The 13 Best Star Wars Parodies And Spoofs Of All Time

In 1977, the science-fiction genre changed forever when “Star Wars” released in theaters. By 2025, “Star Wars” is almost taken for granted, with fans wishing new movies and TV shows could save the franchise. It may seem impossible to remember a time when new “Star Wars” projects were scarce, but even a few years after the release of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” creators were taking inspiration from George Lucas’ magnum opus.

Whether they’re sketches on “Saturday Night Live” or entire feature-length movies, it’s no surprise that the multimedia franchise has garnered a plethora of parodies. All kinds of comedy outlets, from “The Simpsons” to “The Whitest Kids U’ Know,” have spoofed “Star Wars,” but only a few have rivaled the original trilogy’s greatness.

These 13 parodies and spoofs of “Star Wars” don’t just mock the sci-fi franchise, but at times they pay homage in ways that might seem way too committed even for hardcore Jedi enthusiasts. These aren’t just one-off jokes in TV shows or movies but rather entire projects that have been devoted to poking fun at the “Star Wars” franchise with accuracy and wit. 

“Family Guy” is notorious for its referencing pop culture, but the adult animated series went full force in parodying the original “Star Wars” trilogy with a series of hour-long specials, titled “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy.” The first, “Blue Harvest,” was released in 2007 and re-enacts the events of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” replacing its characters with the cast of “Family Guy.” 

“Blue Harvest” was followed-up with 2010’s “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side,” re-enacting the plot of “The Empire Strikes Back,” and 2011’s “It’s a Trap!,” re-enacting the plot of “Return of the Jedi.” Plot-wise, the three specials are nearly identical to the original trilogy’s stories, albeit spending more time on gags, like Peter insisting they carry a nice couch out of the Death Star’s trash compactor or casting the Giant Chicken as Boba Fett, so he can Peter can continue their recurring fights.

Additionally, attentive viewers will also notice a familiar “Star Wars” icon voicing the role of Mon Mothma: Carrie Fisher. If you have yet to watch any of these specials, the viewing of the “Family Guy” trilogy of “Star Wars” episodes should not be skipped. 

“Saturday Night Live” is known for showcasing its cast members’ celebrity impressions, and a popular format for this is by revealing the “long-lost audition tapes” of popular movies like “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future,” and “Wicked.” One example came at the perfect time, in a 2015 episode hosted by Matthew McConaughey right before the release of the highly-anticipated “Episode VII – The Force Awakens,” and featuring cameos from director J.J. Abrams, as well as actors John Boyega and Daisy Ridley.

Among the best impressions in the sketch include Jay Pharaoh as Shaquille O’Neal auditioning for Chewbacca, and Kate McKinnon as Maggie Smith playing a very confused Stormtrooper. There’s also several real-life celebs cameoing as themselves, from one of the best “SNL” guest hosts ever, Emma Stone, to even Michael Bublé serenading Ridley.

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While it’s far from the only “Star Wars” parody done on the 50-year sketch series, it’s actually a reprisal of a previous sketch from all the way back in 1997, commemorating the 20th anniversary of “A New Hope” with never-before-seen screen tests, though it mostly features the episode’s poorly-aged guest host, Kevin Spacey. Suffice it to say, we much prefer seeing less-controversial actors like Stone and Jon Hamm do poor auditions for “Star Wars” instead. 

Although he only made his “SNL” hosting debut in 2016, Adam Driver has become a comforting presence on the show, having hosted a total of four times now. In 2016, Driver was fresh off 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and he was clearly game to parody his character Kylo Ren’s behavior with “Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base,” a sketch in which Kylo goes on the CBS reality series (poorly) disguised as the blonde-haired Matt, a radar technician on Starkiller Base.

Even though few fans of the “Girls” actor would call any of the three “Star Wars” films the best Adam Driver movie, his reprisal of Kylo awkwardly pretending to be Matt is one of his best performances on “SNL.” It becomes very obvious to “Matt’s” co-workers that, due to his obsession with Kylo Ren’s purported six-pack and his use of the Force, that their boss is doing a very bad job going undercover. 

