7 Star Wars: A New Hope Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

A long time ago, in a galaxy not quite far away, George Lucas released a film that would go on to become a saga spanning decades. Today, the behemoth that is the Star Wars franchise includes movies, TV series, books, games, and so much more. But before it all, there was just the original movie, one without an episodic distinguisher, just Star Wars. A cultural phenomenon at this point, Star Wars has avid fans worldwide. The original trilogy is especially beloved by millions, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its faults. Even the first film is plagued by continuity errors and factual mistakes that may easily go unnoticed in the beginning. But once you notice, there is no unseeing it. Without further ado, here are 7 mistakes in the first Star Wars movie that you’ll never be able to ignore again:

1) Inconsistent Lightsabers

Given budgetary constraints and the era Star Wars was made in, the effects and the animation hold up pretty well, except when they don’t, and lightsabers are often involved. For example, shadows often appear under them even when they are activated, which shouldn’t be the case. Sometimes they lose their glow during duels, at other times, the animation of the light cannot keep up with the saber’s movements.

2) Rebels Never Die

Early in the film, the ruthless Darth Vader chokes a rebel to death and flings him away and toward a wall. Except the Rebel in question seems to be alive enough to throw his arms up to protect his head from the impact. Does the spirit of the revolution keep him alive despite a broken neck? 

3) C-3PO’s Scraps

The odd, endearing C-3PO is involved in many of the mistakes that happen throughout the series. In A New Hope, for example, the dent he gets during a skirmish keeps moving around. When they are running away from the Sandpeople, C-3PO sustains an “injury” in the form of a dent on his head. Through the next few scenes, the dent appears, disappears, and reappears on the other side. C-3PO also ensures that the crew gets some much-deserved screentime. In some scenes, you can even see the crew being reflected on his shiny, gold surface.

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4) The Reappearing Craft

In the scene where the Millennium Falcon is running away from the Death Star, initially, 4 TIE fighters are seen pursuing them. They destroy 3 out of those, except 1 of the destroyed ones reappears for a bit before disappearing in the next shot. Was it giving a last bit of company to the lone remaining craft before bidding goodbye?

5) What About the Boots?

If we had a dime for how many times A New Hope has had trouble with the number of footwear onscreen, we would have two dimes. The first time is during Leia’s rescue from the Death Star. After Leia, Han, and Luke disappear down a trash chute, the pair dump their stormtrooper armor and are seen wearing their original clothes again. This begs the question: Where did Han hide his large boots when he was wearing the stormtrooper clothes? There is also the scene where Han and Chewbacca are running away from stormtroopers, except Chewie is clearly wearing shoes with rubber soles in this scene. 

6) A Series of Disappearances

When Obi-Wan first gives Luke his lightsaber and the latter turns it on and off, the cape behind appears and disappears with it. In the scene where Vader enters Leia’s cell to interrogate her, a guard follows closely behind him. In the next scene, the original guard has been disposed of and replaced by a different one. 

7) The Iconic Stormtrooper Bonk

All seasoned Star Wars fans probably already know about this. After all, George Lucas later tweaked the scene, and it became even more noticeable. In the original version, when a group of stormtroopers enter the control room, one of them bonks his head against the door. Instead of changing the scene, Lucas added a quirky sound effect to it to add to the comic effect. After all, stormtroopers are many things, coordinated is not one of them, and this scene just drives the point home. 

You can stream Star Wars right now, with all its goofs, on Disney+.