Some might stoke a passionate defenses for the veteran of the Marvel and Star Wars cinematic universes; however, the man himself isn’t bent out of shape one bit. In conversation with The L.A. Times, the noted f-bomb dropper admits that the annual chase for that golden path doesn’t necessarily motivate him. So, what does keep Samuel L. Jackson going in his career pursuits?

Knowing that The Avengers alum values the blockbuster entries in the pantheon of the best Samuel L. Jackson movies as much as any actor would treasure an award-winning act is unsurprising. Even when you’re watching Jackson at work in something like the Star Wars movies, you can see that he’s having fun with what he does.

Further explaining why he doesn’t pay too much mind to the Oscars, Jackson also admitted to no regrets letting “statue chasing” projects go in favor of other projects. Providing a self evaluation of his mythically awesome career, the Jurassic Park co-star pretty much summed it up in a manner most fans would totally agree with. In Samuel L. Jackson’s eyes, he’s very quotable. In fact he's...

Honestly, there is not a more perfect summary of what you could call the Jackson Oeuvre. And that’s something that we’ve seen the Argylle cast member wear rather proudly on his chest, as seen through several Samuel L. Jackson t-shirt photos on social media. Hell, you could even put the quote mentioned above on its own t-shirt, in the font of his most recognizable projects, and it would probably sell quite well.

Seeing as he’s a fan of the many times characters like John Shaft, Mace Windu, and even his solo Academy Award nominated role as Pulp Fiction’s Jules Winfield pop up on such garments, it would perhaps make even more sense to chase those sort of projects. But possibly the best thing about Jackson is that he takes roles across the board, from popcorn flicks to b-movies, to awards contenders and big budget successes. He's a stable, solid player at the box office with a great reputation for fun.

Oh, and if anyone’s actually made Mr. Jackson’s perfect Secret Invasion t-shirt, make yourself known. Whatever 2025 movie release next gets to benefit from his exceptional talents is probably going to need some fresh one-liners for more memes and tees. Maybe it'll even be an Oscars contender this time.

The Big Bang Theory truly went out with a bang when Mark Hamill was among the many celebs to cameos in the later seasons of CBS' hit comedy. Forever remembered for his iconic role as Luke Skywalker, you better believe that the episode where he officiated Sheldon and Amy’s wedding was jam-packed with a bunch of Star Wars film puns. I can’t believe that the American actor became such a fan of the comedy show after his cameo, but he shared his story about the “very clever” Star Wars burn that stuck with him checking out.

The Season 10 finale of The Big Bang Theory already did a crazy thing when Sheldon proposed to Amy. For the Season 11 finale, Shamy got married with none other than Mark Hamill as the officiant to repay Howard for finding his dog. The Empire Strikes Back actor got on board for the Season 11 finale without having read the script after having a good talk with the showrunners and writers. If you can believe it, Jessica Radloff’s tell-all book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series (via SlashFilm) revealed Hamill became a huge fan of the long-running show with a “very clever” Star Wars burn that stuck with him:

That truly was a major burn considering The Phantom Menace faced criticism for its childlike tone with incorporating Jar Jar Binks. But surely you can’t deny that the introduction of Darth Maul was a cool addition to the Star Wars lore. One of the best things about The Big Bang Theory was the way it incorporated Star Wars puns into the series, which tracked with what pop culture nerds the Caltech scientists are.

This is all the more reason why it was a must for the Emmy-winning sitcom to have Star Wars rule many episodes. For example, there was an episode when the nerdy bunch all went to see The Force Awakens together except for Sheldon, who chose to celebrate Amy’s birthday that night. There was also the time when James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher guest-starred (and they actually met for the first time on the set of The Big Bang Theory).

Another unbelievable fact about Mark Hamill’s involvement in The Big Bang Theory is that the Batman voice actor didn’t watch too much of the sitcom until months after his guest-starring cameo. He said he only saw about 30-40 episodes before being the lucky A-lister to officiate Shamy’s wedding and attempt to answer wedding guests’ Star Wars questions before Stuart butted in. However, Hamill admitted he wished he could have seen all twelve seasons before his big episode in order to chat with the cast and crew of the Star Wars-centric episodes:

It may have been too late for Mark Hamill to officially acquaint himself with all the available seasons of The Big Bang Theory before appearing in an episode, but better late than never. Fortunately, The Last Jedi actor can now truly say he got to be one of the legendary guest stars to converse with Howard, Sheldon, and the other signature characters before its unforgettable series finale.

