If there’s one thing that online movie fans take seriously, it’s Star Wars. No other property (save maybe DC and Marvel) inspires such devotion, discussion and argument than the galaxy far, far away. But you can’t take everything so seriously all the time, and it’s good to be able to laugh at the things you love. Saturday Night Live has a proud history of having fun at Star Wars‘ expense, and though it was cut for time, the comedy show continued that trend with a sketch from this past weekend’s episode. Check out the sketch below, which pokes fun at one of Star Wars‘ less logical elements.
We have been waiting for news on the next Star Wars Story film, and while The Mos Eisley Five sounds like fun, I’m still kind of pulling for an Obi-Wan movie. I like how J.J. Abrams introduces the segment that right away stands out for having some pretty solid production values. Kenan Thompson’s makeup as the Jabba-like creature Goba is great, and the blaster battle at the end looks pretty good. The sketch covers plenty of Star Wars tropes, too, like the hive of scum and villainy, a double cross and the appearance of the Empire. The only thing missing is a lightsaber battle. Although the main theme of this sketch and the funnier moments centers on guest host Charles Barkley’s Jedi character and his struggle to understand what is going on.
First off, Charles Barkley’s character has some truly fascinating Don King-type hair, which just makes this sketch all the more ridiculous. But his questioning of how everyone understands each other is interesting and probably had more than a few Star Wars fans trying to square the logic in their own heads. I’m assuming that there is probably some reason in the vastness of Star Wars canon that explains why all these characters from across the galaxy can communicate with one another. This is despite there being countless species, humanoid and not, organic and artificial. Barkley’s character also brings up a great point about how the characters understand each other’s languages, but answer back in their own. Despite being crushed under the heel of galactic empires and being separated from other inhabited planets by light years, the education systems on these backwater desert planets are apparently top notch. This is just another reason why Star Wars is fantasy and not science fiction. Or perhaps there is just some universal translator technology I simply don’t know about.
Dealings with seedy criminal elements and bands of scoundrels are a core element of Star Wars, and while we may not be getting them on the big screen in The Mos Eisley Five, the outlook is pretty good that we’ll be seeing such things in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The second standalone film will likely answer questions about the Kessel Run, how Han won the Millennium Falcon and perhaps even how Chewie and Han can understand one another. Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25.
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