Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved spoofs/parodies of things.  I’m not too sure what it is exactly, but something about the way that a movie can recreate something from another movie or show really stands out to be.  And yet, at the same time, it can exist in its own crazy world where anything can and will happen.  The world within a good spoof movie can be very odd, yet it can also take on a unique life of its own.

Star Wars has been parodied and referenced in countless films, TV shows, video games, and many other forms of media.  And since I grew up enjoying all of those, it only makes sense that I go through my personal favourite things that have spoofed or referenced Star Wars in some way.  Here we go!

 

This is easily where it started for me.  In addition to being one of my all-time favourite comedies, Spaceballs is also one of the first films I ever saw.  It’s funny that I saw it before ever seeing Star Wars, but even at that point where I was only vaguely familiar with the characters, I knew what it was referencing and that says a lot about the influence that Star Wars had.

Director Mel Brooks knew what people loved about the trilogy and took the overall impression that the films gave, but gave it his signature wit and made it an absolute classic.  It has great quotable lines, non-stop craziness, and hilarious performances from all the actors.  Everyone does a great job, but the two that come to mind for me are easily John Candy as Barf, and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet.

In addition to spoofing Star Wars, it also pokes fun at elements from other films, like Star Trek, Alien, and even Planet of the Apes in one sequence.   There’s too many things to mention, I could go on about my love for the movie.  There’s no other way to say it, this is one of funniest films out there.

 

On the TV side of things, one that I always think of is this short one from an episode of Eek! the Cat.

Eek! the Cat did numerous parodies of films including Jaws, Die Hard, even A Clockwork Orange.  Each episode was always full of energy with each character giving their own portrayals of the films’ characters, and this Star Wars-inspired adventure is no different.  Despite being just under ten minutes, it manages to spoof the entire movie.  First time I saw it, I remember laughing a lot and having a great time with it.  I loved it then and I still love it now!

Now that I think of it, I may have to dive more into Eek! the Cat in a future blog post.  If you never saw it, definitely check it out and I guarantee you’ll have a blast.

 

This one’s a lot shorter since it’s only one part that spoofs the famous twist from Empire Strikes Back, but I remember everyone getting a good laugh out of it the first time I saw it.  Here, Buzz Lightyear learns that Emperor Zurg is, in fact, his father.  Even knowing the reference was coming, I still managed to chuckle.

What’s funnier, though, is that it’s not just there to serve as a quick reference Star Wars.  There’s actually a scene later on which shows Buzz and Zurg playing a game of catch as father and son.

 

I’m a fan of Kevin Smith’s films, so this is a really fun movie.  His humor is pretty raunchy and it may not be for everyone, but there’s also plenty of spoof humor throughout the film, including a part that pokes fun at The Fugitive.

This fight is an entertaining parody of the lightsaber duels from the Star Wars films.  Not only that, but Jay and Silent Bob fight a character played by Mark Hamill himself!  There’s a lot to enjoy here.  At one point, Mark sneaks in a laugh and some vocal nuances reminiscent of his Joker voice from the Batman cartoon.  Definitely one of my favourite scenes!

In addition to those spoofs/parodies, I’ve also enjoyed random little references to the Star Wars franchise in games and movies.

One thing that always comes to mind are the Lucasarts computer games.  For those who don’t know, George Lucas decided to launch a video game company during the 80’s and they produced many beloved games in the point-and-click  adventure genre.  These games included Sam & Max Hit the Road, Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, The Secret of Monkey Island and its sequels, and many more.

Since the company had his name, they lovingly injected many of their games with references to the Star Wars films.  These were often in the dialogue, resulting in very funny moments.  My favourite instances of this were in the Monkey Island games, particularly the third game Curse of Monkey Island.

These games are great for many reasons and are a lot of fun.  Many gamers grew up playing them in the 80’s and 90’s, and I’m very glad & thankful that GOG and Steam have a lot of them for sale.  They have unique puzzle-solving gameplay and humor, plus fun stories.  I highly recommend checking them out!

 

Once again, we’re going to a Kevin Smith film.  Clerks is one of my favourites that he’s done and this scene stands out for many reasons.  The obvious reason, to me, is that it’s a very intriguing discussion that no one expected anyone to have.  And when you do hear it, you find yourself wanting to probe the whole situation (and probably others) just like Dante and Randall do.

Kevin’s ability to write dialogue is always on-point, and this serves as a perfect example of his unique sensibilities as a writer.  The fact that Dante and Randall discuss something so random is already funny, but then there are amusing observations and remarks throughout the conversation that further add to the quirkiness.

This scene is so popular, that George Lucas actually acknowledged it during the commentary for Episode II.

 

Some of the more recent films that have referenced Star Wars are the Marvel Studios films.  For instance, there’s always someone losing a hand or arm.  And of course, there’s this great moment in Captain America: Civil War when Spider-Man mentions Empire Strikes Back before they take down Ant-Man.  As if that weren’t enough, he and his friend build a Lego Death Star in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

With Star Wars and Marvel being owned by Disney, I’ve no doubts that we’ll continue seeing references in later Marvel films.  And of course, they won’t be the only ones.  Even various Youtubers and other content creators have created funny videos that reference or spoof Star Wars in some way (Chad Vader being a great example).

As long as we keep getting more TV shows, movies, and other forms of entertainment, there will always be more references and parodies of the Star Wars franchise in the years to come.  Even outside of pop culture, people are always quoting it whenever they can fit it into a conversation or even just for fun.  I know I find myself doing that a lot, especially with Han’s dialogue.  And I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

So until next time, never go over Dark Helmet’s helmet.  Have a good one ya’ll! o/