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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is the Netflix 'Space Force' based on the real-life military branch?

Friday, June 5, 2020

By Allegra Taylor

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In June 2018, President Trump announced that he would be creating a sixth branch of the Armed Forces. The U.S. Space Force was officially established on Dec. 20, 2019.

In May 2020, Netflix released a TV series of the same name. Although the name of the show was inspired by the President's announcement, other similarities between the U.S. Space Force and the Netflix show are coincidental, according to the show’s creators.

The lead actor and co-creator of "Space Force," Steve Carell, stated that the show was not based on real-life events, apart from the name. “[Netflix] called and said, ‘Would you be interested in pursuing a show?’" said Carell. "They had no premise; it was just the name. Because we’d be developing our show simultaneously as the actual Space Force was being created, there were no parameters, there were no rules. ”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

AP News: Trump Announces Space Force

US Space Force: About Space Force

Entertainment Weekly: Interview with Steve Carell about "Space Force"

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.