Top 10 Most Interesting Off Camera 'Star Wars' Stories

When the Star Wars franchise began way back in 1977, it changed the face of the industry forever. No other film up to that point was quite as revolutionary as A New Hope, and it maintains that status to this day. With over forty years and counting, the franchise has been an unquestionable success, but what we see on the screen is only the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes of the beloved series lies a plethora of interesting, and often downright bizarre, stories that led to the finished product. Here’s just a few of the most memorable moments.

10. The Astromech of Nazareth

Since its inception, the Star Wars franchise has had no shortage of memorable robotic companions to grace the screen, but perhaps the best among them is the one who started it all, R2-D2. Alongside his counterpart C-3PO, the droid was always around to get his friends out of tight spots. Proving himself to be an invaluable addition to any group he was a part of. However, one of his real-world stand-ins had a mischievous adventure while filming in Tunisia. At the time, the desert played host to two sets, Star Wars, and its neighbor the film Jesus of Nazareth. One of the remote controlled R2-D2 robots decided it wanted to pay its neighbor a visit and, due to a controller malfunction, trundled over to the adjacent set. Fortunately, the encounter was warmly received as no damage was done to the film or the set.

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9. Beastie Boys Naming Conventions

Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the Star Wars galaxy is its seemingly limitless array of creative and bizarre names for the people and places that populate it. Many of these names follow an arbitrary nomenclature, such as the many “ooine” planets like Tatooine and Dantooine. Others were crafted by George Lucas as references to many different sources. For example, R2-D2 is named after filming jargon for reel two dialogue two. When the sequel trilogy arrived, JJ Abrams brought his own naming conventions along with him. Four of the Abednedo characters in the sequels are named after popular songs by The Beastie Boys. Namely Ello Asty, Slowen Lo, “Crusher” Roodown, and Ilco Munica.

8. The Many Voices of James Arnold Taylor

The Clone Wars animated series is chock full of amazing voice actors from all walks of life. While most are known for their signature roles, many of these actors portray multiple characters. But none of them boast as interesting of a story as James Arnold Taylor. Famous for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Taylor is also the voice behind Osi Sobeck, Master Plo Koon, and Rako Hardeen. Taylor states that both Osi and Plo are inspired by other actors. Osi is a mix of Al Pacino and Christopher Walken, whereas Plo was inspired by Gandalf, the latter of which being suggested by Dave Filoni himself.

However, the story of how he came to land the role of Rako Hardeen is much more inspired. For those of you unfamiliar, in one arc of The Clone Wars, Obi-Wan assumes the identity of the bounty hunter Rako. To complete the transformation, Obi-Wan ingests a voice changing device to emulate the bounty hunter. So when the time came to cast for Rako Hardeen, George Lucas wanted a fresh voice in order to make him distinct from Obi-Wan, someone besides Taylor. Not to be outdone, however, Taylor recorded for the part anyway with Dave Filoni’s blessing. And as we all know, he managed to get the part anyway.

7. Mace Windu’s Lightsaber

As the second in command of the entire Jedi Council, Mace Windu definitely left his impact on the series. While his role in the story was significant, perhaps his most distinguishing feature is his trademark purple-bladed lightsaber. Most Jedi wield a blue or green blade, so his purple one is definitely an oddity. There is an in-universe explanation to why this is, but the truth behind its inclusion is much more amusing than the prestigious lore of the franchise. The actor who portrayed Mace, Samuel L Jackson, simply asked George Lucas if he could have a purple blade to make his distinct. And as an added bonus, the prop designer added a certain acronym from Jackson’s Pulp Fiction days on the hilt of the weapon.

