In the history of STAR WARS (read it like James Earl Jones is saying it), there have been few television specials. The fan favorite Holiday Special is top of the list, followed by two live-action Ewok films that aired on ABC. And of course, Robot Chicken and Family Guy mocked the franchise in more recent history. While the prequel trilogy has lead to two full-fledged television series based on the hit George Lucas franchise, we haven’t seen a bonafide STAR WARS special for at least four years. That all changed on January 26th, 2014.
“A couple summers ago in a galaxy far, far away…” That’s how Phineas & Ferb: Star Wars begins. This is Episode IVa, with a scroll narrated by the most recognizable voice in Disney TV animation, Jim Cummings. The opening scroll states “None of this is cannon, so just relax.” True Star Wars fans will understand this to be hilarious. Perhaps Laughing Place should do an article on STAR WARS cannon for the noobs who might be reading this. My favorite cannon is D cannon, but I digress.
Agent P has boarded a Star Destroyer to give Princess Lea a data disc with Death Star plans. Down on Tatooine, Phineas and Ferb are having a perfect summer. Candace has become the ultimate buster by becoming a Storm Tropper (TK-90210). As Dr. Doofenshmirtz, he is working for Darth Vader as a weapons inventor, donning a similar black helmet. His latest weapon is the Death Star and due to a misunderstanding of the rules of the STAR WARS universe, he is searching for some force to power it. When Agent P’s disc finds itself in Phineas’ & Ferb’s hands, they hire a pilot (Isabella) to take them to meet up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker on the Star Destroyer. When Ferb gets hit with Doofenshmirtz’s Sith-inator, Phineas must fight his brother to reverse the inator’s effects.
This special is obviously full of everything that makes Phineas & Ferb great, with the added hilarity of placing those characters in the center of the Star Wars universe. Similar to Space Balls, they make jokes about plot holes in the films and mythology. They also bring up some controversial fan topics, such as “Who shot first?” My favorite moments involved timeshares on Alderaan and a store in downtown Tattooine called Tall, Darth & Handsome. The special is accessible to all ages, but the creators clearly expected lots of adult STAR WARS fans to tune in, and they won’t be disappointed by the jokes offered.
Phineas & Ferb is reportedly out of production on new episodes (series creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh denies that the show is cancelled), but nothing is impossible. Perhaps like Family Guy, Phineas & Ferb could do a parody of each original trilogy film, and maybe touch on Episode VII and beyond. My only hope (see what I did there?) is that the Star Wars versions of these Phinease & Ferb characters appear at next years’ Star Wars Weekends.