It’s really cool that Mark Hamill is such a Big Bang Theory fan long after his cameo appearance. Even if it was just for one episode, he’ll always have his experience of officiating Sheldon and Amy’s wedding as well as the clever Phantom Menace burn to stick with him always.

You can watch Mark Hamill’s Big Bang Theory episode, called “The Bow Tie Asymmetry,” and many others on your Max subscription. Feel free to take a look at our 2025 TV schedule so you already prep your TV watchlist.

It's been eight years since the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and I'm happy to say that after streaming it with my Disney+ subscription, it still holds up. It remains the gold standard that upcoming Star Wars movies should aspire to, and yet it feels like creatives still aren't working with one of the elements that make this movie so great.

I feel like Star Wars has thrived at giving us more thrilling Vader scenes, even though that scene almost didn't happen, but has failed when it comes to other Force-sensitive characters. For me, it was the most obvious direction for the franchise to lean in with this new era, and yet I still want more years after the fact.

Rogue One Gave Us Something Interesting With The Guardians Of The Whills

I'll concede that when it comes to job professions in the Star Wars universe, very few will be as cool as being a Jedi. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story did that for me when they introduced the Guardians of the Whills, also known as the Guardians of the Kyber Temple. If there's anything that could feasibly outrank Jedi in terms of coolness, it's kung-fu monks that trust in the Force and use lightbows.

Donnie Yen's Chirrut Imwe and Jiang Wen's Baze Malbus are, in my opinion, the most fascinating characters in this adventure. Yen deserves some credit for suggesting that Chirrut be blind, which showed how powerful The Force can be in a fundamental way. And while Wen's Malbus had resigned from his duties and was more of a monk mercenary, the small amount of lore we had from these two led me to believe there was much more story for Star Wars to tell.

And yet, despite Donnie Yen's willingness to return, we've only seen continued adventures with The Guardians of the Whills in the more recent High Republic novels Path Of Deceit and Path Of Vengeance. To me, it seems like a huge missed opportunity that Lucasfilm is not looking into establishing a new type of Force user that is not as equally interesting, or at least just as cool, as the Jedi Order.

Successive Star Wars Projects Have Avoided Tackling Force-Sensitive Groups, Minus One

I feel like I'm picking the worst time to make this argument given that one recent project tried to give us a version of what I want. The Acolyte was canceled after one season, and it was a series that focused as heavily on a coven of Force-sensitive witches as it did the Jedi Order. Not that the cancellation mattered too much anyway, as Season 1 resulted in the Coven being slaughtered and both surviving twins embracing the Jedi Order and Sith paths.

This is a recurring issue throughout Star Wars media I've looked at over the years, as it seems like non-Jedi Force sensitives are occasionally used for story fodder. In the end, though, it always returns to the Jedi. The one exception we've seen is the series more readily embracing bounty hunters, as we saw with the multitude of Boba Fett tales in media and the success of The Mandalorian. They aren't Force-sensitive, however, which feels like the key sticking point that leads me to wonder if it's no coincidence they thrive while others falter.

I've long believed that the Jedi Order are a flawed organization, despite being billed as the overall heroes. I think The Acolyte approached that idea in Season 1, but again, we lost the ability to develop it further. Is the reason Star Wars is so afraid to give another group the spotlight because it's afraid the audience will turn on the one thing that has helped the franchise survive for so long?

I'm A Star Wars Fan Interested In Force Users That Aren't Jedi. Am I The Only One?

I'm a firm believer in the idea that change is the only constant. We've been hearing the story of the Jedi repeatedly since the Star Wars franchise started in 1977. Elements have changed, sure, and we either embrace midichlorians or pretend they don't exist. I'm not saying we need to stop learning more about the Jedi. What I am saying is that there's a massive galaxy out there, and surely there has to be room in the galaxy to explore other ways clans and factions have utilized The Force.

