30 AI-Generated Gilmore Girls Crossovers in Worlds You’d Never Expect
We sent Lorelai and Rory into Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Buffy, and 27 other story universes to see what AI makes of Stars Hollow’s finest.
Fandom sometimes makes you do questionable things. At the very start of the AI art craze, when everyone was equal parts fascinated and annoyed, we asked DALL-E to drop Lorelai and Rory Gilmore into other fandoms. We went wide, and a little reckless for a cozy fall staple like Gilmore Girls: Transformers, Rick and Morty, Game of Thrones. It felt like an idea dreamed up by Hep Alien’s nerdiest millennial bass player.
The results were hideous. Novel, sure, but still grotesque. Distorted limbs, fingers like soggy spaghetti, and a Stranger Things Rory so disturbing she still shows up in our nightmares. If we’d claimed “abstract” or “impressionist,” maybe we could’ve spun it as avant-garde. But sometimes, you have to admit when an artistic endeavor is just… well… bad.
We had fun, though, and we promised we’d keep going as we learned more about AI mashups and contemplated the future of fan creativity. At this moment, AI-generated art—especially when it comes to well-known characters and franchises—is somewhat controversial and brands are consistently under fire for using it in their own promotions. But for fans, AI mashups might be categorized simply as the latest frontier in fan fiction. And, in the two and a half years since our (kinda awful) original experiment, the tech has gotten a lot sharper. So, like a highway wreck you simply cannot look away from, we decided it was time to take another crack at it.
More Than Meets the Eye… a lot more
We started with our initial AI prompt from before: “Lorelai and Rory as Transformers.” And right out of the gate, we got exactly what we’d hoped for two years ago… some glorious 1980s-inspired Autumnbot magic.
We thought about trying them as Go-Bots (because if any show deserves obscure pop culture nods, it’s Gilmore Girls) but our list was already looking long, and we knew trial and error wouldn’t eat up as much time this go-a-round. Better to just dive in.
AI-Generated: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Lord of the Rings”
Behold! We present to you our Gilmores in full elvish mode… ears, gowns, forest backdrop, the whole Rivendell starter pack. Lorelai is oddly chipper, flashing a grin that feels more Hobbiton than Stars Hollow, while Rory plays it straight with that stoic Arwen energy. Both are recognizable enough, though not quite Elven royalty. Still we’ll take it! Much better than our previous AI Tolkien.
AI-Generated: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Game of Thrones”
This one came out looking like a 90s-era fantasy novel cover… Lorelai and Rory in deep burgundy and black velvet—unmistakably Targaryens.
Unlike our last attempt, Lorelai is flawless here: every detail on point from the bone structure of her face to the no-nonsense glare. She is ready to drop some serious dracarys-level snark. Rory, on the other hand, is looking close but not quite there. AI still seems to still be figuring her out.
But that dragon soaring across those amber clouds? Dramatic, brooding, yet somehow in line with the show’s cozy fall vibes. Lorelai’s hair even has a little breeze in it… as if King’s Landing just got its first Drybar.
AI-Generated: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Stranger Things”
Last time we did this, Rory came out looking like a melted action figure; this time we’ve got something worthy of an 80s horror poster. High-contrast reds, shadowy tendrils, and Vecna looming over them like he just wandered in from a Wes Craven flick.
Lorelai nails the look again, jean jacket and all, while Rory is still only reaching the 80th percentile. Still, if Stars Hollow ever went upside down, these two would fit right in at The GAP in the Starcourt Mall.
AI Nostalgia: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
In our previous go-round, we thought our Buffy attempts were pretty decent. Looking back now, it’s clear that we were wrong.
One day we might shudder a bit at this one too, but you have to admit, it has the Sunnydale vibes. Lorelai is giving that Slayer energy, stake in hand, ready to dust a few. Rory is practicing hexes like she’s prepping for her Chilton finals. If nothing else, this rendering confirms that “into every generation, a Gilmore is born”. Of course, we already knew that from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
And then we kept going!
