Yes, Colorado's governor did a Yoda impression in a major speech

Gov. Jared Polis is Colorado's chief executive dad — quick to make a geeky pop-culture reference that lands like a cringe-worthy joke.

Flashback: In his first State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature, he invoked Spiderman.

• The next year, it was "Lord of the Rings." In 2021, he cited "my favorite Star Trek Captain, Jean-Luc Picard."
• In 2022, he reached a new level, quoting Taylor Swift and transforming a Paul Simon tune into a song about saving Coloradans money.

Between the lines: He parlays the quotes for a moment of levity about the issues he's referencing, speaking to his brand of humor.

What's new: To retain his nerd credentials for a second term, Polis used his State of the State address Tuesday to invoke "Lord of the Rings," the "South Park" TV show and "Star Wars."

What he's saying: "Luke Skywalker wasn't born knowing the ways of the force; he was trained under the guidance of Jedi Master Yoda," Polis started.

• Then, he morphed into a Yoda impression and said, "Two available jobs for every unemployed person, Colorado has."

Go deeper: Gov. Polis prioritizes housing as he outlines a less audacious second term in State of the State address