A long time ago, at a cluttered desk far, far away, we decided we’d boot up the computer and pound the keyboard to give you some cool trivia you never knew about Star Wars. It’s such a popular franchise that it’s unlikely there’s much you wouldn’t already know about this iconic series of films. As some of our favorite movies, there’s plenty of info and trivia we already know. We know our Jabbas from our Jedis, our Solos from our Siths, and our Chewbaccas from our Calrissians. And now, we’re going to share with you five of the cool things you never knew about Star Wars.
Carrie Fisher nearly wasn’t Leia
Carrie Fisher’s most iconic role was that of spunky rebellion princess, Leia Organa. But, things could have been so different, because Fisher was not originally considered for the role. Star Wars buffs might be aware, but many others won’t, that future Academy Award winner Jodie Foster was initially offered the role of Princess Leia. Reportedly Foster turned down the role, telling Empire magazine that she was filming Taxi Driver at the time, so had to reject the opportunity. We reckon she’d have been too young for the part anyhow!
Yoda is a mystery
One of the great things about the Star Wars universe is the rich and detailed world-building that goes on, and how much detail there is behind every set of characters. And, what makes Yoda even more intriguing and mysterious is that his species doesn’t have a name. In fact, George Lucas himself has even said that Yoda ‘has no background.’ We kinda love this and feel like it adds more of a dimension to the character. After all, he is some centuries-old Jedi master, so there should be an air of mystery and intrigue surrounding him. The more we knew about Yoda, the less interesting he would be.
David Prowse has a ban from Star Wars events
Most people know that James Earl Jones gave Darth Vader his iconic voice (he also voiced Mufasa, FYI!), but, David Prowse actually played the Sith Lord in the suit. You might not be aware of this, but Prowse has actually been banned from attending Star Wars events! He claimed on his website that he had burned too many bridges with Lucasfilm, and was not permitted to attend any of their events. There is a lot of conjecture as to why this might be, with many believing he and Lucas fell out. We presume he would be allowed to attend some Star Wars events, just not those organized by Lucas and Co.
Harrison Ford and George Lucas bickered, a lot
While the two were friendly with one another, they did often come into conflict on set. Ford was unhappy with some of the dialogue, and he actually took to ad-libbing sometimes. For example, in the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Leia says “I love you,” it was scripted that Han would reply “I love you too.” But Ford ad-libbed the now immortal response, “I know.” We know which version we prefer! Also, Ford wanted Solo to be killed off in Empire, finding the character dull in Return of the Jedi.
Return of the Jedi almost had a different ending
As we know, Jedi is the final installment of the original trilogy, and, as such, it has a happy and upbeat ending. However, you probably didn’t know that George Lucas has envisioned quite a different ending to the one we got. In the original script, at the end, it was planned the Luke would remove the dying Vader’s helmet, put it on, and proclaim himself to be the new Vader. Luckily, George decided to go a different way with it, and the ending we got fits much better in the context of the universe.
These are just a handful of the cool facts you definitely won’t know about the Star Wars universe. There are plenty of others we could dig out too, but then we would go into major Geek-out mode, and that might get a bit much for you! Anyway, with these five great facts, you may well find that your enjoyment of the films improves and increases, and you take something more from them. Either way, you’ll have some cool trivia to share with your friends the next time you have a Star Wars movie marathon.
