Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing film series of all time, and by far, far, away one of the most beloved. The series has had its ups and downs, and its problems—I'm looking at you, Jar Jar Binks—but its reputation has never seriously been tainted, despite complaints against specifics. It remains one of the most imposing franchises in the world delivered on any medium. The original movie, which would later be dubbed Episode IV, came out forty years ago, in 1977.
It grabbed the imagination of the world as soon as the first title screen announced that it took place “Long, Long Ago... In a Galaxy Far, Far Away.” That first film was followed by two sequels shortly thereafter, and prequel and sequel trilogies decades later. The last film of that sequel trilogy—Episode IX: The Last Jedi—just came out this December, sparking renewed Star-Wars-mania across the world. It demonstrated just how well a good story and an interesting mythology can age.
However, despite the stellar reputation of the series, it is far from perfect—and the details very often just plain don't make sense. If certain parts of the Star Wars universe, or the narrative unfolding within it, are looked at too closely, the whole thing falls apart. Add a few strange costume choices and acting blunders, and the perfection of one of pop culture's greatest, most iconic franchises is a tiny bit tarnished. That, however, does not make it any less fun and enjoyable—not for a second!
25 A Boy With His Toys
Luke Skywalker is one of the greatest heroes of cinematic history. This role alone was enough to make actor Mark Hamil a household name. The character himself is remembered as a paragon of chivalric goodness and skill. But, at the outset of his quest, the young Skywalker does not give much sign of this incredible talent. This is especially when we compare him with other heroes of the franchise. He is actually something of a man-child. While his father, for example, was already a great and world-weary warrior at his age, and his mother was already an experienced politician, scenes of Luke's life with his aunt and uncle depict him playing with toy spaceships. It seems odd that such an immature man could so quickly surpass those so much more equipped to deal with the situations.
24 Use The Brain, Luke
Luke also shows a lack of intelligence, or at least an extreme disregard for his own safety, when Obi Wan first shows him a lightsaber. Luke, while admittedly living on an isolated planet, probably has at least some idea of what it is and and likely at least understood the technology on the basic level, squints into the lightsaber in such a way that it would jab him through the eye if activated. Even if Luke is supposed to appear sheltered, this just seems plain stupid. It's odd that we are being shown our protagonist doing this when we are also supposed to be impressed by his intelligence and skill. It does not seem plausible that someone who would do something as foolish as this could go on to be the hero that Luke does become.
23 Should Be More Like The Millennium Penguin
Han Solo's ship, the millennium falcon, is one of the iconic elements of the series that has endured within popular culture. The flying saucer is how Luke and Obi Wan got off Tatooine at the beginning of the first film. Its very appearance can elicit cheers from an audience! But it's worth noting that the thing shouldn't actually be able to fly: as this meme points out, it, lacking rockets or wings, is without any known means of making a heavy object fly. You could argue that the Star Wars universe should have technology far better than wings or rockets—but other spacecraft in the series have wings and rockets, and the Falcon is an old ship by the time Han Solo is piloting it! Perhaps it has some Jedi master hidden in the engine using the force to make it move?
22 They Do Grow Up Fast, Don't They?
New dimensions were added to the already well-developed Star Wars universe when a new prequel trilogy began at the end of the 1990s. These films developed the background of the events of the original trilogy. The films show the unfolding of events that led to the rise of the Sith and the Galactic Empire, the overthrow of which was was the central aim of the original trilogy. The prequels take place over a period of a little over a decade. However, as this period of time progresses, characters do not seem to age at the same rates. Anakin, for example, is a child in Episode I, while Padmé Amidala is an obviously more mature young woman. But by Episode II they seem to be about the same age, in time for their plot-pivotal romance.
21 Leia Can Apparently Remember A Ghost
There are other awkward continuity errors introduced in the prequel trilogy, some much more severe than this. One of these has to do with the death of Padmé, Luke and Leia's mother, during childbirth. While we see her death in the dramatic conclusion of the trilogy in Revenge of the Sith, and it is key to the emotional climax of the trilogy, established continuity is that she survives this point. According to the original trilogy, Padmé lives into the early Imperial era and lives with her daughter long enough for Leia to have memories of her. Leia's recollection of her mother in Return of the Jedi was one of the most important emotional scenes of the original trilogy, and it is bizarre that George Lucas would want to retcon something so central to a main character's past out of existence.
