I think crank calling can be compared to ringing a doorbell and running away, so it isn’t an ungraspable joke to people in other eras I don’t think. But the joke, which did not make me laugh by the way, took me completely out of the movie. Not only due to its phrasing and execution, which looks and sounds like it came out of a superhero movie, but because it makes Hux look very stupid, and since I’m not sympathetic towards him or like him at this point for any reason, weakens his character in my opinion.
It also felt like it was something that TV shows like SNL would do, which just didn’t feel Star Warsy in the least. Most of the dialogue doesn’t - feels like something any director in the post-The Avengers era would try to write to be funny. The problem here is the execution. With different dialogue and a different way for lines to be delivered and the scene executed, it could work very well, like Han answering the imperial in Star Wars saying that everything’s fine works.
Not comparable to “who talks first?” but I think that it could be comparable to “Got a boyfriend? Cute boyfriend?”
Humor in Rogue One works very well though.