An intriguing Easter egg in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial evolved into an interesting crossover theory later fueled by Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. With Steven Spielberg and George Lucas having gone to school together and eventually working with one another professionally in the film industry, it is no surprise that they have often paid homage to each other in their own projects. The gems Spielberg and Lucas have hidden over the years are fun to identify in their own right, but the deep lore they include in their worlds makes for fertile ground when attempting to draw connections between their movies.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial follows an alien botanist, E.T., who befriends a kid on Earth named Elliott. Not much is explained about E.T., where he came from, and the scope of his powers, so there is a lot of room for interpretation. With Star Wars aliens coming in all shapes and sizes, E.T. looks like he could even fit right in among the masses. In fact, both Spielberg and Lucas have included Easter eggs in their movies that suggest that this idea might not be as farfetched as it first seems.
The theory, which was partially fleshed out by a fan (via Film School Rejects) is that E.T. is a Jedi who has traveled through time and space from the Star Wars galaxy to the Milky Way. There are several little nuggets both Spielberg and Lucas have included in their respective franchises that support this theory. While many of the bits that play into the idea that E.T. is from Star Wars’ galaxy now exist in “Legends,” various forms of media no longer considered canon in Lucas’ world, the theory still holds up. Traveling between galaxies and even time-travel has actually happened in the Star Wars canon before and the idea that E.T. is a Jedi would explain his powers in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Star Wars And E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Easter Eggs Explained
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and all of them did remarkably well at the box office. With these science fiction movies all coming out around the same time, it was not very surprising when Spielberg included an Easter egg in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial that made a reference to Star Wars. As E.T. is out on Halloween night, he notices Yoda, or rather, a kid dressed up as Yoda, and says, “Home… home….” The idea is E.T. recognizes the little green Jedi’s species because he is from the galaxy seen in Star Wars.
Seventeen years after E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial hit theaters, Lucas put out his first Star Wars movie since his original trilogy in the form of a prequel. By then, many science fiction lovers knew about the Yoda reference in Spielberg’s movie, so Lucas took the opportunity to expand upon it. E.T.’s species appears in The Phantom Menace during the Senate scene. The three characters representing E.T.’s species are Senators and their appearance alone supports the theory that he was from the Star Wars galaxy, but the Easter eggs don’t stop there.
The last canon connection can be found in Star Wars Insider #161 where the magazine calls his species “Asogian.” In the Legends continuum, the Asogians are said to be from the planet Brodo Asogi as described in James Luceno’s book Cloak of Deception. The book also called one of the Senators in The Phantom Menace by the name of “Grebleips,” which is “Spielberg” spelled backwards. HoloNet News Vol. 531 #50, a now-Legends website that contained some interesting facts meant to build up the Star Wars lore, also said that Senator Grebleips worked to fund an extragalactic expedition to another galaxy, assumedly the Milky Way, as seen in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Extragalactic Travel Has Happened In Star Wars Before
Extragalactic refers to physical travel from one galaxy to another. If E.T. were to have traveled from the Star Wars galaxy to the Milky Way, he would be partaking in extragalactic travel. This kind of excursion actually happened in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones when Obi-Wan Kenobi made his way to Kamino, which is just beyond the Outer-Rim. This proves that extragalactic travel is actually possible within the Star Wars canon. Kamino wasn’t in the Jedi Archives most likely because it had been deleted from their records, but it also seems like planets beyond the Outer-Rim aren’t all that familiar to many Star Wars characters. Earth could have been one of those planets as well.
E.T. Time-Traveled From The Star Wars Universe
Not only do the events of Star Wars take place in “a galaxy far, far away,” but also “a long time ago.” So E.T. would not only have had to travel across a vast distance, but possibly through time as well. Again, during the Legends continuity, time-travel happened a few times, but there is a more recent canon example of this as well. Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels briefly traveled through the “World Between Worlds” in an effort to save Ahsoka Tano from Darth Vader. However, Dave Filoni has said in an interview about that particular episode of Star Wars Rebels (via CinemaBlend), “I don’t really think of it as time travel… The world between worlds is really about knowledge and gaining knowledge.” Regardless, the idea of time travel is not outside the realm of possibility in Star Wars and just because it has been more fleshed out in Legends, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen at all in canon.
The Force Explains E.T.’s Powers
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the titular character is seen using some pretty amazing otherworldly powers, all of which can be explained by the theory that he is a Force-wielding Jedi from the Star Wars galaxy. His most iconic power was his ability to levitate the bike, something that would be no problem for a Jedi. He also has healing powers, which several Jedi, like Barriss Offee and Rey, have been shown to be adept at throughout the canon. E.T. does not appear to have brought his lightsaber with him, however, but perhaps he felt it would not be needed given that he and his traveling mates were only there as botanists collecting some local flora for research purposes.
Though much of the supporting evidence for this theory existed in Legends, there has not been any new Star Wars canon materials that have negated the possibility that E.T. is an extragalactic time-traveling Jedi. Regardless of how the connection works between E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, E.T.’s species can definitely be seen in both movies. Perhaps the home E.T. was trying to phone was actually the Star Wars galaxy.