20 It Was Worth It For The "Nooooooo!"
On top of that, it does not even really make sense for Padmé to die when she does. Although she dies during childbirth, which does make some sense even given the advanced medicine, that's not what she dies from. According to the movie, she dies from a broken heart due to Anakin's capitulation to the dark side of the force and betrayal of her, and there is nothing medical technology can do to save her. However, at the same time that this is happening, Anakin is severely burned and the Sith are able to save him with advanced technology, transforming him into Darth Vader. But if the Sith are able to do this, it does not make sense that the technology does not also exist to save Padmé. Her death makes sense dramatically, but not logically.
19 Boys Must Be Boys, Girls Must Be Girls?
After Padmé dies, her two children are whisked away to safe locations to protect them from the Empire and their father. Luke is given to the Lars family, his grandmother's relatives by marriage, and Leia to Bail Organa of Alderaan. However, the logic behind the children's placements seems very strange. Yoda recommends they be sent to obscure locations for safety, which explains what happens to Luke, at least, but makes Leia's placement seem simply baffling. As a princess, and the adopted daughter of an important actor in Galactic politics, there is absolutely nothing obscure or safe about where she spends her childhood. If the children are meant to be put in a position to act as part of the resistance, then Luke's obscurity also does not make sense.
18 The Princess Actually Has A Mean Streak
While most of the problems with logic and continuity discussed in this article have been left unresolved, sometimes an effort is actually made to correct or explain these issues so they are no longer flaws. Take, for example, the famous issue of Princess Leia's shifting accent. In some scenes of the original trilogy, Leia's accent becomes more British, something Carrie Fisher puts down to the influence of Peter Cushing, who is in these scenes with her playing Grand Moff Tarkin. However, a novel of the extended canon—Bloodlines, by Karen Traviss—actually chooses to offer an in-universe explanation for this change. In the novel, an older Princess Leia recalls her younger self, as depicted in these scenes, and reveals that it was a case of her deliberately mocking Grand Moff Tarkin's accent.
17 Heat Does Have To Get Out Somewhere
Some other things commonly identified as logical flaws in Star Wars are not really flaws at all. Take the exhaust port of the Death Star. This is, famously, the sole weakness to the craft's defense and it allows the rebels to destroy it at the end of Episode IV. Fans of the series have often cited the existence of this exhaust port as an absurdity. However, as this meme shows, it is actually necessary for the Death Star to function safely without destroying itself. It if does not have a port to release the extremely high levels of energy needed to destroy planets, the Death Star would self-destruct. It's understandable that the Empire did not think it was possible that anyone would actually be able to exploit it.
16 Much Deus Ex Machina You Have
One of the main plot events of The Empire Strikes Back is the introduction of Yoda and his mentorship of Luke Skywalker on the planet Dagobah. This is a key moment of Luke's development as a Jedi as well as the development of the fictional universe as a whole. However, given the information he has, it does not actually seem reasonable that Luke would be able to stumble on Yoda the way he does. All that Luke knows is that the Jedi master is somewhere in the Dagobah system. Yet, armed with only this knowledge, Luke happens to land on the right planet right near where Yoda is. He then happens to stumble on him without even realizing it. If random chance had led Luke anywhere even slightly different, he would never have found Yoda and the plot could not have progressed.
15 Possibly They Were Both Just Senile
This brings us to another interesting continuity error that exists between the original series and the prequels. Luke sought Yoda out as a mentor because the little green Jedi was Obi-Wan Kenobi's mentor, a fact supported through this movie and the following Episode VI. However, when we see a young Obi-Wan with his master in Episode I, that master is not Yoda. Obi Wan's master is Qui-Gon Jinn, and Yoda, while present, is much higher up on the food chain than that. He's not directly connected with the young Kenobi. Yoda, a great Jedi Master, would still be someone Luke would want to seek out and learn from, but there would not be nearly as strong a motivation for Luke as the one originally given.
14 Cutting A Very Generous Bit Of Slack
At the end of the original trilogy, Darth Vader decides to save save his son, and the galaxy, by killing the Emperor. The emotional thrust of this moment is that he thereby redeems himself, and is thus able to stand beside Yoda and Obi Wan as a ghost at the final celebration of the Empire's fall. However, especially given context added in the prequels, is it dubious if the elder Skywalker has actually earned this forgiveness or redeemed himself. While it is true that he does save his son and end the Empire by his actions, it was literally solely his responsibility that the Emperor survived and was able to found the Empire in the first place. So Vader is only correcting the results of his own actions, and long after extreme, irreversible consequences.
13 Maybe He Was Just Being Fatherly?
The Force is an iconic element of the Star Wars universe, and is the key to the power behind both the Jedi and the Sith. Those with the gift for using the force have incredible powers to manipulate the world around them, and keenly perceive what is invisible to normal humans. However, especially given its incredible power, it is really odd to think about where characters, for some reason, chose not to use it. Take the moment where Luke escapes Darth Vader in Cloud City by jumping down a shaft. Given Vader's mastery of the force, shouldn't he be able to use it to catch Luke and bring him back up? It would not have been the most Vader's impressive use of the force we've seen, yet he chooses to do nothing and let Luke escape.
