Star Wars

Question: According to the mistakes page, there's a shot of the Death Star hangar in the original theatrical version and a crew member walks in then realises he's in shot and walks back out. I have got the original on DVD and have searched each hangar shot and can't find it. Anyone help?

Answer: It may have been edited out for the DVD release. They clean up things like that on DVD.

Phixius

Question: I have the special edition widescreen on video, and still I have never spotted the stormtrooper who runs into a wall on the Death Star. This is supposed to be some kind of classic mistake, still I can't see it no matter how hard I try. Has it been deleted for the special edition? (Some claim that it hasn't, but I can't find it).

Answer: It was never taken out, but it can be hard to spot: the stormtrooper actually runs into the door of the control room where C-3P0 and R2-D2 are hiding. When they charge into the room, keep your eye on the door at all times; just before the camera starts to follow them to the left, you'll see the last one in bang his head.

Xofer

It also had sound added to it.

Question: While perusing an art book on this movie I came across several foreign movie posters where the Death Star is shown with the laser dish in the southern hemisphere rather than the northern (almost as if it were upside down). Anyone know why this is?

Answer: Judging from the movies, the laser doesn't seem to have much of an aiming system so the whole Death Star might need to rotate so the dish faces its target and in some cases this could mean needing to be "upside down". Just a hunch.

Phil Watts

Wouldn't an upside-down Death Star be problematic for the countless amount of Stormtroopers, Imperial officers etc. on it?

No more than for any other large planetary body. Either artificial gravity or it's large enough to create its own.

No, as demonstrated on the Millennium Falcon and star destroyers, the Star Wars universe has some form of artificial gravity.

David George

It's space, there is no up direction.

When there is gravity, there is an up and down. I think in terms of spaceships north is usually taken as up and south as down, relative to an astronomical body. But only because most maps are made that way. Determining an up and down helps with a sense of direction.

lionhead

Question: Is it me or after Owen says shut up to C3P0, he says to Owen shut up, sir?

Dr Wilson

Chosen answer: No, he says "Shutting up, sir."

tromatic

Question: Does anyone know how or if Obi-Wan was going to pay Han for taking him and Luke to Alderaan, if they had gotten there? If he had 17,000, why didn't he just pay the 10,000 that Han originally wanted?

Answer: In the next scene, after leaving the bar, Obi-Wan says, "You'll have to sell your speeder" to Luke. He replies, "Good, I'm never coming back here again." He also agrees to the price for passage, the extra is to insure that Han delivers them. No double crosses or selling them out to the Empire.

Answer: He didn't have it - he was presumably expecting that Bail Organa would provide the money on their arrival. That's why he upped the fee, to get Han to take him and Luke despite not receiving much money up front.

Tailkinker

Answer: Obi Wan does not know or trust Han Solo. He had no money other than the 2,000 for Luke's speeder, but even if he had the full amount, he would not have paid Han the additional 15,000 until he had safely delivered him, Luke, and the droids to Alderan. He offers the higher amount knowing it is less likely that Han will just take the 2,000 and run out or turn them over to the Empire for a reward. Obi Wan had no doubts that the Alderan government would pay the remainder of the fee, considering he was there at Princess Leia's request and how important the information was inside R2D2.

raywest

Question: Out of the numerous (and mostly unnecessary) changes George Lucas has made to this film over the years, has he ever given any reason as to why he has never fixed the appearance of the lightsabers in the film, or updated the awful CGI Jabba the Hutt? Those have always stood out to me as the two most glaring weaknesses in the visual department.

Phaneron

Answer: The CGI Jabba was updated for the 2004 DVD release from the version first added in the 1997 Special Edition.

Sierra1

Answer: He has not. He has only ever generally commented on the updates to the 90's Special Edition re-releases having scenes updated to fit what he always envisioned but was limited by budget and technology. The additional changes that have been made since the films were released on Blu-Ray and now Disney Plus have gone without comment. To your point about the lightsabers, they have been improved on the Disney Plus version of the film. The colors are more vibrant, and they now have a more noticeable sparking effect with clashes in the Obi-Wan/Vader duel.

BaconIsMyBFF

I plan on watching this film on Disney+ within the next few days, so I look forward to seeing what they did with the lightsabers.

Phaneron

Question: Was Vader aware that the stormtroopers executed Owen and Beru, his step-family? If so, what was his reaction?

Answer: It's not covered in the movies, but according to the (non-canon) expanded Star Wars universe it was Vader who ordered the execution, so he was OK with it.

Question: This goes for Episodes IV, V and VI. What are the little droid things that roll around on the ground in the Death Star?

