In a recent Joe Rogan podcast, Elon Musk revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen's film The Dictator influenced the design of SpaceX's Starship. He also reaffirmed plans for the spacecraft's first crewed flight in 2023.
Back in January 2019, Elon Musk shared the first image of the fully assembled Starship prototype on Twitter (now X), SpaceX's ambitious interplanetary vehicle. Its retro aesthetic evoked Hergé's iconic Tintin rocket. However, Musk clarified during Thursday's podcast with Joe Rogan that the true inspiration came from the 2012 comedy The Dictator by British comedian, writer, and producer Sacha Baron Cohen.
Musk highlighted a key scene where Admiral General Aladeen, Cohen's portrayal of Wadiya's dictatorial leader, inspects a missile from his engineers early in the film. Unimpressed by its blunt nose cone, Aladeen demands changes: "It's too round at the top. It must be sharp." He explains, "Round isn't scary. Sharp is scary," warning that the current design would make enemies think a "giant sex toy is going all over them."
Starship's initial fairing was similarly blunt, Musk noted. He directed his team to refine it into a sharper profile. When Rogan asked about aerodynamic benefits, Musk admitted, "it's probably slightly worse," eliciting laughs. Yet, he emphasized, "it looks cooler that way."
The over-three-hour conversation covered more SpaceX milestones. Musk confirmed orbital flights for Starship prototypes this year and crewed missions potentially starting in 2023.
Meanwhile, the SN10 prototype prepares for a 10-kilometer test flight, aiming for a successful landing unlike predecessors SN8 and SN9.
This marks the third Rogan-Musk podcast. Their 2018 debut infamously featured Musk smoking cannabis on air, prompting NASA scrutiny and security reviews at SpaceX and Boeing, both key partners for crewed ISS missions.
