Top Ten Star Wars Spoof Videos

And now, for no particular reason, in no particular order, here are my ten favourite Star Wars-inspired spoof videos. Their continued proliferation is a remarkable indicator of the pervasive socio-cultural impact of George Lucas' epic space opera franchise.

The most successful videos mash together recognizable Star Wars leitmotifs with familiar elements drawn from other areas of popular culture. The results are often strikingly transformative, and highly original. Not to mention hilarious.

What are your favourite Star Wars spoofs? And what is it about remixing -- juxtaposing often unrelated thematic ideas for effect -- that makes these inspired works so entertaining? Isn't it fascinating that many of the parodies are preoccupied with Darth Vader, the key villain for most of the original trilogy (and the protagonist for the prequels)?
What do these playful videos have to say about our relationship with the series?


I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments...


Galactic Empire State of Mind



Best appreciated if you're familiar with Jay-Z and Alicia Key's Empire State of Mind. The rebel pilot and Stormtrooper dance moves are classic.


George Lucas Strikes Back



This notional film trailer advances a startling Oldboy-driven theory as to why the prequels sucked.


Storm Trooper 9/11



Where were you when the Rebels blew up the Death Star? A little edgy, but the pointed references in this analogy are what make it so effective.


TROOPS



Great fan film. Download the original in full and read about its making here.


Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager



Highly amusing short about Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager at Empire Market. Winner of an official Star Wars Fan Film Award.


Darth Vader being a Smartass



Sometimes simple humour is the best for generating laughter.


Cover Me Porkins!



A jarring tribute to good old Red Six.


KESHA + STAR WARS Tik Tok Music Video



This bizarre conflation mixes up pop starlet Ke$ha and Star Wars for maximum goofiness.


How Star Wars IV should have ended



This grumpy animated short explains how A New Hope should have been extinguished.


Vader Sessions


Many Star Wars characters don't have moving mouth parts. This makes them ripe for redubbing. In this stellar effort, dialogue from James Earl Jones' other movies is cleverly substituted at key points of this remix...


But Wait -- there's MORE!
Thanks for watching. But we're not finished yet, Star Wars fans! There were way more than 10 videos deserving your attention. We'll take a short break, and tomorrow I will post the rest of this quality collection for your entertainment.

To be continued...

UPDATE: And here they are, more great Star Wars parody videos...