• More More

Search

My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other
  • NEWS + FEATURES
    • THE LATEST
    • ANDOR
    • CELEBRATION
    • QUIZZES + POLLS
    • BOOKS + COMICS
  • VIDEO
    • ALL VIDEO
    • THIS WEEK! IN STAR WARS
  • FILMS
  • SERIES
    • All Series
    • Andor
    • Skeleton Crew
    • Ahsoka
    • The Mandalorian
  • GAMES + INTERACTIVE
    • View All
    • Star Wars Outlaws
    • Games + Apps
    • VR + Immersive
  • DATABANK
    • ALL DATABANK
    • ERAS
  • DISNEY+
    • STREAM NOW
    • EXPLORE
    • THE DISNEY BUNDLE
  • More More
My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other

STAR WARS ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Skeleton Crew
  • The Mandalorian
  • Ahsoka
  • The Acolyte
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Clone Wars
  • Visions
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Games + Apps
  • ILM
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Series
  • The High Republic
{:title=>"Behind the Scenes", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/behind-the-scenes"}

20 Odd-But-True Star Wars Facts to Impress Your Friends on May the 4th

May 1, 2018
May 1, 2018
Kelly Knox

Star Wars fans old and new will find your knowledge impressive. Most impressive.

You might think you know everything there is to know about Star Wars, but much to learn you still have. We've gathered some fascinating and surprising behind-the-scenes facts from interviews, featurettes, magazine articles, and even some tweets, for a list that proves there's always something new to discover about the galaxy we love.

Last year, you were but the learner. When you gather your friends to watch your favorite Star Wars films as you celebrate May the 4th this year, impress them by sharing some of the facts from the list below to prove that you are the master.

 

Episodes I-III

Liam Neeson’s (Qui-Gon Jinn) wig went missing during an overnight thunderstorm while the crew was on location in Tunisia. The same severe storm also wrecked many of the podracers built for the film, much to the crew’s dismay.

An Attack of the Clones: Geonosis Overview animated GIF shows the droid factory.

When the visual effects team mapped out the Geonosis droid factory, one area was labeled “Padmé Chompers.” You can see it in animated action in Attack of the Clones: Geonosis Overview.

A behind-the-scenes bluescreen studio shot from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith shows how characters had to dangle their legs outside of the cockpit to keep their knees out of the shot when filming atmospheric battle sequences.

When you see the Jedi swooping through the stars in Revenge of the Sith, their feet are actually sticking out of the front window. To get the best angles of the amazing atmospheric battle in Episode III, Anakin and Obi-Wan had to dangle their legs outside of the cockpit to keep their knees out of the shot.

StarWars.com may have played a small part in Mace Windu’s lightsaber becoming the purple color Samuel L. Jackson wanted. After asking George Lucas if a purple lightsaber was possible, Jackson was delighted to be presented with an image of Mace with the purple blade---as a test. “But somehow or other,” said Jackson in an interview, “even though he had done it as an experiment, it was already on the website. And, you know, he let me keep it.”

The Star Wars holiday special was the direct inspiration for the appearance of Kashyyyk in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. This according to Ryan Church, Concept Design Supervisor. Like the original trilogy, the look of Chewbacca’s home in the special was designed by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie.

 

Episodes IV-VI

Chewbacca between takes with a crew member holding a clapboard.

At Star Wars Celebration 2017, George Lucas confirmed that Chewbacca was inspired by his dog. "The stories are all true. I had a large dog named Indiana,” he said. “A malamute, an Alaskan malamute, and he would ride around in the car in the front seat. Not driving. I loved that image."

Wedge Antilles is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s uncle. Sort of. One of Ewan McGregor’s (Obi-Wan Kenobi) earliest memories in a movie theater is his whole family seeing A New Hope together to cheer on his uncle, Denis Lawson (Wedge Antilles).

R2-D2 and R5-D4 with several Jawas near the base of a sandcrawler.

Artoo’s journey upward into the sandcrawler in A New Hope was accomplished by an old moviemaking trick, not new visual effects. “The sensitive little droid shot down the tube and past the lens, landing on some thoughtfully placed padding – out of camera range,” wrote Anthony Daniels (C-3PO). “Later they would reverse the film.”

Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) spent some time inside a dewback in Mos Eisley. "When I climbed inside the dewback outside the cantina in Tunisia,” he tweeted, “there was a crowbar to lift its head. [It] was covered in newspaper papier-machê, including a review of a David Bowie concert in Paris, which I read by flashlight. Odd, but true."


Han Solo’s Hoth parka is actually brown, not blue, revealed Laela French in Discoveries From Inside: Costumes Revealed. The lighting in the Echo Base and Hoth scenes may be the reason so many fans recall the color as blue.

