Wired interviews the depraved geniuses behind Robot Chicken.
Emperor Palpatine sits in his office, feet on his desk, telling his how-I-whupped-Yoda’s-ass-in-the-Senate story (again) to a couple of cronies. The phone rings. It’s Darth Vader — calling collect. “Vader! How’s my favorite Sith?” Then, after listening for a few beats, the prune-faced politician slams a tiny plastic fist on his desk in rage. “Whaddya mean they blew up the Death Star?” He unleashes a flurry of V-chipped expletives. “That thing wasn’t even fully paid off yet! Do you have any idea what this is going to do to my credit?” The conversation ends with a sheepish Palpatine grumbling, “I love you, too,” before hanging up the phone.
That scene is just one nugget of Robot Chicken, the Adult Swim network’s hit series that’s about as far, far away from mainstream TV as you can get. The show’s 15-minute episodes are packed with silly superhero riffs and abundant fart jokes acted out by posable action figures. Yet since its debut in 2005, Chicken has helped the cable channel set ratings records and has enjoyed brisk DVD sales. When the Palpatine snippet found its way onto YouTube last year, it generated more than a million views, creating a flock of new fans — and eventually hatching a 30-minute Robot Chicken: Star Wars TV special.
If you haven’t seen Robot Chicken yet, here’s a teaser featuring the Charlie Brown cast:
