Background[]
National Lampoon was an American comedy magazine that satirized various aspects of life and pop culture, which made its debut in 1970. The magazine was so successful that it created a comedy empire, as the magazine expanded to a radio show, a theater run, television specials, vinyl album releases (“That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick!”), movies (the Vacation movies starring Chevy Chase, among many others) and more.
Although the magazine ceased publishing in1998, the National Lampoon name lives on via an official site and a YouTube channel that was started in 2006. Out of over 200 videos the channel hosts, Star Wars: X-Wing Pilots The Deleted Scene (released in 2007) is a scene that was supposedly cut out of the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope film, which is in regards to the final act of the movie where the Death Star is being attacked by rebels. Two X-Wing pilots (identified only as “Mark” and “Jim”) express their severe reservations in regards to “this Luke [Skywalker] kid” right before the attack commences. Several seconds of footage from the movie is shown, although with the faces of two performers superimposed over actors in X-Wing fighters from the movie’s footage.
As of mid 2015, the video has had more than 350,000 views.
Video content[]
The two Rebel pilots: Mark (top) and Jim.
After the title is shown, the video starts with the scene from the movie where the Rebel fleet of X- and Y-Wings are closing in on the Death Star. Mark is shown next, which he radios to Jim to see if he can talk. When Jim replies affirmatively, Mark wants a confirmation that their purpose of the mission is to blow up the Death Star. When Jim asks what Mark’s “point” is, Mark asks for Jim to bear with him, then continued that he thought it was a “bit presumptuous of this Luke kid” to be allowed to fly with them, since “he never even had a lesson on how to fly an X-Wing until this afternoon”. He also stated that this was the “biggest mission” of his life, and if Luke “screws this up”, then Mark would be “out”, as he could just “run a Diary Queen on Naboo” instead. Jim then reassured Mark that he understood his plight.
Next, the video skips forward several minutes later into the film to the point where ground control states that Luke had switched off his targeting computer and they were asking him what was wrong. As Luke’s response of “Nothing! I’m all right!” is heard, Mark asks “What did he just say?”, which Jim adds “What is this guy, retarded?” Mark, becoming irate, says, “He’s turning off his targeting computer!”, which Jim responds “He sucks...asses.”
Then, in between shots of the movie where Luke fires his photon torpedoes and they enter the target shaft, Mark says “That’s it...I’m out.” The Death Star then explodes, which, with the footage behind Mark and Jim making it look like they were flying in the Death Star trench just seconds earlier, it is assumed they were killed in the explosion and the video ends with a list of production credits.
Trivia[]
For some reason during the title credits, the skit is entitled “Jedi Fighters”.
Links[]
- National Lampoon official site
- National Lampoon YouTube channel
