Malcolm also appears in Season 3 and Star Wars Special Edition 2.5 in the same sketch. If you are looking for a VHS or DVD of this show contact me.
Cast | Articles | DVD | News | Pictures | My Summary | My Review

Cast

Written & Directed by Seth Green

Articles

A Force Farce - Seth Green Geeks Out 'Star Wars'
By Larry Getlen | New York Posy 6/17/07

    Seth Green found himself in the intimidating position of directing George Lucas on the producer's own Skywalker Ranch. "I tried hard not to think about it," says Green. "We had a very limited time to record him, so there wasn't time to let emotion play a part." And luckily, Lucas was completely at ease during the 20-minute session. "He was really playful," says Green. "He said, 'It's rare to be on this side of the camera. I guess I get to be the a-hole actor now.' I said, 'That's fine, as long as you don't mind me being the prick director.' "
    In addition to Lucas, the episode features Mark Hamill voicing his classic Luke Skywalker character, plus appearances from Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, Malcolm McDowell and Hulk Hogan. In a playful tweaking of the "Star Wars" mythology, the episode includes a "yo momma" fight between Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine, and a sequence depicting President Bush as a Jedi.
    Once production concluded on the episode, the most exhilarating and frightening aspect of the experience for Green was screening it for his crew - with Lucas in the room. "That was the most nervous I've been," says Green. "I just watched him. I know that sounds creepy, but I checked to see if he was laughing, and he was." Afterward, Lucas gave praise.
    "George said something like, 'It was really funny, and we should talk about doing more' - which was a joke, because it took 14 weeks to do a half-hour," says Green. "And I said, 'Actually, I'm thinking two sequels and three prequels.' " Which, it turned out, was more than just a joke. The Fox show "Family Guy" is kicking off its new season in September with its own one-hour, Lucas-sanctioned re-enactment of "Star Wars," in which Chris Griffin plays Luke Skywalker. The voice of Chris Griffin, by odd coincidence, is provided by Green.
    During their respective production processes, he and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane would compare material. "Seth called me and said, 'Do you guys have anything about the thermal exhaust port?' " recalls Green "I said, 'We did, but we cut it. Are you guys gonna do something?' And I told him our bit, and he was like, 'Good, that's different than ours.' " Green, who will soon collaborate with MacFarlane on a live-action script, is now considering other special episodes of "Robot Chicken." From this experience, it's clear he knows how to capitalize on an opportunity. 
    "We were so excited because we literally showed it to the people that made 'Star Wars,'" says Green. "We did a Q&A afterward, and I went, 'Now I got a question for you guys. How do I get into "Indiana Jones 4"?' "

DVD

7/22/08 with bonus features including:
* Chicken Nuggets (Sketch by Sketch Video Commentary)
* Animation Meeting
* On-Air Bumps
* Trailers
* Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
* Deleted Scenes
* Alternate Audio
* Time Lapse Sequences
* Photo Gallery
* STAR WARS Celebration IV Convention Panel Presentation
* Production Design Featurette
* Episode Commentary - two hours

News

Pictures

Star Wars
Imperial Officer in front of Orientation screen
Imperial Officer demonstrating the choke

