Star Wars

Star Wars was a popular science fiction film series that ran over six movies released between 1977 and 2005.

The Doctor and Frobisher attended the American premiere of the first film at Mann's Chinese Theatre in May 1977. In the 1990s, the series' creator, George Lucas, reedited the first three films and added special effects, a move that was controversial with some fans, though the Doctor claimed to prefer the Special Editions. He also thought actor Peter Cushing (who played Grand Moff Tarkin in the first film, A New Hope) looked familiar. (PDA: Mission: Impractical)

Minor references

• Returned to her old haunts in Perivale, Ace learned from Ange that their mutual friend Flo married a "brain-dead plumber" they had nicknamed Darth Vader (after the villain from the Star Wars series). (DW: Survival)
• Sam Jones had Star Wars toys as a child. (EDA: Alien Bodies)
• The Doctor told Martha Jones that Jar Jar Binks' clan were "...good people...very hospitable." (NSA: Forever Autumn)
• Both Mr Grantham and Clyde Langer made reference to the series, the latter comparing himself to Luke Smith's mentor, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. (SJA: Warriors of Kudlak) Clyde also said that he did a school history project on the Battle of Waterloo because his teacher had not allowed him to do one on the Battle of Hoth. (SJA: The Last Sontaran)
• At the end of a holographic communication left to Jack Harkness, another Time Agent, John Hart mockingly re-created the "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" line from the first film. (TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Behind the Scenes

• The Doctor's recognition of Peter Cushing was an in-joke referencing the fact that Cushing had played the film version of Dr. Who in the 1960s.
• Also, Dave Prowse, who had a small role in DW: The Time Monster played the body (though not the voice) of Darth Vader in the first three films.

For more, see Doctor Who actors who appeared in Star Wars

• The duel on the Sycorax asteroid in The Christmas Invasion may take some cues the duel between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back. In both scenes, the hero (the Doctor in this case) loses a hand and the weapon holding it. Later, the destruction of the Sycorax asteroid by the Jathaa weaponry is similar to the Death Star's destruction of Alderaan in A New Hope. The Valiant had similar weaponry in The Poison Sky.
• Star Wars creator George Lucas is an avid fan of the original Doctor Who series.
• Actor Harrison Ford (Han Solo) was offered the role of the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie but turned it down rather than have a television commitment tie him down. (At the time, the movie's producers hoped to make it the pilot for a re-launched Doctor Who series.)

External links

• Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki