Check Out Mad Magazine's 'Star Wars' Predictions From 1982
Darth Vader in 1980′s ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (Image: 20th Century Fox)
For better or worse, we have entered a golden age of Star Wars speculation, where any random detail of the films, comics, books, video games, or even toys could hold the key to unlocking the universe. But long before the Internet turned us all into movie sleuths, fans were having passionate arguments about creator George Lucas’s galaxy. Following the release of The Empire Strikes Back, popular topics of discussion included “Is Darth Vader really Luke’s father, or is he lying?” and “If the first and second movies are actually the fourth and five movies, how long will this whole Star Wars thing go on?” In 1982, Mad Magazine attempted to answer some of these questions by revealing George Lucas’s top-secret “Master Plan for Future Space Films,” a hilarious parody that purports to reveal the storyline for the first 12 Star Wars movies. Check out a sample page below, and read the whole article at Mighty Mega.
Related: Who Are Rey’s Parents? 5 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Fan Theories (Spoilers!)
An excerpt from Mad Magazine’s 1982 ‘Star Wars’ predictions. (Mighty Mega)
The best thing about Frank Jacobs’s satire may be its accidental accuracies, like his prediction that Luke’s father is actually “none other than The Force” (which is pretty much what we learned about Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace) and his convoluted descriptions of Star Wars’s many rebellions, betrayals, and uprisings (which at this point basically require a flow chart). More than anything, we’re reminded that the current speculation about Rey and Finn’s parents is just an echo of what fans were talking about between Empire and Return of the Jedi. (A sample prediction from Mad: “In our ninth film… we find out that Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber was once re-charged by Boba Fett’s father, who we suspect might be Chewbacca.”) And to think — when this was written, fans still expected Luke and Leia to end up together.
Related: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Ultimate FAQ (Spoilers!)
Watch the ‘Force Awakens’ cast demonstrate how to play with their action figures:
