Pigs in Space

Pigs in Space is one of the most popular sketches from The Muppet Show. It premiered in season two and featured the exploits of Captain Link Hogthrob, First Mate Miss Piggy, and Dr. Julius Strangepork as the crew of a spaceship called the Swinetrek.

During the second season, each skit had an opening to introduce the characters by name. This was dropped starting with the third season.

Animated Pigs in Space segments were featured on Little Muppet Monsters. A follow-up, Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine: The Next Generation of Pigs in Space, was included in three episodes of Muppets Tonight.

There have been a few items of dedicated Pigs in Space merchandise produced. In 1978, Scandecor's line of Muppet Show posters included a Pigs in Space poster, with Piggy, Hogthrob and Strangepork striking a dramatic pose in front of a field of stars. 1983 was a big year for Pigs in Space merchandise, with the release of a storybook, an Atari 2600 game, and a "Flip Flopper" toy of Piggy inside the Swinetrek. The Muppets Tonight version got its own storybook in 1997, Pigs in Space: Journey to the Planet Za. In 2003, Palisades Toys produced action figures of Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork, plus a Swinetrek Playset with a First Mate Piggy figure. Sideshow Collectibles produced a Link Hogthrob bust in 2004.

The Headlight of a Motorcycle

 * The crew sees a white light heading straight at them. Link wants to know what it is. Miss Piggy thinks it looks like the headlights of a motorcycle, and she's right.
 * --Episode 203: Milton Berle

The Mid-Course Correction

 * Link tries to use Miss Piggy to press the button for the mid-course correction. When she doesn't, he presses the button, which turns out to be the wrong one.
 * --Episode 205: Judy Collins

Miss Piggy's Important Job

 * Link has an important job for Miss Piggy to do... the laundry.
 * --Episode 207: Edgar Bergen

The Captain's Controls

 * The Swinetrek is stuck, and the crew is trying to get it moving. Miss Piggy suggests that Link try one of the controls. Link says that he already tried it, but Miss Piggy doesn't believe him.
 * --Episode 209: Madeline Kahn
 * Note: This sketch can also be seen on Muppet Moments and in The Muppet Show Book.''

Boredom

 * The crew is bored, but then the alarm goes off. Two "alien-beings", The Swedish Chef and a chicken, invade the Swinetrek.
 * --Episode 214: Elton John

Inspection

 * Since Fozzie's mother is in the audience, he wants to be in every sketch, and he's even desperate enough to disguise himself as Miss Piggy for Pigs in Space. When Link inspects the crew, he thinks Fozzie is Piggy, and tells him to shave.
 * --Episode 216: Cleo Laine
 * Note: This sketch can also be seen on Fozzie's Muppet Scrapbook.

Jettison

 * The Swinetrek is getting heavy, and the crew needs to jettison something that has the weight of one pig.
 * --Episode 218: Jaye P. Morgan
 * Note: This sketch can also be seen on Playhouse Video: Muppet Treasures.

Out of Swill

 * The Swinetrek is running low on rations. Captain Hogthrob asks First Mate Piggy to whip up a new batch of swill.
 * --Episode 222: Teresa Brewer

Long John Silverstein

 * The Swinetrek is assaulted by Long John Silverstein (played by John Cleese) and his nagging parrot.
 * --Episode 223: John Cleese
 * Note: This is the only "Pigs in Space" sketch that doesn't include Miss Piggy or Dr. Strangepork (outside of the sketch's opening).

Chopped Liver Alien

 * The Swinetrek is terrorized by the Chopped Liver Alien.
 * --Episode 224: Cloris Leachman

Electric Toaster

 * Dr. Strangepork fixes the control panels by using some wires from the electric toaster, which causes everybody to pop up and down when they push a lever.
 * --Episode 303: Roy Clark
 * Note: This sketch can also be seen on It's the Muppets: More Muppets, Please!