Moesha Poppins
1776 logo
Reporter voiced by Malcolm

My Summary

Star Wars

    Live introduction from Seth & Matt - It's Saturday an entire night to host Adult Swim and they don't know what they are doing. Lucasfilm gave them permission to make a special and it's the coolest thing to ever happen to them.
    The Mad scientist cobbles the chicken parts together to make him into Vader a la Episode III with funny SW style music with Special thanks to George Lucas.
    Hoth - Luke cuts into the bottom of an AT-AT, throws in a grenade that lands near an AT-AT Driver on a toilet bowl who can do anything about it and it blows up.
    (From Episode #23 - 1987) Emperor's Phone Call - Vader calls two weeks later to say the rebels blew up the Death Star. The Emperor: Vader! How's my favorite Sith? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, just slow down. Huh? What do you mean they blew up the Death Star? (Bleep)! Oh, (Bleep), (Bleep), (Bleep)! Who's "they"? What the hell is an "Aluminum Falcon"? (Sighs) Okay. Okay, so so who's left? Are you sh--ing me? Well where are you? Wait a sec, you've been flying around for two weeks trying to get a signal? Ugh, you must smell like...feet wrapped in leathery...burnt...bacon. Oh, oh, oh, I'm sorry I thought my Dark Lord of the Sith could protect a small thermal exhaust port that's only two meters wide. The thing wasn't even fully paid off yet! Do you have, do you have any idea what this is gonna do to my credit? Etc.
    A drunk Jawa in the Cantina.
    Darth Maul's split body falls on a floor and a janitor has to clean it up, mumbling about wanting to transfer to Coruscant.
    Kids are eating breakfast unhappily, then Admiral Ackbar comes in with his new Admiral Ackbar Cereal - now with brine shrimp. There's a prize in every box - a fish. He gives a ROTJ style briefing to explain it saying tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude.
    Walrusman (Ponda Baba) gets ready for work. He's planning for a promotion that day where he works as an architect. At work Dr. Evazan convinces him to go to the new Cantina for lunch for some drinks saying it won't kill you. Ponda bumps Luke and doesn't say anything bad and is sorry, but Evazan makes him out to be a jerk because he speaks English. Ponda tries to say not to listen to him because he's drunk and gets his arm cut off. Then he gets fired by Ree Yees for losing an arm and not being able to draw anymore.
    C-3PO goes through a metal detector at an airport and it goes off. He says oh, it must be my keys.
    Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn cut through a door and bulkhead of a Trade Federation ship and Qui-Gon and loses his grip on the saber and it goes through the door and people are heard getting hurt.
    The claw to lift Vader's helmet off goes haywire and pulls him up too. He says a little help here.
    Malcolm McDowell as an officer on the death star in a briefing room with a screen behind him. The words Orientation Day appears, then a picture of Vader using the force choke. "Welcome to Orientation Day here on the jolly old Death Star. Now there are a few things we want to go over with you concerning Lord Vader. First and foremost he thinks he has the power to strangle us. Truth is he doesn't. If he ever realized this he would kill us with his lightsaber. Thus, to keep us safe we'll all pretend to get strangled. OK, let's try a practice. Commander Winston here will assist me. I'm going to hold out my hand like Lord Vader and he will pretend to be strangled. Gasping for air, grabs throat, yes, eyes back and he's down. Good show commander. Now two of the floor chiefs will retrieve the corpse, redress him, add a mustache and he's back to work as Lt. Leopold. Vader has the satisfaction of killing someone and we stay amongst the living. Why Private Perkins over there has been strangled 30 times haven't you? Good man."
    Luke wants to call home in his X-wing after blowing up the Death Star then realizes Aunt Beru & Uncle Own are dead.
    George Lucas gets in an elevator and a dork says he's going to be a Tauntaun at the Star Wars convention and show him the costume he made. George can't wait to get away, but when he exits he runs into a crowd of dorks, which is worse. They all charge him and he doesn't know what to do. The dork in the Tauntaun costume comes to the rescue and says to ride him to safety. George isn't sure, but does it. The guy carries him to the stage where is supposed to speak and he jumps off at the podium and says "and I though they smelled bad on the outside." The dork says "just like in the movie." Then we see it's the future and the dork is showing his scrapbook to his child. He tells the kid that was the greatest moment of his life. The kid asks "what about my birth?" The dork says not even close.
    Luke Skywalker is on the Millennium Falcon and says he can't see with the blast shield down and Obi-Wan tests him by hitting him in the nuts. Then he kicks him as Luke swings the lightsaber.
    The space slug is mad he missed the Falcon when it flies out of his mouth. Another space slug comes out next to him to comfort him. He's mad he's always missing the ship. The second slug says they'll order Chinese. He calls in an order for millions of pounds of food and  says they'll pay with cash since they will eat them instead of paying when they arrive.
