In one of the biggest acts of intergalactic narcissism to date, Stephen Colbert - host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" - hijacked a NASA contest to get his name among the stars.
NASA's public outreach started innocently enough. In order to foster interest in the space program, the agency conducted an online poll to name the International Space Station's new Node 3, set to be installed this year. The space agency had four options for voters to choose from as well as a place where voters could suggest other names as write-ins.
Seizing the opportunity to not only see his name in outer space but also to topple Xenu - Galactic Confederacy overlord and then highest-voted write-in - the late-night television show host called on the members of the Colbert nation to act, and act they did.
To the shock of absolutely no one, it worked. At Colbert's command, his name received over 230,000 votes, skyrocketing him to the top of the list. NASA's suggested "Serenity" was the closest contender, with about 40,000 fewer votes than "Colbert."
It's not like Colbert needs any extra publicity. The man ran for president and was one of TIME's 100 most influential people last year, for goodness' sake. This shameless self-promoter just couldn't pass up the chance to see his name somewhere else.
Perhaps NASA should be thanking Colbert.
By pulling in as many people as he did to vote on the name of the new node, Colbert managed to give NASA the coveted "Colbert Bump," which has been bestowed on various Democratic politicians, the Firefox 3 Internet browser and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (although Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart may debate the last one).
The bump is a force to be reckoned with. While Colbert's move to get his name on the node was self-serving, it boosted NASA's image in the process. If they were smart, they'd name the node "Colbert." The attention it would bring would be a godsend to the struggling space program.
But if Colbert gets his way, a space node will just be another item to add to the list of things named after him. Also on the list are an eagle, a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, the mascot of the Saginaw Spirit hockey team, a Virgin America plane and a turtle.
Colbert even had a day named after him - March 20, 2007 - in Ontario. For bombastic Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A., that just wasn't enough.
NASA has not released an official statement yet, but what could they say other than a heartfelt oops? As NASA noted in the competition rules, it still maintains the right to assign the node an appropriate name that represents the "spirit of cooperation and exploration" of the International Space Station.
While Colbert's win does represent democratic cooperation and the unity of his fans, it is basically the slickest form of exploitation. He was able to sit back and wait for his cronies to deliver, boosting his popularity at the same time.
You have to hand it to him - the man is an absolute genius.
Naudia Jawad is a journalism graduate student. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
