00:00recently taking a look at 1988 Fred Olin Ray sci-fi comedy The Phantom Empire and this starred
00:09Ross Hagen, Don Wildsmith, Jeffrey Combs, Robert Corey, Sybil Danning, and Russ Tamblyn. I did
00:17some other videos on this. A couple different associations I drew from both the visuals and
00:25by way of looking at some of the cast's future and past roles and unrelated works, I picked up on
00:32references to Star Wars villain Jabba the Hutt introduced in episode 6 in 1983 and additionally
00:43Crime Lord Pizza the Hutt and Thug Vinny from Mel Brooks parody and comedy Spaceballs. I'll tell you
00:51how you can see this in Phantom Empire. Sybil Danning plays the alien queen. She was in several films
00:57with Star Wars Count Dooku actor Christopher Lee. These included Italian political thriller The
01:04Salamander in 81 starring Frank Nero, Anthony Quinn, and Martin Balsam. Reportedly Lee originally turned
01:12down part in Star Wars. That of Grand Moff Tarkin. This went to his longtime associate Peter Cushing.
01:22To the future of Star Wars from the standpoint of 86, Jabba was a character in the Star Wars prequel
01:29trilogy. They got started around 10 years later. He made it into the first movie. Episode 1, The Phantom
01:35Menace released in 99. I mentioned the Dune connections to Phantom Empire in another video.
01:4384 Dune director David Lynch was reportedly approached by George Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi in 83.
01:52Lynch declined this but was hotly sought after in the early 80s by Hollywood.
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