On Could 4, the world celebrates Star Wars Day, which commemorates George Lucas’ multi-billion-dollar, decades-long franchise.
Presently, there are 9 episodes within the Star Wars movie collection, plus three standalone motion pictures (and two extra on the way in which). Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm for over $4 billion in 2012, the corporate has created quite a lot of Star Wars TV reveals — together with the Emmy Award-winning The Mandalorian — merchandise and even a devoted land at Disney theme parks.
However Lucas’ hope was all the time to offer an imaginative escape.
“The explanation I am making Star Wars is that I need to give younger folks some type of faraway unique atmosphere for his or her imaginations to run round in,” Lucas instructed The New York Instances in 1976. “I’ve a powerful feeling about attention-grabbing children in area exploration. I need them to need it. I need them to get past the essential stupidities of the second … It is our solely hope in a method.”
From the place Lucas bought his inspiration for the franchise to the true story behind Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith’s ultimate epic lightsaber duel, listed here are 12 behind-the-scenes info you didn’t find out about Star Wars.
Ewan McGregor makes use of a sound file filled with Sir Alec Guinness’ strains to channel Obi-Wan Kenobi
Sir Alec Guinness introduced the legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi to life in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, so Ewan McGregor knew he had a tall process in enjoying the Jedi’s youthful self within the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Seventeen years later, McGregor reprised the position in Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi collection. To get again into character, McGregor went again to the supply.
“I’m all the time making an attempt to sound like him, however I’ve to really feel like him and it’s the way in which he phrases issues,” McGregor instructed Rotten Tomatoes in 2022. “I’ve all his strains from A New Hope in a sound file, simply his strains.”
Samuel L. Jackson bought his position as Mace Windu by speaking concerning the franchise on a chat present
“Ask and also you shall obtain” seems like sage recommendation from Yoda, however Samuel L. Jackson put this phrase into motion to get solid because the strong-willed, purple-lightsaber-wielding Jedi Mace Windu.
In 1996, Jackson appeared on the British discuss present TFI Friday, the place he made it clear that he needed to be a part of the upcoming Star Wars prequel trilogy.
“After I noticed [Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope], I used to be like, ‘Rattling, I might like to be in certainly one of these motion pictures,’ ” Jackson instructed ScreenSlam. “20 years later, I had the chance to only say that, as a result of I noticed, nicely, George [Lucas] was about to make the subsequent installment. Perhaps if I say it usually sufficient, he’ll hear it, and he did.”
Mark Hamill initially thought Harrison Ford’s Han Solo was the franchise star
Mark Hamill might have been the unique franchise’s protagonist because the lovable Luke Skywalker, however initially, he did not know he was the star. When Hamill screen-tested with Harrison Ford, Hamill thought that he would simply be a sidekick.
“After I examined, I figured Harrison’s the main man. I’m just like the annoying sidekick … as a result of I’m badgering him and all these things,” Hamill instructed the Smartless podcast in 2025. “So I began to learn this [script] and, within the very starting, I noticed, ‘Oh my god. That is seen by means of the eyes of this teenage farm boy.’ That was uncommon in and of itself. You’d assume it’d in all probability be by means of the eyes of Han Solo.”
Jude Regulation’s childhood love of Star Wars impressed him to pursue his Skeleton Crew position
Within the persevering with growth of the Star Wars universe, Disney launched a coming-of-age journey collection referred to as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew in 2024, which stars Jude Regulation as a Power-using pirate captain named Jod.
As a child, Regulation beloved Star Wars a lot that he needed to be a part of the franchise.
“I suppose wanting again now, it was an enormous a part of my love affair with movie, the fantastic thing about movie as storytelling and subsequently maybe what impressed me to behave and why I needed to be in that world,” Regulation instructed ipromiseyoumedia in 2024.
Darth Vader’s well-known “I’m your father” line was solely identified by Hamill, Lucas and director Irvin Kershner till the movie’s premiere
Within the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Again, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) spoke one of the vital iconic strains of all time when Luke accused him of killing his father.
“No, I’m your father,” Vader replied.
