Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
Encyclopedia
"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" is the season finale of the eighth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
and part of the series's trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball
. It originally aired on Fox
in the United States on May 23, 2010. The episode is a retelling and parody
of the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
, recasting characters from Family Guy into roles from the film. Prior to the television broadcast, it was released on DVD
and Blu-ray Disc
on December 22, 2009, in Region 1
; on December 26, 2009, in Region 2; and on December 23, 2009, in Region 4.
The episode was written by Kirker Butler
and directed by Dominic Polcino
. It received high praise from critics for its accurate depiction of the original film, as well as its inclusion of many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 6.13 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by H. Jon Benjamin
, John Bunnell
, James Caan, Jackson Douglas
, Joe Flaherty
, James Greene, Phil LaMarr
, Kevin Michael Richardson
, George Rogan and James Woods
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
is watching television, the power suddenly goes out, leading Peter
to retell the story of The Empire Strikes Back
.
After the "opening crawl
" an Imperial
Star Destroyer
deploys a series of probe droids in search of the Rebel Alliance
. One of the probe droids (Joe Swanson) lands on the ice planet Hoth
, where the Rebels have set up a base. Rebel commander Luke Skywalker
(Chris Griffin
) is patrolling when he is attacked by a large wampa
(Cookie Monster
) and taken back to its lair. At the base, Han Solo
(Peter Griffin
) announces his intention to leave the Rebellion to Princess Leia (Lois Griffin
) and General Carlist Rieekan (Dr. Hartman), with Leia objecting to his decision, however she denies it when confronted, saying she would rather kiss George Takei
. When he finds out that Luke has not yet returned, Han sets out on his "Dondon
" to find him. Luke escapes the wampa lair and has a vision of his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Herbert), who tells him to go to the Dagobah
system to learn the ways of the Force
from Jedi Master
Yoda
(Carl), after offering him a bowl of Zima
soup. Han soon locates Luke and the two are rescued.
Soon after, the Empire discovers the Rebel base, and Darth Vader
(Stewie Griffin
) orders an attack. The Imperial fleet exits hyperspace
too early, giving the Rebels time to evacuate the base while Luke leads his squadron of snowspeeder
s to hold off the Empire's battalion of Imperial Walkers. Imperial stormtrooper
s break into the base, forcing Han to escape in the Millennium Falcon
with Leia, C-3PO
(Quagmire
) and Chewbacca
(Brian Griffin
), while Luke escapes in his X-wing
with R2-D2
(Cleveland Brown
), stopping to see R2's niece's violin recital. The Millennium Falcon enters an asteroid field
and Han decides to dock inside a cave to repair the ship. They flee when they discover they have actually landed in the belly of a space slug (Meg Griffin
). Meanwhile, Luke crash-lands in the swamps of Dagobah and finds Yoda (Carl) amid the foggy landscape. Yoda trains Luke, guiding him through a series of training exercises, including watching "sweet-ass DVD releases", and a training montage that parodies Rocky IV
.
Darth Vader is ordered by the Emperor
(Carter Pewterschmidt) to capture Luke and turn him to the dark side of the Force
. Vader recruits bounty hunters to track down and capture Luke's friends, intending to use them as bait to trap Luke, including Raggedy Andy, who he orders to leave. With the Millennium Falcons hyperdrive
broken, Han and company escape by hiding amongst a field of disposed trash, but are tracked by Boba Fett
(Ernie the Giant Chicken), after hitting a "space bum" collecting some of the garbage. Luke has a premonition that his friends are in danger and leaves Dagobah to save them, although he has not finished his Jedi training. Yoda initially doesn't want him to go, but encourages it after Luke suggests Yoda fight Vader himself.
Han and the others go to Cloud City on the planet Bespin
to obtain help from Han's friend Lando Calrissian
(Mort Goldman), "the only black guy in the galaxy", only to be turned over to Darth Vader. Han willingly reveals the location of Luke and the Rebel base but is tortured by being forced to listen to Paula Cole
's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", for clogging a toilet on the 16th floor of Cloud City, forcing Vader to use the "little pig people's" bathroom. Han is used to test a carbon
freezing chamber Vader intends to use on Luke to take him to the Emperor. Leia professes her love to Han, but Han tells her to fuck off and is then frozen in carbonite for posterity. Lando later double-crosses the Empire, freeing Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO, motivating the guards with a pizza party. Despite R2-D2 having sex with the combination lock, and subsequently being discovered by her husband, to get the door open, they are too late to stop Boba Fett from flying off with Han. Luke arrives at Cloud City and, after being briefly interrupted by Ryan Seacrest
on American Idol
, engages Vader in a lightsaber
duel. Vader cuts off Luke's right hand. With Luke cornered and defenseless, Vader goads Luke to join the dark side, revealing that he is his father. Luke casts himself into an air shaft and, after discovering that a worker has shoved his severed hand down his pants, ends up hanging on an antenna beneath the city, calling out to Ben, Leia, and Tom Selleck
. Leia senses Luke's call from within the Millennium Falcon and has him rescued. On board a Nebulon-B frigate
, Luke is fitted with an artificial hand, but told to practice masturbating with a hot dog first, while Lando, dressed in Han's clothes, sets off with Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon to rescue Han. Before the story ends, Luke is angry because of the way the story ends. Then he receives a letter from Doc Brown, a reference to the ending of Back to the Future Part II
.
In the Griffins' home, the power returns as Peter finishes his story, only to get into another argument with Chris over Robot Chicken
. Chris vows to not let Peter get his goat this time, but eventually storms off when Peter brings up Without a Paddle
.
, and before his leave from the series in order to become co-executive producer of the Family Guy spinoff series The Cleveland Show
. Butler wrote the first draft of the episode in four weeks, under the guidance of series creator Seth MacFarlane
. The episode was directed by Dominic Polcino
, who had previously directed "Blue Harvest
". This was the last episode in the series to use hand-drawn animatics, before transitioning to computer-designed animatics.
