The Star Wars Prequel Eels meme emerged as a surreal and hilarious meta-joke within the r/PrequelMemes community on Reddit in early 2018. It started when users began photoshopping Moray eels into iconic scenes from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, accompanied by fishy puns of legendary quotes. Phrases like 'I am the Sen-eel-ate' and 'General Eel-nobi' became overnight sensations, briefly flooding the subreddit and becoming a defining moment of its shitposting culture. The meme thrives on the sheer absurdity of combining serious cinematic moments with low-effort aquatic puns, proving that the Star Wars fan base can turn almost anything into a viral sensation.