Secrets Behind the Star Wars Franchise
Star Wars is one of the biggest science fiction franchises to ever hit the screen. When A New Hope came to theaters in 1977, people weren’t ready for the phenomenon it was about to become. After a stellar trilogy, George Lucas just kept cranking movies out (whether we liked them or not).
Over four decades have passed since the franchise was brought into the world, and its spanned an empire of movies, TV shows, games, and more. There are so many secrets, trivia, and behind-the-scenes info to unpack in this galaxy far, far away.
We’re bringing you some out-of-this-world secrets from the sci-fi franchise we all know and love!
No Droid Gets Left Behind
A long time ago. In a galaxy not so far away, we didn’t always have cutting-edge 3D effects. When we wanted to see a droid on the screen we had to build a costume. We also had to find someone willing to be stuffed inside. Then, we had to make sure nobody suffocated. Look, times were different and things were harder in the past.
Do you know how hard it is to keep track of everything, and everyone, on a movie set? They probably should have put a microphone or little walkie-talkie into the can. That may have saved everyone from some awkward “Who Got Left Behind” kind of situation. Hopefully, each droid has air conditioning installed.
Turning Tasty Things Into Nightmare Fuel
Since you can’t film an epic trilogy in space, you kind of have to make do with what you have on Earth. That is until Jeff Bezos sends Lucas to the moon to do a more realistic Star Wars. It’s either that or when he unveils his own Death Star. Either way, Earth is the premier place to film sci-fi and has been for a while.
However, to get otherworldly, sometimes you have to be creative. Since sending actors into deadly unknown pits and caverns is bad, what do you do? You buy an entire warehouse of black beans and make a deadly bottomless pit. At least they’ll get some protein on their journey.
Space Is For Short People
Not everyone is blessed with minor gigantism. Okay, medically speaking, it might not be much of a blessing at all. In the Wizarding and Star Wars worlds though, you’re fine. You’re actually more than fine. You’re a financial liability blessed with incredible acting skills. Also, nobody would dare kidnap your daughter. Liam Neeson doesn’t need to arrive on set. The set needs to arrive around Liam Neeson. He’s the new Chuck Norris.
The sets on The Phantom Menace weren’t built for tall actors. Liam Neeson, being 6’4” (1.93m) is a tall actor. He’s taller than any alien in The Phantom Menace’s part of the galaxy. Could you imagine being so tall the entirety of space has to upgrade itself to suit your majesty?
He’s Had Some Work Done
The art of film has come a long way. Even with the advances of modern technology, there are some things computers can’t do. Thankfully, we have droids. In Revenge of the Sith, the actual C-3PO filmed some of his own scenes. That’s pretty awesome. What isn’t awesome is that he’s basically a walking mirror. His shiny casing caused more than just light to be reflected.
Since you can’t have the greenscreen showing, something had to be done. It’s a good thing there’s a human around that’ll fix that mistake. Hour by hour they sat and edited hundreds of thousands of frames of film. All to erase the fact that the space scenes were filmed in a studio on Earth.
The Legacy of A Droid
Sometimes art imitates life. Other times it’s the reverse. According to the films, C-3PO has just about seen or been part of every major moment in the saga. From Tatooine to Jakku, Hoth to Endor, everyone’s favorite golden fuss-bucket sure has gotten around. He’s probably had a panic attack on every star in the Outer Rim. The stories he can tell, in the six million forms of communication he is fluent in, must be fascinating.
The same goes for the legendary actor who portrayed the droid. Oh, and he should know, he has worked on each of the nine films. Anthony Daniels is a walking icon of sci-fi history. He’s also been to more planets than most of us can name!
Double-Oh No He Better Don’t
What do Star Wars and James Bond have in common? They’ve both encountered the Dark and Light sides of the Force. Well, at least in their anyway. When 2015’s massively anticipated film “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” came out, there were a LOT of Stormtroopers. It almost felt like a throwback to the original trilogy. What was new was that there were some big names under some of the helmets.
For instance, Daniel Craig, you know, James Bond, was a Stormtrooper! Can you believe it? Not only is he a Stormtrooper, but he also has a name (kind of). In the credits, he’s listed as Stormtrooper FN-1824. Fans affectionately have reclassified the secret agent turned space soldier as JB-007.
This Is Dedication to Acting
One of the only things separating actors from great actors is something we all have within. Few of us commit to it though due to some sort of fear. What is that mystery ingredient keeping us from an Oscar? It’s called dedication. Someone’s passion for their craft can take them to truly great lengths. It also may cause a bit more harm than good.
Regardless of the side effects, when you dedicate yourself to a character you get into their mind. You can also get into their line of sight (or lack thereof). Thankfully, the camera only needs your good side to get the shot. Thanks for diving into the trash for us, Mark!
Wookies Aren’t Ones For Clothes
What truly separates us from the other animals on this, and any other, planet? Is it our ability to communicate in multiple dialects? Perhaps it’s our mastery of tools and our understanding of complex concepts? No Plato, you’re wrong. What really puts humans in a league of their own is clothing. For some reason, everyone needs it. Except animals.
So what do you do with a giant space carpet that walks like a person, but shrieks like a cow and a T-Rex had a furry baby? Trick question: you let it do whatever it wants. Who’s to say that Chewbacca needs pants or not? He’s a pilot. He seems perfectly capable of deciding for himself.
Swing Over For Iconic Filmography
Okay, heads up, get ready. Are you ready? We hope you’re ready. Ready for it? Okay, here it goes: actors don’t always do their own stunts. Take a minute to let that sink in. All good? Great. Your favorite characters aren’t always risking life and limb like they’d want you to believe. Some of them aren’t even actually in space! Can you believe it? Thankfully there’s still some truth in this world.
Mark and Carrie (may she rest with the Force) were brave enough to travel to the Death Star to do this incredibly dangerous stunt. That, or, they drove to Burbank (adjacent) and swung around on a closed set. One of those things happened and we’re equally as impressed.
The Smallest Filthiest Robotic Mouth
Think of some truly memorable lines from your favorite Star Wars. Which characters come to mind? There is almost no end to the number of lines still recited by fans from this series. Here’s the thing not many are saying but we’re all thinking: R2 had some of the funnier moments. This hot-headed little droid was actually too crass for theatres!
Even after being dubbed over with beeps and boops, everyone’s favorite co-pilot still had some zingers. Even if only C-3PO could understand them, R2-D2 always made sure to get the last (probably NSFW) word. We guess nobody installed the “don’t talk back” program properly before he joined the Rebel Alliance.
It’s The Ol’ Reverse Switcheroo
Jedi Masters have to train a long time to be able to commune with the Force. If they want to interact with it past that, they have to study. Sadly, our midi-chlorian count on Earth isn’t enough to tap into our unused potential (no matter what our dads say). No amount of studying will fix that. Thankfully, instead of those, we have something better.
We’ve got the power of Hollywood special effects. Who needs telekinetic space powers when you can just record someone, reverse it, and get the same effect? Nobody, that’s who. Now we can all be Jedi. You’re all welcome. Leave your accolades and awards at Skywalker Ranch.
The Red Cross Is Intergalactic
Hoth wasn’t nearly as populated as you would think it would be. Massive ice planets with intergalactic civil wars are hard to come by. How are we supposed to fight the Empire if we don’t even have a semi-highly trained group of ragtag revolutionaries from across the cosmos? There’s no way we stand a chance with our plastic lightsabers and blaster noises made with our mouths.
Thankfully, when galactic civil disobedience doesn’t work in our favor we have a backup plan. Call in the cavalry on skis! Cheap highly-trained survivalists with move props? Yep, that seems like it could work in a pinch. Oh, and we get to help out a whole country? Okay, cool, we’re back in with the plan.
He Was Just Doing Laps
The richly affluent (plot-twist: they’re the same thing) always get the fun toys. They don’t have to inflate their swimming pools every year. They also don’t have to buy new cars. They have so much money they can just drown their spaceships and droids in their backyard. Heck, fill the pool up with mud, record it, and make hundreds of millions in profit!
That’s exactly what George Lucas thought about doing. What makes it great is that he succeeded. You don’t need a fancy movie set if you have a blue and white trash can and a garden hose. Think of all the money they saved on rent. This may even be able to be written off as a business expense.
These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking
Holding a vice grip over a star system must take a lot of work. We can’t even get people to replace the toilet paper in the office. Who knows how terrified people must be of you to get that done (or the toilet paper thing). Even on your worst day, you have to be at your best to instill fear and obedience amongst your crew and followers.
