Published May 5, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT 'But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!' Image: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection "A long time ago... If there were thumbs in space and they got mad at each other there would be... THUMB WARS." Thus begins Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle , the 1999 Star Wars satire that time forgot. Released almost a decade after Spaceballs set the gold standard for sci-fi spoofery, this 30-minute short film from Steve Oedekerk (the director of Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls ) tried to put a fresh spin on the iconic franchise. Nearly three decades later, with Spaceballs poised for a comeback , Thumb Wars is mostly forgotten. But this May 5, as Polygon celebrates the spoofs, satires, imitators, and copycats that Star Wars inspired, it's worth revisiting The Phantom Cuticle for the one thing it got right: Luke Skywalker is a little whiny brat — at least in the first movie. OK, before you scroll down and come for me in the comments, hear me out.…