“SNL” reprised the sketch when Driver hosted again in 2020, with diminishing returns, but the first iteration goes to show that even though both “SNL” has been around since before the premiere of “Star Wars,” there’s no shortage of fun parodies left for them to do as the franchise continues on into the modern era. 

No one is better at making parody music than “Weird Al” Yankovic, who rose to prominence with tracks spoofing Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” (which he turned into the food-themed “Eat It”) and Chamillionaire’s “Ridin'” (which he turned into an anthem for all things geeky called “White and Nerdy”). However, aside from his polka-infused mashups, Yankovic’s magnum opus as a parody artist is his take on Don McLean’s “American Pie,” recapping the plot of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” 

In lieu of the lyrics “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie / drove my Chevy to levee but the levee was dry,” Yankovic sings, “My, my, this here Anakin guy / maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry.” But what’s most impressive about this parody is how deep the song goes into the intricacies of “The Phantom Menace” story, paraphrasing dialogue and pointing out plot-holes. 

Like many Yankovic parodies, he got approval not just from McLean, but also George Lucas, who was reportedly delighted by the crossover, too. Yankovic’s “Star Wars” fandom even led to him contributing a new Weird Al song for “LEGO Star Wars: Summer Vacation,” an animated special for Disney+, but neither this nor “The Saga Begins” are Yankovic’s most famous “Star Wars” parody…

Despite being one of the most important “Star Wars” characters in the franchise’s history, it’s impossible to hear the name Yoda without humming in your head, “Yoda / Y-O-D-A, Yoda / yo-yo-yo-yo-Yoda.” The melody originates in the Kinks’ song “Lola,” but it was spoofed by Weird Al Yankovic for his song “Yoda,” re-interpreting the romantic song to be about Luke Skywalker’s relationship with Yoda in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” 

Though it was never a single, “Yoda” has become one of Weird Al Yankovic’s most recognizable songs after releasing in 1985. The story of “Yoda” never made it into the polka party of absurdity that is “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” but it remains a major milestone of Yankovic’s career. 

What’s even more impressive about “Yoda” is how prophetic it ended up being. In the song’s final chorus, Yankovic sings from the perspective of Mark Hamill, doomed to play the role of Luke until he’s “old and grey,” saying, “The long-term contract that I had to sign / says I’ll be making these movies ’till the end of time / with my Yoda,” which was certainly fulfilled by his return in “The Last Jedi” alongside his puppet mentor. 

“Sesame Street” has been entertaining households for decades, but we bet you had no idea they’ve also parodied “Star Wars.” The star of this parody was none other than Cookie Monster, who takes over Harrison Ford’s role as “Flan Solo,” while his sidekick is not a Wookie like Chewbacca, but a Cookie (which… if you ask us… is quite the conflict of interest). 

The short “Star Wars” parody, titled “Star S’Mores,” aired in 2014 as part of the recurring segment “Cookie’s Crumby Pictures,” in which Cookie Monster stars in a movie trailer spoofing film franchises like “James Bond,” “Les Miserables,” and even “Twilight.” His other companion in “Star S’Mores” is a new character, Luke Piewalker, who is clearly based visually off Mark Hamill’s look as Luke in “A New Hope.” 

Obviously, “Star S’Mores” is a lot more family-friendly than some of the other parodies on this list, but even parents may have their funny bones tickled by the dessert-related puns, including characters like Only One Cannoli (instead of Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Princess Parfaita (instead of Princess Leia). Thankfully, “Sesame Street” has just found a streaming home after their HBO Max exit in Netflix, so perhaps it’s time for another volume of “Cookie’s Crumby Pictures,” and maybe a sequel short to “Star S’Mores.” May we suggest… “The Last French Fry?”

