What You Don’t Know About “Star Wars”

The now classic movie series “Star Wars” has become a cultural icon since its debut in 1977.  But there some things most of us don’t know about the movie and its actors.

  • “Star Wars” was originally titled: “Adventures of Luke Starkiller, As Taken from the Journal of the Whills. Saga I:  the Star Wars”. Making the title almost as long as the movie. Both the title and Luke’s name were eventually changed; and the rest is movie history.
  • Four different actors simultaneously performed the role of Darth Vader:  James Earl Jones did the “I am your Father” vocals, David Prowse was Vader’s body, Sebastian Shaw was Vader’s “face” and Bob Anderson, a sword expert, did Vader’s fight scenes.
  • 250 million “Star Wars” related toys and “action figures” were sold between 1978 and 1986, making “Star Wars” the most successful movie-related toy line ever.
  • Frank Oz, who provided the voice of Yoda, was also the voice of the Muppets “Miss Piggy”.
  • A “scuba regulator” was used to provide the unique “asthmatic breathing” effect of Darth Vader’s voice.
  • Five other actors besides Mark Hammel were candidates for the role of Luke Skywalker:  Kurt Russel, Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, Perry King, and Al Pacino.
  • The “Chewbacca” character was inspired by George Lucas’ dog “Indiana”, which also inspired the “Indiana Jones” character in the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” series.
  • The “Ewoks” characters are named after an American Indian tribe in the California Red Woods, where the “Endor” scenes were filmed for the “Return of the Jedi” sequel.
  • R2 D2’s” name is derived from film editing jargon: “Reel 2, Dialogue 2”.
  • The design of the “Millennium Falcon” was based on a hamburger with an olive on the side.  No, really!

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