Granted, this is a problem that Star Wars has suffered from for quite a while. For having such a vast universe, it's wild that almost every character who becomes relevant in the story is connected to someone else of note. It also has a bad habit of introducing characters who seem badass, killing them off with little fanfare, and then writing prequel stories about their badass exploits. To use Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as an example, we're all thrilled for Andor Season 2, but we know where his story is headed.

It seems to me as though Andor proves there's an appetite for Star Wars stories that don't involve the Jedi. I would further back that up by the apathy toward The Acolyte, even if it did include the very cool Force witches we'll probably never see again. I hope that we'll see an acknowledgment from the franchise when it comes to that in upcoming projects, and I have a feeling that's the case.

While Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was quick to tease a big Jedi twist, it quickly subverted expectations in suggesting that Jude Law's Ja Na Nawood may not be all that heroic. We have the aforementioned next season of Andor is on the way, and The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is happening as well. There are also plenty of other projects on the way, like the untitled Rey movie and James Mangold's movie about the origin of the Jedi Order. if you're still down for more Jedi adventures. But it does feel like there is some balance coming, even if we haven't seen it as of late. Now, give me a kung fu Force-user series, and I'll officially shut up and be thrilled.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is available to stream right now on Disney+. As someone who always feels like winter is the perfect time to stream the franchise, I think it's a great idea to revisit the movie for those who haven't in a while.

A clip from a few years ago of an interview Hayden Christensen did at Star Wars Celebration has recently gone viral on TikTok once again which reveals the actor's views on sand. Anakin Skywalker’s lines about how he hated sand in Attack of the Clones have been the butt of jokes over the years, but the actor says he gets why his character hated the sand, saying…

Honestly, I get it. Most of our experience with sand comes from going to the beach, and while a lot of people love the beach, does anybody really love sand? It is rough and it does get everywhere. At least we get to enjoy an ocean as part of dealing with sand, but that’s something Anakin Skywalker never got to enjoy on Tatooine. Imagine a planet that was just endless beach, but no ocean. Who would still like sand if they had to live there for any length of time.

While this video is a few years old, it’s great to see Hayden Christensen and the fans actually enjoying Star Wars together, finally. The prequels were widely criticized when they were first released, and Hayden Christensen, being the key character in two of them, received a good portion of that criticism. Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks, has admitted he contemplated suicide considering the hate his character received.

More recently however, the prequels have been re-evaluated and now the movies are seen as, at best, pretty good, and at worst, not worth getting upset about. Hayden Christensen has said it's been heartwarming to see the prequels embraced, and the actor has gone on to reprise his role in two different Star Wars series for Disney+ and appear at conventions where crowds, like this one, welcome him warmly. Check out the full clip below.

@galacticempirehayden

♬ original sound - GalacticEmpireHayden

What the future holds for Hayden Christensen in the galaxy far, far away is anybody’s guess but it's a good bet he'll continue to appear both in and out of character in the world of Star Wars. And keep an eye out the next time you’re visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, because he’s been seen there too.

A number of people who’ve seen the Good Place alum’s work would likely agree with the assertion that he’s talented. However, what’s also undeniable is the fact that he’s a good-looking guy. Amid the hype over The Acolyte and afterwards, Manny Jacinto has taken the buzz of his physique in stride. However, while speaking with Vogue, he discussed the professional pitfalls that can result from shirtless roles:

The social media chatter surrounding the Belle star’s body became so immense that an official social media account for Star Wars shared a thirst trap inspired by his character. (Needless to say, many within the fanbase were quite clear.) Manny Jacinto himself has even had a bit of fun with his status within the science fiction franchise. He even went as far as to share a five-word secret on how to make George Lucas’ beloved franchise sexy.

All in all, it’s more than evident that the rising actor appreciates the love he’s received, but it’s definitely understandable that he’d want to avoid such scenes becoming ubiquitous. Within Hollywood, it’s easy for certain celebrities to be placed in boxes, and that’s especially true for actors of color. Based on the Canadian actor’s comments, he’s aiming for a career that’s varied and allows him to tap into different characters. Amid his interview, he went on to explain the significance of someone like him doing just that:

Manny Jacinto has indeed received a solid mixture of opportunities in Hollywood thus far. His role as Jason Mendoza as part of the Good Place cast is a prime example of that. The star also held down roles in films like, I Want You Back, Bad Times at the El Royale and Cora Bora. Jacinto is also set to appear alongside Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis and more in the long-awaited Freaky Friday sequel, making him a part of the “Lohanaissance.” He’s had bumps in the road, with one being how his dialogue was cut out of Top Gun: Maverick, but that’s only fueled Jacinto.

