30+ Hidden Secrets You Never Noticed in Star Wars

1. Number 2187

(Image/ Source: forcematerial.com)Unless you’re a hardcore Star Wars fan, chances are you wouldn’t have spotted this! When Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker are looking for Princess Leia in the movie A New Hope

, they search for her cell number. Turns out, it’s 2187. This also happens to be Finn’s stormtrooper name in The Force Awakens, as well as the year George Lucas’s film THX 1138

is set in.

2. Indiana Jones' bullwhip

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During The Empire Strikes Back

, Hans Solo, aka Harrison Ford, can be seen with a VERY familiar bullwhip on his belt during a couple of scenes. A few eagle-eyed viewers have spotted that this happens to be the same bullwhip that Harrison uses in the Indiana Jones movies! We love this nod to the star’s big blockbuster roles.

3. The IG-88 is defeated

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Another one in The Empire Strikes Back

. Watch the movie closely, and you’ll notice the body of the droid IG-88 in the metal melting pits on the planet Bespin. Some viewers will remember that this droid was originally hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon. So things didn’t turn out all that well for IG-88 in the end then…

4. Potato action

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You can always rely on Reddit users for their ability to work things out. Potatoes and shoes were spotted in the Star Wars

movies, but not in a way you would expect. They were used as “asteroids” during the filming of the series, and production teams have now admitted that they used a fair few tennis balls too!

5. Luke's green lightsaber

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Luke’s lightsaber color was blue until The Return of the Jedi. It suddenly went green, which left fans scratching their heads. Turns out, there were some serious behind-the-scenes issues that had caused this; the blue lightsaber couldn’t be seen properly during the scenes at Tatooine, so they had to switch it to green to make it more visible.

6. Keeping it in the family

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There are a fair few family connections in the Star Wars movies. Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi- Wan, is actually related to Denis Lawson, who portrayed Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy. Meanwhile, celebrated director Sofia Coppola, who is the daughter of The Godfather

director Francis Ford Coppola, makes an appearance as Queen Amidala’s handmaid.

7. Influenced by Shakspeare

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For the prequel trilogy, George Lucas decided to look for a familiar playwright for inspiration- Shakespeare! He borrowed some of his stories to drive the narrative of his own plots; for example, Anakin is set up like a hero who falls from grace, like Macbeth, while Obi-Wan is portrayed as a VERY similar character to MacDuff.

8. Javva the Hutt?

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You’ve heard of Jabba the Hutt, but have you ever heard of Javva the Hutt? Well, it seems that they made an appearance in Attack of the Clones- according to the end credits anyway! We clocked this during our latest rewatch, but the alleged character never appears anywhere. Just a spelling mistake maybe?

9. Jedi library

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Do the Jedi Archives feel familiar to you? If so, it might be because you’ve visited Dublin! The set was modelled on the beautiful Trinity College Library in Dublin, which members of the public can visit. Apparently the archives have, busts of George Lucas and Count Dooku, which you can catch a glimpse of in some of the movies’ deleted scenes.

10. A glimpse of the Millennium Falcon

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Did you manage to spot the Millennium Falcon in Revenge of the Sith

? In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, you can catch a glimpse of the famous light freighter during the scene when Anakin and Obi-Wan take Palpatine to the Senate. According to the Expanded Universe, the Falcon was actually known by a different name back then- the Stellar Envoy.

11. Homer Simpson cameo?

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In Attack of the Clones

, you might be able to spot a VERY out-of-place name- Homer Simpson! As the clones are about to attack Count Dooku, viewers then see a ship that is piloted by “Homer Simpson”, which is so random that it throws the whole scene off course. Nobody knows why George Lucas made the decision, but it seems like he’s a big fan of the show!

12. Ben Burtt cameo

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How closely did you watch Return of the Jedi

? If you’re a super fan like we are, you may have noticed a cameo from Ben Burtt, who is the Star Wars

sound designer! He’s responsible for everything from lightsaber sounds to R2-D2’s little bleeps. You can catch him as Imperial Officer Colonel Dyer, who eventually gets killed by Hans Solo.

