No One Talks About How Star Wars’ Rogue One Is a Serious Version of Spaceballs

They say that life imitates art, but sometimes art imitates art. Everyone knew that was the case when Spaceballs was first released in 1987. The movie was not subtle about its Star Wars parody, and fans loved how much fun it had with the franchise’s familiar themes.

But there’s something a lot of people aren’t talking about, and it involves Spaceballs and another Star Wars film. Star Wars: Rogue One is a 2016 film set in the Star Wars Universe, but it’s also basically a more serious version of Spaceballs. Go ahead, try to prove us wrong.



Intentionally or not, these two movies have a lot in common.Spaceballs was co-written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. It’s safe to say that it was a labor of love.

It made fun of many sci-fi tropes, not just those from the Star Wars franchise. It also touched upon the Star Trek and Alien franchises, to name a few others. Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, and countless others help to bring this crazy, comical adventure to life.

Conversely, Rogue One is a more epic version of a space opera. Set in the larger Star Wars Universe, it fits perfectly before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. As such, the story is a bit more serious, even as it portrays rogues and rebels.

Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, and countless others joined the cast to flesh out the world.[RELATED: Spaceballs Sequel From Mel Brooks and Josh Gad Reportedly in the Works]What Do Spaceballs and Rogue One Have In Common?Let’s start by looking at the overall themes first. Both Spaceballs and Rogue One portray a ragtag group of characters setting out on a grand space odyssey adventure.

The casts are varied, with both groups notably including a memorable droid (though admittedly, they’re memorable for different reasons). Their adventures take them across multiple planets, during which they tip their hats toward iconic Star Wars scenery and events.Spaceballs is a parody film, and while it is based on the Original Trilogy’s events, a lot of what follows fits the larger Star Wars format.

One of the primary concerns in Spaceballs is the movie’s namesake – Planet Spaceball. It’s run by a corrupt (or incompetent, you decide) President named Skroob, who gets the brilliant idea to steal the planet’s atmosphere. It’s all sent to a neighboring planet (Druidia) protected by a planet-wide shield.

The crew enters a valiant mission to save Planet Spaceball, but first, they’ll have to go on a series of quests to get there, including gaining the code to the shield’s only entrance.Rogue One‘s quest is about a team trying to understand what the Empire is up to, with the ultimate goal of getting their hands on the plans for the Death Star (they may not know it’s called that, but they know the Empire is working on something dangerous). To gain access to these plans, they’ll have to sneak onto a planet called Scarif.

That’ll be easier said than done, as the entire planet is protected by a shield, with only one entry point. Does it sound familiar yet?[RELATED: Rogue One Star Has “Unfinished Business” With Star Wars, But Will They Return in Andor?]Other Funny SimilaritiesLet’s zoom out a bit, as other (probably not intentional) references are at play here. The latest trilogy includes a new villain named Supreme Leader Snoke.

The name sounds oddly similar to Skroob, right? It’s almost like they were trying to tell us something from the beginning.Many other similarities between the two films involve Spaceballs intentionally playing around with familiar tropes in Star Wars. For example, both films include a wise (of sorts) mentor.

In Spaceballs, that mentor is Yogurt, who leans more comical and spiritual. Meanwhile, Rogue One has Saw Gerrera, a grizzled war vet. Next, there are the leading characters.

Cassian, Jyn, and Lone Starr all start with mixed motives, but they’re heroes by the time the films are over. It’s the classic hero’s journey, but with a couple of twists.Lastly, there are the films’ antagonists.

The “big bad” in both films should feel similar because they’re effectively pulling from the same source material. The Empire and, later, Vader himself play opposing roles to the ragtag group of heroes. Spaceballs‘ version is pure parody, while Rogue One is setting up for one of the films Spaceballs is parodying, hence the strong connection.

[NEXT: Why Star Wars Has A Rough Road Ahead]Realistically, Spaceballs and Rogue One aren’t the same movie, but it sure is fun to think about! These two mostly feel similar because they’re pulling from the same source material. Rogue One is doing so to establish credentials, while Spaceballs is just having a bit of fun. That said, some unintentional parallels, like the planet-wide shield, are kind of mind-boggling.

Rogue One is available to stream on Disney+, while Spaceballs is available to stream on Amazon Prime.The post No One Talks About How Star Wars’ Rogue One Is a Serious Version of Spaceballs appeared first on ComicBook.com.

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