump’s involvement. Though the series mocks Trump’s time in the oval office, he is never referred to directly by name. Instead, the series sticks to calling him “POTUS” as he became the target of many gags.
POTUS Was The Target Of Many Space Force Jokes
![How Netflix’s Space Force Mocks Donald Trump](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Steve-Carell-in-Space-Force-Season-1-Netflix-2020.jpg)
In the very first episode of Space Force, the President’s incessant tweeting was the target of a joke. After establishing Space Force and making General Naird the first Chief of Space Operations, POTUS tweeted that he wants “boots on the moon.” Technically, he wrote “boobs” instead but the administration assumed he meant “boots.” Later in the episode, a character named Yuri “Bobby” Telatovich was introduced to touch on the President’s past connection to allowing Russian interference.
As the series continued, some of Trump’s real-life actions, or lack thereof in some instances, became a focus. Naird’s team found that a secret spacecraft was in orbit and was carrying a stockpile of guns as mass shootings in space were referenced. There was also an abundance of jokes aimed at the administration’s militaristic approach to global conflict. This was on display later in the season when members of the administration wanted the Space Force astronauts to get revenge on the Chinese space team after running over the American flag on the moon.
President Trump wasn’t the only indirect target of Space Force‘s jokes. The show included a subplot featuring the FLOTUS designing uniforms for Space Force. The series also introduced a number of recurring characters that were meant to be members of congress while mocking real-life individuals on both sides. There was an older gentleman with a flat-Earth idealogy who refused to listen to science in addition to a younger congresswoman that they referred to as “Angry Young Congresswoman” instead of her name, Anabela Ysidro-Campos. This was a clear parody of politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Space Force is certainly relevant but Daniels and Carell probably didn’t expect it to be so timely at the time of the premiere.