    Mace Windu falls to his death and his the floor in front of the janitor. He sweeps him away mumbling now he wants to transfer to the Death Star.
    (From Episode #30 - Massage Chair) President Bush dreams he has Jedi Powers. His doctor tells him he has a high Midi-chlorians count which leads to him dealing with is daughter like the "I am your father" scene.  He moves Bill Clinton out of the parking space at McDonald's, then angers Abraham Lincoln by vandalizing his memorial and they fight a lightsaber duel and Bush wins. He then wakes up in the White House and tries to use the Jedi Mind trick which doesn't work until he asks his assistant for a taco which he agrees to get. Then he says tacos rule.
    At the halfway point Seth, Matt, Mike & Breckin give their thanks. Seth says to rip the show and put it on the net, then changes his mind and says don't steal. He shoots Breckin in the eye with a suction dart gun. It's a dream project for them. It took 14 weeks to do it. Why do they pay us?
    On Bespin 4 TV the weather girl says cloud city will be cloudy this evening with clouds.
    A bum is inside a tauntaun when Han Solo cuts it open and he says get your own.
    Palpatine and Luke on the Death Star 2. Your overconfidence is your weakness. Your faith in your friends is yours. Luke Skywalker says faith in yo momma. It then turns into a Yo Momma fight with a crowd and scoreboard. Well, your mother is so ugly she put the 'ug' in 'ugnaught!', "Yo momma so fat Ben Kenobi said that's no moon, that's yo momma!" Luke wins and Vader tosses the Emperor down the main shaft. The Emperor asks him what's he doing when he does. When he lands the janitor cleans him up and asks what they are doing up there all the time.
    On the Death Star Han and Luke are dressed as Stormtroopers. After the detention cell shootout Han answers the call and says there was a reactor leak. The trooper tells him there is no reactor up there. Han says he talked to Dave Johnson, he told him there was. Dave is here, he gets on and says he never said that. Han says Vader told him, he's staring right at a reactor. Vader comes on, asks for the station plans, gets them, sees none and says there's room for one. Then Han shoots out the console and says boring conversation anyway.
    Darth Vader is on his Star Destroyer and says the Jedi temple has been destroyed, then Jar Jar Binks appears. He jumps and yells 'Annie how are yousa doing?' Vader says never to talk to him again. Jar Jar asks what's a matter is he burned or something and takes off his helmet and screams. Vader tosses him into the airlock and sends him into space. He croaks and comes back as a ghost to harass him forever.
    The Toschi Station power converters strippers in a bar.
    Boba Fett talks to Han while he's frozen in Carbonite. He tells him how bad he is, no blasters, he did it, didn't see me, I'm over here. He says you want to go face to face, he takes his helmet off. Then he starts to act sexy like Han wants him.
    Chewbacca goes to the mirror like Fonzi in Happy Days and doesn't bother to comb his hair.
    (From Episode #11 - Vegetable Funfest) Star Wars Spoilers - Vader: Turn to the dark side, and join me. Luke: I'll never join you. You killed my father! Vader: No, Luke. I am your father. Luke: That's not true...that's impossible! Vader: And Princess Leia is your sister. Luke: That's not true! That's....improbable. Vader: And the Empire will be defeated by Ewoks. Luke: That's...very unlikely. Vader: And as a child, I built C-3PO. Luke: Huh? [Later on Luke is smoking a cigarette and Vader drinking a cup of coffee] Vader: And the force? Well, that's just microscopic bacteria in your bloodstream called "Midi-chlorians". Luke walks away. Look, if you're not gonna take this seriously, I'm out.
    The Emperor is talking to Luke on the Death Star 2 trying to explain it is fully operational and he can't be heard over the construction noise behind him. He gets up and tries to get them to stop. Ray the foreman stops the noise is one second and the Emperor asks him to finish it later. He tells him to go back to his sit and spin and let him do his job. He goes back and the noise continues.
    Lobot disco dances on Bespin to the Meco Star Wars album.
    Max Rebo may be gone, but now you can get his greatest hits collection including a duet with Joey Fatone.
    Mid-Nite with Zuckuss talk zone with his guest Emperor Palpatine. It's just a picture of him with the mouth moving. He'll put down the rebellion with lightning, then eat pudding. He'll show him a major disruption in his under garments. Then a mini Vader is the next guest. The Death Star then blows him up and the signal goes out.
    Luke and Leia are naked in bed after having sex and she says that was so wrong.
    Empire on Ice - ice skating show. The Tauntuan and Wampa song, Han and Leia skate in you want me back, then C-3PO and R2 come in with the cold, then a Probot tells them they are coming. Here we are all the Empire on Ice finale song. With the ending cast.
    Closing song of chicken clucking the Star Wars theme.
    Jar Jar's ghost still dances around a sleeping Vader under SW sheets.
    Stoopid Monkey cuts off his own hand with a lightsaber.
    After Seth talks about their break apart Death Star set which is right behind him.
    Breckin Meyer gets shot with a suction gun while talking. He says he did the voice of Fett and thought he should sound as sexy as possible.

