We now know the full cast list of Spaceballs 2, but it launched with a joke that may be bad news for Star Wars. It’s been more than 40 years since the first Spaceballs, and the time is surely ripe for the parody to return. But this is far more than just another nostalgia fix.

The first image from Spaceballs 2 is a deliberate riff on the casting announcement for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s a reminder that the Star Wars franchise has continued, and a promise that this parody sequel will draw inspiration from more modern stories too. Somehow, will Dark Helmet return? And will we get to meet Baby Yoghurt?

As exciting as the promise of more Spaceballs may be, though, this gag may well be a bad sign for the house that George Lucas built.

Spaceballs 2 Suggests Star Wars Has Reached The “Parody Stage”

The first Spaceballs came out at a time when everyone thought Star Wars was over. The original trilogy ended with Lucas’ Return of the Jedi back in 1983, and even tie-in media was slowing down; the Star Wars Expanded Universe wouldn’t really give the franchise a new lease of life until 1991, when a New York Times bestseller revealed the galaxy could still be a draw.

2025 is very different. Star Wars is far from ᴅᴇᴀᴅ; it may have vacated the big screen for a few years, but it’s morphed into a transmedia franchise of unparalleled size and complexity. And yet, the various Disney+ TV shows have shown diminishing returns, leading many to wonder if Star Wars still matters.

That’s not an exaggeration. The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s recent trailer didn’t land with anywhere near the bang everybody hoped (at time of writing, the YouTube video has just 8.7 million views after five days). It literally prompted Esquire‘s Anthony Breznican to publish an article тιтled, “Can Star Wars Matter Again?”

Now, Spaceballs 2 seems to hint that Star Wars has reached what you could call the “Parody Stage.” This is when a franchise has become a little too all-pervasive, and it’s no longer possible to take it seriously. Worse still, Spaceballs 2 is expected to release in 2027 – a big year for Star Wars.

Spaceballs 2 Is Releasing The SAME YEAR As The Big Star Wars Revival

We haven’t had a Star Wars movie on the big screen since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu will break that at last, but the real relaunch is coming a year later, with Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter.

Lucasfilm hasn’t been subtle about viewing this as a major (and timely) relaunch. Starfighter features an all-star cast (it’s led by Ryan Gosling), comes out in celebration of A New Hope‘s 50th anniversary, and it was even teased with a first black-and-white image reminiscent of The Force Awakens‘ casting announcement.

It’s also now coming out in the same year as Spaceballs 2.

If Star Wars has indeed reached the Parody Stage, then Spaceballs 2 could seriously harm Lucasfilm’s attempts to sell the franchise as something serious again. That’s especially true if Spaceballs 2 mocks some of the marketing gimmicks Disney use to drum up excitement. Spaceballs 2‘s first black-and-white casting announcement suggests that will indeed be the case.

Spaceballs 2 is sure to be a great time at theaters… but it may not be a good thing for Star Wars when it comes out.