The originalStar Warstrilogy is one of the greatest accomplishments in film history, but even the best stories have things that make no sense. When George Lucas decided to tell a space fantasy more concerned with movie magic than scientific realism, it became clear that audiences would have to suspend their disbelief to some degree. This is the most wonderful aspect of a fictional universe, being able to convey ideas that would never work in the real world. However, sticking to the established rules of a story can help maintain the illusion of reality and enhance the moviegoing experience.
WhenStar Warsmovieshave plot holes, continuity errors, or something that seems odd even by fictional standards, it can temporarily distract the viewer. Despite being a masterclass in good storytelling and exceptional filmmaking overall, theStar Warsoriginal trilogydoes suffer from these problems at times. Some are more obvious while watching the film, while others become more apparent when taking a closer look. Even though they don’t ruin the movies as a whole, 15Star Warsmoments in the original trilogy make the least amount of sense.
15Why Does C-3PO Act Like He Doesn’t Know Leia?
Star Wars(akaA New Hope)
One of the first plot holes inStar Warsis C-3PO’s contradictory comments regarding Princess Leia Organa. In the opening scene, he comments to R2-D2 that"There’ll be no escape for the princess this time", implying that he knows her and is familiar with her past missions. However, when Luke Skywalker finds a recording of Leia, C-3PO claims to not know who she is and guesses that she is"A person of some importance, I believe.“It’s possible that C-3PO’s programming kept him from revealing her identity, but it doesn’t seem likely since he already told Luke about the Rebellion.
14How Did R2-D2 Get So Far On Tatooine By Himself?
TheStar Warsmovies, particularlyA New Hope, show thatR2-D2 generally doesn’t move fast. He’s old and worn down, sometimes has to hobble around, and travels in a landscape full of sand that would clog his motors. Even so, R2-D2 somehow leaves the Lars Homestead without being noticed and travels far enough to be out of sight in the relatively short amount of time Luke Skywalker is gone. The scene where Luke and C-3PO find R2-D2 even shows him hobbling again, casting serious doubt on his ability to have gone so far on his own that quickly.
13Why Do Characters In Hiding Not Change Their Last Name?
The first thing a person does when they go into hiding is change their name, but characters inStar Warsonly get this half right. Obi-Wan Kenobi changes his name to “Ben Kenobi,” while Luke Skywalker is allowed to keep his father’s last name.
In theStar WarsLegends timeline, Obi-Wan just called himself “Ben” when he came to Tatooine, but a villager overheard him say his last name while he was trying to communicate with Qui-Gon Jinn’s spirit.
Living in a place that Darth Vader knows about is already dangerous, so keeping these last names just adds more unnecessary risk. Perhaps these last names are common in the larger galaxy, and the prequels revealed that Vader didn’t know Luke was alive, butit still seems strange for Obi-Wan to only change half his name.
12A Pivotal Scene Is Edited Out Of Order
An oddity that most people will miss on first viewing is the scene in Ben Kenobi’s hut being edited out of order. This is clear because C-3PO asks Luke Skywalker if he can shut down, remains powered off for a few minutes, and then is suddenly awake again.
If edited in chronological order, the scene would begin with the recording of Leia, transition to Obi-Wan explaining his history and the Force, and then end with Obi-Wan asking Luke to come to Alderaan. While the final edit may improve the flow of the scene, it can be a bit distracting.
11Did The Other Stormtroopers Not See Or Hear Obi-Wan’s Mind Trick?
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi mind trick is one of the most iconic and quotable lines in all ofStar Wars, even though it shouldn’t have gotten his group past the stormtroopers. The movie only shows Obi-Wan influencing the mind of one stormtrooper, but there are three other stormtroopers surrounding the speeder, all of whom should hear Obi-Wan talking. Luke Skywalker also looks visibly confused and turns his head from Obi-Wan to the stormtrooper, which definitely should have raised suspicion. Obi-Wan may have been using the mind trick on all the stormtroopers, but the scene doesn’t make it apparent.
10Jabba Shouldn’t Have Let Han Go
Star Wars(akaA New Hope) - Special Edition
Jabba the Hutt originally made his debut inReturn of the Jedi, but a deleted scene was restored for theStar WarsSpecial Edition. Unfortunately, this only makes Jabba’s character less intimidating by having him go back and forth about whether he wants to kill Han Solo.Greedo made it clear in the Mos Eisley Cantina that Jabba was through with Han and had already put a bounty on him, only for Jabba to quickly let Han off the hook and threaten to put another bounty on him. The scene adds nothing to the story and makes it unnecessarily confusing.
9Why Would Leia Knowingly Expose The Rebel Base?
Despite a convincing performance, Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader let the rebels escape from the Death Star to track them with a homing beacon hidden on theMillennium Falcon. However, Princess Leia Organa quickly deduced their plan but still went straight to the rebel base, making Yavin 4 the Death Star’s next target.
If Leia knew the Empire was following them and had seen firsthand what the Death Star could do, then she should have had theFalconmeet with another rebel ship that wasn’t being tracked.
If Leia knew the Empire was following them and had seen firsthand what the Death Star could do, then she should have had theFalconmeet with another rebel ship that wasn’t being tracked. It seems like an underground rebellion should have more strict security measures.
8Did The Rebels Really Have To Maneuver Down The Trench?
While the Death Star’s strange design flaw was eventually explained inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, there’s still a problem withA New Hope’s trench run. General Jan Dodonna explained that the rebel pilots were”…required to maneuver straight down this trench…“to reach the exhaust port, but he never explained why this was necessary.Flying through the trench meant that the pilots were completely defenseless against the Imperial TIE fighters, so it seems like maneuvering outside the trench would have given them a better chance of reaching the target.
7Why Did Obi-Wan Wait Three Years To Send Luke To Yoda?
The Empire Strikes Back
The Empire Strikes Backtakes place three years afterA New Hope, and it’s only then that Obi-Wan’s spirit tells Luke Skywalker about Yoda. Obi-Wan believed Luke was ready to begin his training inA New Hope, and he was able to talk to Luke from beyond the grave, so it’s unclear why he didn’t make Luke’s continued training a priority.
3 ABY
Return of the Jedi
4 ABY
The back cover ofThe Empire Strikes Back’s novelization originally implied that the movie took place six months afterA New Hope, which would have been more understandable. In canon, however, there’s no explanation for Obi-Wan waiting so long.
6How Did Luke & Some Other Rebels Escape Hoth So Casually?
The Battle of Hoth has some of the highest stakes inStar Wars… until theMillennium Falcontakes off. After that, Luke Skywalker and some other rebels casually recover from the fight and seem to leave the planet easily, despite Luke seeing theFalconnot that far away. It’s strange that getting past the Imperial blockade is presented as a significant challenge, only for one ship to be hounded relentlessly while others manage to get away. Darth Vader may have prioritized theFalconsince he knew Luke’s friends were there, but there were plenty of Star Destroyers to go around.
