The Star Wars franchise has been a force in pop culture for nearly 40 years in just about every medium you can think of. Thanks to all the films, TV shows, books, and comics, fans have no shortage of stories featuring their favorite characters, creating an intricate series canon that fleshes everything out and is fun to follow.
But reading the books or watching the movies is only half the fun. As so many people dissect every little bit of Star Wars material, some imaginative fans have crafted some interesting interpretations of what's going on in the galaxy far, far away. Here are Screen Rant's 10 Movie Theories that Completely Change Star Wars.
Jar-Jar Binks is perhaps the most reviled character in the series, becoming the prime example of what's wrong with the prequels since his debut in 1999. The response to him was so negative, that George Lucas had no choice but to trim down his screen time in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But does this clumsy Gungan deserve more credit? One theory suggests he does.
Some believe, perhaps jokingly, that Jar-Jar is the evil mastermind behind everything that transpires in the saga. Similar to Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, he uses his outward appearance as a bumbling buffoon as a ruse to mislead those around him. The theory says that Jar-Jar was a co-conspirator with Senator Palpatine (who also lived on Naboo) in manipulating events - using the Force to influence people - so that the Sith could rise to power and rule the galaxy. It's amusing to consider, but we'll never learn the truth. Disney is unlikely to use Jar-Jar in any upcoming movie.
All Star Wars fans are trying to figure out the true identity of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), one of the new villains featured in The Force Awakens. A popular belief is that Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis, the Sith master who taught Palpatine the ways of the Dark Side. Though Palpatine claims to have killed Plagueis, he alone knew how to cheat death. So, it's possible he could return.
Serkis has mentioned that Snoke is someone who knows of the events of the previous films, and the various Force Awakens tie-in books reveal that Snoke even knows specific details of the Empire's fall. It's plausible that after being betrayed by Palpatine, Plagueis lingered in the shadows, following his former apprentice's every move while waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Not to mention, his scarred physical appearance illustrates he's been through some battles, perhaps a struggle with Palpatine before "dying." Either way, the answers are coming soon.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the parentage of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is not revealed in The Force Awakens. This means that all the theories fans had about her prior to the film's release still hold up. One of the most popular is that Rey is the daughter of original trilogy hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), keeping in line with the notion that the saga films tell the Skywalker family story. In Episode VII, Rey demonstrates she's an excellent pilot and picks up on her Force abilities rather quickly, similar to Anakin and Luke in their first appearances. And there's more.
The Force Awakens novel and screenplay cover more ground about Rey's possible heritage. While dueling Kylo Ren on Starkiller base, Ren seems to recognize Rey, saying "It is you" when Rey calls the lightsaber to her. In addition, when Rey tracks down Luke at the end of the film, the script reveals Luke doesn't need to ask Rey who she is or why she came. He just knows. That would signify that Rey has some connection to the legendary Skywalker bloodline. She's so important to the story that her parents couldn't be just anyone, right?
In Episode I, fans learn that Anakin Skywalker was essentially the product of a miracle birth. His mother Shmi says to Qui-Gon that the boy had no father. It seemed like a ridiculous concept to introduce in a Star Wars movie, but Lucas attempted to craft some kind explanation. While telling Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine says that his master could influence the midi-chlorians to create life. His tone and expression hint that Palpatine was the one behind Anakin's immaculate conception.
There's an extra layer of intrigue here, since it's something Lucas was actually going to run with in Episode III. The "Making of Revenge of the Sith" book includes a passage of cut dialogue, where Palpatine confesses that he used the Force to give life to Anakin. For whatever reason, Lucas didn't incorporate that twist into the final film. Perhaps he trusted the audience to put two and two together and figure it out for themselves. Palpatine isn't very subtle in this scene.
In the original film, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) mentions that Imperial stormtroopers are precise with their weapons, but fans know that opposite is the case. The soldiers are almost comically inept at combat, rarely hitting their intended targets. That's why some find it hard to believe that they were the ones who took out Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine while looking for R2-D2 and C-3PO. The execution seems above their skill level. Who could have done it then? None other than Boba Fett.
It seems strange, but there is enough evidence to support it. The special edition of A New Hope (which is canon) puts Boba Fett on the desert planet, as he's shown with Jabba the Hutt's gang outside the Millennium Falcon. Also, when Darth Vader meets with the bounty hunters in Empire Strikes Back, he specifically instructs Fett to not disintegrate the targets. That emphasis seems to imply there's a history between the two. Maybe Vader contracted Fett to hunt the droid owners down? It would make for a fun comic book.
