Mysterious drone sightings across the eastern United States have inspired misinformation that’s not so enigmatic.
The latest entry in a “Star Wars”-themed variety? Claims footage of stormtroopers in front of a downed TIE fighter aircraft from the movie series shows a “drone crash.”
A Dec. 14 Threads post sharing the clip was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
The footage is from a 2014 short video by a German TV network, and the aircraft is an imperial TIE fighter from “Star Wars.” One version of the video posted on YouTube is captioned, “Star Wars TIE fighter crashes on a German highway.”
The footage has been misused before. In 2022, we fact-checked claims it showed a downed Russian plane amid the country’s invasion into Ukraine.
More recently, Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin/Adams, shared another image showing a TIE fighter with this description: “Crashed drone in Orange Beach retrieved from water, and taken to undisclosed location for further investigation.”
Those claims were wrong, and so is this one. We rate it False.
Truth-o-meter Ruling
IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT
-
This video features footage of a 2014 short video from a German television network that shows aircraft from the "Star Wars" movies.
Statement
Context
a Threads postSpeaker/Target
Statement Date
Our Sources
Threads post, Dec. 14, 2024
PolitiFact, Footage shows a Star Wars aircraft, not fighting in Ukraine, March 9, 2022
YouTube video, April 2, 2015
Wookieepedia, "TIE/LN starfighter," accessed March 9, 2022
Israel Today, "Star Wars, or Ukraine? Fake War Footage Infiltrates Even Mainstream Media," March 3, 2022
The Associated Press, Mystery drone sightings continue in New Jersey and across the US. Here’s what we know, Dec. 18, 2024
PolitiFact, Photo shared by Pennsylvania state senator shows a ‘Star Wars’ fighter craft, not a downed drone, Dec. 17, 2024
Translations
Language: en