20+ Little-Known Facts About The ‘Star Wars’ Franchise
The Star Wars series is undoubtedly one of the greatest contributions to cinematic history. The release of Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977 set the tone for future decades of sci-fi films while launching the careers of the cast into outer space, just shy of literally.
Countless people have become lifelong fans of George Lucas’ masterpiece series, but some of the greatest movie magic lies in the lesser-known facts about the films.
George Lucas Thought The First Star Wars Film Was Going To Be A Complete Flop
George Lucas (director and creator of Star Wars) genuinely believed that his acclaimed film was going to be a complete flop. He was so fearful of getting negative reviews during opening weekend that he fled the city and went on vacation.
He only had one friend who truly believed in the film from the beginning—another man who knew a thing or two about the film industry—fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
The Film Originally Had A Different Title And It Was Weird AF
A fan on social media, @JimLaPorta, asked Mark Hamill if the original title for the Star Wars film was actually The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the “Journal of the Whills.” He asks: “Is this true? We need Master Jedi” and tagged Mark Hamill in the post.
Mark Hamill weighed in to say: “Fact Check: True. That was the title when I first read it.” Thankfully for Star Wars fans, Mark Hamill loves a good fact check.
The Wind Machines Drowned Out The Actors’ Dialogue During This Iconic Scene
Another user, @aaronsagers, asked Mark Hamill, “I don’t know how many takes [Hamill] did for the ‘That’s not true, that’s impossible’ line in Empire after THE reveal, but it sounds like it would kill his voice. Did it?”
Hamill replied, “It’s crucial to warm up vocally prior to any demanding challenges. FYI-In that scene- NOTHING could be heard over the deafening roar of the wind machines. I spoke my lines based on Vader’s gestures, unable to hear a word he said. Everything was dubbed in later in post-production.”
Mark Hamill Begged George Lucas To Take Certain Lines Out Of The Script
On The Johnny Carson Show in 1977, Mark Hamill (better known across the universe as Luke Skywalker) recalled begging director George Lucas to cut certain dialogue from the script.
Hamill wanted an extremely wordy line cut because he passionately felt it did not fit the script. Fortunately, Lucas listened to his suggestion and the incident helped the two build a working relationship that saw many more script changes over the series.
Mark Hamill Really Couldn’t See Out Of His Stormtrooper Helmet
In Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV), the fairly comedic line by Luke, “I can’t see a thing in this helmet,” was improvised by Hamill—he really couldn’t see much from inside the Stormtrooper helmets.
He revealed on Twitter just how claustrophobic the helmets felt, admitting that once he even had to shout “get me out of here!”
The Actor Who Played Obi-Wan Kenobi Couldn’t Stop Making Lightsaber Noises During Fight Scenes
Ewan McGregor, the actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, had a kind of hilarious quirk during the filming of The Phantom Menace (1999).
He constantly made lightsaber noises during the duel scenes. George Lucas explained to him many times that the lightsaber sounds would be added in afterward by the special effects team.
Studio Executives Initially Hated The Young Anakin Storyline In The Phantom Menace
George Lucas has revealed that studio executives were against his original plot for The Phantom Menace, which would focus on young Anakin Skywalker at approximately 10 years old.
The insane time jump in the storyline to Episode I caused the studio to warn Lucas how he could possibly destroy the franchise and everything he had built thus far. Thankfully, Lucas knew when to accept criticism and when to do his own thing.
Mark Hamill Actually Drank Two Versions Of The Blue Milk In A New Hope and The Last Jedi
The mysterious blue milky liquid that first appeared in Episode IV: A New Hope was apparently nasty to choke down during filming. Hamill said this “Bantha milk” was made of something called “long-life milk.” It was “meant for camping trips that needed no refrigeration: warm, sweet and oily.”
The drink makes a return appearance in The Last Jedi. A “green ‘milk’ [that] was non-dairy coconut water dyed that color in post-production” was used. It was apparently “cool, tasty, and refreshing.”
Yoda’s Original Name Was Supposed To Be “Buffy”
The majority of Star Wars fanatics know that the original script had Yoda’s full name as “Minch Yoda.” It was eventually shortened to the popular name we now know simply as “Yoda.
But even before that script, during the earliest writing stages of The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda’s original name was written as Buffy. That’s right, like the vampire slayer.
Mark Hamill Burst A Blood Vessel In His Eye Filming The Trash Compactor Scene
Social media user @CharlestonBrian said: “I’ve long heard the trash compactor scene contained all real trash and that you blew a blood vessel in your eye trying to hold your breath. Is this true?”
Hamill responded: “I purposely made myself red-faced for a strangulated look, causing a blood vessel in my eye to burst. Afterward, they had to shoot carefully to hide it until I healed. George told me I should have asked him 1st because with the lighting and red filters, it made no difference.” Damn, we still respect the commitment.