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor H. Jon Benjamin
reprised his role as Carl, who portrays Yoda
, and Sheriff John Bunnell
made his second appearance in the series, the first being in the eighth season
episode "Quagmire's Baby
". Actor James Woods
, in his third appearance in the series, as an exaggerated version of himself, guest starred. Actors James Caan, Jackson Douglas
and Joe Flaherty
, along with voice actors James Greene, Phil LaMarr
, Kevin Michael Richardson
and George Rogan made appearances. Recurring guest voice actors Johnny Brennan, Chris Cox
, Ralph Garman
, Wally Wingert
, writers Kirker Butler, Danny Smith
, Alec Sulkin
, John Viener, writer and showrunner Mark Hentemann
, and producer Chris Sheridan also made minor appearances in the episode. Live-action clips of actor Dolph Lundgren
, actress Brigitte Nielsen
and actor Michael Pataki
from the film Rocky IV
, and actor Tom Selleck
from the film Her Alibi
were also used in multiple sequences throughout the episode.
The DVD
release of "Blue Harvest" on January 15, 2008, contained an easter egg
of a brief read through of bits from "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", as well as a teaser trailer for the episode as another easter egg.
The title of this episode is a reference to a specific line from the season five episode "Barely Legal
", which was used in a cutaway relating to Star Wars. The line is an inside joke relating to the Emperor
"figuring out the formula for great dialogue" for Star Wars. While the Emperor talks to a kneeling Darth Vader
, he says "Something, something, something, dark side
. Something, something, something, complete".
, they are seen sitting in front of the television watching a parody of several Aaron Sorkin
shows, including Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
, entitled The Kitchen. Once the scene ends, the power unexpectedly goes out, to which Stewie responds by asking "What are we in, Iraq
?" Reminiscent of the previous Star Wars-inspired episode, "Blue Harvest", Meg insists her father tell another story about Star Wars. Peter then begins a story, retelling the film Black Snake Moan, before being interrupted by Stewie and Chris.
In the same fashion as the original Star Wars films, the story opens with a large, yellow crawl of text, with the text in this variation calling out 20th Century Fox
for their lack of foresight in terms of merchandising rights, thus allowing George Lucas
and Lucasfilm
to keep all the rights to every film in the Star Wars franchise. The text then addresses the stockholders of 20th Century Fox, and cites Family Guys two cancellations as another example of the company's short-sighted decisions, and spending budget money in a useless manner. As the Imperial Fleet approaches, a Star Destroyer
deploys Elroy Jetson, a character from the Hanna-Barbera
animated sitcom The Jetsons
, along with a series of probe droids. Elroy Jetson proceeds to the Little Dipper School, in imitation of the original intro to The Jetsons. One of the probe droids, portrayed by Joe Swanson, then lands in the snow near Luke Skywalker. Luke mistakes the droid for a meteorite
and approaches the device, before being attacked by a snow beast, which looks like Cookie Monster
from PBS
' Sesame Street
. The character had previously appeared in the fourth season
episode "Model Misbehavior" as a "cookie addict".
Before leaving, Han Solo runs into Princess Leia, who insists on Han staying with her. Apologizing to Leia for having to leave her, Han gives her his e-mail address
, which is hosted by the nearly defunct company CompuServe
at "hansolo64@compuserve.com." Han Solo then questions why Leia wants him to stay, and suggests that she is afraid that she will not get a "goodbye kiss" before he leaves. Leia then mulls over the thought, and tells him that she would rather kiss Star Trek
actor George Takei
. Abruptly entering, C-3PO and R2-D2 alert Han Solo of Luke Skywalker's disappearance. Han goes out to look for Luke on his "Dondon", which has the body of a tauntaun, and the head of the late actor Don Knotts
. Once Han locates Luke, the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield
appears, to which Han responds, "There are way too many elderly comedians out here in the snow." Before being rescued, Han first appears in a 1980s commercial for the chewing gum Juicy Fruit
, with the original audio from the commercial and Juicy Fruit's current logo. The sequence was originally planned for the fifth season
episode "Road to Rupert
", with Stewie and Brian taking the place of Peter.
Continuing on their approach to the Hoth system, the Imperial Fleet passes by a mailbox with the surname of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy
on it. Darth Vader, as portrayed by Stewie, hits the mailbox with a baseball bat as the ship passes. As the Imperial Walkers, or "robot camels", begin to approach the rebels, one of the rebels looks through his binoculars at the group of robots and spots one of the Walkers wearing Crocs
, a type of shoe reminiscent of the wooden clog
but made out of plastic. When Luke's aircraft is shot down during the battle, he contacts OnStar
, a company that provides vehicle security. Deciding to outrun a series of TIE fighter
s, Sheriff
John Bunnell
then begins narrating the chase, in a parody of World's Wildest Police Videos
, which Bunnell hosted from 1998 to 2002. This is Family Guys second reference to the show, as well as Bunnell's second appearance in the series. His first appearance was in "Quagmire's Baby
", which first aired shortly before the DVD release of "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side". Han then seemingly goes through an asteroid field, much to Leia's chagrin. Han responds by stating that it is better than going through the nearby strawberry field
, with The Beatles
members John Lennon
, Paul McCartney
, Ringo Starr
and George Harrison
then appearing. The other Beatles are then seen teasing Paul about Heather Mills having one leg, calling her "Peg" and "Eileen". After much maneuvering, Han is able to escape the TIE fighters, eventually parking in a handicapped zone, citing vertigo
as his medical condition. This leads Leia to question Han's decision making, and causes Han to film a "video confession" similar to those on the MTV
reality show
The Real World
.