That doesn’t mean that’s what the universe wants for you. When you inevitably stumble on your oversized galactic terror boots, what do you do? Get up, dust off your cape, and keep on strutting. Never let them see weakness. If they do, you always have that Force lifting trick to distract them with.
This Line Gets Around
There’s always one or two choice lines of dialogue that never leave your memory. “Here’s looking at you kid,” and “With great power comes great responsibility”, the list is neverending. Everyone has a favorite line that defines a movie experience for them. Sometimes the director already knows what they want to be iconic even before audiences get to decide.
Subtly they can have a character or two repeat it just to drive it home. The Star Wars writers took that to the next level. They wrote in an easter egg that took three whole movies to reveal itself! The best part is, every time a character says the line it fits the situation they’re in perfectly.
Do They Have Concussions in Space?
It took a while for football experts to realize the dangers of concussions. How that happened, we have no idea. Apparently, it took people in space even longer to realize head damage isn’t a good thing. You’d think a hyper-advanced ancient society would’ve protected people better. They made it to space, why not protect the heads that got people there?
We don’t know, we’re not space scientists (or actors). Whatever the thought process, the director and the NFL have something in common. They had “turning your head to possible serious head injuries for-profit” working out for them. Mark Hamill seems fine, and rich, too. He went on to give us the Joker!
Not Exactly The Hotel California
Inclement weather can really put a wrench in a good day. One moment you are frolicking around, making snow angels, and having a blast. The next you’re slicing open your tauntaun and praying to stay warm. When all seems well and good, you’re kidnapped by a yeti. See how quickly things can change. That’s what happened on-set during filming of Empire Strikes Back. Well, in a way.
The massive storm was bad, but they didn’t want to lose precious shooting time. So what do you do? You send the main character into a life-threatening situation while filming from the porch. Now everyone wins and only one person may potentially die. That’s a big win in Hollywood terms.
The Leak Was From Within
By the time the second Star Wars film was due to come out, people were curious. Well, they weren’t so much furious about the story as they were starving for information. With just one film George Lucas had captured a nation. To preserve some of the more revealing and interesting twists to come, he had a plan. Nobody can be trusted in the galaxy or on Earth apparently.
These false leads did lead somewhere. They revealed just who was trying to spoil everyone’s fun. Not only was the leaker a cast member, but they may also have done this before! Who knows? The Star Wars universe is fraught with intrigue.
The Times They Are A’Changing
Even though it happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars has been part of our lives forever. This franchise first hit the silver screen in 1977. Even as recently as 2021 we’re still getting fresh Star Wars content. New shows and adaptations are always appearing. The galaxy is quickly turning into a universe. Some things eventually have to evolve.
In 2005, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was released. That was sixteen years ago. Does that sound like ancient history? Well, guess what? It was the end of the VHS era for this space opera. What Episode will we be on when streaming is considered old?
Nary A Nickname In Sight
Star Wars has been around for a while. It’s been part of our universe for almost fifty years. That’s a long time, regardless of how far away the galaxy is. Something extraordinary has to be created to grab our attention that long. The ability to constantly deliver fresh stories and mysteries comes at a cost. Sometimes production has to keep certain things hidden until their release date.
Some secrets are small. Others are huge. Take for instance the name of the actual film. Not only have films been delivered under code names to theatres, they even use different titles while filming! What would have happened if “The Force Awakens” was changed to “Shadow of the Empire”?
Porgs And Puffins Peep Profusely
One of the breakout stars of “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi” wasn’t a Jedi. They weren’t members of the First Order, either. If you want to see one of the most memorable characters, keep watch on the ground. Remember the little alien creatures called porgs? They look like Furbies and Puffins made babies and then introduced them to gut-wrenching terror 24/7. Long story short: they’re uncomfortably cute.
These adorable creatures aren’t everywhere in this movie by accident. Since puffins were living on one of the sets, they couldn’t be moved. Instead of threatening their habitat, production had a plan. They just gave the puffins the Star Wars treatment. Now they’re immortalized in the movie as porgs!
They’re Enlisting Younger And Younger
You can’t have Star Wars without Mark Hamill. The face of Luke Skywalker (and voice of the Joker and many others) is synonymous with epic interstellar legacies. We were with him on Tatooine all the way to Endor. We even followed his dad around for a few years. Well, time stops for no droid. Even when you’re a Jedi Master you eventually must pass on the saber.
In fact, even on Earth Mark had some Padawans! You can even see them following in their dad’s legacy in “The Last Jedi”! Just like dad, they’re fighting against the Dark Side! How cool is it to see a family of Jedi grow before our eyes? The Force is strong with them!
Princesses Can Be Commanders Too
It’s not just Mark Hamill keeping the Skywalker legacy alive and well. A not-so-long time ago another Skywalker was acting alongside their kid. “The Last Jedi” (A name losing value with each trivia fact) is full of multi-generational acting families. The great Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, also has a famous offspring into the performing arts. She also has a high ranking in the Galactic something-or-other (that film was confusing).
It turns out this entire film was more than just about an on-screen family. Acting and telling a story runs deep in these future thespians. Who knows, maybe they’ll even become actual galactic Lieutenants. There are big boots to fill, but we think the Rebellion is in good hands here.
Let’s Pretend They Were Eaten
You can’t have a truly great Star Wars movie if you’re missing a major component. What do you think it is? Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably wrong. Don’t think of the obvious things. Look back on the great characters and think about who stands out. Did you get it yet? It’s the puppets. Star Wars, Jim Henson, and some jerky little puppets are a match made in space-heaven.
The tradition was even carried over into the third trilogy. Even with all the social effects, CGI, and other acronyms, you need at least one impressive puppet. Thankfully, JJ Abrams didn’t disappoint. In “Episode IX: Rise of the Skywalker” we got to meet the Vexis Snake. Now it feels like Star Wars.
A/V Club Primed Us For This
Fun fact: we actually have no idea what lightsaber technology actually sounds like. Shocker, right? Turns out, until science fiction turns into reality, we all have to play pretend. To get some of the most iconic sound effects in film history people had to think outside the box. When it comes down to the unforgettable “schzeeeooommmm” sound, technicians turned to some existing tools for help.
To create every Jedi’s favorite noise, technicians used someone’s microphone to bring us to the future. This is a common trick in Hollywood, and this time it paid off beautifully. Now we just have to recreate it in the real world somehow. Also, do they still come in purple?
Alternate Ending
As the films were being released, fans anxiously awaited the ending of the original trilogy. There were so many possibilities in store for the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, and our main cast of characters. Audiences saw the story wrap up in 1983, Darth Vader dies, the Death Star is destroyed, and the Rebels reign victorious. But this wasn’t always the intended ending.
Originally, Luke was going to turn to the dark side and take his father’s place as Darth Vader. While that would’ve been an incredible twist, Lucas felt it was too dark for what was ultimately a kid-friendly franchise. We’re not sure we could get behind that sinister ending, we much prefer the movie version. What do you think?
The Original Master Yoda
As you might already know, Yoda is a puppet in the original trilogy. He gets a major upgrade in the prequels, where he’s added in digitally. But before all of this, Yoda was going to exist in a very different way. Hollywood is no stranger to having animals on set, but we’re glad this idea was scrapped before it made its way on screen.
Monkey Yoda would’ve been far more difficult to control, not to mention he would look incredibly ugly. Apparently, the primate would pull his mask off during screen testing. This finally convinced Lucas to try out an animatronic puppet for Yoda, which he previously thought looked unrealistic.
He Wasn’t Feeling the Force
Alec Guinness was the first actor to bring Obi-Wan Kenobi to life. The series wouldn’t be the same without him, even though he fades away with the Force in the first film. It might surprise you to know that Alec Guinness was less than thrilled with his role. Despite Star Wars becoming a highly acclaimed trilogy, Guinness couldn’t take it seriously.
The famous dramatic actor called the dialogue “rubbish,” and originally only took the role due to his pay demands being met. He was always frustrated when people brought it up, he’d much rather be remembered for his roles in Lawrence of Arabic or The Bridge on the River Kwai. If you ever met him, we hope you didn’t bring up the subject of droids. He wasn’t looking for any of them!
