Yes, Moff
Yes, Moff was a popular British sitcom in no-way whatsoever based off Yes, Minister. It was set during the early days of the Empire. It ran for two seasons, with eight episodes per season. It was written by George Lucas (despite it's amazing success) and directed by Admiral Ozzel. The show was named Yes, Moff because many characters would say the line.
General Plot[edit | edit source]
Yes, Moff focused on the character of Moff Berk. Berk is a governor of the Sasquatch Sector, and the story dealt primarily with his day to day struggle managing Sasquatch from his throne world of Sasquatchish. The good (Evil?) Moff was forced to deal with a host of entertaining and amusing situations in social, political and economic spheres. For example, in the episode In The Pale Moonlight We Dance, Berk struggled to find a way to deal with the latest craze of dancing in pale moonlight, which was negatively reflected on his sector.
Berk was also often at odds with his arch nemesis, Moff Tarkin (Lucas denied any connection between Moff Tarkin and Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin would frequently try to undermine Berk's efforts, and typically come out as the superior.
The last two episodes of the show (The Race and Champion) featured on the finale to the fued between Tarkin and Berk. Inevitably, they would both loose out, and another Officer would be promoted to Grand Moff over them both. After learning of their loss, Sir Palpy attempted to assassinate Tarkin. Berk saved his 'comrade', and seemingly killed Palpy. As a result, Tarkin grudgingly agreed to a truce between the two. Both of them become Grand Moffs at the end. Sadly, Tarkin is murdered by a Banana Rights Activist moments after being promoted.
In the final scene, Berk is seen dreaming. Sir Palpy comes to him in a vision, and it is revealed that he is in fact God - this fact is disputed however, by the fact Muhammed Saeed Al-Sahaf can be seen in the background with Emperor Palpatine. Some fans say he is really God, others say he is in fact an imposter. Most agree though that Sir Palpy is either Saddam Hussein or very drunk at that time.
Characters[edit | edit source]
The show focused on three characters:
Moff Berk - Governor of Sasquatch, the main character. Berk was frequently portrayed as a man genuinely unable to believe the insanity of the universe he was in. Moff Berk was played by Christopher Lee.
Sir Palpy - Palpy was Berk's chief advisor and frequently provided helpful insight. It was revealed in Episode 16 that he is supposedly God, but may well simply be an imposter. Sir Palpy was played by Ian McDairmid.
Doya - Doya was a small green female Muppet, who was in charge of managing Berk's economical sphere. Doya was played by Yoda.
Critical Reaction[edit | edit source]
Yes, Moff was received very well on the whole, and generally received good reviews. However, the show had a few touchy moments over it's 16 episode run. Accusations of sexism were made when it was announced that Yoda would be playing a female character. Lucas was sued and forced to pay $250,000 (£125,000) to Emeline Parkhurst to make up for this, and many people demanded that Doya's role be recasted for Season 2. Despite this, Lucas continued with Yoda.
Many Christians, Jews, Muslims and several other religious followers protested against the finale of the show, claiming that Sir Palpy's appearance as God was incredibly discriminative and a crime against most religions. Ian McDairmid was violently assaulted on three separate occasions as a result. Lucas was once again forced to pay a fine, and then compensation to McDairmid for the assaults as he had been badly deformed by a severe electrical shock administered by one of the protesters (a relative of Mace Windu). Lucas was also forced to issue an official apology to each religion offended.
Another issue raised by the finale was the death of Grand Moff Tarkin. Both the real Tarkin (who Tarkin was in no way based off), and many Imperial supporters, protested at the portrayal of his death at the hands of Banana Rights activists. Although it was true that, several years later, the real Tarkin would be killed by the same activists, the protests remained even after his death.
“It is disgraceful! To show such a great leader, which Tarkin was (much like myself), being killed in such a way is unthinkable!”
Budget[edit | edit source]
Yes, Moff had a much lower budget than it's successor, even though Yes, Grand Moff still had a very low budget. Like the sequel, many of the sets were constructed from Lego bricks. Yoda also demanded a high wage for each episode, and therefore in three separate episodes a puppet of Kermit the Frog was used in his place. The low budget also prevented Lucas exploring many side-plots, such as the search for Doya's long lost grandson which required an expansive swamp set.
Advertisement[edit | edit source]
Many promotional posters were created and distributed to advertise Yes, Moff. Despite the low filming budget, a considerable amount of money (at least, in comparison) was allocated to advertising the show. The posters were of varying quality, and television adverts were regularly aired. Christopher Lee donned a Darth Vader outfit, and James Early Jones was hired to provide the voice for a special advert that featured Darth Vader persuading viewers that watching Yes, Moff was their destiny.
Sequel[edit | edit source]
Yes, Grand Moff was a sequel that featured on the now Grand Moff Berk and a new host of staff, in his quest to build the ultimate weapon.
Memorable Quotes[edit | edit source]
- Yes, Moff! - virtually everyone
- Sir Palpy is God. I tell you Mr. Palpatine, Sir Palpy is God! - Muhammed Saeed Al-Sahaf, to Emperor Palpatine in the background (Season 2, Champion)
- You may make your life miserable when ready. - Moff Tarkin to Moff Berk, common line whenever he appeared (Seasons 1 and 2)
- Do not fear my child, for I am watchful. I am God. Bathe in my ever-lasting love. Oh...and you killed me you [censored]! - Sir Palpy/God (Season 2, Champion