Moesha Poppins 10/21/07

Announcer: "From the people who claim 300 is a true story comes the tale of our nation's Birth."
General Washington the redcoats outnumber us a billion to 12. Fear not American for tonight we dine in Virginia! King George would like to speak with you, this is a British Colony. This is America! Hancock, now! 
Announcer: "1776 - it ain't accurate, but it'll blow your f--king mind."
They all have no shirts on and push red coats over a cliff. Paul Revere rides, the British ring a bell, King George is big and green, they cross the Delaware River in a boat and Washington punches out a bear, there's a buxom woman wrapped only in a flag to rescue. A brawl ensues and John Hancock flies above the fray to sign the Declaration of Independence and screams.

Reporter: "Tragedy struck today as beloved children's icon Raggedy Ann committed suicide by steam press. Viewers will remember that her long time companion Raggedy Andy died in the late 80s and is now part of the AIDS quilt." 
    She's seen carried out of a Laundromat and placed on a stretcher. It goes to a parody of Michael Moore directing a film on what happened to girls' toys when they are no longer loved. First is Jem who turned into a fat crack whore who smokes heavily, coughs loud and plays bad music with angry lyrics about her life at kid's birthday parties and has sex with men for money. The female member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles drown herself in a toilet. Strawberry Shortcake reunites with the Purple Pieman for the first and he's blind and has diabetes. She doesn't car, wants her revenge, beats and kills him and goes to prison. Rainbow Brite grew up and decided to have sex with men of all colors, mostly black to piss her parents off. Sailor Moon sells her used panties to men online. Cabbage Patch Kids were abandoned and didn't get adopted. They eat out of dumpsters and get tattoos. Chatty Kathy had her tongue removed by the mafia. She testified against them, but now she wants to die. At the end she pleases Moore orally.

My Review

Star Wars

    When this special was announced I was quite happy because this is one of the few current shows that I've seen every episode of. It combines some of my favorite things - 80s toys, pop culture, parody and stop motion style animation. Plus I know a lot about Star Wars and would get even the most inside of jokes. They never said in advance of the show what part Malcolm played so all I could think of was Grand Moff Tarkin since Peter Cushing died long ago. I was close as he did play an unnamed officer on the original Death Star.
    One of the trademarks of the shows humor is going behind the scenes from films or TV and digging into what sometimes mundane things might've been going on behind the scenes before and making it silly, like real life getting in the way of fantasy. Malcolm's sketch is a parody of how when Darth Vader didn't get his way or thought someone failed him he would just use a Force Choke to kill them by strangling them across the room or even space. It's funny because in this premise he doesn't have that power, instead they are faking being choked and killed and just disguising themselves when they return later. If they didn't he would just cut them in half with his lightsaber and there's no faking that.  It works because when we first see Vader on Princess Leia's Blockcade Runner he grabs Captain Antilles by the throat and lifts him up high in the air before killing him. Only on the Imperial commanders do we see him use the Force Choke. Coincidence?
    As for the other sketches, here goes: the Hoth sketch is just quick silly toilet humor, not the best one to open with. Then it goes right to a recycled sketch called The Emperor's Phone Call. While this is very funny, if I over analyze it like they do it is flawed. We are supposed to believe The Emperor didn't hear from Vader for two weeks and wasn't concerned? He didn't say to him where the heck have you been? You haven't been taking my calls or anything like that which could've been funny. At the same time he would have no idea the Death Star had been destroyed for so long? News would've gotten back to him instantly about the major rebel victory. He would've been in contact with Tarkin and others on the station and he even had a throne room on it, but we never saw him there. If they said it took 2 hours later it would've made more sense.
    The Jawa one only lasts for a couple seconds. The next one sets up a running gag throughout the episode which is a funny idea. Just who is it that gets to clean up these dead Jedi and Sith who are falling down large shafts? It also the first to reference a prequel and spans all 6 films. He doesn't want to be bothered on Naboo so he transfers to Coruscant, then it happens again so he wants to transfer to the Death Star where it happens again with the Emperor from Return of the Jedi, but he wouldn't be able to complain after that as everyone was killed when it blew up. Next up is a fake cereal commercial which isn't as funny as it should be because they have made a few different kinds of Star Wars cereal over the years starting with C-3POs in the 80s. It is still funny that it's flavored with something a fish would like - shrimp and he uses language from the ROTJ briefing he gave to describe it.
    The next up is one of the best ones they did. In the film Walrusman, later named Ponda Baba is made out to be very evil, a wanted criminal. Here is just a basic architect like Mike Brady from the Brady Bunch who went to work hoping for a promotion and just went to the bar with a friend at lunch for a quick drink. His friend spouts all kinds of junk when he gets drunk and Ponda gets in the middle of it to try and stop him, but no one else understand his language and it costs him his arm and his job. It's a very funny twist on the film.
    C-3PO going through a metal detector is very quick, but funny because he's made of metal, everything would trigger an alarm. Where does a robot with no pockets keep his keys anyway?
    Seth and company know the prequels are awful and it's obvious as they can't find much of anything to parody. The next sketch is the only one to deal just with Episode I and like the prequels it doesn't work. Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn cut through what is supposed to be a Trade Federation ship, yet the voices on the other side are human and should only be droids. Vader's helmet gag is another one that's a few seconds. Luke wanting to call home is quick and cruel, but it makes sense in his excitement he forgot his aunt and uncle were dead, even though that's why he's there.
    Then comes the one they hyped the most in articles featuring George Lucas as himself. This is a great parody on how dorky fans are that are way too into the films. The only thing is Seth whimped out showing Lucas as skinny instead of big and bloated like he's looked the last 15 or so years. It's a perfect ending that it would be the greatest thing ever to happen to a loser. Wait...how did this guy have a kid?!
    Next is a funny parody of Luke's first time training with Ben. Since Luke can't see Ben tricks him by kicking and hitting him with the blast shield down. The space slugs are like something out of a beer commercial where they order food and plan on eating the delivery man. Then they recycle another sketch of President Bush dreaming he has Jedi Powers. It's funny and doesn't make fun of him too bad and since it also goofs on Clinton for having a Big Mac attack it's balanced. I just don't get why they think the line 'tacos rule' is so funny. It could use a better ending.
    The weather girl on Bespin's Cloud City is quick, but very funny. The bum inside a tauntaun is also fast, but not really funny. Then it goes to the Luke and Emperor yo momma fight which is one of the biggest and best of the new sketches they did. It's funny that it the  Emperor is killed by Vader because he lost, not because of combat. Then it ties up the janitor running gag perfectly. The next is a good parody of Han solo's line about a reactor leak after the shoot out on the detention level to rescue Leia. Why would they have a reactor there anyway? He doesn't fool the guards with his weak excuse and even Vader gets on telling him there is no reactor there. Funny stuff.
    Seth knows the only way to deal with the prequels is to attack and kill Jar Jar Binks (AKA the character that killed Star Wars) which he does. Somehow Jar Jar appears on a Star Destroyer and knows Vader is Anakin and annoys him by wanting to play so he kills him. It goes horribly wrong when Jar Jar's ghost  reappears, even though he is no Jedi, to harass Vader forever. It would've been a better sketch if it made Anakin turn to the dark side. The Toschi strippers are too quick to be funny. The Boba Fett sketch is a good one because instead of being all tough and with a messed up face he takes his mask off and is like I'm even sexier in person and taunts Han in a homosexual way that is crazy since it's so out of character for Fett, but since Lucas ruined him by making him a clone of Jango we know that's what he looks like. The Chewbacca Happy Days parody is only seconds long, but is prefect. Very funny.
    Then the last recycled sketch is the Star Wars Spoilers one. The reason why it is so brilliant is because it exposes some of the idiocy Lucas added in the prequels like how Vader built C-3PO and The Force can be picked up from just a blood test so there is nothing special about it. The next sketch allows them to recycle their Death Star 2 set and is funny because The Emperor lured the rebels in to his trap because they thought it was still under construction. So having a New York style foreman there running things and he won't listen to the Emperor is just hilarious.
    Then two musical sketches. Lobot's disco dancing is short, but funny because it goofs on the clothes they wore that were from the 70s, but were supposed to be futuristic as well as goofing on the goofy Disco album that was released by Meco back then. The Max Rebo CD offer is funny because it would be cashing in on his death like they would in our galaxy. A duet with one of the Backstreet Boys is just so goofy too. Then Conan O'Brien voices Zuckuss in a parody of his own late night talk show. He takes on the political figures of the day namely the Emperor and Vader which doesn't go over well because by the end the Death Star takes him out. Good stuff.
        Luke and Leia naked in bed is a good mock of how they were lovey dovey in the first film because Lucas hadn't decided they were brother and sister yet. The finale is a great big parody of an Ice Capades style show which they did do in real life in a segment called Ewoks on Ice. This is like a musical version of Empire Strikes Back and is hilarious as they add more and more singing characters. 
        This show is always very short clocking in at a mere 12 minutes an episode. At that length there should never be a bad sketch and sometimes there is. My only complaint is with this special nearly doubling the length it would've been better to include all new material, but they did recycle 3 old sketches. They had done a couple more Star Wars ones before, so at least they didn't shove them all in. The good thing is they are all funny, so it's not bad to see them again.

