The Star Wars movies are some of the most beloved in the galaxy. Although the first movie, “Star Wars: A New Hope” came out in 1977, there have been 12 total movies released since then.
All three original movies were released within three years of each other, with “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” released in 1983. The first Star Wars film generated over $460 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada.
In 1999, the first of the prequels was released with the remaining prequels following quickly behind in 2002 and 2005. In 2012, the Star Wars universe changed forever when Disney purchased the rights to Lucasfilm, with the release of their first movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015.
Since then, Disney has released four new Star Wars films, five live-action Star Wars shows, and seven animated series. The Star Wars empire certainly became more mainstream once Disney took over, but not without controversy. Many fans of the original trilogy have expressed their disappointment with many of the newer films and shows. Regardless of the opinion of some fans, Star Wars remains one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time.
If you’re looking for some Star Wars facts to impress your friends or fellow fans, we’ve created a list of 25 facts you may not know about “Star Wars.”
To create this list of 25 interesting facts about Star Wars, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous entertainment and lifestyle sources, including IMDb and Reader’s Digest. (Check out the most legendary Star Wars quotes.)
Here are 25 amazing facts about Star Wars:
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ was the largest-grossing film
Released in 2015, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” made more money than any other Star Wars film. This film alone brought in over $9 million in the U.S. and Canada and over $2 billion worldwide.
Alan Rickman auditioned to be in ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’
For “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” Alan Rickman auditioned for a role as Tiaan Jerjerrod, a military officer who ended up as station commander of the second Death Star.
The opening crawl wasn’t easy to film
Although with the technology we have today, it seems the opening text in the film would be simple but it took hours to film.
In the original film, the opening text was written on a piece of paper
Not only did it take hours to film the opening crawl but they filmed it in 1977 by writing the text on a long piece of paper and then rolling the camera over it.
No one says the word ‘Ewok’ in the Star Wars films
Even though we know what those cute furry creatures are called, it’s never stated in the film. However, it is included in the credits.
George Lucas was inspired by Joseph Campbell
While not his only inspiration, George Lucas was inspired by Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.”
The novelizations of Star Wars came out after the movies
Some people think Star Wars was originally a novel, but the story started as a screenplay written by George Lucas. Any novelizations of “Star Wars” came after the films were released.
The original script included an ancient race known as the Whills
The “Journal of the Whills” was one of the original ideas for the Star Wars scripts, but Lucas went in a different direction. However, a quote from the “Journal of the Whills” was included in the novelization of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
The first draft of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ was over 200 pages
Most screenplays are around 100 pages, but the final screenplay for “Star Wars: A New Hope” was over 200 pages long.
Orson Welles almost played the voice of Darth Vader
Orson Welles was almost the voice of Darth Vader, but Lucas thought his voice would be too recognizable.
Lucas was planning on funding ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’
Since Lucas had trouble with the studio while making the Star Wars films, he decided to fund “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” himself. After the budget went $10 million over what it was supposed to be initially, he had to ask the studio for help.
Han Solo’s most famous line wasn’t scripted
One of Han Solo’s famous lines was in response to his co-star, Carrie Fisher. When Princess Leia says “I love you,” Han Solo responds, “I know.” Originally, he was supposed to respond with “I love you, too,” but Ford improvised in one of the takes.
Most people didn’t know Darth Vader was Luke’s father
Before it was revealed, most people didn’t know that Darth Vader was Luke’s father. Even Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, only found out right before the first take of the scene that revealed who Vader was.
‘Luke, I am your father’ is never in the film
One of the most famous lines from Star Wars is often misquoted as “Luke, I am your father.” However, the actual line is, “No, I am your father.”
Luke Skywalker was originally named Luke Starkiller
Skywalker wasn’t initially going to be Luke’s last name. The name was changed because of the negative connotations related to the Charles Manson murders.
Multiple people had to control Jabba the Hutt
To operate Jabba the Hutt, it required a whole team. Three puppeteers operated Jabba from inside while one person moved his mouth and two other people controlled his eyes.
The clone trooper costumes were created using CGI
The clone trooper costumes in the films were created by CGI. That’s why you won’t find any official clone trooper costumes.
Four different actors make the character of Darth Vader
While James Earl Jones is famously the voice of Darth Vader, David Prowse played him on screen. Vader also has a stunt double played by Bob Anderson, and Sebastian Shaw plays Vader with his mask off in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”
‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’ was the first Star Wars film that wasn’t PG
“Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” was the first of the films with a PG-13 rating, mainly due to the ending scene when Anakin becomes Darth Vader.
Sir Alec Guinness didn’t want to be in ‘Star Wars’
Despite his iconic portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Guinness didn’t want to be a part of “Star Wars” and referred to the film as “fairy-tale rubbish.”
The communicator Qui-Gon Jinn uses in the film is a razor
In “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” the prop for Qui-Gon Jinn’s communicator was a woman’s razor.
Kenny Baker played R2-D2
When watching “Star Wars,” it’s not easy to tell that R2-D2 is played by an actor in a costume. Kenny Baker, an English actor and comedian, played the role of R2-D2 even though he didn’t have any lines.
Lucas didn’t know how big of a hit Star Wars would be
Considering how big the Star Wars franchise is and how much it has influenced pop culture, it’s hard to imagine, but Lucas didn’t know how big “Star Wars” would become.
The first Star Wars film wasn’t originally going to be named
“Star Wars: A New Hope,” the first film, was known simply as “Star Wars.” Although Lucas wanted to make multiple films, he didn’t know whether the first one would be successful.
The title of ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ wasn’t revealed until late in the production process
“Star Wars: Episode I” was originally titled “The Beginning.” After production started, Lucas revealed the actual title was “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” (Don’t miss these movie trivia questions.)