It’s unfortunate that fans won’t be able to see Manny Jacinto return as the Stranger, given The Acolyte’s cancellation. That’s even sadder, considering Jacinto’s recent tease of what was to come in the potential second season. However, I suppose the silver lining is that Jacinto remains available for future opportunities, and one would hope that they allow him to flex his acting muscles more so than his actual muscles.

The Acolyte is now streamable in its entirety with a Disney+ subscription, as the sci-fi franchise’s latest TV offering, Skeleton Crew, drops new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. You can also find information on upcoming Star Wars shows.

Prior to the release of The Force Awakens, the first of the Star Wars movies in order from the Disney era, actress Daisy Ridley had only played a small handful of roles. So understandably, she was nervous walking into the first read where her costars were Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, among other big names. In an interview with Empire (via ScreenRant), Ridley told the story of her first read-through, which, in her words, was made worse because of the seating arrangement:

Ridley went on to talk about how she thought her first read wasn’t close to her best. She then shared that director J.J. Abrams brought her to the side after the reading to go through it personally with her. At the time, she thought they hated her, though seeing as we saw her reprise her role two more times, clearly that was wrong.

Daisy Ridley herself has mentioned that after the release of The Force Awakens, she was unable to sleep because of the backlash and comments about her role as Rey. For Star Wars fans, Rey being a liked character goes on a person-to-person basis, and it’s not just Ridley whose character is up for heavy scrutiny. Co-star John Boyega, who played Finn, has a history with fighting back against toxic and rude fans on social media. Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose, was so heavily bullied on social media, that she removed her accounts, and fans of Rose were disappointed to see she had little screen time in The Rise of Skywalker as a result.

While there are plenty of negative interactions Ridley has had since taking on Rey, she has also shared the good. As intimidating as it was, Ridley noted that everyone was kind, and that kindness is something that stuck with her. In the past Ridley had shared advice that Carrie Fisher gave her before her passing, and how that has helped her navigate her new fame.

Currently, Daisy Ridley is going to reprise her role as Rey in an upcoming Star Wars movie, though there’s some debate on how that will shake out. There are not many details about that new movie as of right now, so be sure to check in with us while we wait for more info. As for now, you can binge her trilogy with a Disney+ subscription.

The following contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Based on the reaction of what seems like everybody with a Disney+ subscription, Star Wars: Skeleton: Crew is shaping up to be one of the best, if not the best of the live-action Star Wars series so far. We’re only three episodes in, but the 'Star Wars meets The Goonies' story of a group of kids trying to navigate their way through a hostile universe has been incredible fun with some equally incredible moments.

The newest episode of Skeleton Crew, titled ‘Very Interesting, As An Astrogation Problem”, has two different moments that are worthy of note. One was a major twist involving one of the series’ main characters, and the other you might have missed unless you have a particularly good ear.

Jude Law’s Skeleton Crew Character Isn’t Who We Thought

The big twist that came in Episode 3 of Skeleton Crew is that Jude Law’s apparent Jedi character isn’t who he appeared to be. While everything we knew about Skeleton Crew implied the character was a Jedi, it seems that was all a misdirection. While he introduced himself as Ja Na Nawood, he could seemingly use the Force, and he was dressed in robes like a Jedi, the episode didn’t take too long to confirm that he was actually somebody else.

Law is actually playing Captain Silvo, the pirate captain from the very first scenes in Skeleton Crew. Silvo gets taken down by a mutiny after the treasure that he was after turns out not to be on board the ship his crew takes. It seems rather than simply being killed, Silvo was imprisoned by his former crew.

What makes the twist especially interesting is that not only does the episode reveal the twist to the audience, but before the episode is over, the reality is also revealed to our other main characters. The series could have used the truth as a major source of tension, but instead, the show will be focused on how the titular crew work together knowing they’re not quite working toward the same goals.

There are still plenty of additional questions about Law’s character, not the least of which is how and why he can use the Force. Perhaps Silvo isn’t technically a Jedi, but one wonders if he may have been raised as one before the Republic fell.

Skeleton Crew’s New Episode Had A Surprising Cameo You Probably Missed

Still, the truth behind Jude Law’s character in Skeleton Crew may not have been quite as surprising as the character who revealed the truth to us. According to the episode credits, the character, an alien named Benjar Pranic was voiced by Doc Ock himself, Alfred Molina. It's amazing Molina didn't spoil the appearance.

His name is buried late in the credits so it’s pretty easy to overlook it, which makes it pretty funny that such a significant actor had such a minor role. Still, it’s actually par for the course with modern Star Wars. Many major names who haven’t taken leading roles have instead taken nearly invisible cameos. Daniel Craig famously appeared as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but since you never see his face, you might never know.

Now I’ll certainly be checking the credits of all future Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episodes to see if anybody else we’d recognize might be hiding in plain sight. It’s just another reason to keep watching the excellent new show.

An Imperial Warlord Will Return In The Mandalorian & Grogu

According to Deadline, Jonny Coyne is set to reprise the Imperial warlord he previously played in The Mandalorian Season 3 episode “Chapter 23: The Spies” for The Mandalorian & Grogu. This unnamed commander was a member of the Shadow Council, a group of high-ranking Imperial officers who were working to secretly rebuild the Empire in the early years of the New Republic era. Other notable attendees during the meeting included Moff Gideon, Commandant Brendan Hue (father of The First Order’s Armitage Hux), and Captain Gilad Pellaeon, who’s closely tied with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Coyne, whose other credits include 11.22.63 and The Blacklist, is the third new actor to join The Mandalorian & Grogu following the aforementioned Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver, whose role remain unknown. Pedro Pascal will, of course, reprise the title Mandalorian in what will be the 13th of the Star Wars movies in order. Behind the scenes, The Mandalorian executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni wrote the movie’s script, and the former, who created the series, is also directing.

Will Thrawn Also Appear In The Mandalorian & Grogu?

No disrespect to Jonny Coyne, but hearing that this particular Imperial warlord is in The Mandalorian & Grogu doesn’t get me any more excited for the movie than I already am. But now I’m wondering, what if his inclusion means other members of the Shadow Council will be back for the movie? And if that’s the case, what if there’s a figure who will unite these Imperial officers following Moff Gideon’s (supposed) demise. To put it simply, I’m speculating that Lars Mikkelsen might reprise Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

After first voicing the character in Star Wars Rebels, Mikkelsen played Thrawn in live-action for Ahsoka Season 1, where it was revealed he’d spent years stranded on Peridea, a planet located in a different galaxy. By the end of the season, Thrawn made it back to the main Star Wars galaxy with the Great Mothers in tow, and from there they went to Dathomir, the Nightsister homeworld. While it would be nice if one of things we know about Ahsoka Season 2 is if Thrawn will be back for the next batch of episodes, so far, there hasn’t been any mention of him.

That’s not to say he and Ahsoka Tano won’t cross paths again, but with Thrawn back in familiar territory, it’s easy enough to envision him uniting these Imperial factions to focus on Project Necromancer and any new plans he formulates. This would certainly be a big enough threat for Din Djarin, Grogu and their allies to deal combat. Plus, this could help lay the groundwork for the New Republic movie that Dave Filoni is helming that will tie together the storylines from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett and Skeleton Crew.

I’m just spitballing here, but if Thrawn does end up appearing in The Mandalorian & Grogu, we’ll let you know. The movie, which wrapped filming earlier this month, is due out on May 22, 2026.

Originally reported on The InSneider and confirmed by outlets like Deadline, it’s being said that White will voice Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba the Hutt. Rotta was previously shown in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and in an episode of the follow-up The Clone Wars TV series, where he was vocalized by David Acord. Assuming White’s casting is legit, he’s the second new actor to board The Mandalorian & Grogu, Sigourney Weaver being the first, although we don’t know who she’s playing.

