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In Spaceballs, we see Lonestarr and Dark Helmet use their Schwartz rings to make a lightsaber-like weapon. Later, when Lonestarr loses the ring, Yogurt says that the ring is just bumpkin [probably bupkis (Yiddish)] and that he found it in an old crackerjack box, and says that the real power was within Lonestarr. So, Lonestarr can still use the Schwartz, as he levitates the shaving mirror in the room, but the ring does have power, too, since it actually produces the Schwartz blade.

Battle between Lonestarr and Dark Helmet

Could Lonestarr theoretical create a Schwartz weapon without the ring, or was there actually some power to the ring?

John
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Stealth Rabbi
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    "I see you Schwartz is a big as mine!" – KyloRen Mar 10 '17 at 14:53
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    "I am your Father's Brother's Nephew's Cousin's former roommate." – steelersquirrel Mar 10 '17 at 16:53
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    Really good question. Dark Helmet produced the schwartz weapon with his ring as well. Isn't there some line about Helmet getting the scwartz that wasn't as powerful? Something about there being a downside to every Schwartz and that Helmet and Yogurt had to flip a coin for it or something? I will have to look into it more. – steelersquirrel Mar 10 '17 at 17:05
  • Helmet says to Sandurz about the Schwartz "No, he (Yogurt) got the upside, I got the downside. There's two sides to every schwartz" (paraphrased). I don't think that had anything to do with the ring though. – Stealth Rabbi Mar 10 '17 at 17:10
  • Hmmmmm....I guess that we could ask the same of Dark Helmet (assuming that he is based on the entire backstory of Darth Vader and Vader having the "force") I would think that Helmet would also possess that power. But, then again...it's a Mel Brooks movie and sometimes it's just not supposed to make any sense ;) – steelersquirrel Mar 10 '17 at 17:19
  • There's also the cartoon that might have some source, but I've heard it's painfully bad and really only has one episode in the theme of the Star Wars. – Stealth Rabbi Mar 10 '17 at 17:20
  • I expect "upside" and "downside" are meant to be parallels of the Light Side and the Dark Side; the joke being that in Spaceballs, you have to flip a coin with someone to see which side you get, rather than choosing a side based on the morality of your own actions. I don't think that detail is related to the question, though. – Steve-O Mar 10 '17 at 17:51

1 Answers1

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It’s clear the Schwartz ring is not required to make “phenomena” happen, as Yogurt says so himself. But it does assist in focusing or amplifying this power. Why say this?

From the various scenes of the movie, it is clear the Schwartz rings have usefulness of some sort. Please observe this clip where Yogurt needs the ring to assist him in lifting the statue in a hurry. So, the rings have usefulness outside of producing a weapon.

Spaceballs satirizes the Star Wars movies (among others). So, Yogurt (Yoda) uses The Schwartz (The Force – “May the Schwartz be with you.”) to make phenomena happen. In Star Wars, the Jedi and others made phenomena happen because they were born with this ability. This carries through is Spaceballs, as in when Lonestarr moves the mirror. Spaceballs satirizes the Star Wars light saber by having it appear out of the Schwartz ring.

Please note that the Yogurt character also satirizes the “Jewish sage” who speaks Yiddish (a language that was mostly spoken by European Jews):

  • Schwartz is German/Yiddish for the color black, or someone with dark hair or complexion.
  • Bupkis is Yiddish and means nothing of value or simply nothing.

So, when Yogurt talks about Lonestarr’s abilities, he reminds me (in a pleasant and very funny way) of the New York Jew as he views life:

  • Forget the ring, the ring is bupkis!
  • I found it in a crackerjack box. [I’m laughing as I write this]
  • (He goes on to say “The Schwartz is in you Lonestarr. It’s in you!”)
Napoleon Wilson
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John
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  • I believe that "bupkis" literally means "large beans" but the connotation is "nothing" or "nothing of value". – zeta-band Mar 10 '17 at 22:20