The Senate’s Brief Visit from E.T.’s People
During the Galactic Senate sequence in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, a cluster of small, gray, long-necked delegates appears among the many alien representatives. They are Asogians—the species associated with E.T. Their appearance is easy to miss because the scene treats them as part of the crowd, not as characters who stop the debate or draw attention to themselves.
That background placement is the joke’s mechanism: a packed science-fiction assembly gives Lucas room to tuck in a recognizable visitor without interrupting the story. The reference works in both directions. In Spielberg’s E.T., the title character sees a child dressed as Yoda and reacts as though he recognizes someone from home. Lucas answered by placing E.T.’s species inside the Star Wars galaxy.
A Friendship Turned into a Shared-Universe Wink
The exchange grew out of the filmmakers’ real friendship, but it is not presented as a major plot revelation. The Asogians do not change what happens in the Senate; their cameo rewards viewers who know both films and briefly invites a playful possibility: perhaps these cinematic worlds touch at the edges.
That distinction is part of the fun. The scene leaves the connection in the background, where it can be read as a private nod between filmmakers—or as a tiny, unofficial bridge between two famous universes.