While departing Hoth, Luke meets Flash Gordon
, the title character to the 1954 television series that inspired Lucas to create Star Wars. When Luke reaches the Dagobah system, he crash lands into a swamp, prompting Allstate
spokesperson and actor Dennis Haysbert
to appear, in a parody of his commercials. Haysbert was reportedly approached to voice himself, but rejected the offer for unspecified reasons. Later getting out of the crashed ship, R2-D2 is eaten and spat back out by a swamp monster, prompting R2 to question what else is located beneath the swamp water. The Legion of Doom lair then rises from the swamp, which angers Luke. After Luke meets him, Yoda, as portrayed by Carl, reveals that the secret to mastering the Force is to "check out sweet-ass DVD releases", and goes on to reference several films, including National Lampoon's Van Wilder
and Iron Man
, as well as Iron Mans director Jon Favreau
. A montage depicts Luke performing various athletic feats under Yoda's guidance, interlaced with clips of Dolph Lundgren
as Ivan Drago from the 1985 film Rocky IV
. Going on to test Luke's knowledge of various films, Yoda begins to ask the best and worst "naked chick" scenes, with Luke responding by citing the best as Rebecca De Mornay
in Risky Business
, and the worst as Kathy Bates
in About Schmidt
. Yoda then asks about the best scene in the 1985 film Teen Wolf
and Luke picks the scene in which Michael J. Fox
in wolf make-up opens the bathroom door to see his father is also a werewolf
. Yoda says Luke is correct, but that he also would have accepted the end celebration in which an extra allegedly exposes himself.
Once the Emperor, portrayed by Carter Pewterschmidt, contacts Darth Vader, he first begins by telling him that he is getting rid of all his CDs because he is "downloading all his music to his new iPod
", then proceeds to list several albums, including singer Natalie Merchant
's 1995 album Tigerlily
, Alanis Morissette
's album Jagged Little Pill
, and finally Richard Marx
's single "Hold On to the Nights
", the last of which Darth Vader excitedly agrees to take. Calling upon various bounty hunters, Darth Vader reviews a lineup of auditioning hunters, including Dog the Bounty Hunter
, IG-88, Zuckuss, Bossk, Boba Fett
as portrayed by the Giant Chicken, and finally Raggedy Andy
, who Vader angrily dismisses. During a confrontation with Han, Darth Vader deflects lasers using his gloves and sings the theme song from the Wonder Woman
television series. Once Han Solo is captured by Darth Vader, he is tortured into confessing his clogging one of the bathrooms on Cloud City. Vader then forces Han to listen to Paula Cole
's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone
" on full blast. When Luke lands on Cloud City to fight Vader, he is first subjected to appearing on the popular reality competition American Idol
, with Ryan Seacrest
as host of the ensuing "lightsaber battle" before he is quickly killed by Luke. After losing his battle against Darth Vader, Luke falls to the bottom of the floating city and calls out for Leia, along with Obi-Wan and actor Tom Selleck
, the last of which is then seen briefly looking up from his book in a real-life cameo from the movie Her Alibi. Sensing this, Leia then orders Chewbacca to turn the ship around, prompting a parody of Vicki Sue Robinson
's single "Turn The Beat Around
", reworded to "Turn the Ship Around".
As the story comes to a close, Luke interrupts the ending sequence and raises the viewer's awareness to all of the "unanswered questions" that the movie leaves behind. The Western Union
postal worker from the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II
then appears, and hands Luke a message delivered by Doc Brown
from the year 1885, with the story then ending on the words "To be Concluded", in the same fashion of Back to the Future.
The episode then cuts back to the Griffin family household, with Peter immediately rehashing the argument between him and Chris that first started in "Blue Harvest
", a joke grounded in the fact that Chris' voice actor, Seth Green
, is one of the creators and producers of the stop motion
comedy series Robot Chicken
. Peter begins by suggesting that Robot Chicken would never be able to top the story he had just told. Hearing this, Chris says "Robot Chicken" already did a good job of that, while trying to suppress his anger, ignore the argument, and still defend Robot Chicken and its fan-base. Peter continues to poke at Chris and finally states that he "may have more time to tell another story" entitled Without a Paddle
, a critically panned movie in which Seth Green starred.
on NBC
, the series finale
of Lost
on ABC
, and Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo
on CBS
. The episode acquired a 3.0 and 3.2 rating, in the first and second half-hours respectively, in the 18-49 demographic. The episode beat the season finales of The Simpsons
and The Cleveland Show
in both the 18-49 demographic and in total viewership.
Reviews of the television broadcast were highly positive, praising its close attention to detail in parodying the original film. Jason Hughes of TV Squad
found the episode to be "incredibly ," going on to note, "As much as we fans love the films, we know they're not perfect, and that they're downright ridiculous in places. Family Guy managed to point out virtually all of those moments in this parody." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
found the episode to have "a lot of solid laughs", and admired the show for "throwing itself into these outsized movie parody things". Critics of the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases gave the episode high praise for its ability to accurately reflect the original film. Cindy White of IGN
gave the episode an 8 out of 10, noting that it "lives up to its predecessor and, like the film it spoofs, arguably exceeds it in some ways". John Scott Lewinski of Wired
praised the faithfulness to the original film, saying that it "becomes clear that MacFarlane and his writers are legit Star Wars fans". Adam Rosenberg of MTV Movies Blog
called the episode "hilarious" and Paul Semel of Metromix
praised the episode for featuring "some very ribald humor", and "[skewering] the original movie with some rather insightful moments". In a subsequent review of Family Guys eighth season, Ramsey Isler of IGN listed "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" as being a "pretty entertaining parody, and a safe way to wrap things up."
, and — in a first for the series — the episode was available on Blu-ray Disc
. It was released on December 26, 2009 in Region 2, and on December 23, 2009 in Region 4. As with "Blue Harvest", a limited edition version is available in the region 2 version, and comes with collectible items, including a t-shirt of The Giant Chicken as Boba Fett
. The Blu-ray Disc release features a second disc containing a "digital copy
" of the episode.