There were a bunch of franchises we attempted to give the AI fan art treatment in our last post that were so awful, it just wasn’t worth showing. But two years later, the tech has caught up and these AI images can stand with the rest. Which is your favorite addition?
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore as the Someteenth Doctor and Rory Gilmore as her Companion in Doctor Who”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Bridgerton”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Grey’s Anatomy”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore Attending Hogwarts in Harry Potter”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
AI Nostalgia: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in My So-Called Life”
AI Mashup: “Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, Luke Danes, Paris Geller, and Sookie St. James as Marvel’s Avengers”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in a Nancy Drew mystery”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Only Murders in the Building”
AI Mashup: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore aboard the Star Trek Enterprise”
AI Mashup: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Lightsaber-wielding Jedis in Star Wars”
Drawing inspiration from animation
Just like our first set of AI Gilmore Girls fan art, we returned to animated variations. And while our previous attempts were pretty impressive for the time, these results are just flat out wow. Check out our AI-generated animated mashups:
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Simpsons characters!”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Bob’s Burgers characters!!”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Rick and Morty characters!!!”
And those were just our re-tries from 2023. Check out these fresh ideas and tell us there isn’t something here you would watch for a season or two:
AI Nostalgia: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Disney Princesses”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Lego Mini-figs”
AI Nostalgia: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as Peanuts characters”
AI Nostalgia: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Scooby Doo with Paul Anka as Scooby All Riding in the Mystery Machine”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in Luke’s Diner Animated by Studio Ghibli”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore as Supergirl and Rory Gilmore as a Daily Planet Reporter in DC Comics”
Tbh, we expect to see a lot more animated fandom adaptations (and remixes) in the years ahead. There’s just something less creepy—perhaps even more accepted—about a live action franchise becoming animated (Muppet Babies, Ghostbusters, The Addams Family, etc.) In fact, AI-generated or not, an animated version of Gilmore Girls might be our best chance at finding out who the father really is. If it’s a Star Wars mash-up, we know who our bets are on.
Outtakes!
We’re not gonna end here asserting that the current state of generative AI is just a lobby full of yellow daisies—because we did have plenty of doozies too. Here’s just a short selection of some of the most “WTF?” of the bunch:
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in the Barbie Movie”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore as part of The Brady Bunch”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore at Central Perk in Friends”
AI Fan Art: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore in The Chronicles of Narnia”
AI Crossover: “Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore Driving an Impala on Supernatural”
Better ≠ Less Creepy
Still, though, even in these final cringers, the faces are actually recognizable—no need to blink quickly while singing some la-las. The coffee cups resemble coffee cups, the gazebos resemble gazebos, and the friendship of a mother and daughter springs eternal.
But maybe that’s its own kind of creep. Seeing our beloved characters dropped into worlds where they don’t belong is… uncanny in a way the janky 2023 AI versions never were. Back then, we laughed because the AI fan art was so bad. Now, we laugh uncomfortably at the writing on the wall.
Should our Gilmore Girls have alter egos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Depends on whether the Infinity Wars reached Connecticut. Should a Jedi mother really be training her Padawan daughter, only to have that daughter turn against her and recklessly join the dark side? Some would say that’s basically the plot of seasons 5 and 6 (we’re not judging!). Or here’s an easy one… what if AI could deliver a season 8 without the revival?… or heck a version of season 7 trained so well on the first 6 seasons that it wouldn’t dare derail Lane’s dreams with twins (it might even bring back Dave).
Love it or hate it, AI is here, and it’s coming at us faster than a page of dialogue in any Amy Sherman-Palladino show. We have a hunch these kinds of AI mashups are only getting started; that the future of this show (and others) might be in the hands of the fans now… or even some of its cast. So brace yourself for a colorful spectrum of fan art ideas that spans the weird, nauseating, and maybe even a bit of the wonderful. Of course, Gilmore will probably always live in the autumn colors of that spectrum.
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