When Anakin Skywalker's home planet is revealed to be Tatooine in the prequels, many fans felt it created an unnecessary plot hole in the original trilogy. Why would Obi-Wan take Luke to his father's home world, knowing that Vader could be looking for his son? However, there appears to be a method to Kenobi's madness. Tatooine is the last place the former Anakin Skywalker would look.
The theory suggests that Vader would not even consider Tatooine as a possible hiding spot for his family. He made several poor memories on the planet; he was a slave in a shop for the first 10 years of his life, and then he watched his mother die in his arms. And Attack of the Clones infamously shared Anakin's thoughts about sand (spoiler: he wasn't too fond of it). As Vader looked to distance himself from his previous life and learns about the Dark Side, he may have not even considered the desert world out of a desire to forget about his earlier connections. It makes sense from a certain point of view.
When Han Solo (Harrison Ford) first meets Luke and Obi-Wan in the first film, he makes clear that he doesn't believe in the Force. In a classic Han Solo moment, he openly mocks the concept of the "hokey religion" and chalks up his success to a lot of simple tricks. But what if he subconsciously could access the power of a Jedi? Some fans believe that Han is unknowingly Force sensitive.
Viewers have theorized that Han had the potential to be a Jedi Knight. Many of his actions in the original trilogy, like flying through an asteroid field or fighting on Tatooine while blind, seem a little too fortunate to just be dumb luck. His prowess as a pilot and warrior suggest that he's tapping into the Force without being aware of it (much like Rey during the Jakku air chase sequence for what it's worth). And when Han teases Luke about the Force, Obi-Wan has a smug expression on his face. It's almost like he can sense something in the Corellian smuggler.
Lucas didn't hold back including original trilogy characters in the prequels, even if their inclusion made little or no sense. However, fans have taken the time to craft an explanation as to why some of them are there. In the case of Chewbacca and R2-D2, they may have been Rebel spies working together to ensure everything falls into place so freedom could be restored to the galaxy. It's a detailed theory that actually makes the prequels a little better than they turned out.
In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda is seen fighting alongside Chewie and other Wookies on Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars, and apparently has good relations with the walking carpets. His friendship with Chewie comes into play when he asks the Wookie to go to Tatooine and keep an eye on Luke. He convinces Han Solo to work with Jabba so he has a reason to frequently visit the planet and report back to Yoda. As for R2-D2, the feisty astromech somehow convinced the Rebels to not wipe his memory clean so the Alliance had access to his intel. He just decided to never tell C-3PO he knew the full story while the protocol droid was trying to piece it together. Still doesn't explain why Uncle Owen didn't recognize Threepio, though.
Liam Neeson portrays Qui-Gon Jinn as a Jedi Master dedicated to bringing balance to the Force, but some think he had more nefarious intentions. It's been theorized that he's actually a Sith in disguise, looking to overthrow the Jedi from within. Qui-Gon is shown to be a maverick, who typically goes against the beliefs of the Jedi Council (which was why he never got a seat with them). This extends to his feelings about young Anakin, who Qui-Gon believes should be trained in the ways of the Force.
Knowing that Anakin was too old to begin the training, Qui-Gon had hoped that Anakin would be consumed by the Dark Side and throw the Jedi into chaos as he became more powerful. This is a fascinating hypothesis, but there are a couple of things working against it. Qui-Gon very easily could have just turned to the Dark Side himself like so many Jedi before.
In the long line of Snoke theories, we crafted one wild one of our own. It's a bit of a stretch, but the Supreme Leader of the First Order could very well be Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), one of the main villains in the original film. Before you blow it off, consider the evidence that supports it. Snoke is very much aware of what happened with the Empire and is knowledgeable about its rise and fall. He also holds Vader in high regard, and we know from canon materials that Tarkin had a good relationship with Anakin Skywalker.
Also, while it's implied Snoke is a Force user, The Force Awakens never confirms it, even though he is Kylo Ren's master. But if Snoke was an ancient Sith or powerful in the ways of the Force, wouldn't Ben Solo have better control over his abilities? Kylo as depicted in Episode VII is still raw and has training to complete, even though he's presumably been under Snoke's tutelage for years. The real answers are coming shortly, but for now this is a fun one to consider.
Those are our picks for fun movie theories that change the way you look at Star Wars films. Are there any we missed? Which ones are your favorites? Sound off in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more fun videos like this one!