" and "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", a sequel episode, entitled "It's a Trap!" and parodying the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
, aired during the ninth season
of Family Guy. The episode was written by David A. Goodman
and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
, and directed by Peter Shin
, in his first episode since the fourth season
.
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
of the animated
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
comedy series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and part of the series's trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball
Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy
Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy consists of three episode specials from the American animated television series Family Guy. The episodes are a remake parody of the original Star Wars films A New Hope , The Empire Strikes Back , and Return of the Jedi...
. It originally aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on May 23, 2010. The episode is a retelling and parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
, recasting characters from Family Guy into roles from the film. Prior to the television broadcast, it was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on December 22, 2009, in Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
; on December 26, 2009, in Region 2; and on December 23, 2009, in Region 4.
The episode was written by Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler is an American animation writer. Butler is most notably known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, as well as serving as co-executive producer of The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.-Career:Butler joined...
and directed by Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on The Simpsons, Mission Hill, King of the Hill, and Family Guy. Dominic worked on the first season of Family Guy, then left to direct for King of the Hill and then returned to Family Guy...
. It received high praise from critics for its accurate depiction of the original film, as well as its inclusion of many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was viewed in 6.13 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
, John Bunnell
John Bunnell
John Edwin Bunnell is a former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon. Bunnell is best known for presenting World's Wildest Police Videos between 1998 and 2002.-Background:...
, James Caan, Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas is best known for his role as Jackson Belleville in the television series Gilmore Girls, for which he's also directed the Season 5 episode To Live and Let Diorama and Season 6 episode Welcome to the Dollhouse...
, Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, James Greene, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
, George Rogan and James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
As the Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
is watching television, the power suddenly goes out, leading Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
to retell the story of The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
.
After the "opening crawl
Star Wars opening crawl
Each film in the Star Wars series opens with a crawl of text which provides an explanation of the backstory and context of the film...
" an Imperial
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet"...
deploys a series of probe droids in search of the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
. One of the probe droids (Joe Swanson) lands on the ice planet Hoth
Hoth
In the fictional universe of Star Wars, Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote system of the same name. It is a terrestrial planet blanketed by snow and ice. Many meteorites from a nearby asteroid belt pelt the planet's surface, making temporary craters in the planet's ever-moving snow drifts. Hoth...
, where the Rebels have set up a base. Rebel commander Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
(Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
) is patrolling when he is attacked by a large wampa
Wampa
Wampas are fictional predators of the Star Wars universe.-Characteristics:Wampas are Yeti-like creatures that live on the sixth planet of the Hoth system. Wampa's hands have five fingers, each with one large claw. They also have a horn protruding from either side of their heads that curves and...
(Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
) and taken back to its lair. At the base, Han Solo
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
(Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
) announces his intention to leave the Rebellion to Princess Leia (Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
) and General Carlist Rieekan (Dr. Hartman), with Leia objecting to his decision, however she denies it when confronted, saying she would rather kiss George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
. When he finds out that Luke has not yet returned, Han sets out on his "Dondon
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
" to find him. Luke escapes the wampa lair and has a vision of his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several primary characters in the Star Wars series. Along with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in all six Star Wars films...
(Herbert), who tells him to go to the Dagobah
Dagobah
Dagobah is a fictional planet in the Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It also makes an appearance in a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith....
system to learn the ways of the Force
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
from Jedi Master
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
(Carl), after offering him a bowl of Zima
Zima
Zima is a clear, lightly carbonated, alcoholic beverage, made and distributed by the Coors Brewing Company, ultimately MillerCoors. Introduced in 1993, it was marketed not as a beer, but as an alternative to beer, an early example of what is now often referred to as alcopop. Its domestic production...
soup. Han soon locates Luke and the two are rescued.
Soon after, the Empire discovers the Rebel base, and Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
(Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
) orders an attack. The Imperial fleet exits hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
too early, giving the Rebels time to evacuate the base while Luke leads his squadron of snowspeeder
Snowspeeder
A snowspeeder is a Rebel Alliance vehicle featured in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and several books, comics, and video games in the Star Wars Expanded Universe...
s to hold off the Empire's battalion of Imperial Walkers. Imperial stormtrooper
Imperial stormtrooper
The Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
s break into the base, forcing Han to escape in the Millennium Falcon
Millennium Falcon
The Millennium Falcon is a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca...
with Leia, C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
(Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
) and Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
(Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
), while Luke escapes in his X-wing
X-wing
X-wings are fictional starfighters from the original Star Wars trilogy and the expanded universe. They are depicted as the primary interceptor and dogfighter of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic...
with R2-D2
R2-D2
R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
(Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
), stopping to see R2's niece's violin recital. The Millennium Falcon enters an asteroid field
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
and Han decides to dock inside a cave to repair the ship. They flee when they discover they have actually landed in the belly of a space slug (Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
). Meanwhile, Luke crash-lands in the swamps of Dagobah and finds Yoda (Carl) amid the foggy landscape. Yoda trains Luke, guiding him through a series of training exercises, including watching "sweet-ass DVD releases", and a training montage that parodies Rocky IV
Rocky IV
Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise...
.
Darth Vader is ordered by the Emperor
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
(Carter Pewterschmidt) to capture Luke and turn him to the dark side of the Force
Dark side (Star Wars)
The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction...
. Vader recruits bounty hunters to track down and capture Luke's friends, intending to use them as bait to trap Luke, including Raggedy Andy, who he orders to leave. With the Millennium Falcons hyperdrive
Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive is a name given to certain methods of traveling faster-than-light in science fiction. Related concepts are jump drive and warp drive....
broken, Han and company escape by hiding amongst a field of disposed trash, but are tracked by Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
(Ernie the Giant Chicken), after hitting a "space bum" collecting some of the garbage. Luke has a premonition that his friends are in danger and leaves Dagobah to save them, although he has not finished his Jedi training. Yoda initially doesn't want him to go, but encourages it after Luke suggests Yoda fight Vader himself.
