Summary
- Star Wars almost included an E.T. Cameo in the infamous opera scene of Revenge of the Sith, with E.T.s throwing popcorn in the opera seats.
- The opera scene was originally meant to be a grand affair, showcasing various fancy alien outfits and patrons exiting limos.
- The second E.T. Cameo ultimately never happened, but it's interesting to consider how it would have affected Palpatine's manipulation of Anakin.
Star Wars seems to have a particular affinity for bringing its past characters in for cameos whenever possible. But once upon a time, those cameos would occasionally extend beyond the franchise. It turns out there was even another of that same variety that never got past the planning stages, but it would have gotten a reaction from fans.
Despite the generally more light-hearted nature of the Star Wars prequels, there's no denying that Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was the darkest of the trilogy. Effectively serving as the climax in the story of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side, there was no way it could maintain the more hopeful and occasionally silly feel of its 2 predecessors. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't going to try. One particularly bizarre moment ultimately cut from the movie seemingly proves that idea.
As noted in J.W. Rinzler's book The Making of Revenge of the Sith (via Slash Film), the infamous opera scene in the movie almost included a strange palate cleanser for viewers amidst its endlessly quoted "tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise" monologue from Ian McDiarmid's Chancellor Palpatine. Since the scene already showed off several diverse alien species, director and Star Wars creator George Lucas originally wanted to show perhaps the most memorable extra-terrestrial of all. Namely, he floated the idea of adding "some E.T.s in the opera seats, throwing popcorn."
Yes, he meant "E.T.s" as in the main character from Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Many fans will remember that Star Wars did feature an ET cameo in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Three aliens appearing essentially identical to the character from the Spielberg film (and eventually called Asogians in Star Wars lore) could be seen during one scene in the Galactic Senate on Coruscant, flailing their arms around during a heated moment in politics. But apparently, it almost didn't stop there.
Even without an appearance from the beloved extra-terrestrial, Lucas wanted the opera scene to be much more of an affair than the intimate and quietly intense moment it ended up being. The idea was to show off tons of aliens all dressed to the nines, showing off their fancy and bougie sides. This could have included everything from lingering shots of the various opera outfits to even focusing on patrons exiting their limos. It could have been similar to The Last Jedi's Canto Bight scenes over a decade earlier.
Ultimately, for better or worse, the second E.T. Cameo never happened. But it's interesting to think about what might have been. Palpatine taking a major step toward manipulating Anakin might not have hit quite as dramatically if it was interrupted by snacks tossed from some rowdy universe-hoppers.
Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith is available on Disney Plus.
Source: The Making of Revenge of the Sith (via Slash Film)