Darth Vader’s Iconic Breathing Was Created By Recording Someone Using A Breathing Apparatus
Most true Star Wars fans know that James Earl Jones was the iconic voice behind the Darth Vader mask. However, even though he did the dialogue, he was not responsible for the famous breathing.
Instead, it was the sound designer Ben Burtt who created the labored breathing effect by placing a microphone inside the mouthpiece of a breathing apparatus and recording the sounds of someone breathing.
Carrie Fisher Followed The Cast To Norway During Filming Of The Empire Strikes Back
Mark Hamill recalled how it was the first day of filming The Empire Strikes Back in Finse, Norway. He said: “She had no scenes there, but came along just to hang out and not miss any of the fun.”
Chewbacca Had To Be Followed Around By Crew Members In Hunting Vests So He Wasn’t Mistaken For A Bear
When filming Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the cast and crew had to take special precautions for a surprising reason. The set was built in the Redwood forests of Northern California to create the Forest Moon of Endor.
The actor who played Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, had to be constantly chaperoned by bodyguards in bright orange vests to protect him from hunters. In costume, Mayhew’s character could have easily been confused for a bear.
Chewbacca’s Character Also Had To Be Protected From People Hunting Bigfoot
Bear hunters weren’t the only threat that Mayhew faced in the California Redwoods while he was in his Chewbacca costume.
The brightly vested bodyguards were also there to offer him protection from people who were hunting Bigfoot, who some believe lives secretly somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. It sounds like a tall tale but Mayhew himself confirmed it.
The Empire Strikes Back Was The Most Physically Demanding Role Of Mark Hamill’s Career As Luke Skywalker
According to StarWars.com, in February of 1979, Hamill had prepared extensively for his return to his role of Luke Skywalker, which began filming in the “unforgiving snowscape of Finse, Norway.”
Hamill trained for four months straight in the disciplines of karate, fencing, kendo, and bodybuilding. Even though he rigorously prepared his body and was always game to do his own stunts, Hamill would come to say that The Empire Strikes Back was the “most physically demanding and isolating experience of his long career in the role.”
R2-D2 and C-3PO Are The Only Two Characters To Appear In All Nine Skywalker Saga Films
Surprisingly, the beloved robot character R2-D2 and his best friend C-3PO were the only two characters who consistently appear in all nine films of the Skywalker saga.
The two robots are pillars of the franchise and are often responsible for the dialogue that connects the films to one another, years apart.
Samuel L. Jackson Had His Signature Explicit Catchphrase Engraved On His Lightsaber
Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels, said in an interview that he still owned his character’s unique purple lightsaber. Most shocking though was his revelation about the secret message on the prop.
Samuel L. Jackson fans are well-aware of his favorite word, one that he couldn’t work into the script of Star Wars. But don’t worry, he found a way to keep his signature R-rated catchphrase close to his character—he had it engraved on his lightsaber.
Chewbacca’s Language Is A Combination Of Over Four Different Animal Species
Chewbacca’s unique language was made using a combination of different sounds. The highly talented sound designer Ben Burtt created a voice for Chewbacca that was specific to his character’s species.
Burtt recorded the howls and roars of multiple creatures including badgers, lions, seals, one walrus, and even some sick and ailing animals to achieve his desired sound.
Pedro Pascal Is Pretty Much A Voice Actor
While actor Pedro Pascal is the lead in The Mandalorian, he admitted that, as of season 3, he is primarily voice acting and not actually in the famous suit, as he was for the first two seasons of the Disney+ series.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pascal said, “There was an extended amount of experimentation, being in the suit for a lot of it, and frankly, my body wasn’t up for the task as far as, like, the four months of it. But I was in it. I was in it a significant amount, an elastic amount. But now we’ve figured it out, which is super cool, and amazingly, it gave me the opportunity to be able to go and do something else.”
The IG-88 Droid In The Empire Strikes Back Was Bolted To The Floor
In The Empire Strikes Back the IG-88 droid is never seen moving on camera.
This is because the robot model was bolted to the ground of the set so that it wouldn’t fall over during filming. That’s one way to make sure it didn’t move.
Carrie Fisher And Harrison Ford Had A Steamy IRL Affair
Carrie Fisher revealed in her personal memoir The Princess Diarist that the chemistry between Leia and Han Solo on-screen was not exactly acting.
She exposed their steamy three-month-long affair with the then-married father of two decades later. Her revelation sent fans absolutely crazy and she told People, “It was Han and Leia during the week and Carrie and Harrison on the weekends.”
Mark Hamill Secretly Voiced Multiple Characters In Every Star Wars Movie Released Since 2015
X user @wookofficial tweeted: “Did you know… EV-9D9 was voiced by Mark Hamill in The Mandalorian?”
Hamill responded: “Did you know… I voiced multiple secret voice-cameos in every #StarWars movie released since 2015?” He then specifies that includes: “Sequels, Solo, Rogue One.” Fans went wild and began hunting for his “secret” cameos.
