Big launches of new technology, especially those designed to provide content to many customers at once, are rarely perfectly smooth. So it was with Disney+, which launched – in the States, Canada and the Netherlands, among a select few – with praise for shows such as The Mandalorian and shiny versions of the Star Wars films, but weird little meme-able moments such as "macklunkey".
Who, or what is "Maclunkey"? We hear you ask. Turns out it's a new wrinkle in a scene from 1977's Star Wars that has caused controversy before. Han Solo's encounter with bounty hunter Greedo has been the epicenter of fan ire ever since George Lucas tinkered with the scene to show Greedo shooting first. Now the ill-fated green meaning appears to shout "macklunkey!" shortly before he joins the ranks of people who have crossed Han's path and failed to live to tell about it. The phrase, heard when people started watching Star Wars early on Tuesday when the service debuted, spread like wildfire online.
Turns out it's actually part of a phrase in Huttese, and translates to "this'll be the end of you". And Sebulba says something similar in The Phantom Menace, as recalled by fans such as Bryan Young on Twitter.
Disney has since confirmed that the cuts of the original and prequel trilogies are the versions that George Lucas himself was preparing before the Disney deal, and in less wacky news, the Disney+ launch marks the first time that Episodes I-VI and Rogue One are Available in 4K HDR (with Dolby Atmos).
Other bounty hunters had a better time of it on the service, with The Mandalorian garnering generally positive reviews. Now, if only it had been available to UK viewers from the start... Disney+ won't launch here until 31 March next year.