9 Of The Best ‘Robot Chicken Star Wars’ Scenes
Robot Chicken is a strange beast of a show, one of those comedy programs that you either know all about or don't know at all. Despite this precarious position in the entertainment world, the long-running series has become known for its absurd, hilarious, and sometimes downright crude parodies of famous movies and television shows.
So it was inevitable that, sooner or later, Robot Chicken would take a swing with its parody hatchet and take on Star Wars, with skits ranging from the day to day of Sith Lords, plot holes in the original films, to tongue-in-cheek jabs at some of the characters and storylines. Here's a list of 9 of the best Robot Chicken Star Wars Scenes.
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1. Obi-Wan Takes The High Ground
We start this list the way every list should, with a reference to a quality internet meme. This skit sees the climax of the duel between Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, wherein Obi-Wan declares himself the victor for reaching 'the high ground'. Naturally, Anakin refuses to surrender and as a result, suddenly finds himself short a few limbs and burning upon a lava bank.
Rather than repeat Ewan McGregor's heart-wrenching "You were my brother" monologue, Robot Chicken instead has Obi-Wan spout quip after quip about having "the high ground", right before he unceremoniously steals Anakin's lightsaber and leaves him to roast alive. It's true what they say, "there is no more bitter an enemy than an old friend.” Especially when that “friend” has the “high ground.”
2. Take Your Daughter To Work Day
Being a stormtrooper is just like any other job when you think about it. You have a designated workplace uniform, a cutthroat work environment, an emphasis on teamwork, and “targets” to “shoot” for every day. Who could forget the age-old tradition of Take Your Daughter To Work Day? Certainly not Gary the Stormtrooper.
In the second entry on this list, Gary is encouraged by his wife to bring his daughter, Jessica, to work with him. But things hit a snag when Gary and Jessica's bonding time coincides with the attack on the Tantive IV, the opening battle from Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Blasting rebels is hard enough without having to keep your daughter out of the firing line or pick up teddy bears in the middle of a firefight. For those who want the madness of Robot Chicken but with a dash of wholesomeness, this is certainly the first skit to start with.
3. The Emperor's Phone Call
Even if you don't know anything about Star Wars, you may at least have heard of Emperor Palpatine. Old, creepy, powerful, and absolutely insidious (emphasis on “Sidious”). It’s no wonder that Palpatine is hailed not only as one of the best Star Wars characters but also as one of cinema's greatest villains.
Many were surprised when Robot Chicken introduced a more human and emotional side of Palpatine, one that entertains company and complains about his life to his barber. The “Emperor's Phone Call” sees Palpatine regaling his friends with stories about his fight with Jedi Master Yoda in the Senate building; the three laughing heartily like old school buddies. That is until Palpatine gets a call from Darth Vader that sends the former into a fit.
Those with keen ears will notice that Palpatine is voiced by the Family Guy creator himself, Seth McFarlane, who did such a good job that Robot Chicken brought him back for multiple episodes. Don't worry, we'll be mentioning a few of those too.
4. Luke's Lack of Perspective
Let's face it, grief sucks, especially when the person you lost was your last connection to your family and someone you watched get one-shotted by a Sith Lord. In this short, but no less provocative skit, we see Luke Skywalker mourning the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi shortly after the latter's duel with Darth Vader.
The Jedi-to-be is visibly torn up and grief-stricken, but as Leia says, the grief of losing a mentor you've known for a few days doesn't compare to other losses. Like, say, watching your entire home planet get vaporized by the Death Star.
5. The Rebels Won
If you know anything about battle calculations, strategy or statistics, chances are that you would have been somewhat perplexed by the ending of the original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, the Rebel Alliance won, killing Palpatine, Darth Vader, and blowing up the Second Death Star, but one glaring issue remains; what about the rest of the Empire?
A surviving Imperial officer asks this very question when he orders his men to destroy the forest moon of Endor, a move that would effectively destroy the Alliance once and for all. Unfortunately for him, the officer's men are unwilling to follow the order for some rather strange reason. Hundreds of starships, thousands of officers, and one stupid reason they weren't all utilized.
6. Darth 'Matt'
What do you call a Sith Lord with no arms and no legs laying on the front porch? Darth MATT. *ba-dum-tss*
This is exactly the question Palpatine poses to Anakin Skywalker after his fateful duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, right as the latter Sith is lying limbless on a metal table. Sobbing, Anakin negotiates a new suit with Palpatine (full-body, black leather, naturally) and, at last, becomes the Darth Vader we all know and love(?).
Vader celebrates his suit in a high-style, body-shakin', booty-slappin' dance-off that would make Kevin Bacon turn in his dancing shoes. That is until Vader's new digestive systems kick in and things turn to, uh, crap. As Palpatine wisely reminds us: "Choose your apprentice in haste, repent in leisure.".
7. Emperor Escalator
As a leader, it's important to maintain morale amongst your subordinates. This can include public addresses, shaking hands, high-profile meetings, and learning as many names as you can. But with stormtroopers, the latter option is easier said than done.
As we see in the next entry on this list, Palpatine is forced to take an escalator across the Death Star and under social obligation to greet every stormtrooper he meets. And since none of the stormtroopers have key distinguishing traits, all Palpatine can do is greet them with "Stormtrooper". As we see in the skit, things get a little repetitive and heated, very fast.
8. Anakin's Happy Place
Finding one's happy place amongst the chaos of life is an important trick to master. From centering yourself during moments of anxiety, visualizing peace before a potentially worrisome situation to slaughtering a roomful of Jedi Younglings… wait, what?
Following his fall to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker (or Darth Vader, rather) is sent to the Jedi Temple to kill every Jedi he can find, right down to the Younglings. However, it turns out that murdering a bunch of innocent children with a laser sword is an emotionally taxing task, which leads to Anakin visualizing the sunflower-laden fields of Naboo to calm himself.
What follows is a rather colourful, Sound of Music-esque sequence of Anakin hacking sunflowers to bits with his lightsaber, laughing merrily while he does it. The visual appeal, however, disintegrates in a heartbeat when one recalls that these sunflowers Anakin is killing are actually the younglings. And let's not talk about the “freshly cut sunflowers” Anakin leaves in Padme's apartment.
9. Orders 1-65
In addition to its far-reaching story, beloved characters, and iconic lines, Star Wars is also famous for its incredible musical scores (thank you, John Williams). So it makes sense that Robot Chicken would reference this with the next addition on our list, the Order 1-65 Song.
Following the success of Order 66, the executive order that wiped out the Jedi Order, Darth Vader asks Palpatine how exactly Order 66 got its name and what the previous sixty-five orders were. In true Seth McFarlane fashion, Palpatine answers his apprentice with a catchy violin ditty. Listing everything from corrupting Anakin Skywalker, stabbing smugglers, and buying Death Stars to hitting up strip clubs with Star Wars concept artists, Palpatine reminds us, albeit oddly, that he never does anything in half measures.
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