Han and the others go to Cloud City on the planet Bespin
Bespin
Bespin is a fictional planet, a gas giant in Star Wars films and books. The planet was first seen in the 1980 feature film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
to obtain help from Han's friend Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
(Mort Goldman), "the only black guy in the galaxy", only to be turned over to Darth Vader. Han willingly reveals the location of Luke and the Rebel base but is tortured by being forced to listen to Paula Cole
Paula Cole
Paula Cole is an American singer/songwriter. Her single "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, and the following year she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.-Early life:...
's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", for clogging a toilet on the 16th floor of Cloud City, forcing Vader to use the "little pig people's" bathroom. Han is used to test a carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
freezing chamber Vader intends to use on Luke to take him to the Emperor. Leia professes her love to Han, but Han tells her to fuck off and is then frozen in carbonite for posterity. Lando later double-crosses the Empire, freeing Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO, motivating the guards with a pizza party. Despite R2-D2 having sex with the combination lock, and subsequently being discovered by her husband, to get the door open, they are too late to stop Boba Fett from flying off with Han. Luke arrives at Cloud City and, after being briefly interrupted by Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, engages Vader in a lightsaber
Lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
duel. Vader cuts off Luke's right hand. With Luke cornered and defenseless, Vader goads Luke to join the dark side, revealing that he is his father. Luke casts himself into an air shaft and, after discovering that a worker has shoved his severed hand down his pants, ends up hanging on an antenna beneath the city, calling out to Ben, Leia, and Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
. Leia senses Luke's call from within the Millennium Falcon and has him rescued. On board a Nebulon-B frigate
Nebulon-B frigate
The Nebulon-B frigate— is a fictional starship in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and the Star Wars Expanded Universe.-Origin and design:Industrial Light & Magic's Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Joe Johnston created the frigate late during...
, Luke is fitted with an artificial hand, but told to practice masturbating with a hot dog first, while Lando, dressed in Han's clothes, sets off with Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon to rescue Han. Before the story ends, Luke is angry because of the way the story ends. Then he receives a letter from Doc Brown, a reference to the ending of Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
.
In the Griffins' home, the power returns as Peter finishes his story, only to get into another argument with Chris over Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. Chris vows to not let Peter get his goat this time, but eventually storms off when Peter brings up Without a Paddle
Without A Paddle
Without a Paddle is a 2004 comedy film about three reunited childhood friends going on a trip up a remote river in order to search for the body of a long lost thief and his loot...
.
Production and development
The episode was written by series regular Kirker Butler, before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, and before his leave from the series in order to become co-executive producer of the Family Guy spinoff series The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
. Butler wrote the first draft of the episode in four weeks, under the guidance of series creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
. The episode was directed by Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on The Simpsons, Mission Hill, King of the Hill, and Family Guy. Dominic worked on the first season of Family Guy, then left to direct for King of the Hill and then returned to Family Guy...
, who had previously directed "Blue Harvest
Blue Harvest (Family Guy)
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New...
". This was the last episode in the series to use hand-drawn animatics, before transitioning to computer-designed animatics.
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
reprised his role as Carl, who portrays Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
, and Sheriff John Bunnell
John Bunnell
John Edwin Bunnell is a former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon. Bunnell is best known for presenting World's Wildest Police Videos between 1998 and 2002.-Background:...
made his second appearance in the series, the first being in the eighth season
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
episode "Quagmire's Baby
Quagmire's Baby
"Quagmire's Baby" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 15, 2009. The episode centers around neighbor Glenn Quagmire, after he suddenly discovers that he is the illegitimate father of a newborn...
". Actor James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
, in his third appearance in the series, as an exaggerated version of himself, guest starred. Actors James Caan, Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas is best known for his role as Jackson Belleville in the television series Gilmore Girls, for which he's also directed the Season 5 episode To Live and Let Diorama and Season 6 episode Welcome to the Dollhouse...
and Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, along with voice actors James Greene, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
and George Rogan made appearances. Recurring guest voice actors Johnny Brennan, Chris Cox
Chris Cox (actor)
Chris Cox is a filmmaker and voice actor. He is best known, as himself, for the 2001 Small Shots TV series for Spike TV.Cox replaced George Eads in the role of Captain Atom for the popular animated series Justice League Unlimited. Eads was unwilling to reprise his voice role after an appearance in...
, Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work in Family Guy, and as the entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM...
, Wally Wingert
Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
, writers Kirker Butler, Danny Smith
Danny Smith (writer)
Daniel "Danny" Smith is an executive producer, writer and voice actor on the American animated television series Family Guy. He has been with the show since its inception and throughout the years has contributed many episodes, such as "Holy Crap", "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz", "Chitty...
, Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
, John Viener, writer and showrunner Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
, and producer Chris Sheridan also made minor appearances in the episode. Live-action clips of actor Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
, actress Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen is a Danish model, actress, musician and reality television personality who began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton and several years later made appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV and is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone...
and actor Michael Pataki
Michael Pataki
Michael Pataki was an American character actor.-Early life:Pataki born in Youngstown, Ohio. He attended the University of Southern California with a double major in Political Science and Drama...
from the film Rocky IV
Rocky IV
Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise...
, and actor Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
from the film Her Alibi
Her Alibi
Her Alibi is a 1989 American romantic comedy directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Charlie Peters, and starring Paulina Porizkova, Tom Selleck, and William Daniels.-Plot summary:...
were also used in multiple sequences throughout the episode.
The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of "Blue Harvest" on January 15, 2008, contained an easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
of a brief read through of bits from "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", as well as a teaser trailer for the episode as another easter egg.