The reveal was so secretive that solely Hamill, Lucas and Empire Strikes Again director Irvin Kershner knew about it beforehand.
“The solid & crew first realized of it after they noticed the completed movie. Once we shot it, Vader’s line was ‘You do not know the reality, Obi-Wan killed your father.’ Solely Irvin Kershner, George Lucas & I knew what could be dubbed in later. Agony holding that secret for over a yr!” Hamill wrote on X in 2020.
Mark Hamill was bitten by a snake whereas filming The Empire Strikes Again
In The Empire Strikes Again, Luke Skywalker trains within the methods of the Power with the sage advice-filled, miniature inexperienced Jedi grasp Yoda on his house planet of Dagobah. However the set for the otherworldly planet had snakes in all places, and Hamill even bought bitten by certainly one of them.
“It was a little bit love nip,” Hamill joked afterwards in a behind-the-scenes video.
An actual volcanic eruption was used for Revenge of the Sith
In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker — having totally turned to the darkish facet — engages in an epic, fiery lightsaber battle with friend-turned-foe Obi-Wan Kenobi on the volcanic planet of Mustafar.
It seems a few of these volcano eruptions had been actual, for the reason that volcano Mount Etna erupted whereas the crew was filming backdrop pictures in Italy for the film, per Lucasfilm editor J.W. Rinzler’s e book The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Again.
Hayden Christensen pleaded to put on the Darth Vader go well with
After enjoying Anakin Skywalker — who transitioned from a prophetic padawan Jedi into one of the vital sinister villains of all time — Christensen wasn’t presupposed to don the long-lasting Darth Vader go well with in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
Lucas and producer Rick McCallum had been auditioning “basketball gamers” and equally tall actors to put on the Vader go well with, however Christensen requested that he do it as an alternative.
“I simply very politely requested if it was doable. And George [Lucas] and Rick [McCallum] — and the sort of those who they’re — allowed me that privilege,” Christensen instructed About Leisure in 2005.
Yoda was nearly performed by a monkey with a masks
Yoda’s puppet look was nearly even quirkier. In Rinzler’s e book, he wrote that Lucas initially needed Yoda to be performed by a monkey in a masks.
The thought didn’t final lengthy, and legendary Muppets creator and puppeteer Jim Henson was introduced in to assist construct the Yoda that followers know as we speak.
There have been two variations ofThe Mandalorian’s Child Yoda
As the primary live-action Star Wars present, The Mandalorian was a smash hit and its breakout star was none apart from the cute Child Yoda. Bringing him to the display would finally repay, nevertheless it wasn’t a straightforward process.
In most scenes, as much as 5 puppeteers moved animatronic eyes, head and arms, as VFX supervisor Richard Bluff instructed The Hollywood Reporter. However there was additionally a “stuffy” model that might be held within the background when the Youngster was out of focus.
Moreover, a CGI model of the character was created for “the uncommon event that we would have liked CG for the efficiency. It needed to match the puppet precisely,” Bluff mentioned.
Daisy Ridley secured her position by means of a Kylo Ren interrogation
A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Power Awakens director J.J. Abrams was trying to solid a relative unknown for the position of Rey within the sequel trilogy.
Daisy Ridley, who ultimately gained the half, needed to audition 5 instances — and survive an interrogation by the villainous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).
In a behind-the-scenes documentary, Abrams mentioned she bought the position when he noticed the advanced vary of feelings Ridley may show whereas being interrogated by Driver.
George Lucas was influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 movie The Hidden Fortress
Japanese director Akira Kurosawa might have had the biggest affect over Lucas’ work. The distinctive storytelling in Kurosawa’s 1958 epic The Hidden Fortress helped Lucas notice how he needed to inform Star Wars.
“[The Hidden Fortress’] story was instructed from the 2 lowest characters,” Lucas mentioned on the movie’s Blu-Ray particular options. “I made a decision that that may be a pleasant solution to inform the Star Wars story, which is to take the 2 lowliest characters, as Kurosawa did, and inform the story from their perspective, which within the Star Wars case is the 2 droids [C-3PO and R2-D2].”