Answer: These are the MSE (or Mouse) droids, who typically carry out minor maintenance or cleaning procedures but can also be assigned other tasks, such as carrying messages in the event that a comlink system is considered insecure, or leading individuals or groups to a particular area. Because of their occasional security related functions, they are designed to self-destruct in the event of capture, accounting for their somewhat nervous disposition.

Tailkinker

Question: I know this is probably one of the most asked questions ever in the Star Wars universe, but I can never get a straight answer. Why doesn't Chewbacca receive a medal at the end of A New Hope. I mean, he was there the entire time Luke and Han were (who did receive medals).

Answer: Star Wars wise, Chewbacca did receive a medal, but his was not presented publicly. Film wise, it was felt that adding Chewbacca to the scene was too cumbersome and detracted from the main characters.

Darius Angel

Question: Does anybody know why in fact there is a large monster swimming around in the death star's trash compactor? Makes the scene more exciting, yes, but its existence on the space station just seems out of place.

Answer: The creature, a dianoga, stowed into the trash compactor and built a lair as it was being built and installed on the Death Star. Dianogas love habitats like swamps or sewers and are found to commonly inhabit such places.

Darius Angel

The main question is why was it on a space station? I can't imagine that there have been other people thrown in the trash compactor so why would it be there.

It would not surprise me at all if someone had written an entire book explaining how the creature got there.

TonyPH

Question: If characters such as Luke and Obi-Wan are human, how come they are in a galaxy far, far away?

Answer: Well, it's also a "long time ago", so it doesn't rule out the possibility that the human inhabitants of Earth travelled here from there. Could also be a simple case of parallel evolution and the filmmakers refer to the species as "human" for convenience, in the same way that the standard Star Wars language is represented as present-day English, despite the fact that it obviously wouldn't be.

Tailkinker

Answer: Why shouldn't humans be there? Maybe a god/gods created humans on multiple planets. Maybe humans have evolved and developed on multiple planets, multiple times. In the Battlestar Galactica series, it's established that "all of this has happened before" - the human race advances to a certain point, then they create the Cylons that destroy nearly all of them. The survivors find a place to start over and produce new generations, who will create Cylons again someday. You could imagine something similar about the Star Wars universe, or imagine any other explanation.

Answer: We don't know they're "human" as we understand it anyway, despite the use of the word which may be a translation, as mentioned already (their alphabet isn't Roman, for a start). Like The Doctor or any number of humanoid races in sci-fi who resemble us externally but aren't homo sapiens.

Question: What did Obi-Wan mean when he said to Vader "You can't win, Vader. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine"? Also when he said "Strike me down", did he specifically mean taking Obi-Wan's life?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Yes, he meant take Obi-Wan's life. By killing him, Vader would release Obi-Wan from his body allowing him to follow and advise Luke wherever he goes.

Phixius

I believe that Obi-wan would also win because he was willing to "let go" in this situation. Helping Luke was more important than destroying Vader right now.

Question: Why does the technology in the original trilogy not look as good or as advanced as the technology of the prequel trilogy?

Socks1000

Chosen answer: The real reason is that our technology has advanced in the thirty years since the original movies were made, so better effects were possible. The "in-movie" reason is that he rebels are operating illegally, and therefore their equipment is all jury-rigged and pieced together from stolen or broken scrap, not manufactured like the devices featured in the prequels.

Phixius

Answer: Obi-Wan is Kenobi's real first name. It is explained in the Clone Wars television series that Satine Kryze, a Mandalorian Duchess whom Obi-Wan once saved the life of, had an affair with him after Kenobi became a Jedi Knight. Their relationship did not last, but her pet name for him was "Ben" and he adopted the name in tribute.

Darius Angel

Question: Did that officer who Vader attempts to choke, throw up on the table afterwards? I can't tell if that's vomit or just some buttons on the table, but as I haven't watched the film in some time, any help would be great.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Every person on the table has a monitor in front of them, and what you see is a yellow button or some kind of mouse or joystick that glows.

Anastasios Anastasatos

Answer: Hands aren't necessary for force usage - it's more a gesture to aid concentration (or for effect, or simply because it looks good on film). During Luke's fight with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back for example, Vader is flinging large objects at Luke without removing his hands from his lightsaber at all.

Jon Sandys

Question: How did Owen Lars and Beru physically age by 40 years between the time of this movie and the biologically previous movie when they should've only physically aged 19, and how did Obi-Wan physically age by 30 years when he should've only aged 19 as well?