13. Hello Boba Fett

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Next time you watch The Empire Strikes Back

, take a look at the guard who’s restraining Princess Leia when she shouts, “It’s a trap!” to Luke. Turns out it’s Jeremy Bulloch- the actor who plays Boba Fett. Apparently the person playing the guard hadn’t shown up for work that day, and Jeremy stepped in as his replacement.

14. Casual swearing

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Another one from Return of the Jedi

. Remember when the Super Star Destroyer finally manages to crash into the Death Star? Well, you can hear a LOT of cheering from the crew of Admiral Ackbar’s ship- and one of them can even be heard shouting, “So long, ****heads!” as they celebrate. You’ll have to listen carefully to catch it though!

15. Tie Fighters

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In Attack of the Clones

, we get to see Anakin and Obi-Wan race through the air, as well as three Tie Fighters following an X-Wing. According to George Lucas, who gives plenty of audio commentary on the movie, this was a brief nod to Luke’s trench run in A New Hope.

It also foreshadows

Anakin’s expert piloting skills that his son later inherits.

16. Pod race footage

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The Star Wars movies love a few Easter Eggs, and this is probably one of the coolest to date. In Star Wars Episode I

, we get to see the Courscant cantina. In the background, you can just about spot a TV screen, which is showing a pod race. This just so happens to be gaming footage from the videogame Star Wars Episode I: Racer for Nintendo 64!

17. George Lucas cameo

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We know that the Star Wars

movies love a good cameo- and it’s pretty special when the main man himself puts in an appearance! George Lucas can be spotted in the background in Revenge of the Sith

, where he’s dressed as Baron Papanoida sporting a nice blue face. The girl next to him happens to be George’s daughter too.

18. Kylo Ren's scar

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In The Force Awakens

, fans were treated to some familiar foreshadowing techniques- this time with Kylo. During an epic battle between Rey and Kylo, he ends up with a scar across his face- just like Anakin did before he went full-blown Darth Vader. It seems that his grandson will be following in his footsteps then…

19. Princess Leia's outfit

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While we’re on the topic of subtle throwbacks, there was another nod to the past in The Last Jedi

. When she appears to knock down Poe, Princess Leia is kitted out in a white outfit, complete with the exact same type of blaster she was using in A New Hope

- a DDC Defender sporting blaster. We’re getting deja-vu!

20. "I have a bad feeling about this"

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If you weren’t already aware, this famous quote has appeared in every single Star Wars

movie. And it’s a tradition that’s still going strong in The Last Jedi

! While it wasn’t audible as in the other franchise films, it was confirmed by director Rian Jonson that BB-8 said it when having a conversation with Poe.

21. Star Wars poster

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It’s really difficult to see in A New Hope

, but eagle-eyed internet users have spotted an intricate detail that you might have missed. At the beginning of the film, you can just about see the Star Wars

poster in the cockpit of Leia’s ship if you squint hard enough. It’s believed to be a production still, according to Reddit users.

22. Mickey Mouse cameo

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George Lucas loves putting Easter Eggs in his movies, and The Empire Strikes Back

is no different! Whether he foresaw Disney’s ownership of Lucasfilm or not, he gave fans a hint of his love for all things Disney when he decided to include Mickey Mouse’s head in an intense battle scene between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

23. Crowd-surfing Stormtrooper

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We love how many tiny details are in the Star Wars

movies- and there are plenty of Reddit users out there that are determined to uncover as much as possible! One eagle-eyed fan noticed a crowd-surfing Stormtrooper in Return of the Jedi

special edition, which saw galactic-wide celebrations after the death of the emperor.

24. Daniel Craig cameo

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This one is wild. While tons of cameos have been made in Star Wars

over the years, Daniel Craig went and blew everyone out of the water! So which film does he appear in exactly? Well, it’s The Force Awakens

- but Daniel doesn’t appear in a way you might expect. He plays the Stormtrooper that guards Rey’s cell who falls for her Jedi mind trick.

25. Maz Kanata's flags

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How much did you manage to keep your eyes peeled in The Force Awakens

? If you paid close attention to Maz Kanata’s castle, you’ll have seen tons of flags hanging up near the entrance. It turns out that these flags have plenty of symbols on them, including the Mythosaur skull from Boba Fett’s uniform, Ziro the Hutt’s Black Sun tattoo, and Mandalorian war banners.

26. 327

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George Lucas loves recurring numbers in his films. 327 was used in his early movie American Graffiti

, where it was stamped on a car engine, and it’s present in Star Wars

too! The number has been spotted in A New Hope

, the Expanded Universe, as well as in The Empire Strikes Back

. Watch it back and you’ll see the Millennium Falcon land on Cloud City’s 327th platform.

27. Influences of Japanese cinema

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George Lucas has a soft spot for Japanese Samurai films, and this has really influenced his filmmaking style. Not only is the design of the Imperial Crest in A New Hope

based on a Japanese family crest, but there are small details from Akira Kurosawa’s films too. To give an example; C-3PO and R2-D2’s bickering relationship is actually based on two peasant characters in the movie The Hidden Fortress

!

28. IG-88's head

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While filming The Empire Strikes Back

, money was a little tight. George Lucas and co had to recycle things as often as they could- hence why they made IG-88’s head from one of the many beverage dispensers spotted in the background of the cantina scene in A New Hope.

We can’t help but admire the creativity!

29. E.T's friends

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This is one of our all-time favorite Easter Eggs in

Star Wars

! It turns out that George Lucas and S

teven Spielberg got together for this special little cameo that sent fans absolutely wild. In The Phantom Menace

, pay attention to the Galactic Senate. If you watch carefully, you’ll see some friends of E.T in their very own pod.

30. BT-17

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In The Force Awakens

, there’s a little nod to A New Hope

as Rey makes her getaway from Starkiller base. She listens to the conversation of two Stormtroopers, who are having an intense discussion about the new BT-17. It refers to the original scene in A New Hope

where Obi-Wan overhears a very similar conversation about the BT-16 all those years ago!

31. The Outrider Ship

Image Source / The Hashtag ShowFans of the Star Wars book Shadows of the Empire might have noticed that a certain ship looks mighty familiar. As Ben Kenobi and Luke are on a hill in the special edition of A New Hope, the ship that flies over them looks like the Outrider ship belonging to Dash Rendar in the novel.

32. The Visible Stormtrooper Tape

Image Source / RedditWhen Princess Leia is being escorted to meet her father Darth Vader, you can see a piece of tape on one of the inner arms of a Stormtrooper standing next to her. The tape was actually being used to keep the armour in place, as the budget being used was rather low and compromises had to be made!

33. The Stormtrooper Who Hits His Head

Image Source / UPROXXSpeaking of - this particular Stormtrooper may have needed some tape after all, when he whacks his head on an overhead door. While the troops are searching for C-3PO, one of the actors apparently wasn't paying attention - at his own admittance - and bangs his head, which made the final cut.

34. The Dice Homage To American Graffiti

Image Source / StarWars.comOn the Millennium Falcon, there's a pair of golden dice hanging from the ceiling in the cockpit - and fans of the Solo movie will know that Han gives these dice to his ex-girlfriend, too. The dice in question are an homage to American Graffiti, also starring Harrison Ford and is another George Lucas film.

35. A Jawa Is Hiding

Image Source / Mitch Darby ArchitectJawas are sneaky little critters, and even more so for this quick Easter Egg. When R2-D2 is hiding on Tattooine from the Sand People, you can just about notice the glowing eyes of a Jawa which is hiding in the rocks!

36. Tatooine Isn't Actually Named Until The Empire Strikes Back

Image Source / StarWars.comLuke's home, Tatooine, isn't given its official name until The Empire Strike Backs. In A New Hope, nobody knew what the name of Luke's home actually was, until he later revealed it when he asks the others to meet on Tatooine!

37. The Revenant Movie Connection

Image Source / TwitterWhen Han fears that Luke might die from the cold, he does the only thing he can in that moment - cuts open the Tauntaun and, in a scene none of us is likely to forget, shoves Luke inside for extra warmth. But this scene is also given a shout out in The Revenant, when Leo DiCaprio has to cut open a dead horse to crawl inside and get that extra warmth.

