Ever since A New Hope came out in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has given moviegoers iconic characters, stories, and a world to fall in love with. Sadly, not everything that came out of this franchise is gold. There are moments and characters that a questionable, confusing, and sometimes, exceptionally dumb. This includes elements from the prequels, the special editions, and the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. When you love a franchise like Star Wars so much, it hurts when something silly comes out of it.
Sifting through everything Star Wars, we pieced together 18 things from all the movies, TV series, and books that we can't help but cringe at from decades of content that have to be discussed. Did your least favorite moments make the list? Let us know some of the things you that have always bugged you from the Star Wars franchise.
Don't worry; we're not here to poop on one of the greatest franchises of all time. In celebration with Star Wars Day, we'll be celebrating the holiday all day with some great pieces surrounding a galaxy far, far away. You can check out some of the weirdest merchandise ever to come out of the franchise, some new Mighty Muggs figures from Hasbro, take a ride on a Lego Millennium Falcon in New York, and learn more about how the upcoming movie Solo--to be released on May 25--may break box office records.
Jar Jar Binks
Introduced in 1999's The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar Binks was the supposed comedic relief of the prequels. He was silly, bumbling, and annoying. Binks, whose amphibious species lived in the waters of Naboo, eventually rose to serve as a representative of Naboo on the Galactic Senate. Luckily, for viewers, the baby-talking Gungan's screentime was drastically reduced for Episodes II and III, but there are interesting theories on the internet that Binks was actually a Sith Lord, influencing the decisions of the Jedi and Padme. It may sound crazy, but there are a few videos that give this theory some credibility.
Anakin Created C-3PO
The prequels had this strange obsession for trying to give origin stories to characters from the original trilogy. None of which were more dumbfounding then when it was revealed that Anakin Skywalker created C-3PO on Tattoine. It messes a bit with continuity, as Vader--in the original trilogy--doesn't know or recognize the droid, but that is forgivable. What's really bizarre is that this child had been building a protocol droid from scraps on a desert planet while living life as a slave to junk dealer Watto. How did Anakin smuggle all these parts out without Watto knowing? Also, how does a kid build a protocol droid capable of communicating in over 7 million languages?
Anakin's Dialogue
Many folks who dislike The Phantom Menace tend pin a lot of the film's lack of quality on Jacob Lloyd, who played a young Anakin Skywalker, among a laundry list of other complaints. While I'm not going sit here and tell you that young Lloyd is a master thespian, I will say that most of the fault lays on the shoulders of Phantom Menace writer George Lucas, who has no idea how children, people in love, or most humans in general communicate with each other. In their first meeting, Anakin awkwardly discusses angels--which apparently exist in this galaxy. Later, Anakin explains Jedis and podracing, all while putting together plan to free himself and his mother from slavery. The conversation jumps, with no real flow, and it's all centered around Anakin's dialogue, which was seemingly written for someone much older.
Midichlorians
For those who have forgotten (I envy you), midichlorians were introduced in the Phantom Menace. They are microscopic, intelligent beings that live in your blood stream and allow some people, depending on their midichlorian level, to access the Force. When I think about midichlorians, I always think back to a Patton Oswalt bit about the Star Wars prequels, where the comedian says, "I don't give a s*** where the stuff I love comes from. I just love the stuff I love." Why can't the Force can't be a mystical thing that needs no explanation?
Everything About Anakin And Padme's Relationship, Especially The Dialogue
As previously mentioned, George Lucas had a bit of trouble writing dialogue for a young Anakin Skywalker, and it didn't get any better when he got older, especially when it came to his relationship with Padme. During Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padme shared an afternoon in a field on Naboo and had the weirdest conversation about politics and creating a dictatorship, which sounds like the worst first date ever. While first dates and new relationships are full of awkwardness, this relationship takes it to a whole new level, which is a total bummer because you can tell Natalie Portman is doing the best she can with some really rough dialogue and direction.
Boba Fett Fanservice
Don't get me wrong, I love Boba Fett, especially after reading Tales of the Bounty Hunters as a kid, but the character's inclusion in Attack of the Clones felt forced and unnecessary. The film also tried to jam pack a whole origin story for the character while surrounded by a story of a clone army being built, along with the previously mentioned "believable" budding romance between Anakin and Padme, which I can't stop talking about for some reason. While young Boba Fett is the worst, it did pave way for the character's appearance on the animated series The Clone Wars, and he's pretty awesome on that series, so at least there's a silver lining.
The Death Of Mace Windu
Samuel Jackson made Mace Windu his character. The Jedi master was tough, didn't take any guff from anyone, and one of the more entertaining aspects of the prequels, even when he was just sitting in a chair, discussing politics. He was one bad dude. However, he met his fate by way of force lightning from the hands of Darth Sidious, who shocked then threw him out a window. This totally tough character was killed off in a pretty humiliating way, which came out of left field. This wasn't an epic battle, it was a decrepit man, laying down, shocking him.
