40 Mind-blowing Star Wars Facts You’d Have To Be A Jedi Master To Know

The Star Wars saga sadly came to an end in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker. But, as the eponymous character himself once said, no one’s ever really gone. The franchise lives on in the form of comic books, video games, television shows and more – it’s a whole expanded universe with plenty to offer. Or, of course, you could re-watch all the movies and brush up on your knowledge. Join us, young Padawan, as we uncover some of the biggest Star Wars secrets...

40. Wedge Antilles is Ewan McGregor’s uncle

Wedge Antilles is the hotshot rebel fighter pilot who first appeared in the original 1977 film. Of course, the actor is known to Star Wars fans, but he’s largely overlooked by casual viewers. Yet not many people know that the person who played him – Denis Lawson – is the real-life uncle of Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy and, kinda, in Episode VII. The Force clearly runs strong in the Lawson-McGregor bloodline.

39. The Sith were almost called ‘The Damned’

Today, “Sith” seems like the perfect evil-sounding word to describe the powerful faction who embraced the Dark Side in their pursuit of galactic domination. But Darth Vader and co. were originally going to be coined “The Damned.” That is, before a certain British punk rock band of the same name rose to prominence and forced creator George Lucas into a rejig.

38. A woman and a chimpanzee originally played Emperor Palpatine

The corrupted, twisted face of Emperor Palpatine – as played by Ian McDiarmid – looks like it’s been disfigured by centuries of insatiable thirst for power. But before Lucas settled on using McDiarmid, the original release of The Empire Strikes Back saw Marjorie Eaton portray Palpatine with the eyes of a chimpanzee superimposed on top of her face.

37. A monkey almost played Yoda

Before Yoda became the slightly creepy green grandma-like puppet that we all know him as today, he was actually going to be played by a real monkey. Yes, he was still going to look as he does now, but his movements were to be achieved by a monkey wearing a mask and holding a cane. There’s even photographic evidence of this idea, which was wisely canned.

36. Jar-Jar Binks was originally more badass

It may seem unthinkable, but Jar Jar Binks was once meant to be more than an insufferable, comic character. So, after a fan theory emerged online suggesting that Binks was meant to be a major villain in The Phantom Menace, the character’s actor Ahmed Best had to comment. Yes, in a March 2016 YouTube chat with Jamie Stangroom, the star said, “There’s a lot about [the theory] that’s true.” He also suggested that Lucasfilm cut down the character’s role after his poor reception.

35. Potatoes for asteroids

One of the most breathtaking sequences in The Empire Strikes Back – where Luke and co. are flying through an asteroid field – features some unlikely stand-ins for the floating space-boulders. Apparently, one of the asteroids is actually a potato, while another one is a shoe. According to legend, these were thrown in because the SFX crew allegedly got frustrated with Lucas’ constant meddling with the scene.

34. George Lucas invented Ewoks to make more money

Everybody knows that George Lucas turned down a larger pay packet from Fox Studios in order to retain merchandising rights for the original Star Wars. But the story goes that Lucas apparently changed the location of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi to above the Ewok-inhabited Endor because the Ewoks would sell more toys. Though a second theory suggests that it was actually the studio that would not make the film without the Ewoks.

33. Han Solo was originally an alien

Apparently, Han Solo went through many re-imaginings before the producers chose the handsome Harrison Ford to portray him. For instance, the team originally envisioned him as a portly green alien complete with gills, and at one point they considered him to be a Blackbeard-like space pirate.

32. Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino or Christopher Walken as Han Solo?

Lucas was reluctant to use Harrison Ford for Han Solo because he wanted an actor he hadn’t worked with before – they’d collaborated on American Graffiti. So, before Ford, one of the frontrunners for the role included Al Pacino. In fact, in 2013 Pacino revealed that he actually turned the role down because he “didn’t understand the script.” Apparently, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken and Billy Dee Williams were also up for the part!

31. Harrison Ford wanted Han Solo to die

The Han Solo role was undoubtedly the making of Harrison Ford. Therefore, it may come as a surprise to learn that when Solo gets frozen in a block of carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Ford wanted the character to die. Speaking with Conan O’Brien in 2013, the actor said, “I thought the best utility of the character would be for him to sacrifice himself to a higher ideal.”

30. The lightsaber sound was discovered by accident

“Whummm, whumm, Dzzzzewwwww.” Writing can never capture the iconic lightsaber sound, of course, but you get the idea. In fact, sound designer Ben Burtt actually conceived it by accident when he heard the interference a nearby mic made to a TV. He then combined that noise with the hum of an old movie projector.

29. *NSYNC were edited out of Episode II

In what would’ve been just another strange filmmaking decision in Episodes I-III, parts of Justin Timberlake’s old band *NSYNC actually shot a cameo for Attack of the Clones. Yes, while Timberlake was apparently too tired to be involved, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick played Jedi Knights in two scenes. Yet the scenes were cut, which we’re sure is tearin’ up their hearts to this day…

28. Every single Clone Trooper was CGI

In the early 2000s every big-budget blockbuster was jumping on the CGI effects bandwagon. In fact, Revenge of the Sith was so SFX-heavy that it had more visual effects shots than Episodes I and II combined. Amazingly, then, there was not actually a single Clone Trooper prop in the movie. No, they were all computer-generated.