38. Luke's Habit Of Hanging Around

Image Source / The AwesomerLuke is turned feet over head more than once in these movies. At the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, he's seen hanging upside-down in the cave. Later, in other movies, he's hanging upside-down again. Well, apparently, this is intentional, to show that his whole world is literally being turned upside-down!

39. The Ice Cream Maker

Image Source / Star Wars ThoughtsDuring the evacuation of Cloud City when Darth Vader has taken over, there's a guy running away - and he's holding something that at first glance may not have looked like anything, but actually was an ice cream maker. The prop became a running joke amongst Star Wars fans!

40. So Long, D*ckheads!

Image Source / Radio TimesIf you listen carefully, when Admiral Ackbar and his ship's crew are cheering and celebrating once the Death Star being crashed into, there's someone who shouts, "So long, d*ckheads!" You'll have to re-watch this one and listen carefully - but we can't help but agree with the sentiment.

41. Luke's Change In Clothing

Image Source / PolygonLuke wears a lot of white and grey in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Later in the timeline, he's best known for wearing black - at least on the outside. Because, when the clothing shifts, we see underneath he's still wearing white. This is all symbolic about his potential to turn to the dark side - but of course, he never does. Proving that black just looks good on anyone.

42. The Backstory Of The Rancor's Death

Image Source / StarWars.comWhen the Rancor is killed by a gate falling onto its neck, the beastmaster, Malakili, seems quite upset. Well, turns out that the Rancor actually helped save Malakili during a previous attack, leading the two of them to have a bond. So when Luke killed the Rancor, he foiled all plans of Malakili and the Rancor's life together.

43. Darth Vader's Connection To Luke

Image Source / MediumWhen they're approaching Endo, Vader and the Emperor having a conversation about sensing the presence of Luke. The Emperor doesn't sense Luke nearby, despite all his power, but Darth Vader does - proving that strong family connection that Vader and Luke have.

44. The Reference To The Godfather

Image Source / The Godfather Wiki - FandomDuring the scene where our hero Princess Leia chokes out Jabba the Hutt after making her wear a gold bikini, his death was actually a shout out to a famous scene from another famous movie: The Godfather. In the Godfather, the death of Luca Brasi is very similar to Jabba being strangled.

45. Does Bib Fortuna Say "He's Gay"?

Image Source / Eeggs.comIn Jabba's palace when the band begin playing, the character of Bib Fortuna goes up to Princess Leia, who's wearing a disguise, and whispers something. When you listen carefully, it does sound an awful lot like he's saying "He's gay". Who's he talking about?

46. The Reference To "The Day The Earth Stood Still"

Image Source / IMDbIf you don't already know, The Day The Earth Stood Still is a well-known sci-fi movie about the end of the world where an alien comes to deliver some worrying news. In Star Wars, Jabba's Skiff Guards are named Klaatu, Barada and Nikto - and this completes the famous line spoken in The Day The Earth Stood Still.

47. Vader's Breathing Used During The End Credits

Image Source / YouTubeIf there's ever an iconic sound, it's Vader's breathing. And at the end of the credits to The Phantom Menace - around the last 10 seconds mark - you can hear Darth Vader's breathing if you bump the sound up and listen carefully. And, as always, it'll never not be epic to hear it.

48. The Reference To 2001: A Space Odyssey

Image Source / RedditThere's a particular pod that's featured in this famous 1968 sci-fi movie - and this pod can be seen amongst the mechanical parts lying in Watto's junk shop on Tatooine. It makes you wonder how he would ever get his hands on this pod and how it came to be there.

49. The Maz Kanata Statue

Image Source / RedditIn Anakin's room in The Phantom Menace, you can see the statue of someone who you wouldn't recognise until you'd watch The Force Awakens. This is a statue of Maz Kanata, and there's no explanation of why Anakin would have this statue of her. She is around 1000 years old, though, so she deserves a statue at least.

50. Star Trek In Star Wars

Image Source / TwitterA lot of people would say they're either a Trekkie or a Star Wars fan - or maybe both. But it's rare you see these two worlds collide. In a very blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene in Star Wars, you can see a ship that looks very similar to the Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation!