Pigs in Space/Tropes


 * Adaptational Nice Guy: Miss Piggy in this version is far nicer than she is in canon, with her personality resembling her 2018 Muppet Babies self.
 * And the Fandom Rejoiced!: Fans were really happy to hear Pigs in Space would be getting an animated film.
 * Affably Evil: Darth Nadir once tried to attack a Senator, yet he js friendly when the Swintrek crew comes to consult him.
 * Author's Saving Throw: The last theatrical Muppet film was criticized for having the cast Take a Level in Jerkass. This film not only has the Muppets keep their personalities intact, but Miss Piggy actually takes cues from her nicer Muppet Babies (2018) self. In fact, the only Jerkass among the main cast is Link, and his Pigs in Space self was already a jerk anyway,
 * Awesome Art: Props to Disney's animators for creating CG characters that truly feel like puppets.
 * Bait-and-Switch: When the Swintrek crew decide to consult a criminsl on prision, the gyard seemibgly hypes him to be a dangerously intelligent Hannibal Lecter-esqye figure... only to reveal is Darth Nadir / Gonzo, who is actually a danger to himself more than anything.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Piggy at one point threatens the narrator into helping the crew.
 * The Bus Came Back: Nigel from Muppets Tonight reappears as a crew member of the Swintrek's control team on Earth.
 * Casting Gag: A double for Kirk Thatcher, a longtime Muppet director who voices a punk in reference to his role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
 * The Cameo: Its the Muppets, after all:
 * Taika Waititi as Nigel
 * Idris Elba as Bean Bunny
 * Danny Trejo as Miss Poggy
 * Frank Oz as the Koozbenian creatures
 * Charles Martinet as Polly
 * Jon Favreau as Louis Kazzager
 * Zeno Robinson as Phil Van Newter
 * Chris Evans as Sam Eagle
 * Kirk Thatcher as Punk
 * Beneduc Cumbertbatch as Legally-Unidentified British Robot
 * Company Cross-References: Kermit, before his report, can be heard talking yo a farmer named Hopadiah, a nod to Hopadiah "Hop Pop" Plantar from Disney's Amphibia. Dpubles as a Muthology Gag, as Kermit was often involved during the show's early promotional campaign and his performer, Matt Vpgel, guest starred in an episode as a character modeked after Kermit (in fact, promotional material referred to Vogel's appearance as a cameo by Kermit).
 * Deconstruction: The film puts the hijinks and quirks of the Swintrek crew under a more realistic light. Link's narcisstic and jerkish behavior makes him an incompetent leader who treats his crew like crap, while Piggy's anger towards him is less the result of a comical Hair-Trigger Temper and more the result of having to deal with what amounts to a leader who provides a toxic work enviroment, and Strangepork follows along with Link's behavior because he's afraid of losing his job.
 * Funny Moments:
 * Bean Bunny. Voiced by Idris Elba. 'Nuff said.
 * Darth Nadir apparently trued to attack a Senator by launching himself off a canon in the atmosphere. And apparently, he didn't missed, he just failed to account that robots can be repaired.
 * Hilarious In Hindsight: A promotional photo in 2011 had Sam Eagle dressed as Captain America. In this film, he is voiced by Chris Evans.
 * I Need a Drink: Piggy goes for some light beer after another mission with Link.
 * It's All About Me: Unsurprsingly, this is Link's actitude in the film. The opening sees him daydreaming about kiving like a king before Piggy snaps him out of it.
 * Mythology Gag:
 * Kermit is once again a reporter. A news report even sees him startimg the report talking about an unrelated issue.
 * The intro is lifted straight from the original sketch.
 * The Swintrek's designation number is "JH-324" - Jim Henson's initials and birth date.
 * Near the start of the film, after Link is stuck in an elevator, Piggy unsruvks the elevator with a karate chop, something she did wuth Baby Gonzo in the pilot for Muppet Babies.
 * Bean Bunny playing a space captain is something he did back in The Jim Henson Hour.
 * The Swintrek's Earth control team is the behind the scenes crew from Muppets Tonight.
 * Piggy mentions at the beginning that Link caused the Swintrek to be short of energy to run from a black hole when he left his electric devices on; exactly what happened in the first Pigs in Space sketch in Little Muppet Monster.
 * Rowlf owns a bar, a job he previously did in the 2015 series.
 * Fozzie at the end tries throwing a penguin at the Swintrek out of desesperation, a nod to one of Jim Henson's philosophies.
 * Two of the songs featured in the film are "Shining Star" and "Flashlight", which were also featured in Muppets from Space.
 * Piggy at one point opems a cell by seoaratong the bars with her hands.
 * Statler and Waldorf make a cameo in The Stinger, calling back to their appearances at the end of The Muppet Show.
 * O.O.C Is Serious Business:
 * We get this twice from Miss Piggy:
 * First, wheb she has a heart-to-heart with Skeeter at Rowlf's bar, she drops her over-the-top diva oersona and sounds geniunely sad over her workibg conditions.
 * Miss Piggy getting angry isn't unusual of her, in fact that's her default state outside of diva. But what makes her quitting the Swintrek so effective is that she disen't say with her karate-chopping hammy anger like always. No, she sounds truly bitter at Link.
 * Strangepork akways follows Link's lead even if he does something stupid. So you just know Link's crap has gotten unbereable when she follows Piggy's lead and quits the Swintrek as well.
 * Realism-Induced Horror: While the film is as lighthearted as a Muppet movue, there's an element of realistic tragedy and horror in that the primary conflict between the film's leads steems from the toxic work envirmoent provided by their narcissistic boss, a situation all-too-real for many,
 * Role Reprise: Aside from the main Muppeteers reprising their roles, Cree Summer returns as Skeeter from Muppet Babies (2018).
 * Shout-Out:
 * Fittingly enough, plenty towards Star Trek:
 * Bean Bunny's ship is named the Cerritos, after the ship from Star Trek: Lower Decks.
 * Deadly's entrance is an homage to Khan's in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.
 * Much like the Enterprise in Star Trek: First Contact, the Swintrek is ordered to stay away from a conflict due to personality issues with the commanding officer.
 * Darth Nadir's description of Uncle Deadly is near word-for-word how Spick Prime described Khan to young Spock in Star Trek: Into Darkness.
 * Nadir is detsined in a cell ála Hannibal Lecter.
 * The opening sees the Swintrek attacked by a British killing robot. Lampashaded by Miss Piggy, who notes the studio "couldn't afford one of those" (or so they told her).
 * Tearjerker: Piggy, in a bar, admits that she's actually sad over being part of the Swintrek crew because she always wanted to travel the stars and now she has to deal with the crap of a narcissistic Captain. Seeing Miss Piggy of all people geniunely sad is depressing enough, but the sheer reality of her situation makes her sadness ten times worse.
 * Unexpected Character: Nobody thougth Skeeter of all characters would appear in the film.
 * What the Hell, Casting Agency?: Invoked with Idris Elba as Bean Bunny, as the producers felt him providing his voice to a nice and cuddly rabbit would be hilarious due to how incompatible both are.