It may seem surprising to see an actress as notable as Aubrey Plaza guest-starring in a web series for Dropout (or, College Dropout, as it was called before becoming the best streaming service) parodying “Star Wars” called “Troopers.” Obviously, its allusions to the “Star Wars” franchise aren’t exactly subtle, but rather than focus on spoofing the likes of Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, “Troopers” focuses on two “Dread-Troopers” (this series’ equivalent of Stormtroopers) played by Sam Reich and Josh Ruben. 

Plaza, for her part, appears in seven of the original 15 episodes as the Princess, which was only a few seasons into Plaza’s tenure on “Parks & Recreation.” Here, she embodies a similar persona to April Ludgate, being very sarcastic and dry in her interactions with the Dread-Troopers. Each episode of “Troopers” is only between a minute to three minutes long, but you can watch it altogether in a 49-minute compilation on YouTube. 

As a web series that premiered relatively early in the history of YouTube, the production value of “Troopers” is quite impressive, especially for a parody. It’s also beloved enough by Dropout’s audience that a follow-up was created in 2019, with much longer episodes and an even higher production value, but nothing tops the charm and originality of the first “Troopers.” 

At some point in your life, you probably spent hours watching every available episode of “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Created by comedians Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist, the YouTube series pits characters from history and pop culture against each other in a battle of verbal wits, with popular installments including “Blackbeard vs. Al Capone,” “Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates,” and “Joan of Arc vs. Miley Cyrus.” However, the series’ success has one of their earliest battles to thank: “Darth Vader vs. Adolf Hitler.”

As only the second-ever episode, “Vader vs. Hitler” immediately set a strong tone for the series, with impressive costume design, laugh-out-loud punchlines, and strong, deep references to both the “Star Wars” franchise as well as World War II. As a single, “Vader vs. Hitler” has also been certified gold, an honor it shares with 10 other episodes in the series. 

While Ahlquist and Shukoff have continued the series to this day, and even made one of the best YouTuber cameos in a movie in “SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge Out of Water,” the original “Vader vs. Hitler” wasn’t the end. They kicked off their second season with “Darth Vader vs. Adolf Hitler 2,” and did the same for their third season. They’ve also done two other “Star Wars”-centric battles: “Deadpool vs. Boba Fett,” and “Harry Potter vs. Luke Skywalker.” 

“Robot Chicken” started in 2005, and aside from “Family Guy,” it has become one of the premiere television shows to satirize pop culture, with “Star Wars” holding a special place in the hearts of the show’s creators. In 2007, the series even dedicated an entire 30-minute episode to “Star Wars,” with sketches including C-3PO going through airport security, George W. Bush discovering that he’s a Jedi, and Luke facing off against Emperor Palpatine in a battle of “Yo Momma” jokes (reminder: it was 2007). 

Surprisingly, even though the “Robot Chicken” skits could be crude and at times scathing in their spoofing of the sci-fi franchise, apparently George Lucas felt positively about their “Star Wars” sketches on Adult Swim, which isn’t too surprising if you know about Lucas’ history with loving parody. However, what probably endears him the most to the “Robot Chicken: Star Wars” special is the involvement of many former cast members of the original trilogy.

Namely, Mark Hamill reprises his role as Luke Skywalker, and Ahmed Best even voices Jar Jar Binks. Lucas himself even makes an aural cameo as himself in a sketch, where Lucas is complaining to his therapist about “Robot Chicken” making fun of him, which is just about as meta as it can possibly get for a “Star Wars” parody.

There aren’t a lot of “Key & Peele” sketches parodying pop culture franchises so obviously, but leave it to Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael-Key to be smart about it when they do it. Even though “Star Wars” is a juicy subject for sketch comedy inspirations, there was only ever one sketch in the series’ nearly 300 sketches that lampooned the franchise. “Lando’s Fan” stars Key as the suave Lando Calrissian, who is accosted by an over-enthusiastic supporter of his, Zeef Howdo, played by Peele.

