Steven Spielberg's lovable alien captivated audiences worldwide in 1982, creating an instant classic filled with Reese's Pieces, flying bicycles, and one seriously glowing finger. While most fans can quote "E.T. phone home" by heart, there's actually another name for our wrinkly extraterrestrial friend. What's the real name of the alien we know as E.T.?
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The answer is: Zrek
Our favorite alien's real name is Zrek, first revealed in a wild nine-page treatment Spielberg and screenwriter Melissa Mathison wrote for "E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears." The unmade sequel would have gotten pretty dark, with Zrek returning to save Elliott and his friends from evil aliens. Spielberg ultimately killed the idea, realizing it would wreck the magic of the original.
William Kotzwinkle's novel "E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet" follows E.T. after he returns home, where he spends his time being a complete mess without Elliott, building Earth gardens, and getting roasted by his alien buddies for being obsessed with Earth. It's basically the story of an alien going through the world's worst long-distance breakup.
The whole thing got even better when George Lucas created this weird web of pop culture connections in "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace." Three aliens that look exactly like E.T. show up in the Galactic Senate as delegates from a planet called Brodo Asogi. Fans started calling E.T.'s species "Asogians," and they even got their own action figures. It was Lucas's way of paying back Spielberg for hiding Star Wars toys in "E.T." Now you can have E.T. (sorry, Zrek) hanging out with Yoda in your toy collection, making this bizarre sci-fi crossover complete.
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