Anakin's Turn To The Dark Side
While discussing moments that irked us with other GameSpot employees, Anakin's turn to the dark side came up a lot. To become a Sith Lord and Palpatine's right-hand, Darth Vader must have gone through a traumatic and terrifying childhood, right? Not so much. Yes, Anakin was a slave on Tattooine. Yes, his mother was murdered by Tuskens. However, in the grand scheme of things, which includes being involved in a relationship, on the verge of fatherhood all while training to be a Jedi master, Anakin's turn doesn't make sense. He's a spoiled kid who decides to not only turn to the Dark Side when things do not go his way, but his final act before going bad is killing a whole room of children. That feels like a giant leap.
The First Canonical Appearance Of Darth Vader
At the end of Revenge of the Sith, we caught our first glimpse of Darth Vader, and it was unintentionally hilarious. Understandably, we all know there are a lot of parallels between Vader and Frankenstein's monster, but that doesn't mean Vader has to completely embody the Universal character while freeing himself from his shackles. Then, there's Vader's "iconic" scream of "No," which is ironic because that's what the vast majority of us said after we saw that scene.
Greedo Shoots First
Back in 1997, the original Star Wars trilogy was rereleased in theaters, with a few changes. New special effects were added, as well as a bunch of things that fans weren't too pleased with, including Greedo shooting first in A New Hope. Originally, Han shot Greedo while sitting at the table, and it established the character as quite the renegade, being able to read into a situation as well as someone who doesn't take guff from anyone else. The change is pointless. Yes, Greedo now shoots first, but Han still kills him. More importantly, why does he have such bad aim from three feet away?
Han Steps On Jabba's Tail
One of the newly added scenes in A New Hope has Han talking to Jabba the Hutt. The scene itself is fine and helps add to the story of Jabba wanting Han Solo as a prize for his palace. However, because of where Han is walking, Lucasfilm added a little "movie magic" and had everyone's favorite scoundrel stepping on Jabba's tail, while the Hutt made a silly face. It feels completely out of place and the audience's suspension of disbelief would still be in tact if Han had never stepped on his tail.
Weird CGI Additions To The Special Editions
Some of the weirdest additions to the special editions were things like random CG rocks being added to scenes; things that added nothing to the film. Why does R2D2 need that extra rock? Normally, this would be something we'd completely ignore or something we never would have noticed, but once it's pointed out, it's impossible to unsee it.
Chewbacca Doesn't Get A Medal
When the Special Edition of A New Hope was released, there was one change most fans wanted to see: Chewbacca getting his well-deserved medal during the ceremony at the end of the film. Alas, that change didn't happen, possibly because the budget ran dry after all those CGI rocks and dewbacks. Where's the justice for Chewie? He's just as important to the battle as either Han or Luke.
The First 10 Minutes Of The Holiday Special
In 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special hit television screens across the country, cashing in on the popularity of A New Hope. If you've ever watched it or tried to watch it, then you know the opening Life Day segment is near impossible to get through. It follows a household where the audience gets to experience a day in the life of a Wookie. The family chats with eachother in their native tongue, without any subtitles, and a young Wookie watches a weird holographic circus in his living room. The whole section is a travesty.
The Rest Of The Holiday Special
Then, there's rest of the Holiday Special, and while it does introduce the world to everyone's favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, this TV movie feels far more disconnected from the Star Wars Universe than connected. It features singing. In fact, there's a lot of singing, including a song from Jefferson Starship and Golden Girls's Bea Arthur. As previously mentioned, there's also so much of the little Wookie, who watches way too much TV. There's a reason this only aired once.
"Jedi Rock's" Replacing "Lapti Nek"
In Jabba's palace, during Return of the Jedi, there was a song called "Lapti Nek," but in the special edition of the film, it was replaced with the CG-heavy "Jedi Rock's." The two-minute performance mixed original footage with brand new stuff, like a backup band playing the song, while the lead singer got way too close to the camera. The song doesn't fit in this universe, and the whole scene is incredibly cringe-worthy.
Hayden Christensen Replaces Sebastian Shaw
At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker--celebrating winning the war while on the moon of Endor--looked off an saw the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker--who was played by Sebastian Shaw in the scene. However, the Special Edition version of the film did something absurd. It replaced Shaw with Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin in Episodes II and III. The change made no sense.
Expanded Universe No Longer Canonical
Finally, one of the worst things about Star Wars is a double-edged sword. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, the expanded universe was no longer considered canon. That means Knights of the Old Republic, all of Timothy Zahn's books, and the comics from Dark Horse were no longer part of the larger Star Wars story. However, because of that decision, this means Lucasfilm can tell all new stories without the restrictions of decades of other SW-related properties. In addition, Marvel Comics began publishing some great Star Wars books. But it's still a bummer to think that Shadows of the Empire or Han Solo and Leia's twins were wiped from continuity.
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