6. Grand Moff Tarkin’s Footwear

Being a high-ranking commanding officer in a galaxy-spanning empire can be stressful work. This is true even for the top brass, such as the ruthless Grand Moff Tarkin. As the Commander of the Death Star, he took over after the previous manager perished in a rather suspicious work-related accident. Such a prestigious position came with multiple responsibilities that weighed heavily on the moff. Not the least of which was his standard issue officer’s uniform, a sentiment mirrored by the actor who played him, Peter Cushing. While filming for A New Hope, Cushing would often wear a more comfortable pair of shorts and bedroom slippers he brought from home. So the next time you watch him deliver a sinister speech from the waste up, just know he may be wearing his pajamas just offscreen.

5. Trained in the Jedi Arts

The hallmark of a skilled Jedi or Sith warrior is their skill with a blade. While both sides employ different approaches to combat, the finishing blow is often dealt by their trademarked lightsabers. As such, when filming a climactic lightsaber duel, good fight choreography is essential. And while one might expect a seasoned swordfighter would be ideal for such a role, most actors who play the part have little to no experience in the art. However, this was not the case for Liam Neeson and Christopher Lee, both of which possessed quite the history with a blade. Neeson had extensive training for his part in the film Rob Roy, and Lee was in a league all his own. Both actors were notorious for improvising on set in favor of their assigned moves.

4. Sound Effect Shenanigans

From the roar of a TIE Fighter to the iconic whoosh of a lightsaber, the Star Wars franchise is host to some of the most easily recognizable and distinct sounds across all of science fiction. After all, who hasn’t mimicked the whoosh and crash sounds when playing with a toy lightsaber or convenient wrapping paper tubes? Not even the actors in the films are immune to this allure. Much to the dismay of the sound team, many actors from across all of the films are notorious for making their own sound effects. Ewan McGregor made the aforementioned lightsaber sounds during his tenure as Obi-Wan. Even Laura Dern made pew pew sounds during her action scenes as Admiral Holdo in The Last Jedi. It seems this franchise brings out the kid in all of us.

3. The Rains of Tatooine

The first planet we visit in the Star Wars franchise is none other than Tatooine, a sparsely populated desert world of vast dunes pockmarked with rare settlements across its landscape. With that in mind, the filmmakers settled on the deserts of Tunisia as the filming location. Fate is a funny thing, though, as mere days before filming was to begin, the entire region experienced heavy rainfall for the first time in generations. The mighty deluge plagued the set for nearly four days before subsiding, which delayed filming and even damaged some of the equipment on the set.

2. Mark Gets Ahead of the Competition

In The Empire Strikes Back we see Luke go through his training to become a full-fledged Jedi under the tutelage of the wise master Yoda. After he completes the physical training, his final test sees him visiting a rather ominous cave strong with the dark side of the Force. Once he enters, he is confronted by a vision of Darth Vader. After defeating the villain and decapitating him, Vader’s helmet shatters revealing Luke’s face inside. It’s definitely an eerie scene and Luke’s head is surprisingly lifelike. There’s a good reason for that: it is in fact Mark Hamill’s face peering up through the set. The crew felt the prop wasn’t convincing enough, so they swapped them out at the last minute, much to Mark’s chagrin. As the smoke that was giving the cave its spooky ambiance was making it hard to keep a straight face during filming.

1. What An Incredible Smell You've Discovered

After arriving on the Death Star, our group of rescuers quickly find themselves in a spot of bother. The captive they had come to rescue, Princess Leia, promptly flipped the script and saved her would-be saviors. Her improvised escape left something to be desired, however, as the gang now found themselves in one of the space station’s trash compactors. It was an unpleasant ordeal, not only for our heroes, but for the actors as well. In a, shall we say, well inspired effort to be authentic, set designers used real garbage when shooting the scene. The smell was so foul, Mark Hamill burst a blood vessel trying to hold his breath to keep the stink at bay. And poor Chewbacca’s fur was never free of the malodorous stench, even into the later days of filming.

READ NEXT: See Mark Hamill's Return In Behind The Scenes Footage From 'The Mandalorian'

Written By Micah Mitchells

Source(s): Reader's Digest, Screen Rant, YouTube

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