Zelensky hologram references Star Wars: ‘We will defeat the empire too’
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers speech in a 3D hologram projection at Paris tech conference
- Ukraine is offering technology firms a unique chance to rebuild the country as a fully digital democracy, he says
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced Star Wars and World War II as he sought aid from big tech firms, appearing as a hologram at a conference in Paris.
He told a crowd of hundreds at the VivaTech trade show on Thursday that Ukraine was offering technology firms a unique chance to rebuild the country as a fully digital democracy.
He asked for help on the terms of lend-lease, the way in which the United States helped the Allies during World War II, whereby aid was offered without payment but on the understanding that hardware would be returned.
“It’s unusual for presidents or heads of government to use a hologram to address people but this is not the only aspect of ‘Star Wars’ that we are putting into practice,” he said.
“We will defeat the empire too,” he said, obliquely likening Russian forces to the bad guys in the Star Wars franchise.
He said the government would lay out the specifics of a plan that would create a digital government at a conference in Switzerland in the coming weeks.