On the one hand, hearing Jeremy Allen White will be joining the Star Wars franchise is great to hear, especially considering this news comes just hours after he was nominated for another Golden Globe for his performance as Carmy Berzatto in The Bear, which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription. On the other hand… what? Bringing White aboard The Mandalorian & Grogu to voice a Hutt? That just sounds bizarre to me, as one of those slug-like creatures is not what would have immediately come to mind when thinking about a role White could play in a galaxy far, far away.

I would have thought White would be cast in a role that would see him physically performing on camera, whether as a human or a different type of alien. Still, other actors of his ilk have voiced Star Wars roles across movies and television, including Lupita Nyong’o, Elijah Wood, David Tennant, Matt Berry, Bryce Dallas Howard and Lucy Liu, to name a few. Deadline’s article also noted this White will portray Rotta for a “notably sized role,” not just a cameo.

No plot details for The Mandalorian & Grogu have been revealed yet, but Pedro Pascal will be reprising Din Djarin, and the Star Wars Rebels character Zen Orrelios is also expected to appear. At this point in the Star Wars timeline, Rotta the Hutt is somewhere in his early-to-mid 30s, and it’s been a little more than half a decade since his father was killed by Princess Leia Organa on Tatooine. Whether or not Rotta followed in Jabba’s criminal footsteps remains to be seen, but something tells me we’ll hear White’s version of the character speaking Basic, i.e. English, rather than Huttese. 

The Mandalorian & Grogu opens in theaters on May 22, 2026. While we wait for more news on what it holds in store for fans, use your Disney+ subscription to view all the Star Wars movies in order, as well as The Mandalorian and the franchise’s other TV shows.

Of course, this is just my perspective. If you’re a mega Star Wars fan who is just like "Give it all to me all the time," my take probably won’t mean much to you. But if you do align with me in any way (and given conversations I’ve had with family and friends), I definitely don’t think this is a ‘just me’ thing, I want to talk about why Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is the show that’s finally reeling me back in, and how The Acolyte played into that.

The Force Is Strong With My Star Wars Fatigue

As more of a casual Star Wars fan, I think the recent shows from the universe have 1) been too in the weeds for me regarding deep lore, and 2) just haven’t met the quality I came to love from the event films I’d look forward to every few years. Then there’s the biggie of there being something to be said about there just being too much Star Wars content to keep up with that I’ve hit the point of Star Wars fatigue.

In the streaming age, I’ve noticed what tends to make a bang in pop culture in the world of movies and TV is when something can feel like a special “event”. Think Barbie or Wicked! When something is being talked about to such a degree among the masses, I feel like I’m missing out if I don’t go out of my way to go see something in theaters or press play immediately.

When Star Wars was purely movies, or even back when The Mandalorian started for example, they were that big of a deal. I would literally wake up a few hours earlier just to be the first to watch more Star Wars, and I’m not a morning person. Cut to five years later, my reaction is typically like, “Eh, new Star Wars premiere? I’ll just catch it later.” I’ve since proceeded to miss like five of them.

I Tuned Into The Skeleton Crew Premiere, And I Could Feel It Finally Thawing Out

But this past Monday I got the notification from my Disney+ app that the first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew would be available to stream that evening. Since most of my shows left on the 2024 TV schedule have already come and gone at this point, I had some time to hit play that evening, and I am so happy I did.

Rather than being asked to tune into a story about a character I have to watch The Clone Wars to understand, or get ready for yet another unneeded Skywalker Saga connection, Skeleton Crew feels like completely new and fresh territory for the franchise I didn’t have to do homework for. I clicked the second episode so quickly once the first ended, and was so sad when it ended after what felt like 10 minutes.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows a young kid living in the Star Wars universe, in a Star Wars suburb specifically, who has a simple problem in the scope of what we’ve seen in the franchise. He needs to pass a career exam, but he sleeps in and takes another way to school in desperation. While taking the chaotic shortcut, he happens upon some sort of spacecraft, which, long story short, ends up taking him and some friends into hyperspace.

I absolutely loved seeing a Star Wars series from the perspective of a group of kids without the politics or weight of the franchise on my back that also felt like a 1980s Steven Spielberg movie. It’s truly just a fun time, and it’s definitely teasing a larger storyline with excitingly big stakes to come. I’m all in! Once I was finished with the episodes, I even finally had the want and need to catch up on Andor.

