BLOGGING THE VIEW: Celebrate Star Wars Day with these great facts!

WHETHER you’ve been a die hard Star Wars fan since it blasted onto theatre screens in 1977, discovered the delights of this space opera in the second (or more likely third trilogy), got captivated by one of the many spin-off series (Mandalorian… Andor… Osoka… Obi Wan…) or you have no clue what a C3PO or Yoda is, then this is for you.

4 May has become a global Star Wars celebration (May the fourth be with you … if you know, you know), so why not impress those Star Wars nerds with some interesting (yet ultimately useless) facts about the franchise? Here’s what you need to (or not) know.

1. The individual lined up to voice Darth Vader was none other than Orson Welles, but George Lucas felt his voice would be too instantly recognisable. Ironically, the man who went on to voice Vader, James Earl Jones, became renowned for having one of the most recognisable voices in film history.

2. George Lucas stayed true to his vision on a number of occasions, one being the naming of his films. When 20th Century Fox suggested renaming the iconic Return of the Jedi to the Revenge of the Jedi, he refused because Jedi don’t seek revenge.

3. Academy Award-winning actor Benicio Del Toro was originally poised to play Darth Maul but dropped out after most of his lines were cut. He did eventually join the franchise in the the final movie, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi where he played the morally grey Slicer DJ.

4. There is an interesting family connection in Star Wars in that Denis Lawson, who plays the pilot Wedge, is Ewan McGregor’s uncle. McGregor went on to play Obi Wan Kanobi in the second trilogy, and Ewan McGregor’s daughter Esther Rose actually made a cameo appearance in the second episode of the spin-off show Obi-Wan Kenobi.

5. The iconic Star Wars opening text crawl actually took around three hours to complete. Filmmakers placed large yellow letters on black paper as the camera made a slow pass over the text to mimic the floating text crawl.

6. Jabba the Hutt, the Tatooine gangster who kept Princess Leia captive in that famous gold bikini, was actually operated by a team of actors. The puppet was fitted with three men inside with two operating the arms, head and tongue, while another moved the tail. Another man below the puppet pulled strings to move Jabba’s mouth and sides, while two radio control operators controlled his eyes. Finally, one man had to keep rubbing gel on Jabba to give him that slimy, reptilian look.

7. George Lucas’ first movie, a dystopian sci-fi starring Robert Duvall, is acknowledged throughout the Star Wars franchise. His film, THX-1138 (referencing Lucas’ phone number in college) was Chewie’s cell block (1138) in a New Hope, while Princess Leia’s Death Start cell number was 2187 – the year in which the film was set. There are several more references throughout the franchise.

Love it or not, Star Wars is one of the most impactful film franchises of our time, and you might as well get on board with some Star Wars celebrations this Saturday. Or not. Either way, may the fourth be with you!

SOURCES:

https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2023/2/4/23583607/practical-effects-original-star-wars-trilogy-behind-scenes/
https://www.hola.com/us/entertainment/20230504321363/star-wars-day-interesting-facts-iconic-universe/
https://screenrant.com/star-wars-useless-but-fun-facts-reddit/

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