How to Compare the "Blue Harvest" Episode on "Family Guy" to "Star Wars"

When "Family Guy" decided to do a one-hour episode as an homage to "Star Wars," geeks around the world rejoiced. Naming the episode "Blue Harvest" was a good start; after all the phrase was the code name used during the filming of "Return of the Jedi." Though nothing short of watching the two side-by-side, frame-by-frame will allow a thorough comparison, there are a few ways to begin the work.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Watch "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" several times. Learn the plot, the characters' stories and traits and acquire a good sense of the visual effects. If you already can recite the lines by heart and can identify which musical scores were played in which scenes, you probably can skip this step.
2. Watch random "Family Guy" episodes. While watching, get a sense of all the characters, not just the main players. It's important to have an understanding of the secondary characters and their personality quirks since they play a big role in the "Blue Harvest" episode.
3. Get psyched to watch some incredible animation. The visual similarities between "Star Wars" and "Blue Harvest" are amazing. The animators painstakingly recreated the visual effects of "Star Wars." Most of the scenes are reproduced frame-by-frame, and the details make it seem as though you're watching a "Star Wars" cartoon.
4. Watch for sly, visual jokes as well as the obvious ones. The animators added little zingers as they drew the "Blue Harvest" episode. For example, although the opening scene with the Star Destroyer is exactly the same as you'll find in the "Star Wars" film, you'll note that the ship has a Bush-Cheney bumper sticker on the back of it.
5. Compare the traits of the "Family Guy" characters to the "Star Wars" characters they portray. You'll find that even the smallest casting decision has a rationale. Obviously, Stewie is cast as Darth Vader because they are both set on world domination. Brian is Chewbacca because they are both animals. Some of the cast is less obvious. For example, Meg is cast as the trash compacter monster because she's seen as so insignificant. Opie is a Tusken Raider because he already sounds like a sand person and Herbert is Obi-Wan Kenobi because they both like to spend time with young boys.
6. Avoid overthinking. Sure, if you know "Star Wars" inside-out you'll naturally want to see how "Blue Harvest" lives up to its standards, but remember it's all in fun. Sit back, relax and enjoy your favorite movie as seen through the eyes of your favorite animated family.

Tips & Warnings

• Some of the best parts of "Blue Harvest" are those that poke fun at what could be characterized as issues (or flaws) in "Star Wars," controversies diehard fans of the movie still debate. For instance, there's a reference to Han using parsecs to measure time. According to many "Star Wars' fans, a parsec is metric of distance.