The Star Wars series is as relevant as ever, boasting spinoffs like The Mandalorian and games such as Star Wars: Battlefront. Rumor has it that there will even be a new shooter game released this year. So it goes without saying that Star Wars will continue to be an integral part of pop culture for many years to come. And because of how massive the franchise is, there’s always something new to discover and love — whether you’re a veteran fan or first-time viewer.
That being said, here are a few fun facts about Star Wars you may not know about.
Darth Vader only had 37 minutes of screen time
Darth Vader is perhaps one of the most popular super villains to ever hit the big screen. Even viewers who’ve never seen him on the big screen before, instantly recognize his signature all-black cloak and distinguishable voice. Surprisingly, however, Gala Bingo claims that he didn’t feature much – in fact, the iconic villain only had 37 minutes of screen time in the entire original trilogy – but it was more than enough to cement his cultural impact.
Ewoks were never formally called ewoks
The term “ewok” was never mentioned throughout Return of the Jedi, though it was written in the script. However, fans eventually learned what these particular creatures were actually called through the movie’s end credits, and later through the spinoff and promotional materials.
Yoda was almost a monkey
George Lucas originally planned for Yoda to be portrayed by a monkey. Director Irvin Kershner mentioned in an interview, “We thought, ‘Maybe if we trained a monkey, put him in an outfit, and then animated the lips.’” Unfortunately, they were told that the monkey would just keep pulling the outfit off, so they settled for a puppet instead.
Revenge of the Sith clone troopers were CGI
There were no live action clones in Revenge of the Sith, which is amazing considering how incredibly detailed the clones’ helmets and costumes were. The blasters fired by the First Order troopers, however, were real. They were based on compressed air guns, so they packed a real punch when fired.
Working titles were made to discourage fans from getting on-set
The more hardcore fans would attempt to guess what the story was about based on the title, or even infiltrate the film’s production. To avoid this, ridiculous working titles were made, such as: Blue Harvest for Return of the Jedi, Space Bears for The Last Jedi, Los Alamos for Rogue One, and Jar Jar’s Great Adventure for Attack of the Clones. Indeed, they were made to sound random on purpose.
The lightsaber’s noise was created by accident
Ben Burtt, the sound designer, discovered the sound while he was carrying a microphone across the room. It caught the hum of a television set, and he simply combined it with the buzz of a film projector motor. The end result became one of the most recognizable special effects sounds in movie history.
Cast members often made their own sound effects
It is said that, while on set, many actors would make their own sound effects when using certain props — whether it was to better internalize scenes, or simply to have a little more fun while working. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen would unconsciously make the lightsaber noise during his fight scenes in The Phantom Menace. Meanwhile, Laura Dern would say “pew pew” whenever her character would fire the blaster. You can even see her mouth moving in The Last Jedi.
The Porgs were designed just out of convenience
It’s hard not to be fond of these beloved creatures, and Dork Side of the Force says Porgs were actually based on puffins. The story goes that Skellig Michel was one of the shooting sites, which was overrun by puffins. Instead of attempting to digitally remove them, they incorporated them into the movie.
E.T. made a mini cameo
In the Phantom Menace, sci-fi movie fans may have noticed that the alien race from E.T. made an appearance. They were present as a delegation from the planet Brodo Asogi in the Grand Convocation Chamber.
The Star Wars universe makes use of many foreign words and languages
Aside from words like “vader” being Dutch for “father” and “yodha” being Sanskrit for “warrior”, Ewoks spoke a mix of Tibetan and Nepalese. Aside from that, John Williams translated lines from a 13th Welsh manuscript into Sanskrit for the chanting in “Duel of the Fates.”
