Ever since its debut in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has been a staple of pop culture.
So many of its characters and aspects have become so well-known around the world, that
even those who haven’t seen the films are aware of Han Solo and the Force.
But did you know there are some details even the biggest fans might not know about their
favorite films?
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Hidden Star Wars Facts You Didn’t Know
Spielberg Can’t Direct
When planning Return of the Jedi, Lucas’ first choice for director was his good friend
Steven Spielberg, who was coming off the hits Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T.
However, Spielberg could not accept the job, since Lucas had dropped out of the Director’s
Guild following controversy over Star Wars’ famous opening text crawl.
With few options available, Lucas had to go with the non-union choice of Richard Marquand.
Thankfully Marquand worked out, and Return of the Jedi offered a rousing finale to the
trilogy.
Still, it’s hard not to think what might have been if Spielberg in his prime directed
a Star Wars flick.
Liam Neeson’s Poor Judgment
The Phantom Menace is seen as one of the most disappointing films ever, but even its detractors
enjoyed Liam Neeson’s performance as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
However, if it were not for a lapse in judgment, we may have missed that memorable aspect.
When offered the part, Neeson accepted it… without reading a word of George Lucas’
maligned script.
Being in a Star Wars movie is something many would sign up for, but Neeson may have thought
differently if he had seen the story Lucas had in mind, which infamously sent the series
down a dark path that it still hasn’t fully recovered from.
Yoda Speaks the Truth
Even James Earl Jones couldn’t believe that Darth Vader was Luke’s father, as the twist
sent shockwaves around the world.
It was such a surprise, that Lucas had to include a scene in Return of the Jedi where
Yoda informed Luke he really was Vader’s son.
That’s because a child psychologist told Lucas that kids watching the film would dismiss
Vader’s revelation as a lie unless it was unequivocally sated as fact.
Since Yoda was one of the franchise’s heroes and perceived as an honest being, it was determined
this was the best way to go.
There clearly was no misdirection happening here.
Ford Takes Two
After the original Star Wars became a hit, stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher quickly
signed on for two sequels.
But Harrison Ford did not.
Thinking that Han Solo’s story had been told in full, the actor was unwilling to commit
to multiple films.
That was one of the influencing factors in setting up the famous carbonite sequence in
The Empire Strikes Back, as everyone was unsure Ford would come back for the third film.
Luckily, Lucas convinced him to return, and Han had a heroic conclusion to his arc and
still has a part to play in the future.
Lando’s a Clone?
Fans would have to wait until 2002 to get a taste of the Clone Wars teased in the original
film, and Lucas’ idea for that conflict clearly evolved over time.
The initial concept for Han’s buddy Lando was that Lando was a clone that fought in
the War, leading a legion of them to a settlement when the fighting was over.
Admittedly, that would have been an interesting angle to explore, but having Lando be a one-of-a-kind
smooth talking scoundrel was for the best and set up a stronger character arc.
It’s hard to go wrong with Billy Dee Williams.
Luke Becomes Vader
Despite the Emperor’s best attempts, Luke never turns to the Dark Side of the Force
and remains a hero until the very end.
But Lucas toyed with the idea of having the hero become bad.
In the early stages, Return of the Jedi was going to end with Luke putting on Vader’s
helmet and saying, “Now I am Vader.”
It would have been a moment out of left field and completely ruin the entire story of the
trilogy.
Thankfully, this was never a change Lucas made to the originals.
Seeing Luke have one touching moment with his father was much more emotional and satisfying
for viewers.
Star Wars: Flop of the Century
After completing a rough cut of the first film, Lucas showed it to a few of his director
friends, and many were unimpressed with the results.
Playing into Lucas’ worst fears about the project, the likes of Brian de Palma and others
called it the “worst movie ever made” and did not express much hope for it.
The only one who proved to be prophetic was Steven Spielberg, who believed from the beginning
that Star Wars had what it took to be a major success.
He may have just been trying to make his friend feel better, but Spielberg seemed to know
what he was talking about.
A Disturbance in the Force
George Lucas created Star Wars, but producer Gary Kurtz was just as instrumental.
When he left the franchise before Return of the Jedi, it upset many of the cast and crew
– and sent the series down a different path.
Lucas and Kurtz disagreed over why people loved Star Wars.
Lucas thought it was the spectacle and put more of an onus on special effects and commercialization.
Kurtz fought for poignant stories that resonated.
As we could later see in the response to the prequel trilogy, many of the Star Wars fans
would have sided with Kurtz.
It’s too bad he didn’t stay on.
The First Film is Fourth?
When Star Wars was first released, it was just Star Wars.
Its sequel started the trend of subtitled “episodes,” and The Empire Strikes Back
was called “Episode 5.”
To make things more consistent, Lucas re-released the original movie with the addition “Episode
4 – A New Hope.”
However, he did not have the prequel trilogy planned at the time, and Fox executives tried
to discourage him from it to avoid confusing moviegoers familiar with Roman numerals.
He eventually went back and completed the story, but for a while it had to be odd to
many that the first, second, and third films were really fourth, fifth, and sixth.
What’s My Name?
Boba Fett.
Palpatine.
Ewoks.
These names are iconic as part of Star Wars lore, but how did they get that way?
Unlike Luke, Han, and Vader, the names are hardly spoken in the original trilogy – if
at all.
Boba is referred to as “the bounty hunter” throughout Empire Strikes Back until Han utters
his name before he falls into the Sarlacc Pit, and nobody says “Palpatine” or “Ewok”
in Return of the Jedi.
It’s a testament to Star Wars merchandise that these figures are known by their full
names and not just what’s said in the films.
It’s hard to imagine them standing out if they were known only by generic terms and
not something unique to them.
Those were our picks for Star Wars Hidden Facts, were there any we missed?
If you know more unknown facts about Star Wars, feel free to comment below and remember
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