11 Weird Times Spaceballs (1987) Foreshadowed Later Actual Star Wars Moments

I recently rewatched Spaceballs—yeah, the ridiculous 1987 Star Wars parody with Yogurt, Lone Starr, and, of course, Dark Helmet. And while it’s meant to be a joke, I couldn’t help but notice something kinda insane…

Some of the wildest gags in that movie ended up becoming real Star Wars moments—years or even decades later.

Like, how did Mel Brooks predict this stuff? Was he just joking so hard he accidentally tapped into the future of the galaxy far, far away?

So here we are—11 moments from Spaceballs that weirdly foreshadowed actual canon Star Wars plotlines, visuals, or ideas. Whether it’s accidental prophecy or just life imitating parody, some of these will have you doing a double take.

1. Druidia’s Planetary Shield Is Basically Rogue One’s Scarif

In Spaceballs, Druidia is protected by a massive planetary shield with a giant physical gate that opens and closes. Sound familiar? It’s eerily similar to the shield gate we saw in Rogue One, which surrounded the planet Scarif and only allowed ships to pass through at specific moments. Spaceballs did it almost 30 years earlier—with just a little more absurdity and a giant combination lock.

2. The Basic Plot Is The Phantom Menace in Disguise

Let’s break this down: two guys go on a mission to rescue a princess from the bad guys, end up stranded on a desert planet, and encounter a wise, powerful mentor who teaches them about a mystical energy called the Schwartz. Now replace Lone Starr with Qui-Gon, Barf with Obi-Wan, and Yogurt with Anakin (weird, I know), and you basically have The Phantom Menace. Somehow, Spaceballs accidentally created the template for Episode I.

3. Druidia Looks a Lot Like Naboo

Visually, Druidia’s lush, green environment with its castle-like architecture looks suspiciously close to Naboo from the Prequels. Even the royal palace design has some unintentional overlap. Considering Spaceballs was made more than a decade earlier, it makes you wonder—was George Lucas watching?

4. Spaceball City Is Kamino Meets the Trade Federation

The look of Spaceball City—metallic, modular, and vaguely floating—bears a resemblance to Kamino’s city-structures in Attack of the Clones. But structurally and politically, the Spaceballs act a lot like the Trade Federation: more concerned with logistics, authority, and paperwork than actual domination. They’re villains, but they act like middle managers in space.

5. Dark Helmet Is More Kylo Ren Than Darth Vader

He might be a parody of Vader on the surface, but emotionally? Dark Helmet is way closer to Kylo Ren. He’s volatile, immature, obsessed with proving himself, and prone to tantrums. Also—huge headgear. It’s hard not to see Kylo as a more serious version of Helmet when you compare their personalities side by side.

6. A Space Diner Shows Up Way Before Dexter Jettster’s

Lone Starr and Barf pull into a 1950s-style space diner complete with checkered floors, neon lights, and a xenomorph doing the chestburster routine. Flash-forward to Attack of the Clones, and Obi-Wan walks into Dexter Jettster’s diner—which has almost the exact same Earth-style vibe. Coincidence? Probably. Still weird? Absolutely.

7. Yogurt Holding Up a Doll of Himself Predicted Baby Yoda Merch

There’s a scene where Yogurt shows off Spaceballs: The Doll, a cute, cuddly version of himself, and says it’s “adorable.” Fast-forward to 2019 and The Mandalorian hits, and suddenly the entire galaxy is obsessed with Grogu. The merchandising frenzy Yogurt jokes about became terrifyingly real.

8. The Dinks Foreshadowed Both Jawas and Disney

The Dinks are a clear parody of the Jawas—but they’re also dressed and act like the Seven Dwarfs. At one point, Lone Starr even says, “When did we get to Disneyland?” It was a throwaway gag at the time, but now that Disney owns Star Wars, it lands way harder than Mel Brooks probably intended.

9. “You Are Related By Absolutely Nothing” = Kylo Ren Energy

In a dramatic moment, Dark Helmet tells Lone Starr, “You are related by absolutely nothing.” That echoes the line Kylo Ren tells Rey in The Last Jedi—“You’re nothing. You come from nothing.” It’s meant to break the hero emotionally by denying them any special legacy. Which is kind of wild, considering Spaceballs did it first as a joke.

10. Lone Starr Is Secret Royalty — Just Like Han Solo in Legends

Toward the end, Lone Starr learns he’s of royal descent. This was meant to spoof the overused “secret chosen one” trope. But in Legends, Han Solo was actually revealed to be descended from Corellian royalty. Somehow Spaceballs made fun of a twist that wouldn’t even exist for another decade.

11. They Get Arrested… For Parking

Remember when Finn and Rose get arrested on Canto Bight for—of all things—parking on the beach? That might’ve felt random to some fans, but Spaceballs did it way back in 1987. Lone Starr and Barf get in trouble with the Spaceball authorities for illegally parking their Winnebago in a no-parking zone. Space justice is weird, man.