It’s 1982. You’re sitting in a crowded theater, the smell of buttered popcorn heavy in the air, watching a shriveled, glowing-fingered alien waddle through a suburban neighborhood under a bedsheet. Suddenly, a kid in a Yoda costume walks by. The music swells. John Williams—the absolute legend—sneaks in a few notes of the "Yoda Theme" from The Empire Strikes Back. E.T. stops dead in his tracks. He starts pointing, frantically croaking "Home! Home!" It’s a brief moment, maybe twenty seconds of screen time, but it sparked a decades-long "Shared Universe" theory before Marvel even made it cool.
Most people think Yoda in E.T. was just a cute nod between two buddies, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Honestly? It was. But it also kicked off a bizarre, intergalactic game of tag that lasted for nearly twenty years.
The Handshake That Changed Sci-Fi
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were basically the kings of the 80s box office. They were friends, rivals, and collaborators. When Spielberg was filming E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, he wanted to pay homage to the massive success of Star Wars. It wasn't some deep corporate branding strategy. He just thought it would be funny.
The scene works because of the recognition. E.T. recognizes the Jedi Master. It’s played for laughs, but fans immediately started asking: Wait, does E.T. know Yoda? Is E.T. from a planet in the Star Wars galaxy? For years, this was just "headcanon"—stuff fans make up to feel better about their favorite movies. But then, Lucas actually went and made it official. Sort of.
In 1999, when The Phantom Menace hit theaters, Lucas returned the favor. During a Galactic Senate scene, if you look closely at one of the pods, you’ll see three members of E.T.'s species. They’re officially called "Asogians." Their senator is Grebleips (which is "Spielberg" spelled backward). This isn't some conspiracy theory; it’s right there on the screen. By putting those aliens in the Senate, Lucas effectively confirmed that E.T.’s people exist in the same universe as Yoda.
Why the Yoda in E.T. Connection Matters
It’s easy to dismiss this as "Easter egg culture" before the internet made it exhausting. But it actually represents a specific era of filmmaking. Back then, these directors weren't worried about "IP management" or "cinematic universes" in a legal sense. They were just playing in each other's sandboxes.
Think about the technical side for a second. The Yoda in the E.T. movie wasn't a digital insert. It was a kid in a costume. But the design of E.T. himself was influenced by the same school of thought that brought Yoda to life. Carlo Rambaldi, who designed E.T., and Stuart Freeborn, who did the heavy lifting on Yoda, were both trying to achieve the same thing: an alien that looked ancient, soulful, and slightly "squashed."
- The Eyes: Both have large, expressive eyes based on human icons (Einstein was a big influence for both).
- The Voice: They both speak in fragmented, rhythmic patterns.
- The Magic: Both possess telekinetic abilities and a "glow."
When E.T. sees the Yoda costume, he isn't just seeing a Halloween mask. Within the logic of the films, he’s seeing a familiar face from home. Or at least, that’s how the fans have interpreted it for forty years. It’s one of the few times a "meta" joke actually became part of the lore.
Breaking Down the "Asogian" Theory
If we take the Phantom Menace cameo seriously, the timeline gets weird. Star Wars happened "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." E.T. takes place in 1982. This implies that E.T.'s species has been spacefaring for thousands, maybe millions of years.
Some hardcore lore experts suggest that E.T. is actually Force-sensitive. Think about it. He heals wounds with a touch. He makes bicycles fly. He has a psychic bond with Elliott. These are all hallmarks of a Jedi or, at the very least, a Force-user. When he sees the Yoda mask, he might be sensing a "Force ghost" or just recognizing a legendary figure from his own culture’s history. It sounds a bit crazy, sure. But in a world where a botanist alien can bring dead flowers back to life, is it really that far-fetched?
The reality is simpler: Spielberg and Lucas were having fun. They were the "Movie Brats" who took over Hollywood, and they liked to leave little thumbprints on each other's work. You can find R2-D2 and C-3PO carved into the walls of the Well of Souls in Raiders of the Lost Ark, too. It's a signature.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Cameo
There’s a common misconception that George Lucas was annoyed by the Yoda in E.T. appearance or that there was some legal hurdle. In reality, Lucas loved it. He was so supportive that he allowed the use of the actual Yoda theme music, which is usually a licensing nightmare. John Williams, who composed the score for both films, was the bridge. He cleverly transitioned the E.T. score into the Yoda theme for just a few bars, creating a "musical pun" that most kids in 1982 probably missed, but their parents caught.
Another thing? E.T. wasn't originally supposed to recognize Yoda. The script just had him seeing various costumes. The decision to have him react specifically to Yoda was a late-stage addition during filming. It turned a background gag into a plot point for theorists.
The Legacy of a Twenty-Second Joke
Looking back, the Yoda in E.T. moment is a precursor to how we consume media today. We live in a world of "multiverses" and "crossovers." But this was the original. It was organic. It wasn't forced by a studio merger or a marketing department. It was two friends acknowledging that they were building the modern mythology of the 20th century together.
If you’re watching E.T. today, that scene still hits. It’s a moment of pure cinematic joy. It reminds us that movies aren't just isolated products; they’re part of a larger conversation. E.T. and Yoda are two sides of the same coin—the "benevolent alien" trope that replaced the "scary invader" trope of the 1950s.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
To truly appreciate the depth of this crossover, you have to look beyond the screen. If you're a movie buff or a collector, there are a few ways to dive deeper into this specific piece of film history:
- Watch the "Special Edition" of Phantom Menace: This is where you'll find the Asogians (E.T.'s species) in the Senate. They appear in the second pod to the left of Chancellor Valorum during the vote of no confidence. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but it’s the official "receipt" for the shared universe.
- Track Down the "E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet": This 1985 novel by William Kotzwinkle is a sequel to the movie. While it doesn't explicitly name-drop Yoda, it goes into detail about E.T.'s home world, Brodo Asogi, and their botanical missions. It provides the "flavor" that Lucas eventually used to canonize the species in Star Wars.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Grab the 35th Anniversary Edition of the E.T. soundtrack. Listen specifically to the track "Halloween." You can hear the exact moment John Williams quotes himself. It’s a masterclass in musical storytelling and a rare instance of a composer playing with his own iconic themes across different franchises.
- Visit the Archives: If you're ever in Los Angeles, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures often features exhibits on both Rambaldi and Freeborn. Seeing the physical puppets for Yoda and E.T. near each other makes the design similarities undeniable. They feel like they belong in the same room because, essentially, they were born from the same creative DNA.
The connection between Yoda and E.T. isn't just a trivia fact to pull out at parties. It’s a testament to a time when filmmaking was about wonder and friendship. Whether you believe E.T. is a Jedi or just a lost botanist who happens to have a high midichlorian count, the "Home!" scene remains one of the most charming moments in cinema history. It’s a bridge between two galaxies that, for a few seconds on a Halloween night in the suburbs, became one.