STAR WARS FACTS

10. There are no female fighter pilots in the originaltrilogy.

Even though female fighterpilots were in the original screenplay, they were removed from final cut.

11. Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey share almost the exact sameproduction crew.

George Lucas admiredStanley Kubrik, and when he set out to make Star Wars, he hiredso many people who worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey thatthe group was referred to as "The Class of 2001."

12. The Star Wars prequelsused computer animation to create legions of Clone Troopers

No physical suit of armorwas ever built for the Clone Troopers in the prequels. Every single CloneTrooper was computer animated.

13. Qui-Gon Jinn used a Gillette razor for hiscommunicator.

In Episode 1, the personalcommunicator used by Qui-Gon Jinn is actually made from a resin cast of a Gillette Ladies Sensor ExcellRazor. Now that's smooth.

14. E.T. was in The Phantom Menace — sort of.

The alien race of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial makes an appearance in Episode I: The Phantom Menace —officially connecting the worlds of Lucas and Spielberg sci-fi. A senator andhis delegation from planet Brodo Asogi are present in the Grand ConvocationChamber when Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence.

15. Ewoks speak Tibetan.

The Ewok language isa combination of Tibetan andNepalese.

16. David Lynch passed on directing Jedi.

Acclaimed film directorDavid Lynch passed when George Lucas askedhim to direct Return of the Jedi.

17. Darth Vader is banned from all official Star Wars events.

David Prowse, the actor whoportrayed Darth Vader (in form, not voice), is banned from attendingofficial Star Wars conventions because George Lucas findshim annoying.

18. The sound of a TIE fighter engine is actually anelephant.

The sound of a TIE Fighterengine was created by combining an elephant bellow and a cardriving on wet pavement.

19. Chewbacca's voice is an eclectic mix of otheranimals.

Chewbacca's voice is a mix of bears, walruses, lions, badgersand other dying animals.

20. The lightsaber noise comes from the familiar humof an old television.

The noise a lightsaber makes iscreated by combining the hum of an old television's picture tube and the buzzof a film projector's motor.

21. You can use Star Wars collectiblecoins as real money.

The tiny South Pacificisland of Niue accepts limited edition Star Wars collectiblecoins as legal tender.

22. Liam Neeson was too tall for Star Wars.

The sets for The Phantom Menace were only as tall as theactors, but they didn't account for 6'4" Liam Neeson. They had to rebuild all the door frames for Qui-Gon Jinn,which racked up an additional $150,000 in production costs.

23. There are enough fan tribute videos torecreate A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

There are shot-for-shotre-creations of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back made entirely of campy fantribute videos.

24. Jabba the Hut was originally meant to be furry.

Originally, Jabba the Hutwas not conceived as a grimy slug, but as a fuzzy creature.

25. George Lucas left the Directors Guild becauseof A New Hope.

George Lucas paid a fineand resigned from the DirectorsGuild rather than start Episode IV witha traditional credit sequence.

26. The iconic opening credits were created in anunorthodox way.

Filmmakers used a physical crawl to shoot theopening credits in the original films.

27. Harrison Ford almost wasn't Han Solo.

Burt Reynolds was among thetop contenders to play Han Solo, along with Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson andChristopher Walken.

28. Empire Strikes Back usesthe most stop-motion animation.

Of all the films in thefranchise, Empire utilizes the most stop-motion animation.

29. Cliff Clavin makes a cameo in Empire.

Cheers and Toy Story actor JohnRatzenberger has a brief appearance inEmpire Strikes Back. He's the one who tells Han not togo out into the cold to look for Luke. Then he sits down for a beer with Norm.

30. Han Solo almost died at the end of Jedi.

Gary Kurtz, the originalproducer of Return of the Jedi, said that inthe early story outline, Han Solo dies and the Rebel forces areleft in tatters, with Luke disappearing into the wilderness. But George Lucasthought killing off main characters would hurt toy sales, so he changed theending to a big Ewok party.

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