Product placement is one thing, but Obi-Wan Kenobi trying to sell you beer? That’s what Chilean viewers experienced during a 2003 airing of “Star Wars” and what social media users have been losing their minds over this week, doling out Cerveza Cristal memes by the dozens. And now, Stephen Colbert is getting in on the joke.
“In 2003, a television broadcast in Chile played this actual footage, which 21 years later has now gone viral,” Colbert explained, teeing up the footage that has taken Twitter by storm. The clips come from an airing of “Star Wars” in which advertisements for the beer Cerveza Cristal were edited into key moments of the film, complete with a product jingle that rings out no matter how dramatic the moment.
So, instead of Obi-Wan gifting Luke Skywalker his first lightsaber, he shows him a bottle of beer. And when Luke meets the Emporer, Ian McDiarmid’s hand gesture transforms into the Emporer summoning some Cerveza Cristal. You can and absolutely should watch the clip in the video below.
“Now, it was subtle, but you may have noticed a tasteful product placement for the Chilean beer Cerveza Cristal,” quipped Colbert.
“It is completely insane … that they only did this with ‘Star Wars’ because the smooth drinking tastes of Cerveza Cristal fits seamlessly into any classic movie,” the host said before revealing clips imagining the beer ads in more beloved movies: “Lord of the Rings,” “Alien” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Later in the episode, Colbert took a sip from the mug under his desk. “That’s not coffee. What is this?” he asked before pulling out a bottle of Cerveza Cristal, complete with the music stinger.
Colbert joins the ranks of many, many social media users who have been delivering their best Cerveza Cristal memes this week. Here are some of the highlights.
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