"Oh, and, if at all possible, try to save the car."―King Roland to Lone Starr discussing the rescue of Vespa[src]
Roland was the King of the Planet Druidia and father of Princess Vespa. He loved his daughter dearly, and spoiled her rotten with such possessions as fancy dresses, matched luggage, and a Mercedes cruiser.
Biography[]
While Roland prepared to walk Vespa down the aisle to marry the lethargic Prince Valium, she begged her father not to make her marry him. Roland reminded her that Valium was the last prince in the galaxy, thus there was no other choice. Starting off on the wrong foot, Roland accompanied her down the aisle, where she unsurprisingly got cold feet and stormed off in her luxury starship alongside her Droid of Honor, Dot Matrix.[1]
Some time afterward, Roland received a phone call from Vespa. Dark Helmet of Planet Spaceball had decided to pursue her, and she needed someone to save her from getting captured by Spaceball I. Roland then called up the Eagle 5, and made an offer with Lone Starr and Barf to rescue her (and to save the car, if possible) for 1,000,000 spacebucks.[1]
Lone Starr's and Barf's success in helping Vespa avoid Dark Helmet's grasp proved short-lived, as Lone Starr's return to Druidia was cut short by his cruiser being out of fuel and having to make an emergency landing on Vega. While camping in the desert, Helmet disguised himself as King Roland, finally capturing Vespa. Helmet demanded that Roland give him the code to Druidia's air shield, or else he would have Vespa undergo a nose job that would undo the one she received for her 16th birthday. Roland surrendered and divulged the code: 1-2-3-4-5.[1]
After Spaceball I opened the air shield, it transformed into Mega Maid and began sucking the air from Druidia up into a giant vacuum cleaner. King Roland grabbed a picture of Vespa, and said goodbye to his daughter right before he stopped breathing. However, Lone Starr foiled the plan as he used the Schwartz to switch Mega Maid's vacuum from "suck" to "blow", blowing all the air back onto the planet. Roland rejoiced over the return of the air.[1]
After Lone Starr returned Princess Vespa to King Roland, he turned down the 1,000,000 Spacebucks as an expression of his love for her (but still requesting 232 Spacebucks to cover fuel expenses). He asked Roland not to tell Vespa that he did this. However, during "Take Two" of Vespa's and Valium's wedding, Roland confessed that Lone Starr did not rescue her for the money. This deed made Vespa realize that she would rather marry Lone Starr than Valium. Miraculously, Lone Starr stormed into the chapel, claiming himself as a prince. He asked Vespa if she would like to marry him, and she accepted. King Roland watches as his daughter blissfully wedded a prince whom she loved.[1]
Trivia[]
- Spaceballs marked the third time that Dick Van Patten appeared in a work created by Mel Brooks. Van Patten previously played:
- Friar Tuck in the TV show When Things Were Rotten
- Dr. Wentworth in the movie High Anxiety
- Six years after Spaceballs, Van Patten would portray an abbot in the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights, also directed by Mel Brooks.