The Story Of The E.T. Senator In Star Wars Doesn't Have A Happy Ending

The "Star Wars" universe is full of thousands of colorful, distinct creatures and characters, with plenty of aliens and other beings that make the galaxy feel bigger and lived-in. Likewise, many of the creatures serve as cool references, like the Zillo Beast being a big homage to Godzilla, or arguably the best reference in the franchise — E.T.

Yes, E.T. the titular extra-terrestrial from "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." The lovable naked alien has a little role in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" as a senator seen in the Senate scene when Padmé moves for a vote of no confidence on Chancellor Finis Valorum — an unfortunate moment that allowed Sheev Palpatine to become chancellor and eventually emperor.

It's a short and sweet reference, one that doesn't imply a larger role and certainly not a tragic fate for the character (officially named Grebleips — more on that later) ... or does it? It turns out Senator Grebleips, who almost appeared in "Revenge of the Sith," met a tragic fate. You see, during the final days of the Clone Wars, Grebleips became more and more involved in galactic politics and crossed paths with some major players. This culminated in Grebleips joining the Delegation of 2000, a group of legislators Padmé helped form that protested Palpatine for his unconstitutional actions — which eventually turned into the Rebel Alliance.

Unfortunately, this was before Palpatine acquired unlimited power and declared himself Emperor. Following Order 66, he dedicated himself to hunting down any and all opponents, including politicians. In issue 84 of Star Wars Insider, a segment of the in-universe HoloNet News tells of how Imperial Intelligence arrested 63 senators on charges of conspiracy and treason for their role in the Jedi rebellion. All 63 senators belonged to the Delegation of 2000, including Grebleips of Brodo Asagi.

Senator Grebleips originated as a tribute to George Lucas' friend, Steven Spielberg. After Spielberg had already included a nod to "Star Wars" in the 1982 film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" by showing a kid dressed as Yoda on Halloween — which makes E.T. seemingly recognize him as kin — Lucas returned the favor by including E.T. in the "Star Wars" universe. However, what initially seems like just a fun and innocent nod has taken on a bigger life in the years since "The Phantom Menace" was released.

For one, the 2001 novel "Cloak of Deception" by James Luceno finally gave the E.T. senator a name, Grebleips, which is literally Spielberg backward. What's more, the novel specifies Grebleips' homeworld as being Brodo Asogi. That is one of the many names given to E.T.'s homeworld in the 1985 novelization of "E.T.," titled "The Book of the Green Planet" and written by William Kotzwinkle. Does that mean the franchises themselves are connected? And more so, does this mean Earth is part of the "Star Wars" universe if a citizen of Brodo Asogi once got lost there? Much to ponder.