Spaceballs 2’s Most Interesting Star Wars Parody Isn’t a Movie Character or Storyline

It took four decades to come to fruition, but we’re finally getting a sequel to Spaceballs, Mel Brooks’ iconic spoof of the original Star Wars trilogy (and sci-fi/fantasy cinema of the time in general). Since Spaceballs premiered all those years ago, the Star Wars franchise has obviously grown exponentially. George Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away to produce a prequel trilogy and then sold Lucasfilm to Disney, paving the way for the sequel trilogy, spinoff films, and an abundance of TV shows. The Spaceballs 2 creative team has so much fresh material to draw from that they arguably don’t need to expand their horizons to other pop culture properties (though other franchises like Marvel will surely be lampooned).

As Spaceballs 2 made its way through production last year, fans got a general idea of what the filmmakers have in mind. The sequel trilogy (understandably) seems to be the primary target, as Lewis Pullman is portraying Lone Starr’s son Starburst (a brilliant bit of meta casting) and Keke Palmer is playing Destiny (speculated to be a riff on Rey). This has potential to be highly entertaining, but the most fascinating parody Spaceballs 2 can pull off doesn’t stem from a specific Star Wars character or storyline. There’s a tremendous opportunity to take aim at the Star Wars fandom itself.

Spaceballs 2 Needs to Provide Commentary On Star Wars Fandom

Not only have a plethora of new Star Wars movies and shows been added to the official canon since Spaceballs premiered, Star Wars fandom is in a very different place. This can be traced back to the premiere of the prequel trilogy, which proved to be polarizing. Younger fans who were finally getting a chance to see new Star Wars movies on the big screen were enamored with the films, but those who grew up with the original trilogy were harshly critical. In the decades since Star Wars: The Phantom Menace came out, the prequels have been reappraised and seemingly more people appreciate what they brought to the franchise, so there’s a lot of fertile ground to draw from when satirizing Star Wars in the 21st century.

Reactions to the prequels and that trilogy’s redemption arc could be enough to carry an entire spoof film, but the Star Wars fandom has only become more fractured in the Disney era. Viewers are largely in agreement on some things (Rogue One and Andor have near-universal approval ratings), but it feels like these days, most Star Wars projects are lightning rods for criticism and division. Nowhere is this more apparent than Star Wars: The Last Jedi, one of the most polarizing Hollywood blockbusters in the last decade. For every fan who found enjoyment in Rian Johnson’s bold deconstruction of the franchise’s mythology, there’s another who claims the film destroyed the sequel trilogy by straying too far from what makes Star Wars great. With something as massively popular as Star Wars, it’s impossible to please everyone, though it feels like everything from The Acolyte to The Mandalorian and Grogu elicits polarizing responses.

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Spaceballs 2 shouldn’t be a complete takedown of the Star Wars fandom at large, but the topic is so omnipresent in the pop culture landscape these days that the movie almost needs to address it in some capacity. It will be interesting to see how the filmmakers tackle this element; commentary on fandom is a sensitive topic that requires a delicate balance. If handled improperly, it would risk derailing Spaceballs 2 entirely, so director Josh Greenbaum and Co. need to exhibit caution to ensure anything they do does not come across as mean-spirited. The best parodies come from a place of admiration, so it’s important for Spaceballs 2 to treat Star Wars fans and their varying opinions about projects and the state of the franchise with a certain level of respect, much like how Galaxy Quest was a loving homage to Trekkies.

What makes this exceptionally tricky is that it would be equally as disappointing if Spaceballs 2 just went for the low-hanging fruit and didn’t have any bite at all in its satire. A fourth-wall breaking sequence where two people debate the pros and cons of Spaceballs 2 may not be enough. It needs to be more than just a scene or subplot that simply broadcasts “Star Wars fandom is broken.” There has to be a creative way into the conversation, putting a clever spin on discourse that has dominated the pop culture zeitgeist for over a decade. If the Spaceballs 2 creative team manages to pull that off, then the sequel might even be able to surpass its iconic predecessor by offering an entertaining slice of social commentary to go along with the more obvious takedowns of Star Wars characters and plot beats.

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