One might expect a sketch show like “Key & Peele,” especially given Peele’s movies, to focus their parody on the blaxploitation roots of Lando, but as always they take a more surprising left turn, as Zeef almost immediately tries to convince Lando to give him a better opportunity on Cloud City. The satire aptly spoofs the idea that, because it’s harder for African-Americans to make it in a capitalistic society, those who have found success will abandon the lower classes. 

It’s a pretty ugly metaphor for real-world politics, but the conciseness in which Key & Peele portray this kind of harsh reality is part of this sketch’s brilliance. Additionally, there’s some great set design and a solid Billy Dee Williams impression from Key that makes this a highlight of the entire show. 

Joe Nussbaum found moderate success in film and television after his short film, “George Lucas in Love,” was released in 1999. “George Lucas in Love” is a parody of not just “Star Wars” but “Shakespeare in Love,” an Oscar winner that wisely values romance over historical accuracy. The same is true for “George Lucas in Love,” which, at only eight minutes long, made quite an impact.

The film details the love story between Lucas (played by Martin Hynes, future co-writer of “Toy Story 4”) and his fictional muse, Marion (Lisa Jakub of “Mrs. Doubtfire”), who noticeably has the exact same iconic hairdo as Princess Leia in “Episode IV: A New Hope.” Inspired by Marion’s rebellious personality, Lucas is inspired to write “Star Wars,” though their love is doomed after he discovers that Marion is his sister.

The short certainly got Nussbaum and his producing partner, Joe Levy, some unexpected attention, especially from one particular person: George Lucas himself. As Nussbaum told The Force, Lucas sent the duo a letter complimenting them. Nussbaum recalled, “He really responded well to the film. He thought it was great. He thought it was funny. And I think he really thought of it as a homage to him, and not of any kind of a slight.” Thankfully, Lucas wasn’t offended by their implication that he fell in love with his own sister. 

Mel Brooks is perhaps the king of parodies, and in 1987 he took a stab at spoofing “Star Wars” with “Spaceballs,” a comedy that has maybe become as indelible to pop culture as George Lucas’ creation itself. “Spaceballs” centers on the adventures of Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), a renegade who travels the galaxy with his half-man, half-dog sidekick Barf (John Candy), who are tasked with rescuing Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the clutches of the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). 

While the film’s release may have been marred by audience fatigue over “Star Wars,” even in 1987 (can you imagine?), it has since become a cult classic and is considered by some one of the best Mel Brooks movies. The real star of the show is Moranis, whose character Dark Helmet was originally even more over the top, but it’s hard to imagine a performance more perfect and memorable than his in this film.

Hopefully, there’s an opportunity for Moranis to pick up the oversized helmet once again, as in 2024, it was reported that a long-awaited sequel to “Spaceballs” may finally happen, with Josh Gad attached to star. Who knows if it’ll ever happen, but if it gets Rick Moranis to come out of retirement, it’s totally worth it. 

The very first “Star Wars” film came from nowhere in 1977, and believe it or not, it took less than a year for the very first parody to be created. “Hardware Wars,” one of the weirder “Star Wars” knock-offs, was the brain-child of filmmaker Ernie Fosselius, who got his start on “Sesame Street” before making his own mock movie trailer for a “Star Wars” parody, starring Scott Mathews as “Fluke Starbucker” and Cindy Furgatch as “Princess Anne-Droid.” 

Although the intent of “Hardware Wars” was, according to producer Michael Wiese, just an effort to meet George Lucas, it’s not surprising that Lucasfilm was receptive to the parody, given that Rian Johnson even references it in “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,” where a shot makes a robotic ironing machine look like a spaceship landing, accompanied by John Williams’ brilliant score. 

If you’ve seen “Hardware Wars,” you’d probably agree that it’s one of the strangest “Star Wars” knock-offs of all time, though its production was rife with future professionals who later worked on blockbusters like “Titanic” and “The Jungle Book.” Its low-budget production value and relevance to the history of “Star Wars” as a pop culture conglomerate makes it, if not the best “Star Wars” parody, easily the most important.