Curated playlist
Star Wars literary characters
- Obi-Wan KenobiAlec Guinness later said he begged George Lucas to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lucas agreed.
- Luke SkywalkerLuke Skywalker was originally going to be named Starkiller. George Lucas dropped the surname months into filming.
- R2-D2R2-D2 got its name when a sound editor asked for a reel. George Lucas heard it half asleep and called it a great name.
- Mara JadeMara Jade posed as a dancing girl to kill Luke Skywalker, but Jabba the Hutt dropped him into the Rancor's lair.
- Darth VaderThe actor inside Darth Vader's suit never knew his voice would be replaced. James Earl Jones voiced him instead.
- C-3POC-3PO's golden face was modeled on a robot from a 1927 silent film. Artist Ralph McQuarrie copied Metropolis.
- Princess LeiaPrincess Leia began as a spoiled teenage princess in George Lucas's early drafts.
- PalpatinePalpatine's first name stayed off screen for decades. Fans learned it was Sheev only in the 2014 novel Tarkin.
- Grand Admiral ThrawnAs his bodyguard turned on him, Star Wars villain Thrawn said it was so artistically done.
- Han SoloHan Solo was first written as a green-skinned alien with gills. George Lucas's earliest draft gave him no nose.
- Jacen SoloJacen Solo, Han and Leia's son, became the Sith Lord Darth Caedus. His twin sister Jaina killed him in a duel.
- Boba FettBoba Fett first appeared in public on the 24th of September 1978, at the San Anselmo Country Fair parade. The armor was worn by Duwayne Dunham, then an assistant film editor and later a film and television director. Fett is a Star Wars…
- Darth MaulDarth Maul was cut in half in his first film, yet he came back. George Lucas chose to bring him back.
- Lando CalrissianLando Calrissian welcomes his friends to Cloud City, then hands them to Darth Vader.
- Padmé AmidalaPadmé Amidala sponsored the motion that opened the way for Palpatine to become chancellor.