Snacko Waves

 * The Swinetrek is bombarded by snacko waves, which turn everybody's head into food.
 * --Episode 305: Pearl Bailey

Outlines

 * Link is having a problem, so Dr. Strangepork and Miss Piggy turn on something that turns him into an outline of himself. Unfortunately, they can't bring him back to normal, and everybody (and thing) inside the ship turns into outlines as well.
 * --Episode 307: Alice Cooper

Dissolvatron

 * Dr. Strangepork has invented the Dissolvatron, a gun that can move things from one place to another. He tries it on Miss Piggy and Link Hogthrob, but they end up trading bodies and voices. Then Dr. Strangepork switches bodies and voices with Janice, and Kermit the Frog switches bodies with The Swedish Chef.
 * --Episode 314: Harry Belafonte
 * Note: This is one of the few Pigs in Space sketches not to include an exterior shot of the Swinetrek.

Dummo Rays

 * The Swinetrek passes through a shower of mysterious dummo rays.
 * --Episode 315: Lesley Ann Warren

First Pigs on Koozebane, Part 1

 * The Swinetrek takes the crew to the Planet Koozebane.
 * --Episode 319: Elke Sommer

First Pigs on Koozebane, Part 2

 * Link and Piggy can't agree on which of them should be the first pig to set foot on Koozebane. They look around, and decide that there isn't any life on Koozebane. After they leave, a female rock wakes up and says she hears prowlers.
 * --Episode 319: Elke Sommer

Invisibility Pills

 * Dr. Strangepork invents a pill that makes pigs invisible. Link and Strangepork take the pills, and play pranks on Piggy.
 * --Episode 324: Cheryl Ladd

Dearth Nadir

 * The evil Dearth Nadir (a parody of the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, played here by The Great Gonzo) attacks the Swinetrek.
 * --Episode 402: Crystal Gayle

M.A.M.M.A.

 * The musical robot M.A.M.M.A. appears and provides a soundtrack for the sketch. It plays clownish music whenever Link talks, plays fanfare music whenever Dr. Strangepork dances, and plays stripper music whenever Miss Piggy walks.
 * --Episode 407: Dudley Moore

The Star Wars Cast Board the Swinetrek, Part 1

 * Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill, C-3PO and R2-D2 borrow the Swinetrek so they can rescue Chewbacca the Wookiee. Link asks Luke for the name of his tailor because he loves Luke's outfit, while Miss Piggy dresses like Princess Leia.
 * --Episode 417: Star Wars

The Star Wars Cast Board the Swinetrek, Part 2

 * The Swinetrek lands on the Planet Koozebane, where they encounter Dearth Nadir, who has the technology to defeat them, but the heroes have one thing that can stop Nadir's plans: Chewbacca the Wookiee. Dearth Nadir has another weapon on his side: Angus McGonagle, the Argyle Gargoyle.  Kermit enters the sketch and suggests that the only thing that can stop Nadir is a song and dance number. The cast starts by singing "You Are My Lucky Star", then C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca do a dance routine. When it's Luke's turn, he brings out his identical cousin, Mark Hamill, who sings "When You Wish Upon a Star".
 * --Episode 417: Star Wars

Weight Problems

 * The spaceship is tipping to one side. Every time Miss Piggy moves, the ship's balance shifts.
 * --Episode 420: Alan Arkin
 * Note: This sketch can also be seen on The Muppet Revue and It's the Muppets: Meet the Muppets.''