The title of this episode is a reference to a specific line from the season five episode "Barely Legal
Barely Legal (Family Guy)
"Barely Legal" is the eighth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on December 17, 2006. The plot sees Meg developing an obsession with Brian after he accompanies her as her date for the Junior Prom, eventually leading to her kidnapping Brian in order to engage in...
", which was used in a cutaway relating to Star Wars. The line is an inside joke relating to the Emperor
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
"figuring out the formula for great dialogue" for Star Wars. While the Emperor talks to a kneeling Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
, he says "Something, something, something, dark side
Dark side (Star Wars)
The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction...
. Something, something, something, complete".
Cultural references
As the episode opens with a shot of the Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
, they are seen sitting in front of the television watching a parody of several Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
shows, including Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
, entitled The Kitchen. Once the scene ends, the power unexpectedly goes out, to which Stewie responds by asking "What are we in, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
?" Reminiscent of the previous Star Wars-inspired episode, "Blue Harvest", Meg insists her father tell another story about Star Wars. Peter then begins a story, retelling the film Black Snake Moan, before being interrupted by Stewie and Chris.
In the same fashion as the original Star Wars films, the story opens with a large, yellow crawl of text, with the text in this variation calling out 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
for their lack of foresight in terms of merchandising rights, thus allowing George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
to keep all the rights to every film in the Star Wars franchise. The text then addresses the stockholders of 20th Century Fox, and cites Family Guys two cancellations as another example of the company's short-sighted decisions, and spending budget money in a useless manner. As the Imperial Fleet approaches, a Star Destroyer
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet"...
deploys Elroy Jetson, a character from the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
animated sitcom The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
, along with a series of probe droids. Elroy Jetson proceeds to the Little Dipper School, in imitation of the original intro to The Jetsons. One of the probe droids, portrayed by Joe Swanson, then lands in the snow near Luke Skywalker. Luke mistakes the droid for a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
and approaches the device, before being attacked by a snow beast, which looks like Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
from PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
' Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. The character had previously appeared in the fourth season
Family Guy (season 4)
The fourth season of Family Guy aired from May 1, 2005 to May 21, 2006. The season consisted of thirty episodes. The first half of the season is included within the Volume Three DVD box set, which was released on November 29, 2005 and the second half is included within the Volume Four DVD box set,...
episode "Model Misbehavior" as a "cookie addict".
Before leaving, Han Solo runs into Princess Leia, who insists on Han staying with her. Apologizing to Leia for having to leave her, Han gives her his e-mail address
E-mail address
An email address identifies an email box to which email messages are delivered. An example format of an email address is lewis@example.net which is read as lewis at example dot net...
, which is hosted by the nearly defunct company CompuServe
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
at "hansolo64@compuserve.com." Han Solo then questions why Leia wants him to stay, and suggests that she is afraid that she will not get a "goodbye kiss" before he leaves. Leia then mulls over the thought, and tells him that she would rather kiss Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
actor George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
. Abruptly entering, C-3PO and R2-D2 alert Han Solo of Luke Skywalker's disappearance. Han goes out to look for Luke on his "Dondon", which has the body of a tauntaun, and the head of the late actor Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
. Once Han locates Luke, the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
appears, to which Han responds, "There are way too many elderly comedians out here in the snow." Before being rescued, Han first appears in a 1980s commercial for the chewing gum Juicy Fruit
Juicy Fruit
Juicy Fruit is a brand of chewing gum made by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a U.S. company that since 2008 has been a subsidiary of the privately-held Mars, Incorporated. It was introduced in 1893, and in the 21st century the brand name is recognized by 99 percent of Americans, with total sales in...
, with the original audio from the commercial and Juicy Fruit's current logo. The sequence was originally planned for the fifth season
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
episode "Road to Rupert
Road to Rupert
"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode follows Brian after he inadvertently sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child...
", with Stewie and Brian taking the place of Peter.
Continuing on their approach to the Hoth system, the Imperial Fleet passes by a mailbox with the surname of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
on it. Darth Vader, as portrayed by Stewie, hits the mailbox with a baseball bat as the ship passes. As the Imperial Walkers, or "robot camels", begin to approach the rebels, one of the rebels looks through his binoculars at the group of robots and spots one of the Walkers wearing Crocs
Crocs
Crocs, Inc. is a shoe manufacturer founded by 3 friends - Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker, Jr. - to produce and distribute a foam clog design acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. The shoe had originally been developed as a spa shoe. The first model...
, a type of shoe reminiscent of the wooden clog
Clog (shoe)
A clog is a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood.The Oxford English Dictionary defines a clog as a "thick piece of wood", and later as a "wooden soled overshoe" and a "shoe with a thick wooden sole"....
but made out of plastic. When Luke's aircraft is shot down during the battle, he contacts OnStar
OnStar
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, hands free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada and China. A similar service is known as ChevyStar in Latin...
, a company that provides vehicle security. Deciding to outrun a series of TIE fighter
TIE fighter
TIE fighters are fictional starfighters in the Star Wars universe. Propelled by Twin Ion Engines , TIE fighters are depicted as fast, fragile starfighters produced by Sienar Fleet Systems for the Galactic Empire...
s, Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
John Bunnell
John Bunnell
John Edwin Bunnell is a former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon. Bunnell is best known for presenting World's Wildest Police Videos between 1998 and 2002.-Background:...
then begins narrating the chase, in a parody of World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos is a reality TV series that dealt with police videos from across the world. Video footage of car chases, subsequent arrests, robberies, riots and other crimes appeared on the show...
, which Bunnell hosted from 1998 to 2002. This is Family Guys second reference to the show, as well as Bunnell's second appearance in the series. His first appearance was in "Quagmire's Baby
Quagmire's Baby
"Quagmire's Baby" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 15, 2009. The episode centers around neighbor Glenn Quagmire, after he suddenly discovers that he is the illegitimate father of a newborn...
