Fans have maintained a theory for several years which says that ET the extra-terrestrial is a creature capable of manipulating the Force, like a Jedi. The film would thus share the same diegesis as Star Wars.
What do we have in common? Star Wars And ET, the extra-terrestrial ? They are both science fiction films. We could also add that they were both released at the same time, at the turn of the 80s. Furthermore, the two filmmakers — George Lucas and Steven Spielberg — are two good friends. Their collaboration on the franchise Indiana Jones testifies to this.
However, there is a theory that further links the two feature films. This suggests that the little extraterrestrial is not just a being from elsewhere. He is also an alien who knows how to manipulate the Force, a characteristic specific to the universe of Star Wars. However, ET does not belong to this cinematographic saga. At least, that’s what we might believe at first glance.
Abilities similar to a Jedi
As one user pointed out on the subreddit dedicated to Star Wars, but also other speakers subsequently, there is a body of evidence which supports the thesis that ET is perhaps a Jedi. Or at least, a Force-sensitive creature. The film indeed shows ET deploying skills that can be found in the saga Star Wars among the Jedi and the Sith.
He is capable of magical healing to stop the flow of blood from a cut (like in this scene). Above all, there is an anthology scene that you are probably already thinking about: when ET and Elliott, a little boy who takes him in, fly into the sky by supernatural means. A scene that will be repeated later in the film, with Elliott’s friends.
We already know that we can heal with the Force in Star Wars. We can also levitate objects – think of Luke Skywalker’s training on Dagobah, under the aegis of Yoda. From then on, lifting people (or yourself) would be possible. It should be noted, however, that this ability is not clearly shown in the saga, unlike other abilities (super-speed).
However, we can get around the problem by saying that if only objects are eligible for levitation in Star Wars, this does not invalidate the theory of ET the Jedi. After all, when the alien deploys his powers, he doesn’t make Elliott, his friends and himself vote: he makes the bikes everyone is riding on fly. It’s a trick that can work.
We see, ET shares skills that we find in George Lucas’ films. However, what tells us that the two films take place in the same universe? Here again, a bridge was built between the two feature films when the first part of the prelogy of Star Wars (The Phantom Menace), released in 1999 — eighteen years after ET and twenty-two after Star Wars.
ET-style aliens in Star Wars
Out of friendship for Steven Spielberg, George Lucas slipped in an easter egg that fans of Star Wars necessarily know (like this theory, which is not new, but which we are talking about again here thanks to the publication on Reddit). During a session in the Galactic Senate, we can see in the background aliens that look exactly like ET. These are its fellows.
It is said that these aliens come from the planet Brodo Asogi (also called The Green Planet, which somewhat echoes the Blue Planet, the nickname given to Earth in our reality). We also know the name of one of the three senators visible on the screen, in The Phantom Menace : Grebleips (this is Spielberg written backwards).
De facto, and retroactively, George Lucas brought ET into the diegesis of Star Wars through his peers, by stealing the visual of the alien from his friend, to wink at him. In any case, this is the theory that fans have developed over time. Especially since the arguments put forward to establish the proximity between ET and the Jedi hold up.
And what can we say, finally, about this other scene showing the Halloween festivities during which ET, disguised as a ghost so that no one sees him, turns around at the sight of a child dressed as Yoda? Does he react because the Jedi Master vaguely resembles him, since he is also a stunted alien, or because he knows he is a Jedi?
Flaws in the theory
The fact remains that there are also pitfalls that cannot be ignored. First, ET’s attitude which seems not to quite correspond to a Jedi. He is clumsy, we don’t understand him well (but after all, he doesn’t speak the language of all the planets he visits, including Earth), and he seems very childish (to make things worse). also ofAND a family film).
In Star Wars, children are obviously trained to master the Force — sometimes, they are very young. In addition, not all the creatures in the saga who know how to use this energy field are Jedi or Sith. There are aliens who are not affiliated with one side or another. Is this the case with the extraterrestrial? That would be to get lost in conjecture.
But above all, the main problem lies in a temporality that does not stick. Star Wars is supposed to happen a long time ago “, In ” a galaxy far, far away “. A description that doesn’t really fit what takes place in ET, whose plot takes place in the 80s and in a town near Los Angeles.
It’s not a long time ago, nor very distant. Does this mean that ET’s world is actually not ours? Or that the spaceship in which ET travels can quite travel outside the galaxy of Star Wars ? This would solve the “galaxy far, far away” problem. We also know that it is now possible to leave the galaxy Star Wars.
As for the problem of temporality, we can always make up for it by arguing that ET would in fact be a distant descendant of the Asogians, the name given to its species. That’s a lot of adjustments to make everything seem to fit with the theory. But even if it is not correct, it will still be an amusing thought experiment.
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