There’s a cameo in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace by the alien species from E.T. The Extra-Terrestial, and here’s where the aliens can be seen. George Lucas is responsible for creating some of the biggest movie franchises of all time and none became as big as Star Wars. The original Star Wars trilogy of films he created became sci-fi/fantasy classics, and Lucas always had plans to continue the saga in different ways. Instead of immediately capitalizing on the success of the first three Star Wars movies, he waited until the technology was better equipped to bring his vision to life to tell the next chapter.
The wait for a new entry in the franchise was 16 years after Return of the Jedi, as Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace debuted in theaters in 1999. The first movie in Lucas’ prequel trilogy told the conflict between the Jedi and Sith and the beginning of Anakin Skywalker’s story. The Phantom Menace proved to be a massive hit commercially, as it made over $1 billion worldwide and sold over $2 billion in merchandise. While the movie was met with a mixed reception from critics and fans alike, Lucas made the exact movie he envisioned, and this included some fun Easter eggs for viewers to catch.
One of the more famous Easter eggs in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is an appearance by the alien species from E.T. Their appearance comes during the Galactic Senate of the Republic meeting where Padmé calls for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum, paving the way for Sheev Palpatine to become the Republic’s new Chancellor. The species, officially known as Asogians in Star Wars canon, can be seen at the 1:29:11 mark in The Phantom Menace at the bottom left of the frame.
The appearance of the aliens from E.T. might seem strange to some since Lucas was not directly involved in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 blockbuster. However, Lucas and Spielberg are great friends and collaborators. Lucas helped create the Indiana Jones franchise with Spielberg and tried to convince Spielberg to direct one of the Star Wars movies on multiple occasions. This eventually led to Spielberg doing some work on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, with some people even believing he ghost-directed most of the movie.
As fun as it is to see the aliens from E.T. appear in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, it is the only example of them appearing in the galaxy far, far away to this point. It is merely a fun reference that Lucas included in part because Spielberg included Star Wars references in E.T. Although it is simply a great Easter egg, that hasn’t stopped several fans from theorizing that E.T. could’ve been powered with the Force.