But, I Wouldn’t Have Given Skeleton Crew A Chance If It Wasn’t For The Acolyte

So I’m stoked on Skeleton Crew, and perhaps Star Wars as a whole again, but I want to mention something else about my hero’s journey back to the franchise. Before I fell for the Skeleton Crew premiere earlier this week, I previously gave The Acolyte a shot. I had heard it was a show that didn’t lean on a character I was already supposed to have base knowledge about. Watching that allowed that initial spark of the franchise to jump out of me and feel alive again.

Sure, The Acolyte led to a lot of backlash among Star Wars fans, including for its quick cancellation after our excitement for Season 2 was all the rage. I admittedly feel more on board for Skeleton Crew overall, but if it wasn’t for The Acolyte bringing some freshness into the universe to begin with, I don’t think I would have been back in my Star Wars era. I say this, because I think I realize what I want from the franchise now (and what seems to be happening overall) is a soft reboot.

I want it to feel shiny again, and shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew are finally doing that job. They are exploring new corners of the universe rather than mining characters from 1977 over and over and over again. Coming up in the near future, it seems like we’ll be getting a mix of both, and I’m happy that Star Wars may perhaps be catering to both casual and heavily-invested fans, and those who have been as fatigued about the expansiveness of the world as I have been. I just don't get why The Acolyte was axed so quickly, when it could have been the dawn of something new in its own right.

I’m so excited for new episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premiere on Mondays for those with a Disney+ subscription like myself (or to catch The Acolyte if you missed it). You can also check out what upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows are coming up here on CinemaBlend. I hope this adds some excitement if anyone has been in the same place as me with the franchise.

While I continue to hold out hope that Lucasfilm will finally relent and allow for a special airing of The Star Wars Holiday Special on the 2025 TV schedule, this may be as close as we get to the franchise acknowledging its existence with continuity. Here's the moment for those who missed it and why many would sooner forget that wild special from back in the day never existed.

How Star Wars: Skeleton Crew References The Controversial Holiday Special

I suspected Star Wars: Skeleton Crew would be the perfect holiday streaming show, and this reference already solidified that notion. Most people probably raised an eyebrow at the odd program Neem's siblings were watching on the Holotable when Wim peeked in on them, but I clocked it almost immediately.

As someone who watches the holiday special yearly, I knew that it was similar to the program that Chewbacca's son, Lumpawaroo, or "Lumpy," watched during the special. Take a look:

It seems the bar for what qualifies as entertainment in a galaxy far, far, away so low, my limbo skills are deemed useless. At the same time, watching the Star Wars movies in order make it clear the characters in this universe haven't had much time to focus on anything outside of war for centuries, so maybe the arts and entertainment never get the attention they desperately need. When you're under constant threat from the Empire, any distraction is welcome.

Why Is The Star Wars Holiday Special So Controversial?

The Star Wars Holiday Special remains under lock and key and unavailable on streaming because, quite frankly, it's very bad. It can be sought out on the internet for anyone curious, but those who watch will quickly realize it's very far removed from the Star Wars stuff we celebrate today.

The special aired on CBS on November 17, 1978, a little over a year after the release of A New Hope, and two years before The Empire Strikes Back. Given its popularity wasn't what it is today, the creators weren't required to have more than a fairly poor understanding of the franchise, and it shows.

The aliens are clearly humans wearing generic sci-fi costumes, Imperial officers aren't wearing the right uniforms, and Bea Arthur performs a musical number in a cantina. It's so bizarre and shouldn't be embraced as canon, but I love it all the same. And why isn't Arthur canonized by now, anyway?

While the special was poorly received at the time and shelved, elements of it have remained a part of the Star Wars lore. It's where we get the Christmas-esque holiday of Life Day, and the animated Boba Fett short was pulled from the special and officially released on Disney+ years ago. Perhaps, now that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has referenced it, we'll finally get an official full release of the special. I mean, I doubt it, but still.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is now available to stream on Disney+, and new episodes are expected to be released on Tuesdays. After the incredible first two episodes, I'm eager to see more of this show, and I hope it can maintain its quality.

