Summary
- Fans were divided by
Star Wars
-themed beer ads using original film footage; Lucasfilm sought to ban them for unauthorized use. - The ad director claims the majority found the ads creative and funny, but Lucasfilm viewed them as exploiting the
Star Wars
brand. - Incorporating ads into TV content was seen in the 1940s and 1950s but Lucasfilm did not want unauthorized commercials in their movie.
In 2003, Cerveza Cristal, a Chilean beer company, launched a Star Wars-themed advertisement that stirred more controversy than celebration. The ad featured a digitally altered scene from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope where Obi-Wan Kenobi, rather than handing Luke Skywalker the iconic lightsaber, passes him a bottle of Cerveza Cristal beer. Recently, this inserted advertisement resurfaced online to be seen by many for the first time, including Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. Now the man behind the ad has broken his silence on the viral sensation.
Ignacio González was the director of the production company behind the ads at the time, and recently reflected on the way fans and Lucasfilm had reacted to the ad. He told The Guardian:
I heard that some Star Wars purists were looking for me, and I don’t think it’s because they liked it. But, I’d say 99% of people were fascinated by it and understood the humour, it was very creative at the time.
The mixed reactions were just the beginning of the problems with the ad, as Lucasfilm requested the ad be banned by the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics (CONAR). While it was decided that there were no copyright infringement issues with the ad, despite it directly using a scene from A New Hope, the execution of the ad was something that could not be ignored.
What Issue Did Lucasfilm Have With the Star Wars Beer Ad?
The biggest issue that Lucasfilm had with the ads was the way they were incorporated into the movie itself, which made them seem like the ads were actually an authorized part of the film and something Lucasfilm themselves had approved.
It is unlikely that many would see the ads as genuine moments from the original film, but according to Lucasfilm’s claims at the time, the ads had “erroneously led viewers to believe that the film includes a reference to the product.” In the end, it was agreed that the ads had “exploited the goodwill” of Lucasfilm, and that was the end of that.
At least until the ads showed up on X last month, being shared by hundreds of thousands of people, including X owner Elon Musk. When the post ended up on Mark Hamill’s doorstep, he couldn’t help but comment on it, saying, “Is this now considered Star Wars canon in Chile?”
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Incorporating ads into the content of TV series is something that happened a lot in the 1940s and 1950s. Variety shows such as The Jack Benny Program, Burns & Allen, and The Milton Berle Show often included sketches that featured ads for Lucky Strike cigarettes as part of the script, and actors like Humphrey Bogart would frequently promote products as part of a scene. While those ads were all above board and approved, the same could not be said for the Star Wars beer ads, and while they have survived to become a viral sensation, at the time, they were clearly no laughing matter for Lucasfilm no matter how humorous they were intended to be.
Star Wars: A New Hope
is streaming on Disney+…without beer commercials.
