ET Shares Home With Iconic Star Wars Hero
Are E.T. and Yoda neighbors? Many Star Wars fans seem to think so based on a pair of scenes from The Phantom Menace and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. That might not seem like much to build a fan theory around but trust us, the evidence is actually pretty convincing.
Elliot Loves Star Wars
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are close friends in real life, and sometimes that friendship makes its way to the big screen. It’s that behind-the-scenes bond that led Steven Spielberg to put a scene in his 1982 classic E.T. where main character Elliot shows the titular alien his collection of Star Wars figures. While that scene is just a fun little Easter egg, a different occurrence later in the film may have inadvertently established actual Star Wars lore.
E.T. Recognizes A Neighbor?
During a scene where Elliot and his siblings take E.T. trick or treating, they come across a trick-or-treater dressed as Yoda. Not exactly unheard of in 1982, however it’s what E.T. says next that elevates the scene from an Easter egg to something more significant. Upon seeing the other child dressed head to toe as the pint-size Jedi Master, E.T. starts to exclaim, “Home!”
Not only does E.T. squeal the word “home” at the unsuspecting trick-or-treater, but he tries to leave the kids with him. It’s that small detail that elevates the encounter above E.T. simply pointing out, “Hey, that guy is from space, and I’m from space too!” and instead comes off as E.T. frantically begging what he thinks is an actual representative of Yoda’s species to take him back to their shared home planet.
E.T.’s People Are In The Galactic Senate
If that scene happened in a vacuum, we probably wouldn’t be writing about it right now. However, George Lucas upped the ante by including three members of E.T.’s species in the senate scene of The Phantom Menace. This was, again, probably meant as a fun little nod to E.T.’s Yoda cameo however, there are no Easter eggs in the Star Wars cinematic universe. Everything—no matter how small—that happens on screen is canon.
The Great Senator Greblieps
Further mention of E.T.’s people is made in supplementary Star Wars materials. For instance, in James Luceno’s novel Cloak of Deception (2001), the lead senator is given the name Greblieps—Spielberg backward. While Cloak of Deception is considered Legends and no longer canon, the name appears to have carried over to post-Disney Star Wars continuity, as it was uttered in a 2019 episode of Lucasfilm’s official YouTube series The Star Wars Show.
Brodo Asogi
We even know the name of E.T. and Yoda’s joint homeworld: Brodo Asogi. The name comes from a little-known sequel novel to E.T. titled E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet (1985). Luceno also mentioned Brodo Asogi by name in Cloak of Deception, seemingly giving the name more legitimacy. However, the canonicity of the E.T. novel is questionable at best, and as already established, Cloak takes place in the Legends continuity, making it possible that Disney could change the name of Grebliep’s home planet if they so desired.
E.T. – Yoda’s Neighbor Or Overhyped Easter Egg?
Still, it is official canon that E.T.s do exist in Star Wars, and Yoda’s home planet has never been established in any Star Wars lore. Therefore, we’re considering this fan theory to be canon unless otherwise contradicted down the line by Disney. What do you think, did E.T. and Yoda grow up together or is it just overzealous headcanon?