Two of the biggest names in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, have collaborated numerous times, bringing us iconic film franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars. While their creative partnership has always been highly regarded, a humorous fan theory has lurked in fandoms for years.
The fan theory suggests ET and the Star Wars events exist in the same universe. Although there’s no official confirmation from Spielberg or Lucas, the theory proposes that ET might have once been a Jedi, or at the very least, Force-sensitive.
Spielberg and Lucas, who went to school together and had a fruitful professional collaboration in the film industry for years, frequently pay tribute to one another in their respective works. These nods and references are fun for fans to uncover. They also enrich the cinematic lores in their universes, only fuelling fans to further connect their films.
The theory gains credibility because Asogians, the species ET belongs to, exist in the Star Wars galaxy. This connection between Spielberg’s 1982 classic ET the Extra-Terrestrial and George Lucas’s Star Wars series was initially established as a friendly gesture between the two directors. Spielberg included a Yoda cameo and Star Wars toys in ET, and in return, Lucas promised to feature an ET cameo in the next Star Wars instalment, The Phantom Menace.
There were two key Easter eggs in the film ET. First, we see young Elliot playing with action figures of Hammerhead and Greedo, characters from Star Wars. The second, more discussed reference occurs when ET spots a child dressed as Yoda during Halloween and excitedly exclaims, “Home!” At the time, this was just a fun homage, but it took on new significance in light of ET’s canonical presence in the Star Wars universe.
The retconned theory argues that ET did recognise Yoda. Yoda’s lasting influence in the Star Wars universe supports the idea that ET’s species could have interacted with him at some point in their history.
The possibility of ET possessing Force powers or even being a Jedi is intriguing. The Jedi Order in the Star Wars universe includes various alien species, suggesting that ET’s ancestors might have been Force-sensitive. This could explain some of ET’s abilities, such as reviving dead flowers and levitating objects, including Elliot’s bicycle.
However, until Spielberg or Lucas officially confirm or debunk the theory, ET’s speculated unlikely journey from a Spielberg classic to a potential Jedi in a galaxy far, far away will continue to be a curious ol’ topic for fans to discuss.
