Making a Star Wars movie is a demanding and pressure-filled task. There are millions of people carefully watching the film’s development, meaning it’s on the director and screenwriters to craft a compelling, entertaining story filled with memorable characters. They’re – justifiably – so concerned about getting the larger picture down pat, that sometimes they can’t catch the tiniest error while overseeing the final cut. Here are 10 Star Wars movie mistakes that slipped through editing.
The Falcon’s Rader Dish – A New Hope
The design of the Millennium Falcon is extremely iconic and well known across the globe, including its radar dish. Fans are so aware of that component that J.J. Abrams made sure to update it for The Force Awakens. But before the Falcon became a part of cinematic lore, the filmmakers weren’t too concerned with its overall look. When it’s first shown in the 1977 original, the radar dish is nowhere to be seen, magically appearing when the ship reaches space. No explanation is provided, and with all the alterations this movie has seen in the years since, it’s surprising George Lucas never fixed this.
Captain Antilles Returns from the Dead – A New Hope
Darth Vader is firmly established as an intimidating villain in his first few moments of screen time, particularly when he chokes and kills Captain Antilles with his bare hands. When the Rebel captain is dead, Vader tosses his body aside towards a wall. Though Antilles is supposed to be dead, the actor clearly raises his hands for protection as he makes impact. Conceivably, multiple takes of the scene were done, but this was the one that made the finished film. Maybe there was no way around it. It’s probably better for the actor to use his hands quickly than get a face full of wall.
Han’s Carbonite Pose – The Empire Strikes Back
Han Solo being frozen in carbonite is one of the most emotional moments in the entire saga, and viewers were probably too caught up in his wellbeing to notice that his hands change positions before and after the process. As Han is enters the chamber, his hands are visibly in handcuffs, and they are never removed. When his frozen body is shown for the first time, the cuffs are no longer there and his hands appear to be grasping something. It is jarring to see, and it’s a mystery that will most likely never be solved. Perhaps the handcuffs are adverse to cold temperatures?
C-3PO’s Breathing – The Empire Strikes Back
Anthony Daniels was the perfect pick to play protocol droid C-3PO, but even he couldn’t truly master portraying the character in a deactivated state. When his constant worrying annoys Han and Leia, C-3PO is switched off so the two can have a talk in peace. If you watch C-3PO closely, you’ll notice that he’s moving in the background – an indicator of Daniels’ breathing – instead of being completely still. It’s understandable that Daniels couldn’t hold his breath for the entire time, but with a massive budget, they could have built a model of the droid to avoid any problems.
Luke the Ventriloquist – Return of the Jedi
Luke is apparently so skilled with the Force, he can use it to speak without moving his mouth. As he looks to make a daring escape of Jabba’s barge with Leia, Luke tells his sister, “Come on” before the two swing off to safety. Though audiences hear Mark Hamill deliver the line, it’s obvious that the actor did not actually say it while on set. His lips do not move during this part, creating a glaring audio error that’s never been fixed. Most likely, this was a result of dubbing in post, but somebody should have told Hamill to at least mouth the line so it looked natural on screen.
Inverted Starship Controls – The Phantom Menace
When young Anakin stays in a fighter cockpit to stay safe from the fight, things don’t go according to plan and he ends up in a space battle with R2-D2. Once the autopilot is overwritten, he plays around with the controls to get a feel for his new ride. He tries to do a spin move, turning the steering mechanism to the left. But the vehicle spins to the right. This is particularly egregious since right before this sequence, Anakin turned the ship left by moving the steering mechanism in that direction. One of the moves is incorrect, an unintended question George Lucas never meant to pose.
Walking Through Doors – Attack of the Clones
The prequels pushed the boundaries of digital filmmaking, and while the spectacle was impressive, it wasn’t always seamless. After landing on Geonosis, Anakin and Padme enter the underground droid factory. When the door opens, they have to duck to get through. While Natalie Portman is able to enter without any issues, the taller Hayden Christensen wasn’t so lucky. Though he does lower himself, it wasn’t far enough, and his head goes through the digital door that was created in post. A lot of work goes into adding CGI, but it couldn’t have been too hard to slightly alter this so it wasn’t so noticeable.
Obi-Wan’s Clean Clothes – Revenge of the Sith
After a lightsaber duel on a volcanic planet, one would expect that your outfit would suffer some damage, especially in a physical confrontation like Anakin vs. Obi-Wan. Yet, when Kenobi comes back on board the ship to leave Mustafar, his costume has little-to-no indication of a titanic struggle, appearing relatively clean. Later on, when Obi-Wan discusses what to do with the Skywalker twins with Yoda and Bail Organa, his costume sports several dirt and burn marks, which should have been present earlier on. Obi-Wan probably didn’t get burned on his ship, so he must have suffered these on Mustafar.
Finn’s Disappearing Blaster – The Force Awakens
When landing on Takodana, Han Solo gives Finn a blaster for protection, which he carries with him at all times. He’s shown holding the blaster when Maz Kanata gives him Luke’s old lightsaber to give to Rey, but when the First Order bombs Maz’s castle, Finn remarks that he needs a weapon to defend himself, before learning that the lightsaber is a weapon. Since the blaster was on Finn at all times, it’s odd that it’s all of a sudden missing when he needs it the most, with no explanation provided for why it’s gone.
Boarding the Falcon’s Ramp – The Force Awakens
During their hectic escape from Jakku, Rey, Finn and BB-8 are left with no choice but to give the Millennium Falcon a shot and see if it will fly. When the trio approaches the ship, the come to the ramp from the right side of it. Yet, when the characters are shown boarding the Falcon, they’re coming from the left side of the ramp. Given that they were in a life-or-death situation, it seems odd they would run all the way around to get on their only option available. Chalk this one up to the dangers of splicing multiple takes.
