40 Mind-blowing Star Wars Facts You’d Have To Be A Jedi Master To Know

The Star Wars saga sadly came to an end in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker. But, as the eponymous character himself once said, no one’s ever really gone. The franchise lives on in the form of comic books, video games, television shows and more – it’s a whole expanded universe with plenty to offer. Or, of course, you could re-watch all the movies and brush up on your knowledge. Join us, young Padawan, as we uncover some of the biggest Star Wars secrets...

40. Wedge Antilles is Ewan McGregor’s uncle

Wedge Antilles is the hotshot rebel fighter pilot who first appeared in the original 1977 film. Of course, the actor is known to Star Wars fans, but he’s largely overlooked by casual viewers. Yet not many people know that the person who played him – Denis Lawson – is the real-life uncle of Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy and, kinda, in Episode VII. The Force clearly runs strong in the Lawson-McGregor bloodline.

39. The Sith were almost called ‘The Damned’

Today, “Sith” seems like the perfect evil-sounding word to describe the powerful faction who embraced the Dark Side in their pursuit of galactic domination. But Darth Vader and co. were originally going to be coined “The Damned.” That is, before a certain British punk rock band of the same name rose to prominence and forced creator George Lucas into a rejig.

38. A woman and a chimpanzee originally played Emperor Palpatine

The corrupted, twisted face of Emperor Palpatine – as played by Ian McDiarmid – looks like it’s been disfigured by centuries of insatiable thirst for power. But before Lucas settled on using McDiarmid, the original release of The Empire Strikes Back saw Marjorie Eaton portray Palpatine with the eyes of a chimpanzee superimposed on top of her face.

37. A monkey almost played Yoda

Before Yoda became the slightly creepy green grandma-like puppet that we all know him as today, he was actually going to be played by a real monkey. Yes, he was still going to look as he does now, but his movements were to be achieved by a monkey wearing a mask and holding a cane. There’s even photographic evidence of this idea, which was wisely canned.