Rating: 8.5/10

Moesha Poppins 10/21/07

    In 1776 it's like a movie trailer parody of 300 where Malcolm is the role of the narrator. I think there is something extra funny about hearing a British voice talking about the birth of America. While I've never seen 300 I have seen a special on it and some clips and from what I've seen it looks ridiculous. And every scene I've seen is just King Leonidas screaming like a wrestler, it's such a joke. This skit featured the same thing with Washington yelling and all the revolutionaries having these buff barechests with American flag capes draped behind them. King George is shown like something out of the Lord of the Rings, he's green, huge and ugly. Hancock flying through the air like out of the Matrix to sign the declaration was also great. The whole sketch was brilliant, I just wish it could've been a little longer. It would be great if when you are rotting in a theater through endless previews waiting to see a movie if Malcolm was narrating them all. It would make things go quicker.
    Two sketches alter Malcolm is back and this time he has an on screen character. He voices a young reporter who looks nothing like him. Then it goes into a long sketch that mocks Michael Moore which is fun, but Malcolm's character never returns, it's like a whole different sketch. His lines were funny, but I wish there was more. This sketch is really long and pretty funny. I love how they mock Moore as he's wearing a shirt with a big hamburger and a French flag sticking out of it.

Summary & Review © 2007-09 Alex D. Thrawn for www.MalcolmMcDowell.net