The Star Wars saga is one of the most epic stories in science fiction, but after decades of new entries, there are several glaring plot holes.
Summary
- The Star Wars franchise, despite its popularity, is not immune to plot holes due to its expansive and fantastical nature.
- The Disney era of Star Wars introduced even more plot holes through changing contexts, ignoring established plot points, and leaving unresolved mysteries.
- The 15 most significant plot holes in Star Wars serve as a lesson for future filmmakers in shaping the canon, highlighting contradictions and unanswered questions in the saga.
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Star Wars remains a celebrated sci-fi franchise after over 40 years, but no long-running film series is immune to plot holes. Fantasy stories are especially susceptible to plot holes, tackling massive storylines and larger-than-life worlds full of unreal technology and mysterious power. George Lucas was always an ambitious storyteller while crafting new entries in the saga, but this led to many confusing contradictions and unanswered questions.
The Disney era of Star Warscreated even more plot holes, simultaneously expanding the timeline before and after the original trilogy. Whether it was prequel films changing the context of previous movies, sequels ignoring established plot points, or mysteries that were never resolved, several aspects of Star Wars no longer make sense. 15 Star Wars plot holes stand out the most and serve as a lesson for future filmmakers who will continue to shape the canon.
Related: How To Watch Star Wars Movies In Order
15 How Did Leia Remember Her Mother?
Leia Organa shared her vague memories of her birth mother with Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, but she shouldn’t have had any memories at all. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith revealed that Padmé Amidala died immediately after giving birth to Luke and Leia, so there’s no way Leia could have formed any memories of her. Lucas himself admitted that the two scenes conflict with each other, and both are fantastic on their own, but together created one of the most frustrating Star Wars plot holes.
14 How Did The Galaxy Forget The Jedi In Just 20 Years?
While Leia shouldn’t have remembered her mother, the rest of the galaxy should have recognized the Jedi after only 20 years. Grand Moff Tarkin was sure Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead, Han Solo admitted that he used to wonder if the Jedi were real, and Luke had never heard of the Force. Even with a new generation raised under Imperial propaganda, it’s odd how many people forgot or dismissed the Jedi in just two decades.
13 Why Did Padmé Think Dooku Was Behind Her Assassination Attempt?
Although it turned out that Dooku was responsible for the attempts on Padmé’s life, it doesn’t make sense for her to suspect him. Padmé was against creating a Grand Army of the Republic, so it’s strange for her to assume that the Separatist leader would want her out of the way. If Padmé died, the bill would go through, and the Separatists would have to fight the Republic’s army. While Dooku secretly wanted this, Padmé never explained her reasons for accusing him.
12 How Did The Jedi Not Figure Out Dooku Was Behind The Clone Army?
Despite Dooku leaving so many clues dangling in front of them, the Jedi couldn’t connect him to the clone army. Obi-Wan followed Jango Fett from Kamino to Geonosis and discovered that the bounty hunter was working for Dooku, which should have been a dead giveaway. Combined with Dooku trying to assassinate Padmé, who was trying to prevent the creation of a Republic army, the Jedi should have begun to suspect that Dooku was playing both sides.
11 Why Couldn’t The Jedi Hire A Smuggler In The Phantom Menace?
Qui-Gon Jinn and the others had to rely on young Anakin Skywalker to win the podrace and acquire the parts to fix their ship, but this entire subplot was unnecessary. The first Star Wars movie saw Obi-Wan hire Han to get them off Tatooine, making it unclear why his master didn’t do the same. It feels like Lucas conveniently forgot one of the key plot points of his own franchise just so the podrace could happen.
10 What Happened To The Trade Federation Blockade In The Phantom Menace?
The Trade Federation had a blockade around Naboo at the beginning of The Phantom Menace, but only a single ship remains when the heroes return in the third act. It’s never explained why the Trade Federation moved the blockade and gave the Naboo the advantage in the final battle. The Trade Federation may have removed their ships after the Queen made accusations before the Senate, but most likely, the blockade disappeared so that the heroes could win.
