How That ’90s Show Pays Off Eric’s Star Wars Obsession

Eric Forman’s love of all things Star Wars features front and center in Netflix’s That ’90s Show, a just-announced spinoff to the original That ’70s Show. Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith mark their return as Kitty and Red Forman, Eric’s decidedly different parents, and this time they’ll be full-time grandparents. Eric and Donna had a kid, and she’s heading to Point Place.

That ’90s Show will center on the newest Forman. She visits Grandma Kitty and Grandpa Red in the small Wisconsin town where her parents grew up right next door to each other and quickly makes new friends. Odds are at least one of them will elicit Red’s go-to “dumb*ss” label frequently placed on Eric and his friends during That ’70s Show’s confusing timeline. But Red and Kitty’s granddaughter already has a surprising moniker, and it’s a fitting tribute to her father and his greatest love (other than Donna).

Eric’s friends would be the first to remind him he wasn’t exactly cool in high school, and they’d have more than a few anecdotes to back up that assessment. But despite constant mocking, Eric refused to let anyone dissuade him from fanboying out over Star Wars, which premiered in 1977 during the period depicted in That 70’s Show season 1. Star Wars would become increasingly important to Eric throughout the series, culminating in the event that most likely swayed Donna into agreeing to name their daughter Leia in a nod to Eric’s passion for the galaxy far, far away.

Eric couldn’t get enough of Star Wars. Heoften carried action figures of the movie’s characters around with him. Eric brought lightsabers to That ’70s Show‘s sacred circle where he and his friends would smoke weed. His mother found a toy Darth Vader in the bathtub. He was even busted re-enacting a lightsaber duel in his underwear. He would fantasize about Donna as Princess Leia, which probably makes naming his daughter Leia a subject for the therapist’s office. But That ’90s Show is a comedy, and that’s pretty funny.

But perhaps the most significant moment in Eric’s Star Wars obsession came in his final days in Point Place. Before leaving for Africa, Donna gave Eric a present he wasn’t expecting: she dressed up as Princess Leia, hair buns and all. Donna’s goodbye gift to Eric in That ’70s Show season 7 played into his most fantastic fantasy but it also spoke directly to her genuine love for the nerd next door. She was willing to embrace all of Eric, then-uncool parts and all. The fact that Donna later agreed to naming their daughter Leia suggests it was a special night for them both. 

When Leia Forman visits Point Place, she’s sure to hear more than her fair share of stories about her father. Knowing the tightknit Forman family, Leia probably understands completely where her name came from. But, if not, you can be certain Red and Kitty won’t hesitate to offer their opinions on the matter. The return of Red and Kitty’s banter in Netflix’s That ’90s Show is more than welcome. It’s been far too long since That ’70s Show season 8 and they’re certain to have a lot to say.

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