The connections between Steven Spielberg’s E.T. and George Lucas’ Star Wars saga began early and have since become an odd part of Star Wars canon. It’s a meta-reference between the two filmmakers, longtime friends and collaborators, who helped shape the face of blockbuster cinema together. That included a few strange games of one-upmanship -- such as the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time, in which Spielberg’s Jaws gave way to Lucas’ Star Wars and then went back to Spielberg with E.T. -- and seemingly culminated with Spielberg’s beloved aliens making an appearance in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. A fan theory that first arose back in 2014 takes the connection even further and suggests that E.T. himself could be a Jedi knight.

The theory, posted on Reddit, explains its logic through a series of memes. The bulk of the evidence rests in E.T., leaving just that single nod in The Phantom Menace to make that connection. As it turns out, that’s enough to make it surprisingly believable, despite a few glaring logic holes that prevent it from even approaching canon. The logic finds grounding in just a few seconds, supported by an influential bit of circumstantial evidence.

RELATED: Star Wars Debuts First Look at Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader's Rematch

The ET Senators Vote For Galactic Fascism

The connection started during the Halloween sequence in E.T., as Elliot and his siblings use the holiday as a way to slip E.T. out of the house to contact his people. They walk along suburban streets full of kids in costumes until they pass one child dressed as Yoda. E.T., seemingly spotting an old friend, turns and runs after him, calling, “Home! Home!” over and over. It’s a sweet tip of the cap to Lucas and composer John Williams, who famously composed much of the music for both filmmakers and adds Yoda’s theme to the soundtrack at that moment as a flourish.

According to Star Wars Insider #161, that entailed a promise Lucas made to Spielberg. In exchange for Yoda’s appearance -- and a few other touches, such as Elliott showing E.T. his Kenner Star Wars toys as they first get to know each other -- Lucas would put Spielberg’s heartwarming creation in the Star Wars universe. Seventeen years later, Lucas made good on his promise by adding E.T.’s species to the Galactic Senate. They appear in one of the film’s wide shots of the chamber and have been given the species name Asogians. The non-canon novel Cloak of Deception even names their leader: Senator Grebleips, which is “Spielberg” spelled backward.

RELATED: Star Wars Makes Darth Plagueis’ Fate Canon Again

ET The Moon

What began as a simple Easter egg took on a life of its own, as fans pieced together how and why the Asogians might choose to visit Earth. The Jedi theory connects it more closely, starting with E.T.’s reaction to the figure in the Yoda costume and progressing to his various powers and abilities. He can move objects with his mind the way Jedi do, most notably in the flying bicycle scene that became the movie’s iconic visual stamp. He also possesses the ability to heal others and even come back from the dead: a power that Palpatine alluded to in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. 

The concept works on the surface, and certainly, E.T.’s personality fits in with the kind of compassion and benevolence expected from the Jedi. That makes it compelling and plausible, despite the fact that several huge incongruities derail it from serious canonical consideration. The biggest is the fact that the Star Wars movies exist in E.T.’s universe, which means the Star Wars universe must also contain the Star Wars movies and attendant merchandise. Furthermore, the timetable doesn’t work either, since 1980s Earth is presumably well ahead of the saga’s “a long time ago.” While E.T. and the Jedi could presumably persist that long, it removes them from Star Wars canon sufficiently in the process to make the point moot.

Regardless, there’s something special about the link between these two cinematic worlds, starting with the in-joke itself. It reflects the unique friendship between the two filmmakers, as well as pointing out shared themes of compassion and heroic sacrifice in both works. And they feel of a kind, owing partly to the era in which they were made but also to the shared feelings of hope and optimism both men tried to tap into with their movies. Simply put, it’s a sweet idea, and it holds thematic water enough to forgive it its canonical impossibilities.

KEEP READING: Star Wars Confirms an Unlikely Planet’s Pivotal Role in the High Republic