‘The Big Bang Theory’ to air a special ‘Star Wars’ episode
The force is strong with "The Big Bang Theory." The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the CBS sitcom is set to air a "Star Wars"-themed episode on May 1. Unsurprisingly, the episode will be tied with "Star Wars Day" on May 4 (as in "May the fourth be with you").
Entitled "The Proton Transmogrification," the episode will see the cast celebrating the annual holiday, as Sheldon experiences visions of his childhood mentor, Professor Proton (played by comedy icon Bob Newhart).
"We were approached by the Lucasfilm people to do something to celebrate Star Wars Day, which was nice," Chuck Lorre, the show's co-creator, told THR.
For the episode, the special effects gurus at George Lucas' production company re-created Dagobah, the home of Yoda, based on an idea by the writers of "BBT."
"Bob is going to be swinging a light saber around and they sent us a real one to use," said showrunner Steve Molaro. "They're going to help make it look and sound right. It's an amazing crossover for us."
"The Big Bang Theory" is not the first show to pay tribute to the sci-fi classic. Far from it - a galaxy far, far from it, in fact:
"The Muppet Show": 1980
Only thee years after "Star Wars" was released in theaters, "The Muppet Show" recruited Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and R2D2 to appear on the show. The episode has Chewie being captured by a bunch of turkeys.
"Friends"
"Friends" was one of the first sitcoms to pay tribute to "Star Wars" in its third season, when Ross tells Rachel his fantasy involves her dressing up as Princess Leia.
"That '70s Show"
In the first season of "That '70s Show," the series celebrated its twentieth episode with "A New Hope," in which the gang goes to see "Star Wars" in the theatre (it was released in '77). After the film, Eric has a "Star Wars" dream in which he plays Skywalker, Red plays Obi-Wan, Hyde is Han Solo, Kelso is Chewie and Donna is Leia.
"The Simpsons"
In the 15th season of the show, "The Simpsons" hit the cinema for the newest "Cosmic Wars" flick, a spoof of "Star Wars." The episode parodied the critical decline of George Lucas' later films in the series.
"Robot Chicken"
Released in four parts, this "Star Wars" spoof parodied "Revenge of the Sith" (2005), "Return of the Jedi" (2003) and "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). George Lucas saw an earlier spoof of his franchise in "Robot Chicken's" second season, in which Palpatine got a collect call from Darth Vadar about the Death Star being destroyed. He then allowed creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich to produce a full parody. "The people at Lucasfilm realized you could do a comedic take on 'Star Wars' without compromising the integrity of any dramatic take," Green told USA Today.
"Family Guy"
Peter Griffin narrated the "Star Wars" trilogy -- "A New Hope" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983) -- with the characters from "Family Guy," "The Cleveland Show," and "American Dad" in the starring roles. The original episode, "Blue Harvest," appeared in 2007 to celebrate "Star Wars'" 30th anniversary, followed by two DVD sequels -- "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" (2009) and "It's a Trap!" (2010).
"30 Rock"
Like Tina Fey herself, Liz Lemon was a big "Star Wars" fan and admitted she dressed up as Princess Leia four Halloween four times. In the third season of the NBC series, she used the costume to get out of jury duty.
"Community"
In the two-part Season 2 finale of "Community," the NBC comedy featured a campus-wide paintball game. The episode parodied the "Star Wars" opening credits and included storm troopers and a sweet Han Solo impression by Abed (Danny Pudi).
Whether or not "The Big Bang Theory's" "Star Wars" tribute will hold a candle to its predecessors remains to be seen. Considering its geek cred, however, we have little doubt it will stand proud with the epic parodies by "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy." All we can say is, may the force be with them.