Yoda was almost portrayed by a monkey. “We thought, 'Maybe if we trained a monkey, put him in an outfit, and then animated the lips,'" recalled director Irvin Kershner in an interview.

Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) fell asleep on the set of Return of the Jedi, and awoke to overhear a huge Star Wars secret he wasn't supposed to know. After a quick nap behind a tree, Daniels woke up just in time to hear Leia reveal her true relationship with Luke. “When I saw the finished movie, only I knew I was behind the tree,” wrote Daniels in Star Wars Insider #30. “Lucky I hadn’t been snoring. Perhaps I should have been a spy.”

Film crew members work with extras dressed as Ewoks on the set of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Some of those Ewoks versus stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi were actually British dock workers, salespeople, and typists versus California lumberjacks. According to Classic Creatures – The Making of The Return of The Jedi, extras for the famous battle were recruited from all walks of life.

 

Episodes VII-VIII

Nien Nunb made the leap from puppet to real person, and was even played by the same actor. Mike Quinn was the puppeteer for Nien in Return of the Jedi, and donned an animatronic mask and flight suit for The Force Awakens.

Chewbacca’s fur in The Force Awakens is actually yak belly fur. The Crafting Creatures featurette revealed this secret. The yak belly fur is attached to a knitted wool suit, the same as it was in A New Hope.

Crait is a planet made from paper. After testing a number of different materials to make the explosive surface of Crait look just right in The Last Jedi, the effects team finally found the winning mixture of shredded paper dyed red.

A special-effects team on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi works to animate Porgs, the sea-dwelling beakless birds.

Porgs started as “puffin people.” Skellig Michael, the shooting location for Ahch-To, is overrun with puffins. Director Rian Johnson decided to make them a part of The Last Jedi rather than try to remove them from any scenes, and thus the porgs were born, said Jake Lunt Davies in a StarWars.com interview.

Laura Dern (Admiral Holdo) couldn’t resist making “pew pew” sounds. Sometimes, you can see her mouth moving to make the accompanying sound effect when firing her blaster in The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson said in the director’s commentary.

 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story


Riz Ahmed (Bodhi Rook) spammed director Gareth Edwards with different auditions for Bodhi—even though he already had the part. “I didn’t stop there,” laughed Ahmed in a behind-the-scenes interview. “I just kept recording more takes and emailing him.”

Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) really, really, really wants to touch Jabba the Hutt. In multiple interviews, Luna has discussed his obsession with finding out what that texture feels like. (We just hope there are cameras there if the moment finally arrives.)

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer. She shares her love of Star Wars and all things geeky with her daughter by creating kid-friendly DIY projects. Before becoming a freelance writer, Kelly worked as the community manager for the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies.

Behind the Scenes star wars day Star Wars Trivia

Related Stories

  • {:title=>"Films", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/films"} {:title=>"Disney+", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney+"}

    Revenge of the Sith at 20: Return of Pablo Hidalgo’s Episode III Set Diaries

    May 20, 2025

    May 20, 2025

    May 20

  • {:title=>"Andor", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/andor"} {:title=>"Series", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/series"}

    The Secrets of Ghorman, Mina-Rau, and More: Creating the Worlds of Andor Season 2 - Updated

    May 14, 2025

    May 14, 2025

    May 14

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Day", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-day"} {:title=>"Merchandise", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/merchandise"}

    Get your Own Droid Counterpart with the Special Edition Star Wars Cargo-Carrying Robot from Piaggio Fast Forward - Exclusive

    May 2, 2025

    May 2, 2025

    May 2

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Day", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-day"} {:title=>"Games + Apps", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/games-+-apps"}

    Star Wars Day 2025 Games and Experiences Deals!

    May 1, 2025

    May 1, 2025

    May 1

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Day", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-day"} {:title=>"Merchandise", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/merchandise"}

    Get Ready for Star Wars Day 2025 with New Merchandise and Deals

    April 28, 2025

    April 28, 2025

    Apr 28

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"} {:title=>"Disney+", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney+"}

    10 Things You Didn't Know About Star Wars Rebels

    October 15, 2024

    October 15, 2024

    Oct 15

  • {:title=>"Behind the Scenes", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/behind-the-scenes"}

    25 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Making of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

    August 9, 2024

    August 9, 2024

    Aug 9

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Day", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-day"} {:title=>"Fans + Community", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/fans-+-community"}

    Happy Star Wars Day!

    May 4, 2024

    May 4, 2024

    May 4

  • More From Star Wars:
    • TikTok
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Youtube
    • SWKids
    • Terms of Use
    • Additional Content Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy
    • Your US State Privacy Rights
    • Disney Store | Star Wars
    • Star Wars Helpdesk
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved