The Best Star Wars Crossover Happened Over 40 Years Ago
A long time ago—1980 specifically—the greatest chapter in the Star Wars saga was told. No, I’m not talking about The Empire Strikes Back, although that was good too. I’m referring to the time Star Wars crossed over with The Muppet Show.
Season 4, Episode 17 of The Muppet Show made history by combining two of the greatest franchises ever. Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca shared equal billing on The Muppet Show as “the stars of Star Wars,” although one could argue that the highlight of the episode was Mark Hamill. And not Mark Hamill as Luke either, but as his own dorky, showtune-loving self.
Hamill asked The Muppet Show to devise a way for him to appear as himself on the show along with his more popular alter ego. Muppet legend Dave Goelz stated in an interview that Hamill was “rightfully concerned about being identified forever as Luke Skywalker.” Goelz and the other Muppet writer’s genius solution? Feature Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker’s “cousin,” allowing the actor to perform a few segments as himself.
Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca shared equal billing on The Muppet Show as “the stars of Star Wars,” although one could argue that the highlight of the episode was Mark Hamill.
The episode begins like any other, with the show’s guest star of the week preparing in their dressing room. Angus McGonagle, a purple muppet clad in traditional Scottish garb, is all set to take The Muppet Show stage when Luke Skywalker and Star Wars friends blast their way through the dressing room wall. Skywalker has no idea where they’ve landed, remarking, “It seems we’ve landed on some sort of comedy variety show planet.”
That first meta joke then sets the tone for the rest of the episode. Luke leaving every time Mark Hamill shows up becomes a running gag, along with everyone asking the young Jedi who his tailor is. It’s a clever joke, considering Luke is wearing his Bespin garb from Empire months before the movie‘s release.
The Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show was the first in a long line of crossovers between the two franchises.
A highlight of the episode is a subplot about Mark Hamill trying to take Angus McGonagle’s guest spot. McGonagle is billed as “Angus McGonagle the Argyle Gargoyle who Gargles Gershwin,” a talent Hamill also claims to have. Hamill fails to impress Kermit and resorts to doing impressions instead.
“I do impressions,” Hamill says in a passable Kermit the Frog voice, and without missing a beat, Kermit asks, “Oh yeah, who do you do?” Hamill later claimed he based the exchange on a real-life meeting with Jim Henson.
As Hamill tells it, Henson asked the Star Wars star if there were any special talents he wanted to highlight on The Muppet Show. Mark answered, “I’ve been known to do impressions,” in a Kermit voice, and Henson casually responded, “Who do you do?”
The Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show was the first in a long line of crossovers between the two franchises. Lucas and Henson had a mutual respect that bled into their creative endeavors. Muppet Babies—a cartoon featuring toddler versions of the Muppets—used a clip from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in its opening theme song. The series would make multiple references to the space-based franchise, including a whole episode devoted to recreating the original 1977 Star Wars in its entirety.
With Disney owning both franchises, there’s a good chance we’ll get more Star Wars/Muppets crossovers in the future.
The crossovers weren’t onesided either. On the Lucasfilm end of things, 2009’s Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, included the planet Koozebane—an alien landscape that first appeared on The Muppet Show. Even as recently as The Rise of Skywalker, Neal Scanlan, creative supervisor for the creature and special make-up effects, and Jim Henson, creature shop veteran, created a background alien meant to resemble Labrynth‘s Ludo.
With Disney owning both franchises, there’s a good chance we’ll get more Star Wars/Muppets crossovers in the future. Until then, though, fans of both properties will have to be content with that 1980 Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show, possibly the greatest crossover either franchise will ever be a part of.
