A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the first official parody of the Skywalker saga nearly debuted on Disney XD. Presented at Star Wars Celebration VI in 2012, Star Wars: Detours was a CGI animated series created by George Lucas, and promised to be an action-packed farcical romp through the Star Wars Universe during the time period between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy.
These days, fans have dramatic series like The Mandalorian to fill in that gap, and perhaps the serious tone was better for the franchise once Disney purchased Lucasfilm, but ever since an episode of Detours leaked to Reddit, the Star Wars community has been clamoring for more information about the comedy series.
It Was A Mea Culpa From George Lucas
The series would have premiered shortly before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm and the entire Star Wars franchise to Disney, making it his last contribution to the franchise he started almost four decades previous. Watching the trailer for the series, it's clear that it was meant to be an act of mollification for fans who had long since criticized the franchise's direction from The Maker himself.
The fact that Lucas signed off on the series shouldn't surprise fans, because while he's been known to grimly weather criticism, his biography "Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas" has always exposed him as someone who is very self aware in regards to his most famous body of work.
It Featured Dozens Of Beloved Side Characters From All The Movies
Fans wondering what it would have been like to see Admiral Ackbar walk into Dex's diner on Coruscant could get their fill of characters collisions in Detours. The series put characters past and present, from the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy, in amusing scenarios they might otherwise not have been in together.
Despite the fact that the movies span decades, and certain characters wouldn't be alive to interact with one another, the series gave fans a glimpse into the sort of comical situations they might find themselves in.
It Had 39 Completed Episodes
It would be one thing if fans felt like they'd been cheated out of an unaired pilot, or even a few episodes, but Star Wars: Detours had 39 completed episodes to its name when it was suddenly shelved. That indicates a lot of time, effort, and dedication on the part of its creators without anything to show for it.
Not only that, but there are almost sixty scripts for more episodes gathering dust, which is enough material for almost two more seasons, depending on their length.
It Featured Another Side Of Popular Characters
Leia Organa has always had spunk, but fans of the Alderaanian aristocrat might have been surprised at just how sassy she would have been in Detours. Referencing actress Carrie Fisher's height, Leia's animated form was about as tall as R2-D2, with giant hair rolls on either side of her head.
In the trailer, she's seen bossing around a date she takes with her to Dex's diner, and generally acting like a spoiled princess. Granted, the humor might have been to Fisher's liking, who had been known to be outspoken without concerning herself with public opinion.
It Had A Divisive Animation Style
The animation style chosen for Detours is somewhere between Star Wars: Rebels and LEGO Star Wars, giving it the appearance of a show for kids despite the fact that it's humor could sometimes be more adult.
Lucas has never been private about Star Wars being aimed at children, but anytime he's done something geared towards a younger demographic -such as aspects of the Prequel Trilogy- he's always received a lot of criticism from older fans who felt entitled to more mature storytelling.
It Involved The Robot Chicken Creators
Renowned comic writers Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, the masterminds behind the popular animated skit series Robot Chicken lent their irreverence to the series, often using their own vocal talents and the same cast of voice actors from their beloved show on Adult Swim to populate the Star Wars Universe.
Some of Robot Chicken's most popular sketches involved Star Wars characters, particularly Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, so it seemed like the perfect collaboration.
The Humor Was Equal Parts Terrible And Terrific
Fans could have expected stand-up comedy routines from Old Ben including jokes like, "His name was Mace Windu and he went out the Window!", as well as insult-fests between Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
Fans might not have wanted to see Princess Leia act like an extra from Mean Girls, or Vader act like a kicked puppy. Some of the humor placed beloved characters in embarrassing situations, with punchlines landing about as successfully as a stormtrooper's blaster bolt.
A Six Minute Segment Leaked On Reddit
Each half hour episode would have been divided into three six-minute segments, each segment focusing on different characters in the galaxy. One full segment was leaked to Reddit, entitled "Dog Day Afternoon".
The story featured bounty hunters Zuckuss (Andy Richter) and 4-LOM (Weird Al Yankovich), as seen in The Empire Strikes Back, trying to rob Dex's Diner on Coruscant, with a cameo by Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and Boba Fett. It even featured a morose Jar Jar Binks wondering why everyone hated him.
It Would Have Been A Parody
Given the popularity of series like Family Guy and American Dad, which often referenced Star Wars and even devoted several episodes to the franchise, Lucasfilm felt that a parody of its own would be a success with fans no matter how they felt about the current state of the movies.
Seth MacFarlane, creator and voice actor in the two aforementioned series, lent his talents to Star Wars: Detours by voicing Emperor Palpatine in a performance that combined shades of Stewie Griffin's megalomania and Brian's pomposity.
It Has No Plans For Release
Disney wanted to focus on its new Sequel Trilogy after 2014, and the company felt that the direction of the franchise needed to shift away from self-parody, so Star Wars: Detours was shelved in 2013 despite having 39 episodes already complete.
As of 2018, Lucasfilm had filed a new trademark for it, but there hasn't been any concrete news about when the series might get to air. If it did, it would probably be made available on Disney+, but Seth Green has said that there's probably no room for a "deconstructive comedy coexisting with sincere interpretations of the characters".