The Brief: This meme, which features a memorable quote by character K-2SO from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has been used to convey questionable intentions, disguised as an offer of help.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

The image for this meme is of a robot from the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The robot says “congratulations, you are being rescued,” followed by “please do not resist.”  Though the robot is extending his hand as though to offer assistance to someone, he also strongly urges them not to resist the help being offered, as if to imply that there might be consequences should they do so.

The meme has been shared mainly on Reddit and Instagram, and is currently trending on the Dank Memes page. The meme’s message is usually political and more often than not, the robot with questionable intentions is labeled as the United States.

You want some freedom? from r/dankmemes

While the latest variations of this meme follow this two-panel format, there are earlier iterations which feature a third panel.  This is an older three-panel variation, in which a dog is clearly hesitant to accept help from PETA:

me_irl from r/me_irl

Original Image Source – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story