9 Why Did Palpatine Keep Building Superweapons? (And How Did He Keep Them Secret?)
After Emperor Palpatine lost the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, it’s unclear why he insisted on continuing a failed strategy. The second Death Star, Starkiller Base, and the Final Order fleet took years and countless resources to construct, only to suffer from the same weakness each time. It’s also incredible that he managed to keep these projects a secret, considering how much personnel would go into making them.
8 Why Would Han Think Lando Was His Friend In The Empire Strikes Back?
Han trusted Lando Calrissian enough to ask him for repairs in The Empire Strikes Back but should have realized this was a bad idea. Solo: A Star Wars Story showed that Han and Lando only met briefly, during which Han constantly fought with him, led a mission where his best friend was destroyed, and then won the Millennium Falcon in a game of sabacc. There’s no logical reason for Han to assume that this counted as them being friends or having a history together.
7 Why Does C-3PO Act Like He Doesn’t Know Leia?
The first Star Wars plot hole came at the beginning of A New Hope, courtesy of C-3PO. The protocol droid tells R2-D2, “There’ll be no escape for the princess this time,” but later, he acts like he doesn’t know her when Luke asks who she is. This could have easily been fixed by changing C-3PO’s dialogue to “There’ll be no escape this time” or by having him tell Luke who she is.
6 Why Did Obi-Wan Kenobi Forget R2-D2?
Obi-Wan told Luke he didn’t remember having owned a droid, but he should have at least recognized R2-D2. He met the astromech in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and R2-D2 was always by Anakin’s side during the Clone Wars. R2-D2 was also accompanied by C-3PO, another droid Obi-Wan should have remembered.
5 Why Did Obi-Wan Wait So Long To Send Luke To Dagobah?
The Empire Strikes Back takes place three years after A New Hope, and Obi-Wan never sent Luke to Yoda in all that time. Obi-Wan was more than ready to start teaching Luke when they first met, and Yoda stressed the urgency of stopping the Sith when Luke cut his training short. The Jedi may preach patience and careful planning, but there’s seemingly no reason for them to have waited so long to make Luke a Jedi.
Related: How Much Time Passes In Each Star Wars Trilogy
4 What Was Luke’s Plan In Return Of The Jedi?
Han’s rescue from Jabba the Hutt was a miracle, as Luke’s Return of the Jedi plan makes no sense. His strategy is unnecessarily complicated, sneaking his friends in one at a time and making their escape more difficult. Lando had already infiltrated the palace as a guard, so he could have freed Han and saved everyone from the trouble.
3 How Did Luke’s X-Wing Work In Rise Of Skywalker?
Rey used Luke’s old X-Wing to escape Ahch-To and fly to Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but there’s no way the ship should have worked. Not only had it been underwater for years, but reference guides for Star Wars: The Last Jedi had previously stated that Luke burned the ship so that he could never use it again. The door of Luke’s hut was supposed to have been built with the ship’s wing, making it illogical for Rey to have gotten the X-Wing working.
2 Why Did Kylo Ren Kill Lor San Tekka In The Force Awakens?
Kylo Ren struck down Lor San Tekka at the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he did so for no reason. He was calm and collected rather than angry, and Tekka was the only one who knew where the map to Luke was. If Poe Dameron hadn’t shown up, the First Order would have had to search everywhere on Jakku, making Kylo look foolish. This scene attempts to mirror Darth Vader killing Captain Antilles in A New Hope without understanding the context that made the original work.
1 Why Would The Resistance Use Slow-Moving Bombers When Y-Wings Exist?
One of the most widely criticized plot holes in modern Star Wars is the fleet of Resistance bombers in The Last Jedi, which are a laughable replacement for Star Wars‘ Y-Wings. The bombers are slow and vulnerable to attack, with most destroyed long before reaching the First Order dreadnought. Poe demonstrated that small fighters could evade the heavy canons, meaning Y-Wings would have made more sense for a bombing run. Poorly designed, ill-equipped, and a downgrade from previous ships make the Resistance bombers one of the Star Wars franchise’s most bizarre plot holes.
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