A Foot Between Them
Most couples in real life have some sort of height discrepancy. Typically men are taller than women, but that’s not something we can have in romantic plotlines in the movie universe. It’s much easier to film people when they’re close in height, unfortunately for Carrie Fisher, her male counterpart was nearly a foot taller than her! She’s still shorter in the film, but not as much as she could’ve been.
Movie magic sometimes means having your actor stand on a box. We can’t all work with fancy forced perspective like Lord of the Rings! Without that box, Han would’ve had to bend down a lot lower during that kissing scene.
Carrie Fisher Doted on Young Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis was only 11 when he played the role of the courageous Ewok, Wicket W. Warrick. Spending all that time in a hot fursuit couldn’t have been comfortable. Given his young age, it’s understandable that some people would fret over his well-being. Carrie Fisher was particularly doting on set, going so far as to bring him treats.
Being pampered by Princess Leia herself was probably quite exciting for a kid. Warwick was quoted saying, “She was everything an eleven-year-old Ewok could possibly wish for”. Forget being on the set of Star Wars, free milk and cookies from Carrie Fisher are where it’s at! We hope this tradition carries onto subsequent films.
James Earl Jones’ Take on Vader
Darth Vader is known as the big baddie of the franchise; that is until we reach the final film and meet the ultimate puppet master. In a surprising twist, Vader saves his only son from demise at the hands of Emperor Palpatine. In his final moments, he chooses to remove his mask and eventually die just so he can look at Luke with his own eyes. Was this his final redemption?
Well, according to voice actor James Earl Jones, it wasn’t! Fansmight’s been touched by the sentimental words exchanged between Luke and his father, but Jones believes the Supreme Commander was lying. “I thought he was lying,” he said in one interview.
Call it a Laser Sword
The lightsaber might be the most well-known artifact from the Star Wars franchise. Of course, you have the iconic Millennium Falcon as well as widely recognizable costumes, but the lightsaber will forever remain the symbol of this sci-fi universe. It’s strange to think that no one actually utters the word in two films from the original six! The word is completely left out in The Empire Strikes Back.
In The Phantom Menace, Anakin merely refers to it as a “laser sword”. This nickname would return eventually in The Last Jedi, Luke calls it a “laser sword” while addressing Rey. A clever callback or just a casual thing to call a lightsaber? You’ll have to decide.
Puppets Can’t Hold Lightsabers
Yoda is the Jedi master who helps Luke on his journey to bring down the empire. Where would our protagonist be without his teacher’s wise yet jumbled words? The original trilogy shows Yoda as an exiled old creature living in exile on the planet Dagobah. It’s hard to imagine him wielding a lightsaber with the best of them, especially with his little puppet hands.
Thanks to the magic of technology, we get to see this Jedi face off in an epic lightsaber battle in Attack of the Clones. Previously it would’ve been too difficult and awkward to have the puppet hold a lightsaber, but the 2000s made visual effects a lot more sophisticated.
A Very Unique Lightsaber
In the original trilogy, there are three different colors for lightsabers. Red if you’re evil, and blue and green if you’re a good guy. In the original release the effects caused them all to look a bit pale, but this was touched up by Lucas years later. Still doesn’t seem like a lot of variety in color. You’d think Jedi would want their weapons to look more distinct.
Mace Windu is the only Jedi to wield a purple lightsaber, all thanks to s request from Samuel L. Jackson. In fact, he even got an engraving on the handle! It’s the same phrase from the wallet his character Jules carries in Pulp Fiction.
Chemistry On and Off Screen
No one can deny the on-screen chemistry between Han Solo and Princess Leia. It might be one of the top movie romances of all time. From the get-go, it was clear the princess would fall for that scruffy-looking nerf herder, even if she did smooch Luke. As it turns out, this romance leaked into their personal lives as well.
In her book The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher confessed to her fling with Harrison Ford during filming. Some of those on-screen emotions might’ve been real! Like his character in A New Hope, Mark Hamill was totally naive and unaware as to what was really going on. “They could’ve been doing it in front of me and I wouldn’t have noticed,” he said.
Perfect for the Role
One of the stand-out performances in the recent Star Wars films has to be Kylo Ren. This baddie wields a super cool and intimidating lightsaber, it’s hard not to love him. there were likely dozens of actors gunning for this role, who wouldn’t want to be the new Star Wars bad guy? Eddie Redmayne auditioned and was turned down. Adam Driver didn’t audition at all!
