1138

In homage to director George Lucas’s Hollywood debut film THX 1138, the number “1138” appears repeatedly throughout the Star Wars series. For example, it can be seen as the number written on the back of a B1 battle droid—it's a well-known Easter egg among hardcore fans.

Regulator

Darth Vader’s unforgettable “shoo-ko” breathing sound—once you hear it, you can’t forget it—was actually created using a scuba diving regulator. Not only is it widely known as “Darth Vader’s breathing sound,” but it was even registered as a trademark in 2009.

Return of the Jedi

For those who saw it in theaters when it was first released, many will probably find the Japanese title “Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi” more familiar. The original English title was also “Revenge of the Jedi,” but at the last minute it was changed to “Return of the Jedi” at director George Lucas’s request. The change didn’t make it in time for the Japanese release, so it was reportedly released there under the title “Revenge of the Jedi.”

Date Masamune

Darth Vader is a character who enjoys fervent popularity as one of the most iconic villains in the series. It’s said that his distinctive helmet was designed with reference to the “Black Lacquer Five-Plated Dō Gusoku Armor used by Date Masamune,” which is housed in a museum in Sendai.

badger

Chewbacca, a popular character known as Han Solo’s sidekick, is a Wookiee from the forest planet Kashyyyk. His voice was created using recordings of seals, sea lions, and badgers. Incidentally, for Solo: A Star Wars Story, grizzly bear sounds were newly incorporated into Chewbacca’s voice.

Pizza

The Millennium Falcon, piloted by Han Solo, is an iconic vehicle of the series, and it’s said that its distinctive design was inspired by a pizza that director George Lucas was eating with his staff. It seems there are even fans who make and enjoy pizzas styled after the Millennium Falcon!

Episode 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Knight played by Alec Guinness in Episodes 4–6 and by Ewan McGregor in Episodes 1–3. Many people probably picture him with a distinguished beard, but in fact, you can see that he is clean-shaven in Episode 1 only.

Planetary War

When Star Wars was released in Japan, the planned Japanese title was “Wakusei Daisensō” (Planetary Great War). However, due to director George Lucas’s intention to unify the title worldwide, this Japanese title was rejected and the same title was instead used for a Japanese sci-fi film released in 1977.

Series 4

Known in Japan as “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme),” the piece is so famous that it’s often used on variety shows and is recognized even by people who haven’t seen the films. In fact, its first appearance was in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back; it didn’t exist at the time of Episode IV.

The Hidden Fortress

Star Wars contains many homages to the films of director Akira Kurosawa, who had a major influence on George Lucas. For example, the peasant duo Tahei and Matashichi from The Hidden Fortress served as the models for C-3PO and R2-D2!