Few franchises have attracted the kind of following that the Star Wars series has amassed. The first Star Wars was released in 1977 and since then, there have been 8 more. Star Wars fans are famous for giving little attention to the reviews of critics – they eagerly wait for each new release and then watch the movies repeatedly, devouring every little detail as they attempt to decipher the fantasy world in which their beloved characters live and try to anticipate what may come next.
Intertops mobile casino gamers and other Star Wars aficionados pride themselves on knowing every little detail of what has gone on in the world of Star Wars over the last 40+ years. But there are still surprises that add to the suspense and excitement of being part of the Star Wars universe.
Check out some details that you may have forgotten about Star Wars characters, places, incidents and adventures.
What is Yoda’s species?
Yoda, the Jedi Master, was the member of a species whose name has not (yet) been revealed. The species, of which Yoda was the best-known member, is described as a tribe of small, carnivorous humanoids. There were other members of the species in various roles during the Star Wars movies including members of the Jedi Order who were active during the time of the Galactic Republic.
Little is known about this species including its fate. The decision to keep the information about the species secret was made by George Lucas who never shared his reasons for not revealing the species’ history, origin or even name.
How was Yoda created?
Yoda was created by Frank Oz, the legendary Muppeteer. Lucas originally planned to hire a monkey to play Yoda. The monkey was going to dress up in a Yoda costume including a mask. The original plan almost came to be – a monkey was actually found and training the monkey had begun when a crew member who had worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey described the difficulties of working with apes during that movie’s opening.
That was enough to convince the Empire’s filmmakers to turn to Oz for a more workable solution.
Where did George Lucas get the idea of Chewbacca?
Chewbacca and his species The Wookies came about via the influence of a number of animals. Wookies resemble dogs, cats, apes, lemeurs and even man. According to George Lucas, he came up with the idea of Chewbaca, Hans Solo’s co-pilot, after people saw his own Alaskan Malamute in his car and mistook it for a human.
The first make-up artist tasked with creating an idea for Chewbacca was told to make it look like a lemur while the second was told to think dog/cat. To devise a voice for Chewbacca a mix of the calls of lions, badgers, walruses, bears and other sick animals was put together and that became the Wookie roar.
How did R2-D2 evolve?
R2-D2, the loveable robot of Star Wars, speaks in whistles and beeps, a robot language that his friend C-3PO understands and translates for him. But originally, R2-D2 was meant to speak in complete sentences. Luckily C-3PO speaks six million languages including the droidspeak spoken by R2-D2.
Not many people know that R2-D2 wasn’t always meant to be a loveable goof. When he was first imagined, he was a bit of a bully who made C-3PO’s life quite difficult.
Most people assume that R2-D2 was, indeed, a robot but actor Kenny Baker actually inhabited the R2-D2 costume. Baker was 3’8″.
Which movie had an ending that most of the actors didn’t even know about?
One of the biggest surprises of the Star Wars movies was in The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker “I am your father.” That line was kept a secret from almost everyone on set including most of the movie’s stars. The filmmakers went to great lengths to protect the secret, telling only James Earl Jones, who played Darth Vader, and Mark Hamill who needed to give a believable reaction of utter shock when he heard the news.
Neither Carrie Fisher nor Harrison Ford knew the secret. In rehearsals they used the line “Obi-Wan killed your father.” The actors, technicians and other crew members didn’t know the truth until the premier of the film was screened.
What was Carrie Fisher’s biggest frustration?
Carrie Fisher wasn’t a big fan of the Princess Leia wardrobe. Even the simple white dress that she wore was problematic because she couldn’t wear a bra underneath the costume. “As we all know,” she later commented, “there is no underwear in space.”
Fisher was equally as appalled at the gold bikini that she had to wear while she was being held prisoner by Jabba the Hutt. “It wasn’t my choice,” she said. “When [director George Lucas] showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous. I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight. … What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable. … I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn’t wait to kill him.”