Apparently, JJ Abrams approached him personally and offered him the role. We guess he was pretty impressed by his Emmy nominations for his performance in Girls. Or maybe he just felt like he had the perfect face for Kylo. Either way, we’re glad the casting ended up the way it did.
A Hybrid Language
The world of Star Wars is vast and full of all types of creatures, planets, and languages. The series has had several decades to grow and develop the universe. Entire books and websites are dedicated to explaining and mapping out the world of Star Wars. But way back in the original trilogy, we had Lucas choosing a language for one of his fictional species.
Creating an entire language from scratch is hard, just ask George R. R. Martin. It’s a lot easier to take two existing languages and mesh them together, especially if Western audiences won’t recognize them. The film definitely succeeded in selling us on the world of these tiny, furry creatures.
Not Directed by David Lynch
Did you know the three movies of the original trilogy each had a different director? George Lucas may have been at the reigns for the first film, but he passed on directorial responsibilities onto Irvin Kershner for the second. For the third, he was hoping to get one of the greatest surrealist directors of all time. But David Lynch passed on the offer in favor of a different sci-fi story.
Dune might’ve not been as much of a commercial success as Return of the Jedi, but the director’s heart wants what it wants. What would’ve Return looked like from Lynch’s perspective? Guess we’ll never know, but it definitely wouldn’t have paired well with Jedi Rock.
They Didn’t Get Along
Star Wars fans probably already know that Darth Vader is played by two individuals. You have the incomparable James Earl Jones providing the deep and intimidating voice, and another actor who’s actually in the suit. His name is David Prowse and he didn’t sound nearly as frightening. Here’s another secret for you, George Lucas didn’t like him very much.
Apparently David, without Lucas’s knowledge, went on to tease the “I am your father” reveal in an interview. Though he claims this was just a guess, Lucas was pretty upset about it. He and the actor simply didn’t get on, and Lucas subsequently banned him from attending any Star Wars events, though he did pay his respects when he passed away in 2020.
They Wouldn’t Have Been Great Matches
The original human trio of Star Wars cannot be imitated or replaced by anyone else. At least that’s how we feel about it now that the films are decades old. However, when a film is in development every role is up for grabs. It turns out several different actors were considered for the part of Han Solo, some less fitting than others.
Go ahead and try to imitate Christopher Walken reading a Solo quip. The results are guaranteed to be hilarious. The most fitting actor we can picture is Jack Nicholson, but even then he doesn’t quite capture the heroic scruffiness we’ve come to know and love from Harrison Ford.
Two Creators Collabing
It’s no surprise that George Lucas and Steven Speilberg would allow their movie universes to cross over. After all, the two of them did come up with Indiana Jones together. They’re a couple of friends with some big ideas, and they’re not afraid to share them. If you’ve got a keen eye, you might’ve caught one of Speilberg’s creations in The Phantom Menace.
While E.T. himself doesn’t make an appearance, the alien species he comes from does. Does that mean that Earth exists within the Star Wars universe? What planet is E.T.’s species from and can the Jedi visit it? We have so many questions that will likely remain unanswered.
What Could’ve Been
Some people are born to play bad guys in movies. they have the perfect expression and vocal cantor to frighten and intimidate us. Turns out one of our favorite Hogwarts professors almost made it into the Star Wars trilogy. No, we’re not talking about Dame Maggie Smith. The one and only Alan Rickman auditioned for the role of Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi.
Can you imagine this guy playing Hans Gruber, Professor Snape, and an Imperial commander? That’s almost too much evil for one person. Nevertheless, we kind of wish this had happened. It would’ve made fans of Harry Potter and Star Wars giddy with excitement.
He Just Wanted to be Comfy
Do you remember Grand Moff Tarkin from A New Hope? He was a high-ranking member of the Galactic Empire that ordered the destruction of Princess Leia’s home planet. This guy was nothing short of cold, calculated, and evil. Karma ends up coming for him in the end, as the rebels succeed in blowing up the Death Star.
If Leia had only looked down while he was interrogating her she might’ve not felt so intimidated. Turns out the actor behind this villain was wearing cozy house slippers the whole time! Peter Cushing found his costume shoes too uncomfortable. If there’s a shot with his feet out of the frame, you can bet he’s wearing something fuzzy.
