May the farce be with you! Join us as we count down our picks for the most memorable TV episodes that paid homage to the galaxy far, far away. From animated adventures to live-action laughs, these shows boldly went where many have gone before - into the world of Star Wars parodies, references, and tributes!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at TV episodes that reference, spoof or pay
00:12homage to George Lucas' epic space opera.
00:22Star Wars takes place a long time ago, yet for some reason, everything looks futuristic.
00:37As such, it was inevitable that Futurama would parody the franchise more than once.
00:41While this Alien Invasion episode also works in references to Independence Day and Star
00:45Trek, Star Wars inspires the episode's highlight.
00:48Just as Luke Skywalker's journey begins on Tatooine, our heroes go from a day at the
00:52beach to joining a rebellion.
00:54An alien mothership is the Death Star, in an action set piece that recreates the Battle
00:58of Scarif.
01:09Unlike Luke, the Force isn't strong with the Planet Express crew, but this invasion is
01:13settled in court.
01:14Hey, an episode that combines Star Wars and Ally McBeal is doing something right in our book.
01:36Airing between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Celebrity Deathmatch took the
01:40fight to a convention center for a sci-fi-themed episode.
01:44The main event pits Harrison Ford against Samuel L. Jackson for Star Wars supremacy.
01:48George Lucas is enlisted as a guest referee, but the Star Wars creator doesn't make it
01:52to the showdown, getting caught in a trash compactor.
01:55Spoiler alert, the trash compactor wins.
01:57The central brawl is full of brutal moments, although nothing is more painful than hearing
02:01Ford call Jackson Lando.
02:12Ford might be a few years Jackson's senior, but Jackson has a reputation for dying on screen.
02:17Deathmatch is no exception, as Ford emerges victorious with his carpentry skills.
02:22The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
02:40The Super Mario Galaxy games are great, but why wasn't there a Star Koopa level?
02:44Well, this episode will have to do.
02:46Since A New Hope centers on saving a princess, it wasn't hard to connect the dots here.
02:50Now a Sith Lord, Koopa is again after Princess Toadstool, and determined to destroy her home
02:55world.
02:56The Star Wars parallels pave the way for the show's signature pasta puns, like pasta power
03:00and may the pasta be with you.
03:02Because you know, Mario's Italian, get it?
03:10Being a plumber, Mario thankfully knows his way around a garbage disposal, and he's a surprisingly
03:15good pilot too.
03:16Plus, the episode's live action segments revolve around Christmas, so if you're looking
03:20for something else to pair with the Star Wars Holiday Special, this is the marinara to your
03:25spaghetti.
03:32It's called Star Wars, but the stars themselves don't really factor into the plot.
03:44They do in this episode of Rugrats, however.
03:46Wishing upon a star, the babies fear one will literally fall and crush them.
03:51Letting their imaginations run wild, the playground provides a Star Wars-esque backdrop, with Angelica
03:56turning to the dark slide.
04:06Angelica naturally fills the Darth Vader role, although nothing happens to the younglings in
04:10this version.
04:11Yeah, we know.
04:12Too soon, right?
04:13Angelica builds to a duel between good and evil, which are sometimes more closely related
04:17than you think.
04:18After all, Angelica is Tommy's cousin.
04:20Angelica may fight with a flashlight, but she's seduced by the dark side, falling to her doom
04:25just like the Emperor.
04:26Kind of.
04:27Uncle Stu!
04:28I fell!
04:29There comes a time in every fan's life when they realise not everything Star Wars-related
04:47is perfect.
04:48Or even good.
04:49For some, this awakening came with the prequels.
04:52For others, it was the sequels, for Adam Goldberg, it was a bootleg of the Star Wars Holiday Special.
05:03Hoping to recapture his grandson's childhood wonder, Pops takes him to see George Lucas'
05:07latest project, Howard the Duck.
05:10This just sends Adam into a deeper depression.
05:12But there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel.
05:15For all of its faults, the Star Wars Holiday Special was technically Boba Fett's debut,
05:19and he was easily the best part.
05:22No offence to Bea Arthur.
05:23With this revelation comes a new hope for Adam's inner child.
05:26A month after The Force Awakens premiered, Adam Driver hosted SNL.
05:48While Driver showcased his comedic range with a variety of characters, Star Wars was the
05:52Ortolan in the room that couldn't go ignored.
05:55Right off the bat, Driver finds himself bombarded with fan inquiries from Tar and Killam and
06:00Bobby Moynihan.
06:01Driver actually spoils the fact that Kylo Ren dies, although we guess Rise of Skywalker dropped
06:06the Weekend at Bernie's twist.
06:15Kylo Ren takes centre stage in Star Wars undercover boss Starkiller Base.
06:19It's Driver's chance to show his goofy side, and yet he still plays Kylo Ren, or Matt, with
06:24committed intensity.
06:32Weirdly enough, this sketch also foreshadows Kylo Ren going shirtless in The Last Jedi.
06:37Was Disney just stealing ideas from SNL?
06:40Hmm.
06:41A buddy of mine saw Kylo Ren take his shirt off in the shower, and he said that Kylo Ren
06:45had an 8-pack.
06:46That Kylo Ren was shredded.
06:4814.
06:49Gonzo's Video Show, Muppet Babies.
06:51Hang on you guys, we're about to make the jump to light speed.
06:55Here goes.
06:56Ouch!
06:57We've all fantasized about being in the Star Wars universe.
07:01If you grew up with a video camera, chances are you even tried making a shot-for-shot remake
07:05of A New Hope.
07:06Muppet Babies captured that sense of imagination and movie magic with this episode.
07:11What makes this Star Wars-themed episode stand out is that it incorporates footage and sound
07:15effects from the actual film.
07:16It certainly didn't hurt that Jim Henson was friends with George Lucas.
07:20At the same time, the episode has a handmade feel, with the babies using notebook paper for
07:29the opening crawl.
07:30It maintains the Muppet spirit though, complete with meta moments and in-jokes.
07:34I mean, we can't be the only ones who thought R2-D2 looked like a trash can.
07:41But that isn't the way the movie goes.
07:46It is now, you dumb droid!
07:49A Quack in the Quirks, Tiny Toon Adventures.
07:57Only two episodes in, the Tiny Toon's writers establish their knack for parody with a Star
08:01Wars send-up.
08:02It opens with Plucky befriending two alien ducks named Frank and Ollie.
08:06A reference that will certainly appeal to Disney fans.
08:09This was over two decades before the acquisition, by the way.
08:12Mistaking Plucky for Earth's greatest hero, Frank and Ollie recruit him to stop the evil
08:17Duck Vader.
08:25We suppose you could call this Galaxy Quest before Galaxy Quest, even if that movie satirised
08:29Star Trek.
08:30Of course, Star Wars is the main target here, with Plucky as Luke, Buster as Han, Babs as
08:35Leia and Hampton as R2-D2.
08:37Thus, ensues an adventure involving spaceships, lasers and stormtroopers, who live up to their
08:42names.
09:01Star Wars was regularly discussed on The Big Bang Theory, but only one episode brought
09:06two of its stars together.
09:07Looking to start his own convention, Sheldon seeks out Darth Vader himself, James L Jones.
09:13So we all know the drill, Sheldon fanboys out and Jones gets annoyed, right?
09:17In a refreshing change of pace, Jones is somehow more eccentric and exhausting than Sheldon,
09:22dragging him along for an unpredictable night on the town.
09:35After ice cream and karaoke, the evening takes them to the house of Carrie Fisher, who Jones
09:40supposedly had never met before this episode's taping.
09:43It's bittersweet knowing that Fisher and Jones wouldn't be with us much longer, but we're
09:47grateful the stars aligned with this episode.
09:54Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm was such headline-making news at the tail end of 2012 that it arguably
10:12overshadowed Barack Obama's re-election.
10:15South Park combined these two zeitgeist events as the boys uncover a conspiracy that also ropes
10:20in China and Morgan Freeman.
10:21The episode has aged quite well, foreshadowing how Disney would produce Star Wars sequels
10:37and integrate the brand into their theme parks.
10:39Furthermore, the episode questioned whether Disney would really be the best choice to take
10:43control of this beloved franchise.
10:45This question was still top of people's mind four years later, when another election was
10:50underway, and many were wrestling with the notion that The Force Awakens might have been
10:54overhyped.
10:55It's strange how Star Wars always reflects the state of the nation.
11:16Two key themes throughout Star Wars are the struggle between good and evil, and the bonds
11:20between fathers and sons, mentors and mentees.
11:23The same thing can be said about Scrubs, with Dr Cox acting as a rebel soldier and Dr Kelso
11:28taking the place of an imperial officer.
11:38Stuck in the middle of their conflict in this season one episode is young JD, who must choose
11:43between the light side and the dark side.
11:45The young doctor finally makes his choice in one of his many over-the-top fantasies, although
11:49Dr Cox shows him that doing the right thing also means making sacrifices.
11:56A spin-off of Animaniacs, this series spent four seasons parodying movies and pop culture,
12:15just like its parent series.
12:17And in the show's final episode, they brought out the big guns.
12:20Or blasters, as the case may be.
12:22In just 22 minutes, Star Warners satirises the entire Star Wars trilogy.
12:27Along the way, the Warners, Good Feathers, Slappy Squirrel and other familiar faces lampoon
12:32all the characters we know and love.
12:41Of course, Pinky and the Brain are also there as 3Pinkio and Brain 2MeToo, in a plot to take
12:46over not only the world, but the whole galaxy.
13:08At some point, every schoolboy has likely pictured himself as Luke Skywalker, and his principal
13:13as Darth Vader.
