Defeat the Dark Side was a unified advertising campaign for three restaurants owned by Tricon Global—KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell—that ran prior to and concurrent with the theatrical release of the 1999 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It depicted mascots from all three franchises involved in the events surrounding the Battle of Naboo. The campaign was reportedly viewed as unsuccessful by Tricon Global and Lucasfilm Ltd., and they did not partner for the subsequent prequel films.
Plot summary[]
In 32 BBY, the Battle of Naboo breaks out on the planet of Naboo.[2] KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell join forces to aid in the fight against the dark side.[1]
Main characters[]
Harland Sanders[]
- "Any Battle Droid messing with the Colonel had better watch out, because this time, he's serving up a bucket full of pain."
- ―Unknown
Colonel Harland Sanders is a spectacle-wearing human male[3] who was born around 97 BBY.[4] A known lightsaber-wielder, Sanders is a strong and determined individual and a fierce opponent of the dark side.[3]
Sanders founded KFC, an establishment that serves buckets of chicken that were prepared using a secret recipe.[3] Sanders fights in the Battle of Naboo alongside Pizza Hut Girl and the Chihuahua.[1]
Alexis[]
- "Now she's out to share a little of her immense knowledge on the Dark Side. And if they don't back off, a couple Sith Lords are gonna get a home delivery of suffering with extra agony."
- ―Unknown
Alexis,[6] also known as the Pizza Hut Girl, is a Human female slicer, martial arts expert,[5] and experienced user of blaster pistols.[1] Prior to joining the forces of Pizza Hut, she worked for Micro-Tech, Inc. as a "hardware tester" (a euphemism for slicer), and for 2-Rock Concert Promotions as "crowd control." Her studies took her to such far-flung locales as Hong Kong and Tunisia. She was the youngest female graduate of the Citadel.[5]
At twenty-three years old, the heroine discovered a calling that combined her mastery of Tae Kwon Do and her love of pizza—working for Pizza Hut as a fighter for all things covered in cheese and tomato sauce. She seeks to apply her immense knowledge of the dark side to defeating the Sith Lords.[5] Upon joining forces with Pizza Hut, she has become allies with Harland Sanders and the Chihuahua in an effort to defeat the dark side at the Battle of Naboo.[1]
The Chihuahua[]
- "A true dog of the people, the Chihuahua has tirelessly devoted his life to one thing - the pursuit of tacos."
- ―Unknown
The Chihuahua is a male chihuahua dog who is fighting the dark side around the time of the Battle of Naboo. His lifelong devotion to tacos contributed to developing his natural skills of navigation, negotiation, and deviousness.[7]
Battling the dark side is something the Chihuahua rationalizes in accordance with his primary goal: when the universe is free, the tacos are free. He also seeks to master the Jedi mind trick in his pursuit of tacos,[7] specifically those sold by Taco Bell.[1]
Development[]
The Defeat the Dark Side campaign included seven television spots,[1] toys and cup toppers available at the restaurants, a website,[8] and a limited-time sweepstakes game.[9] The sweepstakes game required visiting all three Tricon Global restaurants for a chance to win prizes such as a Lincoln Navigator vehicle, one million dollars, or a Star Wars hovercraft speeder.[10] During the sweepstakes, the restaurants were aligned to different planets: KFC with Naboo, Pizza Hut with Coruscant, and Taco Bell with Tatooine.[8]
Reception[]
According to Tricon Global's chairman and chief executive, Andrall Pearson, the tie-in marketing campaign was not effective at driving sales to the three restaurant chains and appeared to have stalled momentum from prior quarters.[11] The failure was attributed to the market's supersaturation, with Star Wars merchandise available at many retailers in advance of the film.[12] The campaign was reportedly considered a failure by Lucasfilm Ltd. as well, and they did not partner with Tricon for the next prequel film.[13]
Credits[]
Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Saga on defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on April 18, 2000)
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Colonel on www.defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on November 30, 1999)
- ↑ Colonel Harland Sanders is stated to be age 65 as of the Battle of Naboo/Legends. The New Essential Chronology establishes on page 40 that the Invasion of Naboo happens in 32 BBY. Therefore, he was born around 97 BBY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Pizza Hut Girl on defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on November 4, 1999)
- ↑ Transport 2 on www.defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on October 12, 2000)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Chihuahua on defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on November 4, 1999)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Site Map on defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on April 17, 2000)
- ↑ Game on defeatthedarkside.com (content now obsolete; archived from the original on October 10, 1999)
- ↑ Taco Bell/KFC/Pizza Hut Promotional Onslaught Begins on TheForce.net (May 11, 1999) (archived from the original on April 13, 2016)
- ↑ Force of 'Star Wars' Tie Not Aiding Taco Bell by Hernandez, Greg on Los Angeles Times (July 21, 1999) (archived from the original)
- ↑ Tricon's 'Star Wars' Tie-In Fails to Boost Fast-Food Sales by Gibson, Richard on The Wall Street Journal (July 21, 1999) (archived from the original)
- ↑ Lucasfilm Splits with Tricon on TheForce.net (July 24, 2001) (archived from the original on March 27, 2021)
- ↑ Credits on www.leighhennessy.com (archived from the original on June 24, 2016)
External links[]
- Defeat the Dark Side on Archive.org
- Defeat the Dark Side advertisement on the Robert Bravo YouTube channel (backup link)
- Colonel Sanders on Wikipedia
- KFC advertising on Wikipedia
- Taco Bell chihuahua on Wikipedia