Space Slug Mastery is a Special Skill
Unpopular opinion: Jabba the Hutt is one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe. The fact that we know so little about the criminal underworld managed by the Hutts is…criminal. Of course, you can learn a lot about them in the books. Didn’t you know there is a whole library of Star Wars books? There is. Go check some out.
Also, have you ever wondered how something as massive as Jabba got around on the deserts of Tatooine? That won’t be covered in any book you can find. Here’s the industry secret: he ate six adults and forced them to move him from the inside out. That, or, he was built so big it took six operators to make him look alive.
There Has To Be Some Science
A lot of what makes the Star Wars saga great is the grand scale of it all. The very idea that these massive worlds and deeply entwined plots exist is fascinating. It’s like looking into the future and past at once. We’re also really into spaceships and aliens. Put those two things together, toss in some laser swords and a Muppet and we’re there.
For all the fun fiction, there’s at least a scotch of science. For instance, each of the ships has a name, classification, purpose, and schematic. These things run deep. They also use some familiar science-y words. Do you know what twin ion engines do? Neither do we, but they sound cool.
Who Wouldn’t Make The Sounds?
We were all young once (presumably). Before we knew about Star Wars and epic science fiction operas, we knew what a blaster sounded like. Okay, we called them ray guns, whatever. As kids, we didn’t have highly technical sound effects. Running around in the yard (battlefield) we were responsible for our own stunts and effects. Thankfully, stars are like us, and even grown adults can’t help themselves.
Throughout filming different Episodes multiple actors just couldn’t help themselves. “Pew, pew, pew” and whatever sound a lightsaber makes were all ad-libbed by actors! This caused certain scenes to be filmed multiple times. Lucas was a bit of a wet blanket and told them he’d be using the actual sound effects in the final cuts.
Vicious Space Bears Sounds Odd
It’s funny which characters we grow attached to. It’s even weirder what bizarre nickname we give them in our heads. Pop-quiz: which character in Stars Wars first said the word “Ewok”. Answer: None of them. These adorably tough, cute, and tiny bear-like aliens were never referenced by name by an actor in the films. Oddly enough, they weren’t really referenced much at all. They just kind of appeared after someone started a war on their moon.
Then, like cicadas in 2021, they burst from the ground and carried out dark vengeance on any enemy to their village. After that, they held a party because that’s what good hosts to non-Empire-themed guests do. We just kind of ignore the scene where Empire soldier’s heads are used as drums.
Nobody’s Seen Cardboard In Space
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is considered a great entry into the Star Wars universe. It’s a one-off tale of love, desperation, hope, and other things. It’s Star Wars but it doesn’t take nine movies to tell a tale. Released in 2016, it’s one of the more modern entries. However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t employ some 70’s Hollywood magic to make it happen.
Look, spaceships are expensive. Who knows how much Bezos spent to get up there (and that’s only for a few moments). Despite having a ton of cash, Hollywood (probably) doesn’t have a hangar of spare space fighters just laying around. Thankfully, cardboard is plentiful. With the right paint and lighting, it does a great job in a pinch.
A Pretty Bad Prediction
In retrospect, it’s hard to imagine Star Wars being anything but a colossal hit. But at the time, the mind behind this epic story was sure it was a failure. How very wrong he turned out to be! Lucas completely avoided the premiere, instead electing to take a Hawaii vacation with his buddy Steven Speilberg.
Clearly, he was trying to avoid the potential sting of rejection. What a surprise it must’ve been to discover the movie was a major hit! We bet he wishes he could go back in time to be there for the audience’s reaction. But the trip wasn’t all for naught, Lucas and Speilberg came up with the idea behind Indiana Jones while they were there!
A Bittersweet Moment
For years, Star Wars was owned by LucasFilm. The franchise couldn’t be touched by any other company…until Disney came along. Star Wars would’ve been an excellent property to add to their vast collection of recognizable media. Disney paid a whopping four billion dollars for Lucasfilm, but that didn’t mean it was easy for Lucas to relinquish his baby.
A new creative team would now take hold of his universe, he would need to stand on the sidelines and watch. It’s no wonder that he made this comparison! But he still has collaborated with Disney on some of their Star Wars projects, including the TV series The Clone Wars. That’s more than you can say for most exes!