10 Things That You Never Knew About 'Star Wars'
I think it's pretty safe to say the Star Wars franchise has become such a huge part of everyday life for millions of people. Since the original film came out in 1977, it has gone on the become one of the most successful and lucrative franchises ever, and one would be hard pushed to find a more dedicated fandom. Starting as a film series, it has since branched into other forms of media, from books to comics, to TV, to toys, and video games. There is still tons of new information being released, so today we are bringing you 10 things from the galaxy far, far away you may not already know:
10. Liam Neeson Came With An Added Cost To The Production
Even the most casual fans will know Liam Neeson was in a Star Wars film. He appeared in The Phantom Menace as the controversial Jedi Qui Gon Jinn, master to Obi Wan Kenobi. A fan favorite to be sure, he unfortunately didn't make it past this film. But what most people don't know is that his casting led to an extra $150,000 dollars needing to be spent on upgrading set builds to accommodate for his 6 foot 4 inch height.
9. "I Have A Bad Feeling About This."
How many of you knew this seemingly random line actually appears in every single film?
The Phantom Menace - Said by Obi Wan at the beginning of the film to Qui Gonn regarding their negotiations mission.
Attack of the Clones - Said by Anakin in the arena on Geonosis as they prepare to face their seemingly inescapable demise.
Revenge of he Sith - Said by Obi Wan to Anakin as they fly toward the ship where Chancellor Palpatine is being held captive.
A New Hope - Said by Luke as the Millennium Falcon approaches the Death Star.
The Empire Strikes Back - Said by Leia when the group land in a seemingly safe cave on an asteroid, when in actuality they are inside the belly of a giant space slug.
Return of the Jedi - Said twice in this film, once by C-3PO when he and R2-D2 are entering Jabba's Palace, and then later by Han Solo as the Ewoks prepare a fire to cook them.
The Force Awakens - Said by Han Solo when he realizes the rathtars have been set loose on the freighter that he has been flying.
The Rise of Skywalker - Said by Lando Calrissian when the First Order army lands on the planet Pasaana.
Solo: A Star Wars Story - Han Solo says he has a good feeling about this when he takes over piloting the Falcon out of a Maelstrom.
Rogue One - Almost said by K-2SO when entering an elevator with Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, but they cut him off midsentence.
Now, you will no doubt notice that The Last Jedi is missing from the above list. The line is still used, but we do not hear it in English. Rian Johnson has confirmed that BB-8 actually says the line in binary during the evacuation of D'Qar, prompting Leia to respond with, ''I'm with the droid on this one'.'
8. No Clone Trooper In The Prequel Trilogy Is Real
Despite the fact clone troopers appear onscreen extensively throughout the last two films in the prequel trilogy, none of them are actually real, including their armor. We do get introduced to Jango Fett, the bounty hunter used as a template for the clone army, and he is real, but not one single piece of clone armor was made. It was all done through the magic of CGI.
7. Shaving Money On Communicators
How many of you know there is a high chance you have a Jedi communicator in your very own home? During a scene in The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan speak to each other through a communication device. What you may not know is, these devices were actually made from resin casts of ladies Gillette razors. Watch it back and you'll never be able to unsee it.
6. Ewok
Despite featuring heavily in Return of the Jedi and playing a pretty big part in helping our heroes defeat the Empire, the word Ewok is never mentioned at any point during the films. It appeared on script directions, the novelization, and credits of the movie, along with spin-offs and promotional material, but never in the films themselves.
5. Lack Of Diversity
Something Star Wars has come under fire for a few times now is for their apparent lack of diversity, especially in the original films. However, what many people don't know is that there is actually one female fighter pilot in the original trilogy. Her name is Sila Kott, and she appears in Return of the Jedi, played by British actor Poppy Hands. Sadly, for reasons unknown, her voice is dubbed over by an American man in the final cut of the film.
4. Lightsaber Sounds
Tell me a more recognizable sound than that of a lightsaber. I'll wait. The distanct "hum" was developed by sound designer Ben Burtt and is actually a combination of the hum from idling interlock motors in aged movie projectors and interference caused by a television set on a shieldless microphone.
3. Jedi Mind Trick
In all nine films of the Skywalker saga, we see numerous examples of the Jedi mind trick being used, by various different characters. Whilst both Anakin and Rey use it successfully once, Obi-Wan is the only character to use it several times and never fail. He uses it a total of four times. There are other characters who do attempt it more than once, such as Qui-Gon and Luke, but not all to success, suggesting Obi-Wan was particularly proficient in this specific Force ability.
2. The Emperor's Full Name
This may be more well known nowadays. However, throughout all three trilogies, Palpatine is only ever referred to as Palpatine when people say his normal name. In the prequel trilogy, we do learn that he has a Sith name: Darth Sidious. But it wasn't until the 2014 novel Tarkin by James Luceno that we learned his full name. In the book, it is given as Sheev Palpatine.
1. E.T. Was From The Galaxy Far, Far Away?
E.T., for those of you who don't know, was a 1982 film directed by Steven Spielberg, a good friend and sometimes collaborator of George Lucas. In this film, during Halloween, we see a young child dressed as Master Yoda. When E.T. sees him, he seems to stop and stare as if he recognizes him. At the time, this was passed off as merely one friend tipping the hat to the other. However, when The Phantom Menace was released, Lucas decided to ramp the connection up even further. During one of the Senate scenes, when Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence in then-Chancellor Valorum, the camera pans to members of the Senate, and, for a few seconds, you can see three aliens who look suspiciously like E.T. The race even has an official Star Wars name: Asogians. Could this mean E.T. was a Jedi all along, and his powers were actually connected to the Force?
Well, there you have it. Ten things you may not have known about Star Wars. How many did you know?
Until next time!