27. There were no female fighter pilots in the original trilogy

It might be harsh to call the original trilogy backward when it comes to gender equality – particularly when you consider the powerful presence of Princess Leia. But did you notice that there was not a single female rebel fighter pilot in Episodes IV-VI? In fact, there were three lady pilots filmed for Return of the Jedi, but none of them made the final cut.

26. Star Wars and 2001 had almost the same production team

It’s no secret that Stanley Kubrick’s mesmerizing space epic 2001: A Space Odyssey inspired George Lucas a great deal. But Lucas was such an admirer of the film that he actually hired many members of its production team – to the extent that they were dubbed “The Class of 2001.” Among the 2001 alumni were Stuart Freeborn, who worked on the iconic ape sequence.

25. E.T.’s species is in the Star Wars universe

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are lifelong friends, so it’s not too surprising that they made the universes of their movies come together. In The Phantom Menace, for instance, you can see a delegation of three E.T. lookalikes when Queen Amidala holds an assembly. They were known as the “Asogians.”

24. Famous faces in Episodes I and II

The Star Wars prequel trilogy is full of big stars – Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson to name a few. But it also featured future A-listers you probably didn’t even realize were in it! Among these were Keira Knightley and Joel Edgerton, who played Sabe in Episode I and Owen Lars in Episode II and III, respectively.

23. Qui-Gon Jinn’s communicator was a women’s razor

You’d have thought that with a big-budget movie like The Phantom Menace, each prop – from the lightsabers to that silly braid in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hair – would’ve been custom-made. Wrong: if you look closely at Qui-Gon Jinn’s communicator, you’ll find that it’s actually a Gillette razor! Who knows, maybe he had silky-smooth legs under those Jedi robes all along?

22. David Lynch turned down Jedi to make Dune

Just imagine: Luke pulls off Darth Vader’s helmet, and the latter says, “Luke, the owls are not what they seem” in a weirdly over-processed voice. Maybe that’s the kind of spookiness we would’ve been treated to if George Lucas got his wish and David Lynch had directed Return of the Jedi. Instead, Lynch chose to make Dune.

21. You can see Boba Fett’s face… sort of

The mercenary Boba Fett’s tiny slither of screen time in Return of the Jedi makes him one of the biggest mysteries in the Star Wars mythos. Though we do kind of see his face in the movie. After all, the actor who played him – Jeremy Bulloch – also performed as Lieutenant Sheckil. Doesn’t ring a bell? Well, Sheckil captures Princess Leia when she tries to escape Bespin. Anybody else think he looks like Sting?

20. Samuel L. Jackson specifically asked for a purple lightsaber

Have you ever wondered why Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu is the only Jedi to wield a purple lightsaber? Well, it’s because the actor really wanted to stand out in crowds of saber-waving Jedi. Talking on The Graham Norton Show, he explained that George Lucas had told him that lightsabers don’t usually come in that color. Though when Jackson returned to the Attack of the Clones set for reshoots Lucas pulled him aside and showed him the purple one. Apparently, the Pulp Fiction star was thrilled!

19. John Williams has a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker

Composer John Williams was always one of the most important Star Wars collaborators. Without his music, the movies simply wouldn’t be what they are. So, for The Rise of Skywalker, the filmmakers gave him an on-screen cameo. He can be spotted as a bartender on the planet Kijimi – surrounded by props that represent all 51 of his Oscar nominations.

18. Hayden Christensen scared a child on set

Remember the little boy who dark-side Anakin murders in Revenge of the Sith? He grew up and did a Reddit AMA in 2020. Actor Ross Beadman remembered that when asked to jump back in fright, “From what I remember Hayden shouted ‘boo!’ and that startled me to add to my fear in the scene.” Awww.

17. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford had an affair

That chemistry between Princess Leia and Han Solo was apparently very real. The two of them actually had a brief affair while making the original Star Wars. According to Fisher’s diary, Ford initiated it, but he was still married to Mary Marquardt at the time. The scandal! Though, as we know, it didn’t lead into a long-term relationship.

16. The prequels are packed full of miniatures

The prequels used a lot of CGI, as you know, but there was also a lot of delicate and highly impressive miniature work involved. In fact, there were more miniature models built for each Star Wars prequel than the whole original trilogy combined. Didn’t realize while watching that you were looking at models? Then the artists did their job!

15. The actors constantly make their own sound effects

There’s a hilarious and probably inevitable problem that pops up when filming Star Wars movies. A lot of the time, the actors wielding amazing space weapons like lightsabers and blasters simply can’t help but make “pew-pew” and “vroooom” noises. According to the website Regal, even iconic actors such as Ewan McGregor and Laura Dern have accidentally done it!