Answer: There's no "official" answer, as far as I know, but the most common explanation is simply that life on Tatooine takes a greater toll on humans than on more hospitable worlds, especially in the case of those who simply eke out an existence as did Owen, Beru, and Obi-Wan. Tatooine also has two suns, which could also account for the apparent (as opposed to actual) age of its human inhabitants; much as it is on Earth, excessive sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin.

zendaddy621

Answer: There is no explanation other than this is about casting. When George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie in the 1970s, he never expected the phenomena it is today. Alec Guiness was cast as Obi Wan because he was a famous, well-respected actor who was perfect for the part. When Lucas made the prequel trilogy some thirty years later, there were inevitable changes, revisions, and inconsistencies about plot, characters, and so on. Obi Wan was re-imagined as a younger character when he first met Anakin. The younger actors who played Beru and Lars were probably cast because they had a similar appearance to the original actors playing the parts. Actors often play roles where they are older or younger than their actual age. This is quite noticeable in the Harry Potter films, where the actors who played Snape, Sirius, Lupin, James and Lily Potter, etc. were at least 15-20 years older than the characters they played. Audiences are expected to employ a suspension of disbelief.

raywest

Question: What's wrong with Greedo shooting first? I agree changing it is pretty pointless, but what difference does it make? How does it affect the movie?

MikeH

Chosen answer: This has already been asked and answered on this site, in the past few weeks in fact. But again: It doesn't affect the movie, but it affects the character of Han Solo and how he is meant to be perceived by the audience. If he shoots first, he's an outlaw, a rogue, and, in the classic Western tradition, quicker on the draw than Greedo. If Greedo shoots first, Han is just killing in self-defense, which does nothing for his character and makes the whole scene superfluous, other than establish that people want to kill him.

Answer: Also, Han shooting first places doubts about his motives in the viewer's mind early on. It establishes Han as ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Might he turn Luke and Ben over to the Empire if he decides it's in his best interests? But having Greedo shoot first turns Han in to just another generic good guy.

Answer: I mostly agree with the other answers about Han, but his shooting first is integral to the plot and not about showing any ruthlessness. Greedo cornered Han and intended to turn him over to Jabba the Hut to collect the bounty on Han's head. Greedo told Han, while holding him at gun point, that he wanted the money Obi Wan was paying Han, then implied he was going to kill Han before turning his body over to Jabba for the reward. Han's only option was to kill Greedo right then and there. He basically is shooting Greedo in self-defense (or for self-preservation). As well as establishing what his character is like, the scene also serves as exposition that shows Jabba had put a price on Han's head, Greedo was a deadly adversary, that Han leads a dangerous and illegal life, and he was desperate to resolve his dilemma of living under a death sentence.

raywest

As a child of the 70's, I grew up with the notion of Han shooting first. Never gave it much thought, to me he was in a situation of kill or being killed. The debate seemed over a moot point to me.

Question: In this movie, the Death Star is barely completed. Until now, what motivated people, on multiple planets, to obey and fear the Empire? What stopped everyone from simply not accepting the Emperor and his organization? Similar to how Tattooine did not acknowledge the Republic during Anakin's childhood.

Answer: One simple answer is that even before the Death Star the Empire still had vast amounts of firepower at its disposal, Star Destroyers, Storm Troopers, TIE Fighters/Bombers. A longer answer is that like a lot of fascist governments it wasn't an overnight thing - he invokes emergency powers, makes the Republic population feel threatened and like he's the only solution, etc. He doesn't announce to everyone at once "I'm secretly evil and you are my subjects". I suspect also a great many people didn't notice a huge amount of change in their day to day lives - if they felt they had nothing to fear from any government they wouldn't object to the rise of the Empire until it was too late.

Answer: Only C-3PO's mind was wiped - if you listen to the dialogue, the order given specifies "the protocol droid" for memory erasure; R2-D2's memory remains intact. That being said, as neither droid in fact ever belonged to Kenobi, it's fairly clear that Artoo is simply being devious in the hope of being taken to the intended recipient of the message that he's carrying, a lie that he could have told quite readily even if his memory had been wiped at some point.

Tailkinker

Answer: At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Bail Organa said to wipe 3PO's mind. He didn't say anything about R2. In fact, R2 laughed at 3PO's reaction. Why would he do that if he was being wiped as well?

Answer: R2 D2 did not have his memory intact. Princess Leia gave him specific orders to find Obi-Wan and give the information to him and him alone. Since the information is in the Droid and it belongs to Obi-Wan, therefore he belongs to him.

This is speculation. If we consider Revenge of the Sith, it's plain R2's memory was not wiped. If we only look at what's in A New Hope, there's nothing to indicate it was wiped. In fact, R2's behavior suggests he knows far more about what's going on than C-3PO.

Other mistake: Before Uncle Owen yells for Luke, if you look very closely, a fly can be seen on the lens (best seen on the special edition release). The fly was removed in the 2019 release.

More mistakes in Star Wars

Luke: How did my father die?
Obi-Wan: A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father.

More quotes from Star Wars

Trivia: On its initial release, the film was booked in just 37 theaters. It ended up breaking 36 house records.

Cubs Fan

More trivia for Star Wars

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