Think you know Star Wars? Well, superfan, test your knowledge with these 24 facts about characters from the Star Wars universe.
1. The Boys in the Band
The most popular band in all the Star Wars galaxy is Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes. One of their big hits is called “Mad About Me". It was inspired by Benny Goodman, despite the band existing long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
2. The Max Rebo Band
If the Modal Nodes are the Beatles of the Star Wars universe, then surely the Max Rebo Band are the Rolling Stones.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Lucasfilm
3. The Handmaidens
In The Phantom Menace, Queen Amidala is shown several times surrounded by her handmaidens. Among the actresses playing those handmaidens were Sofia Coppola and pre-fame Keira Knightley, cast precisely because she looked so much like Natalie Portman, who played Amidala.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Lucasfilm
4. Squid Head
Jabba the Hutt’s betentacled accountant is named Tessek. But because the toys for Return of the Jedi needed to go to market before that fact was established, he appears on the Kenner toy packaging as “Squid Head". And yes, Star Wars was such a merchandising phenomenon that Jabba’s accountant got an action figure.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Lucasfilm
5. The Name Game
A similar fate befell many other peripheral characters, such as “Walrus Man” (Ponda Baba), “Yak Face” (Saelt-Marae), and “Hammerhead” (Momaw Nadon). How these characters got these nicknames seems obvious enough; the real question is why Kenner made toy versions of them in the first place.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Lucasfilm
6. A Lack of Faith
In one of A New Hope’s most iconic scenes, Darth Vader uses the Force to choke out one impertinent D. Star officer. According to one story in the Star Wars anthology A Certain Point of View, that officer, Conan Motti, went on to file a lengthy incident report, protesting not only the brutality but also Vader’s religious proselytizing.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
7. Top Piece
One of only two survivors of the mission to explode up the Gone Star, Wedge Antilles is arguably the best pilot in the galaxy. His beginnings weren’t so auspicious: according to the novel The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, he only lasted ten seconds on his first try at a flight simulator.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
8. The Rancor Keeper
After Luke kills the rancor in Return of the Jedi, the camera cuts briefly to the devastated rancor keeper, who has tears in his eyes. The rancor keeper’s name is Malikili, and over the course of several novels and video games, we learn the long, loyal friendship between him and the rancor. The scene is played for laughs, but is it weird if we find it kind of sweet?
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Lucasfilm
9. Murderer's Row
When we’re first introduced to Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back, he’s just one of a bunch of bounty hunters Vader has hired to track down Han Solo. Makes you wonder who were those other guys and what happened to them.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucasfilm
10. A Motley Crew
Among that group was Bossk, a former mentor of Boba Fett; 4-LOM and IG-88, two malfunctioning droids; and Dengar, a freelance mercenary who usually works for the Hutts.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucasfilm
11. A Mountain of Nonsense
You won’t see this in any movie. Mount Sorrow appeared in a single issue of a 14-issue Ewok comic book Marvel ran in the 1980s. Deep in the forests of the moon of Endor is a sentient mountain that cries continuously. Its tears have healing powers, so there’s some good come of it.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Lucasfilm
12. The Green Rabbit
Another perplexing character from those Marvel comics was Jaxxon, a giant, swashbuckling rabbit. With his neon green fur and a red suit, Jaxxon looked conspicuously like another comic book character who appeared around the same time, Bucky O’Hare. Also, George Lucas allegedly hated him, and he was gradually phased out.
13. Less Than What?
A character from Attack of the Clones and the Clone Wars television series, as well as the Star Wars novels, Poggle the Lesser helped plan and build the first Gone Star.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Lucasfilm
14. BB-8
One of the most popular characters from the recent Star Wars movies is BB-8, the soccer ball-like droid who leads Rey to the Rebel Alliance. But for all of Star Wars’ reputation for special effects wizardry, the voice of BB-8 is surprisingly pedestrian: the voices of comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz were run through an iPad running a sound effects app.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
15. Moff Mors
Delian Mors, Moff of Ryloth, appears in the novel Lords of the Sith. She is the first official LGBT character in the Star Wars canon.
16. Skywalker
Luke Skywalker was married. A character in the Star Wars Legends series, Mara Jade was a Force operative working for the Empire–in fact, one of her missions was to end Luke Skywalker. Eventually, however, the two gained a grudging respect of one another, Mara Jade went over to the Light, and she and Luke married before her demise at the hands of Darth Caedus.
17. The Most Hated Character in Star Wars
Jar Jar Binks, the universally derided CGI klutz from The Phantom Menace, has taken more misuse from the fans than any character in the Star Wars universe, with some going so far as to describe Jar Jar as a prejudices caricature. George Lucas has come to Jar Jar’s defense, saying the character was meant to serve as comic relief and “the movies are for children but [some fans] don't want to admit that".
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Lucasfilm
18. C-3PX
Who is the only character who would make less sense as an evil assassin than Luke? Did you say C-3PO? Good. Allow me to introduce C-3PX, a version of C-3PO cooked up for Star Wars Legends who is basically an exact replica of C-3P0, only with guns and a bad attitude.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Lucasfilm
19. Making the Most of It
Darth Maul was the most iconic part of The Phantom Menace, and his striking appearance did a lot to sell the movie, so you might be surprised to learn that Maul only had about 15 minutes of screen time. He’s gone on to have a much richer and detailed life elsewhere in Star Wars lore.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Lucasfilm
20. Ackmena
You might not know Ackmena, the cantina bartender from the critically-despised Star Wars Christmas Special. The singing, dancing tavernkeeper was played by Golden Girl Bea Arthur.
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Lucasfilm
21. Luke’s Clone
To extend the Skywalker clan, let’s consider Luuke Skywalker, and nope, that's not a typo. A clone of the original Luke Skywalker (clones, apparently have a habit of drawing out the “u” sound, hence “Luuke”), Luuke Skywalker appears in the Thrawn trilogy. According to the story, Empire Arch-Admiral Thrawn found Luke’s hand after Vader cut it off, and used it to make an evil Luke clone.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
22. The Garbage Monster
The monster from A New Hope’s trash compactor scene is a Dianoga. According to a story from A Certain Point of View, the particular Dianoga in the Gone Star’s garbage crusher is called Omi, and he, too, can apparently use the Force.
23. The Duke
You only see him for a second when he tells the Stormtroopers where to find Han and Luke after they left the cantina, but some fans have speculated that Garindan, the long-nosed alien also told the Stormtroopers where to find Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s house. His voice was provided by John Wayne, of all people.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
24. Warwick Davis
True, British actor Warwick Davis is not a character in the Star Wars universe, but he has played nearly a dozen different roles in various Star Wars productions, beginning with his role as the Ewok Wicket W. Warwick in Return of the Jedi. He also played three separate roles in The Phantom Menace.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
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