Force Field

 * There is an invisible force field in the doors, preventing people from leaving. Miss Piggy is late for the sketch, because her feet are too sore from her new shoes. Dr. Bob and Nurse Janice show up to try to make Piggy's feet feel better. With Miss Piggy being the only one who can leave, Janice cues the announcer so that they can get out.
 * --Episode 423: Carol Channing

Dr. Strangepork Fixes Link's Gas Lighter

 * Link's gas lighter has broken and Strangepork attempts to fix it. Miss Piggy enters the stage, but due to the audience not applauding, she leaves the skit. Strangepork tells Link that the audience not applauding at Piggy is because the lighter has caused a gas leak. The gas lighter eventually falls underneath the controll panel. Link lights a match, and the swinetrek explodes.
 * --Episode 424: Diana Ross

The End of the Universe, Part 1

 * The Swinetrek is nearing the End of the Universe. Once they arrive there, they will discover the meaning and purpose of life. The dinner bell rings before they arrive, so Miss Piggy tells the viewer to stay for the meaning and purpose of life.  Then the sketch is interrupted with a Muppet News Flash.
 * --Episode 501: Gene Kelly

The End of the Universe, Part 2

 * The crew is lamenting the fact that they missed the meaning and purpose of life, but the Pigs in Space announcer reveals that he didn't miss it. He knows something they don't know, but Miss Piggy knows something that the announcer doesn't know.
 * --Episode 501: Gene Kelly

First Mate Loretta

 * Guest star Loretta Swit has replaced Miss Piggy on the Swinetrek, and she enters wearing a fake pig nose, which Link asks her to remove. Miss Piggy enters, and Loretta thinks that Kermit has had second thoughts about firing her, but an angry Kermit informs them that Miss Piggy is still fired. Lorretta persuades Kermit and Piggy to sing a song together, "Side by Side", and Kermit changes his mind about firing Piggy. The cast comes onstage and they all sing "What Would We Do Without You?"
 * --Episode 502: Loretta Swit

Meteor Storm

 * A meteor blows a hole through the Swinetrek's wall. The day is saved when Miss Piggy gets her snout stuck in the hole.
 * --Episode 509: Debbie Harry

At the Dance on the Swinetrek

 * With the chaos that has ensued with Gonzo throwing a dance marathon throughout this episode, Kermit desparately tries to give Carol the type of show she was expecting by putting on Pigs in Space. On the Swinetrek, a disco ball spins in the viewscreen, and an orchestral version of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" plays. The crew has captured a "weird alien creature" (the more masculine Mean Mamma monster with deely-bobs on his head). Miss Piggy examines the alien, upset that Link and Strangepork are too busy dancing together to help. When Strangepork suggests that she should try dancing to communicate, Mean Mamma pulls Piggy into a bear hug and dances with her. When Strangepork asks what the alien is saying, Mean Mamma replies : "HUNGRY!" and devours Miss Piggy. Gonzo zips into the sketch to chastise Piggy for not dancing (despite her situation), and after talking to Gonzo from Mean Mammas open mouth, Piggy moves down into his stomach and dances a 2 step.
 * --Episode 515: Carol Burnett

The Creature from Crab Nebula

 * Chopped Liver Alien is back in the Swinetrek, this time speaking a language that nobody can understand. Dr. Strangepork turns on a translator, and it is revealed that he from the crab nebula and is a spokesman for a company called Spumco, trying to sell them something. The phone rings before the announcer can finish signing off.
 * --Episode 512: Melissa Manchester

Quiet Day

 * Since Miss Piggy has been turned into a stone statue, the crew enjoys an evening of peace and quiet. When Link pulls a lever, Miss Piggy is transformed back to normal, but when she tries to karate chop him, Link pulls the lever back up, and she becomes a statue again.
 * --Episode 513: Tony Randall

Battle Robot Monster

 * Miss Piggy has locked Kermit in a trunk so that he can't meet Linda Ronstadt. When Linda finds out what has happened, Miss Piggy takes the trunk on-stage and tells Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork there is a battle robot monster inside. Dr. Strangepork asks if he should zap it, but Miss Piggy has him wait until she gets a promise from Kermit that he won't talk to Linda. Kermit says that Piggy is being unfair, so she tells them to zap him. Linda pulls the trunk backstage.
 * Episode 523: Linda Ronstadt