Arguably the most intergalactic piece of Beastie Boys news you'll hear all year, it appears as if the New York rap icons are being celebrated in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens via a character named Ello Asty. The source of the alien's name is apparently the Beasties' 1998 LP, Hello Nasty.
While the film itself won't arrive until December 18, details around the character of Ello Nasty have been hovering for the last little bit. Beyond the first letter-dropping name, Yakface [via AUX] points out that the stock card to the film character's Hasbro action figure displays an alien dialect on his helmet that seemingly reads "Born to Ill." This, one might assume, is a nod to the Beastie Boys' 1986 debut LP, Licensed to Ill.
Getting even deeper, the Making Star Wars fan blog added that the recent Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure book release makes mention of Ello Asty being a member of the "Abednedo" species.
A reader drew the parallel between this and the Beastie Boys song "Shadrach," which "references the Judaeo-Christian parable of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." Being that the reference is actually rooted in Biblical allegory, this last piece might seem like a bit of a stretch, but the Star Wars franchise sure seems to be laying Ello Asty's roots down in the Beastie Boys back catalogue.
On the official side of things, the Star Wars database describes Ello Asty as "a skilled if occasionally reckless X-wing starfighter pilot for the Resistance." In other words, it sounds like he's a sweetie pie from the rebel alliance, but maybe not one known for dropping science.
This also isn't the first time an Abrams flick has saluted the Beastie Boys. A scene from his Star Trek reboot was scored by Ill Communication cut "Sabotage."
As far as the Beastie Boys go, it seems they were fans of the Star Wars franchise as well. Just take a look at the light saber-waving movie poster for the Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! documentary.
While we'd recently learned about the John Williams-saluting soundtrack release for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, due December 18, here's hoping they snuck the Beastie Boys' Luke-and-Vader-inspired verses from "Do It" on there too.
While the film itself won't arrive until December 18, details around the character of Ello Nasty have been hovering for the last little bit. Beyond the first letter-dropping name, Yakface [via AUX] points out that the stock card to the film character's Hasbro action figure displays an alien dialect on his helmet that seemingly reads "Born to Ill." This, one might assume, is a nod to the Beastie Boys' 1986 debut LP, Licensed to Ill.
Ello Asty was "BORN TO ILL". He doesn't need a license. #theforceawakens pic.twitter.com/OD9eskD6B9
— Yakface.com (@yak_face) September 11, 2015Getting even deeper, the Making Star Wars fan blog added that the recent Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure book release makes mention of Ello Asty being a member of the "Abednedo" species.
A reader drew the parallel between this and the Beastie Boys song "Shadrach," which "references the Judaeo-Christian parable of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." Being that the reference is actually rooted in Biblical allegory, this last piece might seem like a bit of a stretch, but the Star Wars franchise sure seems to be laying Ello Asty's roots down in the Beastie Boys back catalogue.
On the official side of things, the Star Wars database describes Ello Asty as "a skilled if occasionally reckless X-wing starfighter pilot for the Resistance." In other words, it sounds like he's a sweetie pie from the rebel alliance, but maybe not one known for dropping science.
This also isn't the first time an Abrams flick has saluted the Beastie Boys. A scene from his Star Trek reboot was scored by Ill Communication cut "Sabotage."
As far as the Beastie Boys go, it seems they were fans of the Star Wars franchise as well. Just take a look at the light saber-waving movie poster for the Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! documentary.
While we'd recently learned about the John Williams-saluting soundtrack release for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, due December 18, here's hoping they snuck the Beastie Boys' Luke-and-Vader-inspired verses from "Do It" on there too.