I’m afraid, ladies and gentlemen, that it’s time to revisit that galaxy far far away, and look at another theory about Star Wars.
Dave: That’s right, and I’ve a really good one today!
Of course you do… but before we get into it, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask.
Dave: What’s that?
Well, both previous times we’ve covered theories about this franchise, they were not only incredibly bad, but they were in fact pretty much the same theory. Since I don’t want to go through all the points again, I want your assurance that it’s NOT about a character secretely being a sith.
Dave: Very well. I promise this is NOT a theory about a character secretely being a sith. In fact, it’s about a crossover with the movie E.T.
I see… I suppose that in a way, that’s a relief. So what is the theory, then?
Dave: The theory is that E.T is secretely a jedi!
…Fine, whatever. Explain.
Dave: Well, it’s kind of obvious, when you think about it. ET uses telekinesis, which looks suspiciously like when Jedi use the force. He uses telepathy, and levitates objects with his mind, just like force users.
Uh-huh.
Dave: And in The Phantom Menace, we see one of the members of the Republic Senate are actually members of ET’s race, which would suggest that ET exists in the Star Wars universe. And in the movie E.T, when the titular alien sees a trick-or-treater dressed as Yoda, he clearly recognices him!
Wait, I… Wow. I… honestly don’t know what to say.
Dave: Well, I’d settle for an apology for doubting me.
Oh, is that so? You bring me this absolute claptrap and then you expect me to apologize to you? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Let’s explain why.
Ignoring the big problem with this theory for now, let’s start at the beginning. While it is true that E.T uses telepathy and telekinesis, there’s no particular reason to suggest that he is therefore using the force, rather than an innate ability of his species. After all, he also uses powers that are very much NOT jedi-like in nature, such as bringing flowers back to life, and healing injuries.
Dave: Hey, we’ve seen force users heal wounds!
True, but you’re forgetting a rather important distinction between the two.
Dave: What’s that?
Well, when force users in Star Wars use the force… they don’t glow.
The fact that ET’s finger glows is among the most iconic aspects of him. It’s also at that point he forms a psychic link with Elliot. Force users don’t need to make a physical connection to people to communicate with them telepathically, from what we see. This would suggest that his powers are different in nature.
Dave: Ah, but what about the cameo in The Phantom Menace?
What about it?
Dave: Well, that proves that the two exist in the same universe!
Does it? I’m not so sure it does. Isn’t it possible that it’s just a species that look similar?
Dave: Oh, come on, you’re just gonna ignore the obvious proof in front of your face, just to be contrarian? I mean, you’ve gone on and on about me moving the goalposts, but now when there’s clear evidence, you claim that it doesn’t count!
I can understand how you might come to that conclusion… but you’re looking at this all wrong. It’s not that I’m ignoring the evidence to discredit the theory. It’s that I’m trying to explain the evidence in a rational manner.
Dave: Yeah, right. You’re just trying to explain away the obvious evidence!
Am I? In that case, let’s suppose your argument is true. That means that, by your logic, there’s just as much evidence for… say, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings existing in the same universe. There’s just as much evidence for Mad Max, Stargate, Fast and the Furious or Harry Potter or pretty much every other franchise in existence existing in the same universe as Star Wars.
Dave: What are you talking about?
It’s very simple, really. We see humans all over the place in Star Wars. By your reasoning, every single franchise that has humans in it therefore demonstrably exists in the Star Wars universe.
But even you will agree that that’s a ludicrous idea. And the idea that E.T. And Star Wars existing in the same universe is equally ludicrous. It’s a supposition that is demonstrably false. So, if the two do not share a universe, but E.T’s species is still seen in the Star Wars universe, then the only rational explanation is that it’s a species that looks similar.
And the sad thing is, it’s actually one of your arguments in favor of this theory that proves that the two DON’T exist in the same universe!
Dave: What? When?!
You said earlier that E.T recognized Yoda.
Dave: Yeah, that’s right. A trick-or-treater was dressed as him, and E.T. recognized the mask!
Yes, and therein lies the problem! That mask proves that in the movie E.T., all of Star Wars is fiction! It’s a fictional movie with toy tie-ins! We see Elliot play with star wars toys in the movie!
So how the hell can E.T be from the Star Wars universe, if it’s established IN HIS OWN MOVIE that that universe doesn’t actually exist!?
So well done, Dave. You walked face first into the biggest possible argument against this theory and yet completely missed it.
I guess I should be thankful, in a way. Not only did we not have to deal with another theory about the Sith, but you brought me a theory where half the work of disproving it was done for me before we even began!
Devil in the Details 