Star Wars Is Reusing Its AI Technology For A Ridiculous Reason
“No, I am not James Earl Jones...”
Our ever-shrinking group of media conglomerates is concerning for many reasons, but at least it makes for some bizarrely fascinating moments of brand synergy. It’s interesting, to say the least, when Young Sheldon pops up during a football game to explain the offside rule, and now Star Wars is also moving into sports for a strange new crossover that reawakens a years-old controversy.
ESPN recently announced a partnership with Disney that will include several Star Wars-centric additions to its sports coverage. First is an alternate broadcast of next February’s Super Bowl described as a “real-time, animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy and featuring characters from across the Lucasfilm franchise, including original 1977 cast member Anthony Daniels returning to voice C-3PO.”
The tech used in Obi-Wan Kenobi is probably coming to, you guessed it, the NFL.
This isn’t a new offering from ESPN — its Funday Football series has already featured animated NFL games set in the worlds of Toy Story, The Simpsons, and Monsters, Inc. — but Star Wars is a notable addition. “The Star Wars animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI in real time, transforming players on the field into animated avatars, while Star Wars characters sub in during key moments and various Easter eggs appear throughout the game,” the press release reads.
Also announced were new segments for SC+, ESPN’s daily SportsCenter show on Disney+. “Hyperspace Highlights” will show Monday Night Football’s best moments with a “Star Wars visual theme,” while on October 26, SC+ will showcase an animated Darth Vader interviewing a player from Monday Night Football.
Funday Football has provided live-animated football games set in various Disney properties.
That last element will seemingly involve the Respeecher A.I. technology that Star Wars has long used for “voice cloning” characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. This tech can take any interviewer and make their questions sound like Darth Vader discussing battle strategies with his commanders; in 2022, Lucasfilm used Respeecher to replicate the late James Earl Jones’ voice for Obi-Wan Kenobi, causing a debate in the fandom. That, at least, was for an actual series, but now Disney seems comfortable using this divisive tech for even the most superfluous Star Wars content.
