Spaceballs is Mel Brooks 1987 comedic skewering of the science fiction genre. The film chronicles the adventures of space mercenary Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog sidekick, Barf (John Candy) as they race across the galaxy to rescue Princess Vespa from the evil clutches of Dark Helmet. When Lone Starr crashes on a desert moon, he is taken into the tutelage of wise old Yogurt who teaches him the ways of The Schwartz. With help from Joan Rivers as the androidette Dot Matrix, a Winnebago spaceship and an awfully big Schwartz, Lone Starr manages to stop Dark Helmet and make the universe safe once again. A parody of space epics such as Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek and Planet of the Apes, Spaceballs went as far to have John Hurt reprise his role as Kane in Alien to have a baby Xenomorph burst from his stomach (Not again) and break into a song and dance. The film has become a cult epic in its own right after mixed reviews upon its original release. Even more, Brooks parody got the hard-to-get seal of approval from George Lucas whose company handled the special effects of the film.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
