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Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
With The Force Awakens already the biggest-earning movie in North America, it’s worth noting how humble Star Wars’ roots were. Take these 20 mistakes from 1977’s A New Hope, for example, which prove that the first instalment isn’t as perfect as you remember.
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20. Head-banging Stormtrooper
The Stormtroopers’ helmets obviously weren’t designed with visibility in mind, as shown by this extra on the right who hits his head on a Death Star control room door. Maybe this explains why their blaster shots always seem to miss.
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19. Vader’s reversing buttons
The buttons on Darth Vader’s armor were there to provide life support, but they certainly created a few problems for the movie’s continuity team. His battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi, in particular, sees the buttons switching sides between shots.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
18. Obi-Wan’s vanishing teapot
There’s nothing more annoying for hosts than guests who arrive before the house has been properly cleaned up. Luckily Obi-Wan has the force to help, which obviously explains why this teapot vanishes between shots.
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17. Name the system, twice
Grand statements deserve to be said twice, as is the case when Grand Moff Tarkin tells Leia that he will destroy Alderaan. After Tarkin demands her to “name the system,” the next shot shows actor Peter Cushing mouthing the line again.
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16. A different guard
Actors get fired so quickly in Hollywood that it’s sometimes hard to notice. Perhaps the guard who accompanies Darth Vader’s interrogation of Princess Leia in this shot upset George Lucas, which would explain why he’s a different person in the next.
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15. The lightsaber burn mark
Darth Vader must have had a few lightsaber battles while aboard the Death Star. In this fight with Obi-Wan, a burn mark can clearly be seen on the wall. Moments later, Vader strikes the same spot with his weapon. Coincidence?
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14. The wrong Stormtrooper
Stormtroopers are sometimes as off target when they’re being hit as they are when they’re doing the shooting. While exchanging fire with Leia the soldier on the left is shot, but it’s his friend next to him who appears to take the hit.
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13. The disappearing Stormtrooper
As Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan make their way into Mos Eisley they’re stopped by some Stormtroopers – one of whom, it seems, can teleport. He appears, at first, on the left, but disappears from sight moments later.
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12. R2-D2’s dark side
R2-D2’s panels are famously blue, but shots of him inside Luke’s X-wing show them to be black. Maybe this is an optical illusion, or perhaps Artoo just needed a bit of a scrub down.
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11. Luke’s hand-switching beaker
Luke Skywalker was showing signs of the Force while still living with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. In this scene, he picks up a beaker with one hand before his Jedi powers mysteriously switch it to the other.
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10. Chewie’s wardrobe malfunction
Despite wearing few items of clothing, Chewbacca still experiences a wardrobe malfunction when the Millennium Falcon makes the jump to hyperspace. In the first shot, the Wookie is seen without his trademark sash; moments later it reappears around him.
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9. The Millennium Falcon’s missing radar dish
Han Solo claims he “made a lot of special modifications” to his Millennium Falcon. Perhaps these include an invisible radar dish, which would explain why the device is missing from the craft in its first on-screen appearance.
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8. Lightsaber cable
More logistical headache than “elegant weapon,” the movie’s lightsabers certainly caused a few headaches on set. For instance, during Obi-Wan and Vader’s fight, a cable used to power the prop can be seen running through actor Alec Guinness’ sleeve.
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7. Colliding lightsabers
Speaking of lightsabers, the filmmakers asked Guinness and David Prowse, who played Vader, not to hit their weapons too hard for fear of breaking them. They evidently ignored the request, if the dust particles that can be seen flying off them are anything to go by.
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6. R2-D2’s jump
George Lucas made many changes to A New Hope following its release, often to the disservice of continuity. The director edited this scene mid-shot in order to remove a problematic line of dialogue, which results in R2-D2 suddenly jumping in the background.
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5. The dead pain-fearing rebel
Some actors are willing to endure pain to not break character; others wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest injury. Like, for example, this this rebel leader, who shields his head before hitting a wall despite being killed by Vader moments earlier.
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4. He’s a different size, dummy
Lucas angered fans when he changed Han’s confrontation with Greedo to show the alien shooting first, but he neglected to fix a glaring problem. The dummy used in the fatal shot doesn’t match the size of the actor portraying him.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
3. The disappearing coat
Obi-Wan’s home in Tatooine is rife with all manner of nutty occurrences. Aside from vanishing teapots, this scene shows a coat hanging on the left-hand side that magically disappears in the next shot.
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2. Lost Imperial officer
The Death Star is a pretty big place, but this Imperial officer in gray takes getting lost to new heights. First he is seen walking away from Chewie, but in the next shot he appears to be moving towards him.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
1. Leia’s unstoppable curls
Princess Leia’s commitment to curls apparently didn’t stop just because she was running from the Empire. While her hair is in disarray after escaping the Death Star’s trash compactor, it’s back in perfect order a few minutes later.