If you’re new, welcome! I’m Caitlin and this is my newsletter. I hope it increases your midichlorian count to over twenty thousand per cell.
Hey scruffy-looking nerf herders,
Welcome to Fully AuthentiCaited’s first ever themed special edition, an unabashed celebration of…well, at this point can you really call a $10 billion franchise “nerd culture”? Like any other dresses-in-costume-for-movie-premieres-level Star Wars fan, I have plenty of opinions about how the sequels resorted to tokenism without character development and The Book of Boba Fett was an embarrassment to television, etc etc. But this is a comedy newsletter and today is a day for celebration, so let’s focus on the topic at hand: Star Wars’ contribution to comedy.
What makes the Star Wars films so appealing is, in part, Carrie Fisher in a bikini their innate goofiness. While attempts to be overtly funny often fail (think Ewoks and the universally-hated Jar Jar Binks) there’s a lightheartedness and often-unintentional cheesiness to them that, combined with a widespread fan base, make Star Wars fertile ground for comedy.
It’s an asset that Disney has begun to lean into recently: take a quick look at the casts of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and you’ll see a number of comedians’ names (Amy Sedaris, Bill Burr, Dave Pasquesi), perhaps due to the fact that creator Jon Favreau is himself a Second City alum.
So today, in honor of the second-highest grossing movie franchise of all time, I’ve gathered a whole editions’s worth of the most humorous Star Wars content from across the galaxy–I mean, internet–for you to enjoy.
No, you won’t find Kyle Mooney’s Baby Yoda on this list, and yes, that is intentional. 💅
📖 Recommended Reading
Scenes Deleted From Star Wars Because The Stormtroopers Came Off As Too Relatable
Sam Woods in McSweeney’s
STORMTROOPER 1: Lisa started preschool today.
STORMTROOPER 2: Geez, I feel like yesterday she was bopping on my knee to Now That’s What I Call Cantina Music: Volume 12…
The Empire Should Continue Working Remotely Post-Pandemic
Sonja Ryst in McSweeney’s
Key Performance Indicators
We’ve outdone Emperor Palpatine’s expectations despite the challenges of the pandemic. For example, even without running into your minions in the hallway, you’ve choked 253 underperforming stormtroopers, almost triple what the Emperor had set as a goal. I do not doubt that your data is accurate since you know every corner of the galaxy, whether working remotely or not. If a rat snuck into the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star, your Sith Lord senses would catch it.
Star Wars Characters, Ranked By Hotness
Apparently this meme format is all the rage on the internets, so I had to make one myself (plus a video version for the youths). Hope you enjoy!
📺 Recommended Viewing
Check out this exclusive sneak peek at the Cantina Band Documentary, courtesy of the folks at Conan:
…and lest anyone forget the spectacular failed cash grab that is the Star Wars Holiday Special, here’s seven full minutes of a Wookie enjoying a VR porno-slash-musical number, none of which has any bearing on the plot.
🌐 Things From The Internet
First, a blast(er) from the past: We have Xbox Kinect to thank for some meme-worthy Star Wars parody songs–complete with dance moves–including “I’m Han Solo” (Ridin’ Solo) and “Empire Today” (YMCA). “I’m Han Solo” in particular is next-level cheese and brings me an unexplainable amount of joy.
For a quick take on this (common?) phenomenon and representation in Star Wars, check out Arturito and Me.
Or if you’re interested in how the Lego Star Wars video game delights fans by making jokes out of its source material, check out One of Lego Star Wars' Silliest Gags Reminded Me Not to Take Star Wars So Seriously.
Stay classy and stay alive!
Love,
Caitlin, Frank, & Bud 💁🏻♀️🐈🐈⬛
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