Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith holds a unique place in the saga, serving as the climactic bridge between the prequel and original trilogies. It’s a film loved for its high-stakes drama, epic lightsaber duels, and the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker. As the final piece of the prequel puzzle, it ties together a decade’s worth of storytelling, leading directly into the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. However, even a film of this magnitude, with its vast cast of characters and groundbreaking visual effects, isn’t immune to a few minor slip-ups. While these small continuity and production errors might be hard to spot on a casual viewing, once you know about them, you’ll never be able to watch the film the same way again.
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Here are seven mistakes from Revenge of the Sith that are impossible to unsee.
1. The Mysterious Reappearing Chair
During the climactic confrontation between Jedi Master Mace Windu and the newly revealed Darth Sidious, Windu sends the Sith Lord flying across his office. Sidious crashes into his desk chair, which topples backward onto the floor. However, in the very next shot, as the camera quickly cuts back to Sidious’ desk, the chair is inexplicably standing upright again, ready for another use.
This is a classic example of a continuity error that’s easy to miss in the heat of a fast-paced action sequence. It’s a small detail, but one that breaks the “suspension of reality” if you happen to catch it. The chair’s sudden replacement is a fun little behind-the-scenes blunder that reminds us that even in a galaxy far, far away, mistakes can happen on set.
2. The Wandering Headset Mics
In the thrilling opening space battle above Coruscant, Anakin and Obi-Wan communicate through their starfighter headsets. Eagle-eyed viewers, however, will notice that the small microphones on these headsets seemingly have a mind of their own. From one shot to the next, the microphones seem to change position, shifting from being directly in front of their mouths to their chins, and even down to their necks.
This is a small but noticeable continuity error, likely a result of different takes or quick costume adjustments during filming. While the dialogue remains seamless, the shifting props can be a little distracting. It’s one of those minor details that once you notice it, you’ll be watching the microphones more than the action on-screen.
3. The Reversing Lava Flow
The emotional and intense duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar is one of the most iconic scenes in the entire saga. However, a close look at the lava river around them reveals a continuity problem. When Obi-Wan leaps off a falling platform to safety, the river of magma is clearly flowing toward his right side. Yet, in the very next shot, as the camera focuses on Anakin, the direction of the lava has reversed, now flowing toward Obi-Wan’s left.
This small visual hiccup breaks the otherwise flow of the enthralling scene. The molten river, a key backdrop for the battle, defies the laws of physics and consistency. It’s a small detail, but a glaring one that can pull you out of the moment if you’re paying close attention to the background and not the masteful action sequence.
4. The Disappearing Glove
As Anakin is about to leap from the top of an elevator back inside the shaft, a quick shot reveals an interesting detail about his prosthetic hand. For a brief moment, the glove that usually covers his mechanical hand is nowhere to be seen, showing the bare prosthetic beneath. However, just a moment later, after he has made his daring jump and landed back inside the elevator, the black glove is back on his hand, fully intact.
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mistake is likely a simple filming oversight. Whatever the reason, it’s a fun little production error that reminds us of the careful choreography, set design, and costume design required for these action sequences.
5. The Unbearable Heat of Mustafar
The epic lightsaber duel on Mustafar takes place on a rapidly melting station platform just a few meters above a river of scorching lava. While the platform is disintegrating from the intense heat, Anakin and Obi-Wan seem to be completely unaffected, continuing their battle without suffering any adverse effects (at least until Obi-Wan bests Anakin).
Given the extreme temperatures of an active volcano, they should have been— at the very least— severely dehydrated, if not blistering from the heat, long before Anakin was eventually burned. This plot hole raises questions about the characters’ durability or an unwritten rule about the Force protecting its users from extreme environmental conditions. Once you think about the physics of the situation, it becomes a problem you can’t unsee.
6. The Premature Mention of the Empire
After the Chancellor declares the formation of the Galactic Empire, there is a major continuity in the Jedi Temple. Yoda and Obi-Wan are seen discussing the future of this newly formed Empire— a detail they could not have possibly known at that point. They were in a secluded location, not aware of the public announcement. The characters should have been referring to the government as the Galactic Republic, as Palpatine’s power grab was not yet revealed to them.
This dialogue mistake is a rare slip-up in an otherwise tight script. It reveals a moment where the writers’ forward-facing knowledge of the plot bled into the characters’ limited perspective. The Jedi should have lacked of awareness about the government’s sudden and dramatic transformation.
7. Padmé’s Impossibly Large Twins
When Padmé gives birth to Luke and Leia shortly after escaping Mustafar, the twins are surprisingly large newborns. In a real-world human pregnancy, a woman with a belly as small as Padmé’s would not have had room for even a single full-term baby of that size, much less two. Her small frame throughout her pregnancy makes the size of the newborns a biologically unlikely detail.
This is a case of creative license trumping biological realism. For the sake of the plot and the delivery scene, the babies needed to be a certain size, even if it didn’t align with Padmé’s physical appearance. It’s a small visual inconsistency that can be overlooked during the emotion of the important scene, but it’s a fun mistake to point out to friends.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
