Here are some lesser-known facts about Star Wars

1. In the original draft written by George Lucas, Luke Skywalker’s character was written as an 18-year-old girl.

2. In the earlier versions of the script, Han Solo’s character was meant to die at the end of the film.

We’re glad Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, did not die after the first film.

3. The opening credits of the first Star Wars film are now considered iconic but at the time it was a hard task to shoot them. These were shot using practical effects and took over three hours to shoot.

4. In the age of social media, it’s hard to keep secrets. We have often heard that directors distribute fake scripts to the actors so no one really knows the big reveal. At the time of shooting Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, no one knew the big reveal that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. Even the actors on the set were given the fake script. Only Mark Hamill was told just seconds before the shot.

Darth Vader and Luke’s truth was kept from everybody.

5. George Lucas once told Rolling Stone about the origin of the name Darth Vader. He said, “‘Darth’ is a variation of dark. And ‘Vader’ is a variation of father. So it’s basically Dark Father.”

6. James Earl Jones voiced for Darth Vader but Lucas initially wanted Orson Welles to voice this character. He later felt that Welles’ baritone would be too recognisable and hence, dropped the idea.

7. James Earl Jones was done with his part as the voice of Darth Vader in just two and a half hours.

8. In the early versions of the script, Yoda was named Buffy.

Yoda was earlier named Buffy.

9. Star Wars wasn’t the original title of the film. In the scripting stages, the film was titled Adventures of Luke Starkiller.

10. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had a bet as per which Spielberg would get a percentage of the film’s profits. Lucas agreed as he thought his film would fail at the box office but this proved to be a great deal for Spielberg as he earned millions of dollars.

Steven Spielberg earbed millions all because of his bet with George Lucas.

11. Not many theaters wanted to release Star Wars at the time so 20th Century Fox decided to pair up this film with their other release The Other Side of Midnight. Star Wars got more screens after this deal.

12. James Cameron has famously said that it was after watching Star Wars that he quit his job as a truck driver to enter Hollywood.

May the Force be with you.