Lilo and Stitch might be getting their chance to shine in live action, but for longtime fans, there are a lot of movies and shows that we already fell in love with. And thanks to the size of the franchise, we have met a number of interesting characters.
One character of note is none other than Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel, who first appeared in the 2003 film, Stitch! The Movie. Since this character’s introduction, he has actually been the main antagonist of the franchise. It’s almost like as soon as he was introduced, he became the main villain of the series. So it likely comes as no surprise that as Star Trek fans as well, we would pay attention to his spaceship. After all, Stitch is an alien, which means that many of the characters in the movies and the TV shows are also aliens. So with these characters being aliens, that means there are spaceships involved.
So why exactly does Dr. Hämsterviel’s spaceship make us think of Star Trek? Well right off the bat, we have to take a look at the name of the ship. Much like the ships in Star Trek, the name of Hämsterviel’s spaceship is the USS Hämsterviel! That alone is a major clue that perhaps the animators took inspiration from the long running franchise that we all know and love.
Does Lilo and Stitch’s Dr. Hämsterviel’s spaceship take inspiration from Star Trek
Another thing that makes us believe that there was some inspiration happening, is the fact that in the franchise when we see the ship, it looks just like a starship from Star Trek. It’s very simple really. And according to the Disney Wiki page for the USS Hämsterviel, “Dr. Hämsterviel's ship is very similar to the Federation starship from the Star Trek franchise.”
Although a lot of the elements of this spaceship are based on the idea of a hamster wheel, with all puns intended, it is very clear that there are also elements of a Star Trek based starship which. The thing is, if you are a long time Trekkie, then you have likely watched a number of the programs and movies, so you know what the Starship Enterprise looks like, for example, so when you also watch different movies and programs in the Lilo and Stitch franchise, you immediately recognize the elements that are similar.
But maybe it is just me and my Trekkie loving heart that truly thinks the animators took inspiration from our beloved starships.