", which first aired shortly before the DVD release of "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side". Han then seemingly goes through an asteroid field, much to Leia's chagrin. Han responds by stating that it is better than going through the nearby strawberry field
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
, with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
members John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
and George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
then appearing. The other Beatles are then seen teasing Paul about Heather Mills having one leg, calling her "Peg" and "Eileen". After much maneuvering, Han is able to escape the TIE fighters, eventually parking in a handicapped zone, citing vertigo
Vertigo (medical)
Vertigo is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. The symptoms are due to a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear...
as his medical condition. This leads Leia to question Han's decision making, and causes Han to film a "video confession" similar to those on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
.
While departing Hoth, Luke meets Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
, the title character to the 1954 television series that inspired Lucas to create Star Wars. When Luke reaches the Dagobah system, he crash lands into a swamp, prompting Allstate
Allstate
The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...
spokesperson and actor Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
to appear, in a parody of his commercials. Haysbert was reportedly approached to voice himself, but rejected the offer for unspecified reasons. Later getting out of the crashed ship, R2-D2 is eaten and spat back out by a swamp monster, prompting R2 to question what else is located beneath the swamp water. The Legion of Doom lair then rises from the swamp, which angers Luke. After Luke meets him, Yoda, as portrayed by Carl, reveals that the secret to mastering the Force is to "check out sweet-ass DVD releases", and goes on to reference several films, including National Lampoon's Van Wilder
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
National Lampoon's Van Wilder is a 2002 comedy film directed by Walt Becker that stars Ryan Reynolds as the main character. The film also stars Kal Penn, Tara Reid, and Daniel Cosgrove. It features Sophia Bush's acting debut...
and Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, as well as Iron Mans director Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
. A montage depicts Luke performing various athletic feats under Yoda's guidance, interlaced with clips of Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
as Ivan Drago from the 1985 film Rocky IV
Rocky IV
Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise...
. Going on to test Luke's knowledge of various films, Yoda begins to ask the best and worst "naked chick" scenes, with Luke responding by citing the best as Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay is an American film and television actress. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she played Lana in Risky Business opposite Tom Cruise...
in Risky Business
Risky Business
Risky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...
, and the worst as Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
in About Schmidt
About Schmidt
About Schmidt is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, starring Jack Nicholson in the title role. It is loosely based on the 1996 novel of the same title by Louis Begley. Many of the scenes were filmed on location, especially in Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado...
. Yoda then asks about the best scene in the 1985 film Teen Wolf
Teen Wolf
Teen Wolf is a 1985 American fantasy comedy film released by Atlantic Releasing Corporation starring Michael J. Fox as Scott Howard, a high school student who discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself transforming into a werewolf...
and Luke picks the scene in which Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
in wolf make-up opens the bathroom door to see his father is also a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. Yoda says Luke is correct, but that he also would have accepted the end celebration in which an extra allegedly exposes himself.
Once the Emperor, portrayed by Carter Pewterschmidt, contacts Darth Vader, he first begins by telling him that he is getting rid of all his CDs because he is "downloading all his music to his new iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
", then proceeds to list several albums, including singer Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant
Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.-Early life:...
's 1995 album Tigerlily
Tigerlily
Tigerlily is an album written, produced, and performed by Natalie Merchant, released on June 20, 1995 . It is her first solo album after splitting from the 10,000 Maniacs...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
's album Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
, and finally Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
's single "Hold On to the Nights
Hold On to the Nights
"Hold On to the Nights" is a power ballad and number-one hit for singer Richard Marx. This was the fourth and final single released from his self-titled debut album, and the first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100.-Charts:...
", the last of which Darth Vader excitedly agrees to take. Calling upon various bounty hunters, Darth Vader reviews a lineup of auditioning hunters, including Dog the Bounty Hunter
Duane Chapman
Duane Lee "Dog" Chapman, Sr. is an American bounty hunter and a former bail bondsman. He stars in Dog the Bounty Hunter, a weekly reality television program which is broadcast on the A&E Network , FOX8 and GO! , OLN and A&E Network , MAX and RTL II .Chapman claims he has made more than 6,000...
, IG-88, Zuckuss, Bossk, Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
as portrayed by the Giant Chicken, and finally Raggedy Andy
Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann is a fictional character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose...
, who Vader angrily dismisses. During a confrontation with Han, Darth Vader deflects lasers using his gloves and sings the theme song from the Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
television series. Once Han Solo is captured by Darth Vader, he is tortured into confessing his clogging one of the bathrooms on Cloud City. Vader then forces Han to listen to Paula Cole
Paula Cole
Paula Cole is an American singer/songwriter. Her single "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, and the following year she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.-Early life:...
's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone
"Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" is a song by Paula Cole. It is featured in her album This Fire. The song is Cole's only U.S. Top Ten hit on Billboards Hot 100, reaching number 8...
" on full blast. When Luke lands on Cloud City to fight Vader, he is first subjected to appearing on the popular reality competition American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
as host of the ensuing "lightsaber battle" before he is quickly killed by Luke. After losing his battle against Darth Vader, Luke falls to the bottom of the floating city and calls out for Leia, along with Obi-Wan and actor Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, the last of which is then seen briefly looking up from his book in a real-life cameo from the movie Her Alibi. Sensing this, Leia then orders Chewbacca to turn the ship around, prompting a parody of Vicki Sue Robinson
Vicki Sue Robinson
Vicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:...
's single "Turn The Beat Around
Turn the Beat Around
In 1994 , the song was recorded by Gloria Estefan for the soundtrack to the film The Specialist. Released as a single, it became a hit reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is also featured on Estefan's fourth solo album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. She also sang the song as her opening...
", reworded to "Turn the Ship Around".
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
postal worker from the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
then appears, and hands Luke a message delivered by Doc Brown
Emmett Brown
Doctor Emmett Lathrop "Doc" Brown, Ph.D. is a fictional character and one of the lead characters in the Back to the Future film trilogy, in which he is the inventor of the first time machine, which he builds out of a DeLorean sports car...
from the year 1885, with the story then ending on the words "To be Concluded", in the same fashion of Back to the Future.