13:14In one storyline of this Simpsons episode, it appears that Bart has finally, in season
13:1818, gained control over Principal Skinner when he learns of his enemy's peanut allergy.
13:24Skinner strikes back, however, upon learning Bart has an equally deadly aversion to shrimp.
13:34Set to John Williams' epic musical score, the student and teacher clash in a lightsaber-style
13:39duel.
13:40And the result for both is every bit as tragic as Anakin Skywalker's fate.
13:44Well maybe not quite.
13:45If only Mark Hamill had been in this episode to show them how to use the forks.
13:51Team Venture comes close to winning best group costume, with Dean in Princess Leia's gold
14:08bikini, Doctor Venture in a Jedi cloak, and Brock in a hairy Chewbacca getup.
14:13But Hank has to go and screw it up by dressing up as the Batman.
14:16This becomes the least of their problems, however, when Baron Underbite kidnaps Dean and plans
14:20to make him his bride.
14:21Thus, the Ventures partner up with a group of underground rebels to save the princess,
14:30while cleverly and dementedly making fun of Star Wars.
14:39The same year Frank Oz voiced Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3PO
14:54hosted this episode of The Muppet Show.
14:57Completely dazed by the strange planet they've landed on, the stars of Star Wars commandeer
15:01the swine trek to rescue Chewbacca.
15:03The episode also features Gonzo the Great as Darth Vader, Miss Piggy as Princess Leia,
15:08C-3PO tap dancing and Luke performing alongside his cousin, Mark Hamill.
15:17Even over 30 years after it aired, this bizarre crossover is still awesome and hilarious to
15:22watch, and not nearly as uncomfortable as the Star Wars Holiday Special.
15:42Kids today can only imagine what it was like to see Star Wars when it first came out.
15:46In this Season 1 episode of That 70s Show, Eric and his band of rebels experienced the
15:51phenomenon in the theatre.
15:53All the guys are immediately obsessed, even if the film doesn't have any space jugs.
16:05The Star Wars theme further ties into the story as Eric worries Donner will turn to the dark
16:09side and dump him for a guy with scoliosis he beat up in elementary school.
16:14It's a really cool machine, my evil will be greater than Darth Vader's ever been, you ask?
16:31When Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, the creators of Phineas and Ferb jumped at the
16:35opportunity to parody A New Hope.
16:37And they delivered one of the most unique Star Wars send-ups ever, making Phineas and Ferb
16:42Luke Skywalker's neighbors, and telling the classic story from their perspective.
16:51It's one great laugh after another, with Perry the Platypus as a rebel spy, Candace as a stormtrooper
16:57trying to bust rebels, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz as the Sith Lord who gave the Death Star a fatal
17:03design for.
17:04Ah, if only this were canon.
17:06My timeshare on Alderaan is worth like ten times more than I paid for it six years ago.
17:10I knew the value would go up, it's just, it's such a peaceful place and people like to pick
17:14up.
17:153.
17:16For a few paintballs more, Community
17:24No show satirizes movies, television and pretty much anything better than Community.
17:29And for a few paintballs more, Dan Harmon finally paid tribute to Star Wars, as well as the spaghetti
17:34westerns that inspired the epic space opera.
17:36With Abed channeling Han Solo, and an ice cream mascot assuming the Darth Vader role, it's
17:41an all-out paintball war to save Greendale from the wrath of the rival City College.
17:55Brilliantly directed by Joe Russo, ingeniously written by Hilary Winston, and wonderfully acted
18:00by the whole cast, this cinematic episode is the very definition of epic comedy.
18:05The early seasons of Robot Chicken referenced Star Wars so many times that a whole episode
18:26dedicated to the franchise was inevitable.
18:28Seth Green and crew explore many scenarios one would never think of, like how did the
18:33Emperor react when Darth Vader told him the Death Star exploded?
18:43Both compiling previous Star Wars shorts and offering several new ones, this Emmy-nominated
18:47special is Robot Chicken at its best, with just the right blend of smart and low-brow humour.
18:53And in true Star Wars fashion, the episode even inspired a trilogy.
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19:20Not since Spaceballs has there been a more detailed, well-thought-out and loving take on Star Wars
19:36than this masterful episode of Family Guy.
19:38Packed wall-to-wall or galaxy-to-galaxy with jokes, the Season 6 premiere, Blue Harvest, couldn't
19:44be more perfectly cast, with Stewie as Darth Vader, Herbert as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Meg as
19:49the garbage monster.
19:50Sure, Robot Chicken might have done this first, but Family Guy did it even better.
20:00Throw in the equally hilarious follow-up episode Something Something Something Darkseid and It's
20:05a Trap, and you have a trilogy that will have any foozball laughing it up.
20:13So what show would you like to see dedicated episodes of Star Wars?
20:17Let us know in the comments.
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