12 If Only The Three Stooges Has Been Jedi
A much sillier example of where Jedi and Sith could use the force, but choose not to, involves the use of lightsabers. The lightsaber is the weapon of choice in the Star Wars universe and the epitome of interstellar cool. It is conveniently turned on with the use of a button. The wielder presses the button manually, but, as we know, the force is able to manipulate physical objects without actual contact. So couldn't they screw up their opponents by turning off their weapons with the force? It is actually surprising that nobody, at any point in the extended canon, has ever done this. It'd be so easy, and so effective! It would certainly shatter the air of seriousness and drama that the series maintains.
11 Surprised C-3PO Wasn't Tripping All The Time
Star Wars takes place in a science fiction setting but it does not take place in the future. Despite this, the society of Star Wars exists with a level of technology that is quite advanced by our standards, particularly in the way of machines. However, there are some technologies that we already have in our world that Star Wars apparently lacks: wireless technology, for example. As shown in this meme, the headphones and many other things used by characters still require wires to work. This is something Earth figured out before it even managed interplanetary travel, so it's baffling why a society with as much technology as in Star Wars still has to use them. You might blame the time period, but they did include automatic doors and wireless technology is not much of a stretch.
10 Just Screw The Laws Of Physics
The rebel alliance's is X-wing is instantly recognizable. However, similar to the Millennium Falcon, they seem to violate the laws of physics, but for different reasons. Although, unlike the Falcon, it is obvious how the X-wing is able to fly, having both wings and rockets. It seems to be much more versatile than space or aircraft ought to be: the fighters function just as well both out in deep space and close to the surface of a planet. Nothing in the real world, obeying the actual laws of physics, would really be able to do this. A flying machine should not work just as well in both conditions, as the temperate, air pressure and general conditions are wildly different.
9 Maybe They Just Guess?
The Star Wars universe contains intelligent robots. Some of these robots are key characters of the movies: most famously the droid pair of C-3PO and R2D2. These two were the first characters we followed in the first Star Wars movie, and they have gone on to be the only two characters who have appeared in all nine movies of the franchise. While C-3PO speaks in understandable English, R2 communicates in a series of robotic bleeps and bloops. However, despite this, R2 is apparently understandable to at least some of the main characters of the series. Anakin, for example, is able to understand the droid perfectly fine. If this is some kind of learnable skill in the Star Wars universe, nobody ever bothered to explain it to us over the course of nine movies.
8 She's In Politics, She's Used To A Little Hardship
One of the most powerful moments in the franchise is the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi at the hands of Darth Vader in Episode IV. However, the powerful feelings the scene is meant to evoke, and does evoke, somewhat overestimates the severity of the loss in context. While the audience is busy sympathizing with Luke, they forget that Leia just a little while earlier lost her family when Alderaan was blown up. Luke's loss of an old man he met several days earlier, no matter the significance of the relationship they developed, does not even come close to matching this in emotional impact. Yet nobody even really tries to acknowledge her loss or comfort her, while Luke's loss is considered huge.
7 Maybe He Was Just Tired?
The terrifying Boba Fett has a well-deserved reputation as one of the deadliest men in the galaxy, and probably the only redeeming thing from the Star Wars Holiday Special. Cold-blooded Fett is the bounty hunter who captures Han Solo during Episode V and is one of the most memorable characters of the original series. But much like the Imperial Stormtroopers discussed earlier, he is bizarrely easy to overcome. Despite showing extreme intelligence and talent for combat, he is knocked to his death in Episode VI by a blinded Han Solo flailing around randomly and igniting his jetpack. Fett is bizarrely incautious in this moment to allow someone he was previously able to capture, and get frozen in carbon, to do this to him.
6 The Line Sounded Good, At Least
Obi Wan Kenobi takes Anakin Skywalker on as his padawan, or apprentice, at the end of Episode I. This is the beginning of a close, ultimately tragic relationship. The battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin at the end of Episode III is part of the climax of the prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan displays an odd case of amnesia in this battle. At one point, he expresses the belief that he has all but won because he has gained the high ground and implores Anakin to surrender. This is despite Obi Wan having defeating Darth Maul in Episode I despite Darth Maul's similarly advantageous position. Given that the battle between Kenobi and Maul was the first time in generations that a Jedi killed a Sith lord in battle, you would think he would recall this important detail.