The episode then cuts back to the Griffin family household, with Peter immediately rehashing the argument between him and Chris that first started in "Blue Harvest
Blue Harvest (Family Guy)
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New...
", a joke grounded in the fact that Chris' voice actor, Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
, is one of the creators and producers of the stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
comedy series Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. Peter begins by suggesting that Robot Chicken would never be able to top the story he had just told. Hearing this, Chris says "Robot Chicken" already did a good job of that, while trying to suppress his anger, ignore the argument, and still defend Robot Chicken and its fan-base. Peter continues to poke at Chris and finally states that he "may have more time to tell another story" entitled Without a Paddle
Without A Paddle
Without a Paddle is a 2004 comedy film about three reunited childhood friends going on a trip up a remote river in order to search for the body of a long lost thief and his loot...
, a critically panned movie in which Seth Green starred.
Reception
In a significant decrease from the previous episode, "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" was viewed in 6.13 million homes in its first half-hour, and 6.39 in its second (previous episode was viewed in 7.59 million homes). It aired simultaneously with the season finale of The Celebrity ApprenticeThe Apprentice (U.S. season 9)
The Celebrity Apprentice 3 is the ninth installment of the United States version of the reality television series, The Apprentice. On April 29, 2009, NBC officially announced the renewal of Celebrity Apprentice for Spring 2010. The show premiered on Sunday, March 14, 2010...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, the series finale
The End (Lost)
"The End" is the series finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 17th and 18th episodes of season 6. It is also the 120th and 121st episodes overall...
of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The episode acquired a 3.0 and 3.2 rating, in the first and second half-hours respectively, in the 18-49 demographic. The episode beat the season finales of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
in both the 18-49 demographic and in total viewership.
Reviews of the television broadcast were highly positive, praising its close attention to detail in parodying the original film. Jason Hughes of TV Squad
Weblogs, Inc.
Weblogs, Inc. is a blog network of about 90 blogs, covering a variety of subjects, from computers and gaming . Roughly half of these blogs are regularly updated and maintained. Weblogs, Inc. was founded in September 2003.-History:...
found the episode to be "incredibly ," going on to note, "As much as we fans love the films, we know they're not perfect, and that they're downright ridiculous in places. Family Guy managed to point out virtually all of those moments in this parody." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
found the episode to have "a lot of solid laughs", and admired the show for "throwing itself into these outsized movie parody things". Critics of the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases gave the episode high praise for its ability to accurately reflect the original film. Cindy White of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode an 8 out of 10, noting that it "lives up to its predecessor and, like the film it spoofs, arguably exceeds it in some ways". John Scott Lewinski of Wired
Wired News
Wired News is an online technology news website, formerly known as HotWired, that split off from Wired magazine when the magazine was purchased by Condé Nast Publishing in the 1990s. Wired News was owned by Lycos not long after the split, until Condé Nast purchased Wired News on July 11, 2006...
praised the faithfulness to the original film, saying that it "becomes clear that MacFarlane and his writers are legit Star Wars fans". Adam Rosenberg of MTV Movies Blog
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
called the episode "hilarious" and Paul Semel of Metromix
Metromix
Metromix is a network of local entertainment websites backed by a joint venture between media companies Gannett and Tribune Co. A guide to local restaurants, bars and clubs, events, concerts and movies, Metromix is currently available in over 60 markets. In late 2009, the company launched 27 new...
praised the episode for featuring "some very ribald humor", and "[skewering] the original movie with some rather insightful moments". In a subsequent review of Family Guys eighth season, Ramsey Isler of IGN listed "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" as being a "pretty entertaining parody, and a safe way to wrap things up."
Home release
On December 22, 2009, before the episode first aired, it was released on DVD in Region 1DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
, and — in a first for the series — the episode was available on Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
. It was released on December 26, 2009 in Region 2, and on December 23, 2009 in Region 4. As with "Blue Harvest", a limited edition version is available in the region 2 version, and comes with collectible items, including a t-shirt of The Giant Chicken as Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
. The Blu-ray Disc release features a second disc containing a "digital copy
Digital copy
Digital Copy provides consumers who purchase a film on DVD or Blu-ray Disc with an additional, digital copy of the movie for devices capable of operating with a file in contrast to a DVD.-Features:...
" of the episode.
| Something, Something, Something, Dark Side | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
|
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,... with Mark Hentemann Mark Hentemann Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy... , David A. Goodman David A. Goodman David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three... , Kirker Butler, Dominic Polcino Dominic Polcino Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on The Simpsons, Mission Hill, King of the Hill, and Family Guy. Dominic worked on the first season of Family Guy, then left to direct for King of the Hill and then returned to Family Guy... and Seth Green Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris... |
|||
| Release dates | ||||
| Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 4 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
||
Sequel
With the success of "Blue HarvestBlue Harvest (Family Guy)
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New...
" and "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", a sequel episode, entitled "It's a Trap!" and parodying the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
, aired during the ninth season
Family Guy (season 9)
Family Guy ninth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 26, 2010 to May 22, 2011 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication...
of Family Guy. The episode was written by David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three...
and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong is a Thai American author, and an executive story editor/co-producer on Family Guy....
, and directed by Peter Shin
Peter Shin
Peter Shin is the:*supervising director of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story*director of Big Bug Man.*director of Family Guy episodes:**"Death Has a Shadow"**"Emission Impossible"**"North by North Quahog"**"It's a Trap!"...
, in his first episode since the fourth season
Family Guy (season 4)
The fourth season of Family Guy aired from May 1, 2005 to May 21, 2006. The season consisted of thirty episodes. The first half of the season is included within the Volume Three DVD box set, which was released on November 29, 2005 and the second half is included within the Volume Four DVD box set,...
.