14. The C-3PO costume isn’t comfortable

To get into character as C-3PO, actor Anthony Daniel had to, well, pretty much literally become him. And getting sealed into a robot costume wasn’t easy. Reader’s Digest notes that he had to be screwed into it for his scenes, and while wearing it the star couldn’t even sit down. Plus, at one point the leg part apparently broke and sent fiberglass stabbing into his skin!

13. George Lucas had other plans for the sequels

We know how the sequels actually turned out, but George Lucas actually had some different ideas about them. According to The Star Wars Archives: 1999–2005, his plans for the sequel trilogy involved a return for Darth Maul, a new female Sith named Darth Talon and a more central role for Princess Leia. What would it have been like? Alas, we may never know.

12. The big Darth Vader twist was kept very secret

The revelation that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father is one of the most famous in all of cinema. So, during the run-up to The Empire Strikes Back the twist was naturally kept very secret. Screen Rant reports that during filming, the line “Obi-Wan killed your father” was substituted and “I am your father” was only added in post-production.

11. Peter Cushing did his scenes in slippers

Veteran actor Peter Cushing played Grand Moff Tarkin in the first Star Wars film. But while he was delivering evil speeches there were a pair of fluffy slippers on his feet! He later explained that no shoes in the costume department would fit. As a result, Cushing asked George Lucas to let him wear slippers and shoot him from the waist up. And Lucas agreed.

10. Daniel Craig has a cameo in The Force Awakens

James Bond himself popped up, invisible, in The Force Awakens. He’s the First Order Stormtrooper who Rey uses her Force abilities on! It happened when Craig was filming the Bond movie Spectre next door to the Star Wars set in Pinewood Studios. Apparently, all he had to do was ask for a cameo and J.J. Abrams said yes.

9. The original trilogy could have had a different ending

The ending to Star Wars was far from set in stone when it got started. And one of the ideas George Lucas offered as a conclusion was this: Vader dies while killing the Emperor and saving Luke, only for the latter to pick up the mask and claim “Vader” as his own name. That would have made for a very different original trilogy.

8. Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker didn’t get along

C-3PO and R2-D2 had a sweet friendship. Though their actors… not so much. Baker claimed that Daniels was constantly insulting to him and even made references to his height. Three years after the former’s death, Daniels told Express Online, “[Baker] decided that he wanted to say unkind, unpleasant, rude, hurtful things. It got worse and worse.” Ouch.

7. One touching scene was unscripted

In 2019 Mark Hamill tweeted a tidbit about one of the saddest scenes in The Last Jedi. Regarding the forehead kiss Luke gives to Leia before he dies, Hamill said, “The kiss was unscripted and spontaneous in the moment – summarizing his/my feelings in a way words could never have conveyed.” Hamill and Fisher were always very close, too.

6. Liam Neeson is proud of The Phantom Menace

The Phantom Menace got, uh, mixed reviews when it first came out. But star Liam Neeson is among those who like it. In 2020 he told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM, “I’m proud of it and proud to have been a part of it. I got to be a Jedi. I got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff.” He also singled Ahmed Best out for praise, saying he was “probably one of the funniest guys and [most] talented guys” he’d ever worked with.

5. George Lucas wanted Star Wars to be political

Star Wars was created in a time of political upheaval, and that reflects in the movies. In 2005 Lucas told the Chicago Tribune newspaper, “[Star Wars] was really about the Vietnam War, and that was the period where Nixon was trying to run for a [second] term, which got me to thinking historically about how do democracies get turned into dictatorships?” Apparently, Revenge on the Sith operated along the same lines but commented on the George W. Bush era.

4. Natalie Portman said the franchise ruined her career

Natalie Portman was in all three Star Wars prequels, but she doesn’t think they did her career any good. She told New York magazine in 2014 that when they came out, “Everyone thought I was a horrible actress. I was in the biggest-grossing movie of the decade, and no director wanted to work with me.” She’s back on track now, though.

3. Some familiar and not-so-well-known voices are in The Rise of Skywalker

During the final battle of The Rise of Skywalker, disembodied spirits of Jedi past call out to an injured Rey. Some of these voices you might recognize right away: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn, for example. But some non-movie Star Wars character are also in there! These include Ahsoka Tano – who’d only been in animated shows at that point – and Kanan Jarrus of Star Wars: Rebels.

2. Harrison Ford ad-libbed a famous line

Han Solo’s famous “I know” line wasn’t actually in the script for The Empire Strikes Back. He was supposed to answer Leia’s “I love you” with a simple “I love you, too.” But according to Mental Floss, Ford ad-libbed “I know” instead, which Empire director Irvin Kershner thought was much better. George Lucas apparently hated the change, but he was overruled.

1. Alec Guinness hated Star Wars

Did you know that Alec Guinness – the first actor to play Obi-Wan Kenobi – actually detested the entire Star Wars franchise? Sure, it made the star super rich, but according to Entertainment Weekly, he endlessly complained about his lines and returned all mail from fans. Allegedly, Guinness once even made a Star Wars- loving child cry by telling him to never watch it again. You wouldn’t get that sort of behavior from Ewan McGregor...