May the Ninth be with you! In a slightly belated nod to Star Wars Day, ABC's The Goldbergs will be paying tribute to not just one, but two Star Wars-related movies for next week's episode. The sitcom will raise its lightsaber in celebration of the Star Wars series for the installment "Spaceballs," which also pokes fun at Mel Brooks' popular spoof of the space saga. Here is what we know about the intergalactic episode of The Goldbergs.
In a galaxy not so far away, politics and pop culture will collide thanks to an understandable misunderstanding. In the episode, Adam goes to dinner with his girlfriend Jackie and her parents, and whenever the subject of then-President Ronal Reagan's Star Wars defense system comes up, Adam mistakes it for being one about the movie, Thereafter, Adam humiliates himself with a breathless monologue about the franchise, replete with impressions and plot summaries.
Pop culture fans can certainly feel Adam's pain. We have all been there at one point or another. As hinted at in this story's opening line, the Star Wars episode will not air on Star Wars Day, which is celebrated on May 4. Due to the fact that The Goldbergs airs on Wednesdays, that would have been impossible anyway. Instead, The Goldbergs will instead air in its normal Wednesday time slot on May 9, which will precede the release of the latest installment in the space-faring movie franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story; the Han Solo origin story hits theaters on May 25.
Yes, Disney owns ABC and Lucasfilm, which means they own the Star Wars franchise. But just in case you are wondering if Disney unnecessarily arranged this special episode of The Goldbergs to promote the release of the sure-to-be blockbuster Solo, you can rest assured it has not. The Goldbergs' creator and executive producer, Adam F. Goldberg is a huge Star Wars fan. You need to look no further than his first script, Fanboys, for proof. The 2009 film focuses on a group of Star Wars fans who embark on a cross-country road trip to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch so that their terminally ill friend can see Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace before he passes away. I don't know about you, but there are plenty of people out there who would rather watch The Goldbergs than Phantom Menace again.
Not that Adam F. Goldberg hasn't made lots of other direct references to Star Wars on this sitcom in the past. Back in Season 1, the show recreated the release day opening for Return of the Jedi. And one episode reminded everyone how awkwardly horrible the Star Wars Holiday Special was, even though it gave the world Boba Fett and should be forgiven for all its sins.
This special Star Wars-themed episode of The Goldbergs will air Wednesday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. You can watch full episodes of the comedy on ABC's website. For what else is coming up on ABC and television in general, check out our guides to TV's summer premieres, so you don't miss anything.
