Green Screen Challenge

The Green Screen Challenge was a "contest" held on The Colbert Report. It began in earnest when Stephen Colbert profiled California's 6th congressional district, which contains the Skywalker Ranch, on his August 10, 2006 show. In the segment he mentioned Skywalker Ranch and George Lucas, and briefly pretended to fight enemies with a lightsaber in front of a green screen. After this, fans across the internet began creating their own special effects for the greenscreen scene, and a few days later, Colbert revealed some of their efforts on The Colbert Report and announced an official "challenge".

Notable clips include one of Colbert battling a monster with the heads of Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and Howard Dean, and of the host defending U.S. president George W. Bush from attackers. On the October 11 episode Colbert announced the a "winner" to the challenge would be selected from the top two contestants. The first clip, sent in by "Bonnie R." from Torrance, California, featured Colbert involved in a patriotic game. The creator of the second clip, "George L.", made an appearance on the show. His entry, made by ILM, featured Colbert professionally edited into a scene from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and talking to Jar Jar Binks, voiced by Ahmed Best, who played the character in the films. In the end, Colbert announced Lucas' effort was only good enough for second place, and presented the director with a consolation prize of a free Colbert Report mug and T-shirt. The episode ended with Lucas and Colbert engaging in a lightsaber fight that finished with Lucas vanquishing Colbert.