Star Wars is a story that has captured the hearts of fans over literally generations. From the adventures of Obi-Wan and Anakin, to Luke and his struggles with family, to Rey and her journey in the Force, we’ve seen so many interesting characters and stories. And the movies themselves are often memorable, whether they’re good or bad. Even if you’re not very familiar with Star Wars, you would likely recognize some of the characters. These movies have really become a cultural phenomenon.

I’m not sure which Star Wars movie is my favorite, though I’m pretty fond of Return of the Jedi. Everything about that movie was interesting to me and I loved the final showdown between Luke, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine. I have a soft spot for characters going through a moral dilemma, so Darth Vader’s struggle was very interesting to me.

But I don’t think we realize just how much work goes into making a Star Wars movie. It really is a huge effort that takes the work of thousands, if not millions of people. And we sometimes forget that behind the scenes, there are sometimes very different things happening. Just because something looks one way on the big screen, it doesn’t mean it looks that way in real life. But that’s part of what makes the movie making process so fun and entertaining.

So here are 25 behind-the-scenes photos of Star Wars movies that will make you see these movies in a very different way. Let’s have some fun with film!

Think we missed some great photos? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below!

25 That’s Definitely Not A Cave

Via: starwars.com

Who could forget that crazy moment in The Empire Strikes Back when you realize that Han, Leia, and C3PO were not actually in a cave in that asteroid, but in a giant space slug (also known as an Exogorth)? That was a great and spooky moment.

But this photo gives us a new look at the slug and it looks a lot... smaller. To be fair, most of the big structures and creatures we saw in those movies were actually a lot smaller than we realized. It’s the beauty of practical effects.

24 The Bantha Looks Suspicious

Via: starwars.com

Star Wars is known for having quite the variety of interesting creatures. From Tauntauns to Banthas, you’ve got some interesting creatures in these movies. And the Bantha became a fairly known creature. But how did they make these creatures?

The Banthas are actually elephants! 

Well, this photo gives us the answer to the Bantha mystery. In reality, Bantha’s were actually elephants in disguise. It’s a smart idea to use animals we know but to put a twist on it. And this elephant/Bantha looks pretty cool! But you’re never going to look at Banthas the same way again.

23 Chilling Between Scenes

Via: justkillingti.me

The Last Jedi brought back Luke and Leia in a pretty big way. This version of Luke seemed to be a pretty serious guy who was also the epitome of a grumpy old man. And Leia is the stern general who’s not afraid tell people what she thinks.

But this photo gives us a nice look at these actors when they’re chilling. It shows them to be real people and not just the characters we see on the screen. It’s always interesting and great to get a look at actors offscreen, and this photo captures that.

22 A Tender Moment

Via: flavorwire.com

When you think Darth Vader, you think of this intimidating guy in a black suit with that scary helmet. Combine that with the slightly robotic voice, and he seemed more machine than human, which added to his terror.

So, this photo is an interesting juxtaposition of that. The idea of the director of The Empire Strikes Back showing affection to Darth Vader is a funny and kind of sweet image. It reminds us that behind that suit is a human being onscreen and offscreen.

21 K2 Is Looking A Little Weird

Via: youtube.com (ScreenSlam)

With the rise of computer graphics and motion capture, making movies is pretty different from how it used to be, and we see that with the more recent Star Wars movies. And Rogue One is no exception. We remember K2 as being the rather snarky droid, but he looks a little different here.

Motion capture can make things a bit weird. 

This photo reminds us that the droid’s body was mostly computer generated. Seeing Alan Tudyk in his motion capture clothes and hand props is an interesting sight and reminds us that often what the actors see isn’t what we see on the big screen.

20 She Looks Awfully Happy

Via: fstoppers.com

We know that Leia has never gotten along with stormtroopers and has been fighting against them for ages. And with her capture, there are quite a few tense scenes between Leia and various stormtroopers.

But this picture shows a much lighter tone to their dynamic and it’s funny and pretty sweet. I can imagine Carrie Fischer would probably tease and banter with the stormtroopers like crazy. It’s nice to see that between serious scenes, things weren’t quite so serious.

19 Sweet Dreams, Princess

Via: starwars.com

Princess/General Leia has become quite the iconic character over the years. She was the epitome of class and strength. She didn’t let anyone tell her what to do, and she was willing to do what it took to help the rebellion.

This picture shows a much sweeter side to Leia. Any actor will tell you that shooting a movie can be rather exhausting, so it’s no surprise that Carrie decided to snag a nap between scenes. I’m just impressed that she fit into that small chair.

18 The Stakes Don’t Seem So High Now

Via: ranker.com

You can’t talk about Star Wars and not talk about the famous “I am your father” scene. It was very intense and ended with Luke literally falling down that “space chute.” Overall, it was a very dramatic scene.

The pillows make the whole scene a little less dramatic. 

But this picture shows a less dramatic side to that scene. While we know that Luke didn’t actually fall down a great distance, knowing that there were pillows underneath that bridge is pretty funny. It makes this very serious and dramatic scene a bit more lighthearted.

17 What’s Going On With R2?

Via: oldpicsarchive.com

Out of all the droids of Star Wars, R2-D2 is probably the most iconic. Even if you’ve never seen Star Wars, you would still probably recognize this sassy and rather reckless droid. But did you know that there was a person inside R2?

