Some Sociological Implications of the Appearance of Luke Skywalker et al on The Muppet Show, or, Close Encounters of the Third Frog Kind
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| Title: | Some Sociological Implications of the Appearance of Luke Skywalker et al on The Muppet Show, or, Close Encounters of the Third Frog Kind |
| Creator: | Kevin Dunn and Doris Beetem the Younger |
| Date(s): | 1982 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Wars |
| Topic: | |
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| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Some Sociological Implications of the Appearance of Luke Skywalker et al on The Muppet Show, or, Close Encounters of the Third Frog Kind is a 1982 tongue-in-cheek essay by Kevin Dunn and Doris Beetem the Younger.
The essay includes sixteen footnotes.
It was printed in Warped Space #47.
Introduction
Recent surprise guest hosts on The Muppet Show were Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Mark Hamill . During the course of the broadcast, a great deal of information of interest to students of Imperial sociology was revealed.
From the Essay
PART I: The Genealogy of Luke Skywalker:
Prior to this broadcast, all that was known regarding Luke's relatives was the death of his father, and that he was living with his aunt and uncle. During the show he introduced his cousin, Mark Hamill. Given this additional data, we can make several deductions about Luke's past.
In an Imperial system of government, power is legitimized by familial social position. When the government is changed, the new regime often finds it necessary to eliminate the lineage of previous rulers, who might have a claim to power. Since Luke's father was killed as a result of treachery, it can be assumed that the Jedi Knight was in some position of authority, and his son, as heir, would be a threat. He is probably being hunted by the Empire.
Since Beru and Owen were willing to hide Luke at great personal risk, they were probably his true aunt and uncle. For their safety, this connection had to be hidden. Skywalker is probably not Luke's original surname. If it were, he would have been discovered would have been discovered and killed. So, Beru was the one related to Luke's parents. This would make Skywalker Owen's surname, which he gave to his adopted nephew.
Who, then, are Mark Hamill's parents? There is no evidence that his father is anything but a Hamill. Since he is Luke's cousin, his parents must be related to Luke. If Luke's father was a Hamill, Mark would be faced with the same peril as Luke. Our research shows this not to be the case. Mark's father is probably Luke's mother's brother.
We have established the existence of a major family in the Empire: the Hamills, consisting of Beru, Luke's mother, and Mark's father. This family's role in Imperial history has not yet been studied by competent scholars.
Rumors are heard in bars across the Empire that Luke's father was a Vader. We believe that this is not true. If Darth was Luke's uncle, Lord Vader would have known about his brother's in-laws, and he could easily have eliminated the child, Luke.
In conclusion, we have not yet discovered the surname of the mysterious Jedi Knight, Luke's father. He could not, however, have been a Skywalker, a Hamill, or a Vader.
PART II: Was it a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?:
This question is easier to answer. It takes little research to show that the Muppets live and work on contemporary Earth. Well-known Terrans regularly appeared on their show; their rise to fame was recently documented on "The Muppet Movie"; Kermit was a recent guest host on The Tonight Show.
Mark Hamill's existence on Earth is also easily documented. Prior to his role in "Star Wars", he was an impressionist, singer, dancer, stand-up comedian, and Gershwin gargler.
Upon first meeting Luke as guest host, Fozzie Bear asked "if he was the guy who played Skywalker" in "Star Wars" — to which Luke replied, "No, that was my cousin, Mark Hamill." Later, Luke and Mark were shown together, proving that they are two different individuals. Because of their remarkable similarity; Mark was selected by George Lucas to play the role of Luke Skywalker.
Could Luke be a time traveller? The evidence doesn't support this. When attempting to rescue Chewbacca and go home, Luke, C-3PO, and R2-D2 stole the "SwineTrek," not "The Time Tunnel". This is strong evidence that the Empire is contemporaneous to our civilization.
So it appears that Lucas used his poetic license in the beginning of his movie, and while the galaxy may be far, far away, the time is now.
PART III: Addenda:
In Part II, we proved that the Empire exists today. Where, then, are the storm troopers? We can only conclude that we are a backwater system that the Empire just hasn't had time to get to.
Why is Mark Hamill an Imperial citizen, on Earth? This question required additional research. As best as we can determine, Mark was featured at the Mos Eisley Cantina at the time of Luke's escape from Tatooine. Due to the family resemblance, he was arrested, questioned, and released. He fled to Earth, where he eked out a meager living performing at the Sleazy Cafe, prior to his success in "Star Wars". Presumably, because of his fame, he will again be forced to flee, further into the Galactic Borscht Belt.