Little Known Things About Star Wars And A Galaxy Far, Far Away
The only way to celebrate May fourth is to honor Star Wars. It's also a chance to learn something new about the space opera and the mastermind behind the franchise, George Lucas.
One of Hollywood's most iconic films had some troubling beginnings before it throttled into the limelight. To think, a stockbroker was close to playing a prominent role in Episode I and Lucas never received the highest honor any filmmaker can achieve. Strap yourself in and remember, May the Fourth be with you!
Yoda Is NOT A Muppet
Yoda was actually built by a member of Lucasfilm. Frank Oz provided the voice for Yoda while Jim Henson oversaw his creation.
Nobody even knows what species he is, which is a disappointment. Don't expect to see Yoda attending Kermit's Christmas Party anytime soon.
Luke & Leia Aren't The Same Age
Despite being twins, Luke and Leia were never the same age. Luke was in Dagobah whereas Leia was in an asteroid field, but both ended up in Cloud City.
Due to the General Relativity, Leias 25 times closer to Cloud City than Luke, so she aged 62 days compared to Luke's 700 days. This means that Luke is actually almost 2 years younger than his twin sister.
Anakin Was Almost Played By A Stock Broker
Casting director Robin Gurlan met with hundreds of actors to find the one to play the boy who grew up to become Darth Vader.
Of all the names in the running, Jeff Garner was one of them. A stockbroker from Indiana, Garner attracted the attention of Ray Park, who played Darth Maul. Park sent Garner's info to Lucasfilm after the two appeared in a karate tournament.
It Would Have Cost Over $500 Quintillion To Blow Up The Death Star
Blowing up the Death Star would have been a significant crisis in the galaxy.
It would have cost more than $500 quintillion which would have ultimately destroyed every single thing in the universe far, far away. If it happened, that would have sent the galaxy into their own Great Depression.
Light Sabers Were Created By The Dark Side
Lightsabers came from the bad guys.
The first lightsaber was called a forcesaber that would channel the energy of the dark side into a blade through crystals. The second someone touches the forcesaber, would turn people to the dark side.
Harrison Ford Was Accidentally Cast As Han Solo
Lucas was looking for unfamiliar actors during the seven-month-long casting session. Lucas brought in Harrison Ford, who appeared in American Graffiti, and fed lines to the actors auditioning. After seeing dozens of actors, Lucas liked Ford's delivery feeding lines so much that he caved and cast him as Han Solo.
E.T. Makes A Cameo In Episode I
Those alien-like creatures are actually the famous alien from E.T. They were inserted in Episode I after promises were made between Spielberg and Lucas.
Spielberg included Yoda and Star Wars toys in E.T. Lucas returned the promise by including the alien in the next Star Wars film.
Qui-Gon Jinn's Comlink Was A Gillette Razor
This mystery is finally solved. It made any fan go bonkers over what Liam Nesson was using for his Comlink.
Well, Nesson simply used a Gillette razor blade, specifically a women's blade. See, not everything in the Galaxy has to be super expensive to use as a prop.
Sound Engineer Ben Burtt Created The Iconic Sounds Of The Franchise
Ben Burtt was challenged with creating a new and organic soundscape for the movie.
The effects he created were Chewbacca's voice, which is a blend of a bear, lion, and walrus. Darth Vader's famous breathing was recorded by putting a microphone in a regulator of a scuba tank.
The iconic opening text crawl was filmed by placing yellow letters over a six-foot-long black paper background.
The camera would make a slow pass over the content that was provided. Once everything was ready and complete, it took three hours to shoot.
Yoda Was Almost A Monkey
Who would have thought that The Grand Master of the Jedi order was almost a monkey? The monkey was going to wear a green mask carrying a cane.
Thankfully, one monkey expert on set argued that the monkey was going to pull off the mask every time. So, the next time someone complains about the lousy CGI from the prequels, tell them this.
George Lucas Asked A USC Professor To Direct Episode V
Lucas backed out of directing The Empire Strikes Back, but remained as a producer. In fact, he offered Irvin Kershner, Lucas' USC professor, to a chance to direct despite never having experience with a big-budget movie.
Kershner turned down the offer, but Lucas insisted Episode V would build on its mythology. That was enough to say "yes."
Episode I Title Was Like A Top Secret Code
In November 1994, Lucas began writing the first prequel for another Star Wars trilogy.
It was called "The Beginning" up until production when Lucas revealed the new title as The Phantom Menace. The film would be delivered to theaters under "The Doll House" to avoid piracy and bootlegging.
Lucas Turned To An Old Pal For Help With Episode III
Lucas turned to one of his oldest pals, Steven Spielberg to assist in cutting out specific set pieces to the film.
Spielberg only accepted the offer because he wanted to test out pre-visualization techniques before he released War of the Worlds. The Jaws director is credited as an assistant director in Episode III.
Orson Welles Was Almost Darth Vader
George Lucas originally wanted Orson Welles as the voice of the Darth Vader.
Nevertheless, Lucas dropped the idea since he believed that the Citizen Kane star's infamous baritone would be too much of a giveaway to the audience. So, Lucas settled for James Earl Jones.
Lucas Lost A $40 Million Bet To Spielberg
Before A New Hope was released, Lucas had every doubt in his mind and figured the movie would be a flop.
One day, he went to visit Spielberg where he admitted that Star Wars is going to do bad. Spielberg offered to swap 2.5% of Star Wars for his movie Close Encounters. Of course, Lucas' film earned $775 million worldwide.
Seven Men Portrayed Jabba The Hut
Stuart Freeborn, who designed Yoda, created the massive Jabba puppet, which needed seven puppeteers to control it.
Three were inside with one controlling the right arm and jaw; another handled the left hand, jaw, tongue, and head movements. One was in the tail and two people on radio controllers for the eyes.
George Lucas Never Won An Oscar And It's A Shame
Lucas' cultural phenomenon won six Academy Awards, but he's never won a golden statuette of his own.
The USC graduate has been nominated for four awards- two for Star Wars and American Graffiti. It's almost a mystery as to why Lucas never won an Oscar- maybe it's just politics.
Naboo Was Originally Called Utapu
The home of Queen Amidala was initially called Utapu, which should be familiar to any super fan.
Utapu was the name Lucas suggested to the desert planet before it would become Tatooine in the early draft of A New Hope. Utapu eventually ended up in Revenge of the Sith as a Separatist outpost.
Cutting Off People's Hands With A Light Saber Is A Jedi Technique
Cutting off someone's hand is a Jedi technique, and there are two differences.
Cho sun is described as cutting off one appendage. Mou Kei is when you cut off someone's hand. The most obvious example of this is the battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader when Vader slices Luke's hand off.
