Netflix’s series, “Space Force” is set to drop later this month, and it’s hard not to draw some parallels between the new show and America’s newest military branch of the same name. In real life, the Space Force is commanded by Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond, but some unidentified trickster decided to scotch tape the image of a different general, Netlflix’s fictional Gen. Mark R. Naird, over Raymond’s command photo at the U.S. Air Force museum.
This isn’t the first time the real Space Force has crossed paths with its fictional counterpart, nor is it the first clash of commanding officers. Earlier this month, General Raymond drew headlines when he poked fun at the comparisons between Steve Carell’s fictional general and himself, pointing out that the biggest difference between them might just be the hair.
“I was hoping for Bruce Willis,” he said, indicating that, like Raymond, Willis is bald. “The one piece of advice I’d give Steve Carell is to get a haircut. He’s looking a little too shaggy if he wants to play the Space Force chief.”
It’s not clear yet if Raymond had the same sense of humor about the scotch-tape graffiti over his face at the United States Air Force Museum. To be honest, however, that bit of fun isn’t even the most egregious issue on display in the museum. As you can see in this photo, the word “sergeant” is actually misspelled above the image of Air Force Senior Enlisted Advisor, Chief Master Sergeant Kaleth O. Wright. While the image of Carell can just be peeled off, that misspelling looks an awful lot more permanent.
Because the museum is currently closed, it seems likely that the joke was carried out by a member of its staff. Since the image first surfaced on Reddit, however, both the offending picture and the offensive spelling have been remedied, according to Museum spokesperson Rob Bardua. He went on to say that the image was just “an attempt by museum employees at a creative and humorous prank done while the museum is updating exhibits during the time it is closed as a public health precaution.”
While the real Space Force is already up and running, the show with the same name is set for launch on Netflix on May 29.