Yep, they had a guy inside this droid working it during the original movies. And this photo really captures the workings behind the droid. It really helps you see what goes on behind filming and what people have to do to create the illusion.

16 Luke, Your Yoda Is Showing

Via: imdb.com

The dynamic between Luke and Rey in The Last Jedi is an interesting one, since Rey is trying to convince Luke to train her and he is not having it. We’ve got the dedicated but inexperienced Rey and the cynical and salty Luke. Their relationship is a bit of a tense and serious one.

But this photo shows that the relationship between the two actors is anything but serious. Mark Hamill is known to be pretty snarky and this picture of him and Daisy is cute and hilarious.

15 They Look... Smaller Than I Remember

Via: theawesomer.com

When you look at the ships in Star Wars, they seem to be larger than life. All the battles in space are amazing and fast-paced. And in the original movies, the battles between these ships were incredible and new to the audience.

These ships aren't as big as you think. 

This photo gives us a look at these ships behind the scenes and how they made the battles possible. And they’re a bit smaller than you’d think. It reminds us that to create these huge scenes with seemingly gigantic ships, you sometimes have to go smaller.

14 Life Before Computers Must’ve Been Hard

Via: starwars.com

One of the things that’s super iconic about Star Wars is the scrolling words at the beginning of the movie. These have become a staple part of the main Star Wars films. But how did you do the scrolling words?

This photo gives us a look at how it’s done and it’s an interesting new angle. The idea of moving the camera down the words is so simple, and yet we don’t really think of it. It also shows just how much work can go into something as simple as words scrolling up a screen.

13 This Is Not The Yoda We Remember

Via: starwars.com

We always remember Yoda as the strange, but wise old Jedi who often guides lost Jedi. In the original movies, he helps train Luke and helps him see things in a different way. He may look and act weird, but he does know what he’s doing.

This photo gives us a look at Yoda behind the scenes and reminds us that in the original movies, he was literally a puppet. While we knew that he was a puppet, this photo is another reminder and does put Yoda in an interesting light.

12 It’s Kind Of Cute

Via: fstoppers.com

When you saw an AT-AT, you knew the Rebels were in trouble. These huge walking ships caused all kinds of problems to the Rebellion, and it’s thanks to Luke’s quick thinking that they were taken down. In general, they looked pretty intimidating.

These AT-ATs look pretty adorable! 

This photo shows what they really looked like, and here they look a lot less scary and a lot more... cute. Just like the other ships, sometimes to make something look big, you actually have to go a bit smaller.

11 He Looks Relaxed

Via: fstoppers.com

If it’s possible for a robot to have anxiety, then C3P0 definitely fits the bill. This poor android is constantly freaked out by everything and tends to think of the worst-case scenario. To be fair, he gets into a lot of crazy and dangerous situations, though usually not by choice.

So, it’s kind of funny to see C3P0 just relaxing in the desert with an umbrella. Apparently, wearing the costume was a huge pain and made it so the actor couldn’t even sit down. So, I guess this was how he had to relax.

10 The New Cameraman Looks A bit Strange

Via: pinterest.com

When you think of Darth Maul, you picture this mysterious, powerful Sith who took down Qui-Gon Jinn. This guy was ruthless and looked every bit the part of a Sith warrior.

This photo is pretty hilarious since we’ve got Ray Park in his Darth Maul make-up in a t-shirt and sweats. And he’s just messing around with one of the cameras. He looks so normal and you wouldn’t expect to see that with the character he plays. It just shows you that the actor can be very different from the character.

9 This Scene Is Almost Unrecognizable

Via: reddit.com

When it comes modern moviemaking, there’s a lot more CGI and motion capture involved, which gives the Star Wars prequels an interesting element. These movies were pretty ambitious and set out creating elaborate action scenes.

Hard to imagine this was the Geonosis droid factory scene. 

And this photo shows that what goes on behind the scenes or even in the scene can be incredibly different from what we see in the final product. You can imagine that acting in that type of situation may be pretty tricky. Props to Natalie Portman for acting in front of a guy essentially wearing a morph suit.

8 Practice Makes Perfect

Via: starwars.com

Whatever you think about Kylo Ren, you have to be impressed with Adam Driver for dedicating himself to the role. This guy is famous for trying to stay in character while he’s on set, which isn’t always easy to do.

And this photo does show a different side to this turbulent character. It’s fun to see actors practicing their skills because we know they put a lot of work to make their characters feel as real as possible. And the fact that they’re fighting with “lightsabers” that light up is pretty entertaining.

7 Sorry, Han

Via: fstoppers.com

In the original movies, the biggest romantic subplot was between Han and Leia. They were the epitome of the arguing couple that wouldn’t admit they liked each other. Their interactions were both hilarious and sweet.

But this photo may suggest that there was something going on between Leia and Han’s best friend, Chewy. I can imagine that the actors all liked goofing around, and this photo captures that silly element. Though maybe there really was something more between those two...

6 A Side To Palpatine We Never Saw

Via: starwars.com

Whenever you saw Emperor Palpatine on screen, he was this mysterious cloaked figure that was just dripping in malice and deceit. This guy really was an interesting and unsettling villain. And the final confrontation between him, Luke, and Vader was a very tense and satisfying one.

I never imagined the Emperor with hair. 

But we never saw him with the hood off, so this photo does give us a strange look at the Emperor. Maybe there was a reason he always kept the hood on. Though I don’t envy the actor for having to go through all that makeup.