Part of the joy of storytelling in the Star Wars universe is that you can – and you are supposed to – stretch the boundaries of what has been shown on screen before, because you have an entire galaxy at your fingertips, and there’s no need to regurgitate what already has been shown. “Hey, great. We’re back on Tatooine!” Said no Star Wars fan, ever. That’s why, of all the upcoming Star Wars stories, the one that has me most hyped is the teased project by James Mangold, that is reported to take place eons before the Skywalker Saga, at the dawn of the creation of the Jedi. That being said, there are still STAPLES of the Star Wars process that filmmakers get to appreciate, and one of them hit me pretty hard while watching Skeleton Crew.

Skeleton Crew, which arrived on Disney+ this week, is drenched in fun. It’s a kid-centered Star Wars adventure that, so far, catapults four adolescent suburban kids and a droid on a spaceship that brings them to unknown parts of the galaxy. And I enjoyed the first two episodes because they overloaded on creatures, locations, characters, and all new Star Wars geekery. But when the first two episodes ended, I was struck by seeing this title card:

I’ve been following Jon Watts’ career since the beginning. I liked his feature-length debut, Cop Car, and embraced him as the helmer of the Spider-Man trilogy once he was hired to shepherd my favorite character through the MCU. When Watts was tapped for Skeleton Crew, I got excited to see what flavor he’d bring to the universe. And when I saw his name in the classic Star Wars font, I actually got chills. Imagine how he must have felt seeing it for the first time?

During a press day for Skeleton Crew, I was lucky enough to ask Jon Watts and his co-creator Christopher Ford what they felt seeing their names in the vintage Star Wars blue font. And Ford’s answer didn’t disappoint. He told CinemaBlend:

It would blow my mind, as well. There’s something so signature about the font. The moment you see it, in that blue, you instantly associate it with Star Wars. As Jon Watts added:

You have to, at that point. You are embracing the Star Wars universe. You have to take on all of the traits. And yet, one of the things I like most about Skeleton Crew so far – particularly in Episode 2 – are the new things it is showing all of us longtime Star Wars fans. I already feel like I have been to new places, and am intrigued by the mystery of At Attin, the hidden treasure planet.

The show has pulled in some of our top writers, who have committed to following it through to its end. Are you curious enough to follow along on this adventure, to at least learn how Jude Law fits into the puzzle? New episodes will continue to drop, one per week until the season has played out. Let’s see where this goes!

During a FanExpo San Francisco panel hosted by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt this past weekend, Jacinto was asked by a fan if he could share anything on a potential future season of The Acolyte, including how his character was connected to Darth Plagueis, if at all. The actor answered:

Ok, hold up: Darth Plagueis and Qimir aren’t connected? That one took me surprise. I’d already assumed that Qimir wasn’t Manny Jacinto’s character’s real name, and no doubt that would have been revealed once we started learning about his past with Vernestra Rwoh, who’d been his master in the Jedi Order. I’m also not shocked to hear Plagueis would have returned later down the line following that cameo considering how important he is to the Star Wars mythology.

But for Jacinto to say these two aren’t connected, if I’m understanding correctly, is strange. Qimir identified himself as a Sith Lord during The Acolyte, and since the Rule of Two is in effect at this point in the Star Wars timeline, that would make Darth Plagueis the only other Sith who should be around. However, we never saw Qimir and Plagueis onscreen together, with the latter only peering at the former and Osha from a nearby cave as they were departing from the mysterious planet those three were on.

There’s only one explanation for this lack of connection that comes to mind: Qimir, while obviously still in the ways of the Dark Side, was not actually a true Sith. If we follow that rationale, then we could see a story unfold where Plagueis, who’s the real Sith deal, is angry that Qimir is passing himself off as one and trying to start his own “Sith” partnership with Osha. Then Plagueis would become The Acolyte’s new main antagonist by hunting down Qimir and Osha and killing them for their disrespect.

This is just an idea I thought of, but regardless, Manny Jacinto’s comment makes it all the more disappointing that The Acolyte was cancelled. I’m holding out hope that this corner of the Star Wars universe can be revisited someday, perhaps in novel or comic book form. Until then, its sole season can still be streamed with a Disney+ subscription.

Star Wars is back on the small screen with Skeleton Crew as the first live-action project since The Acolyte over the summer, and I was so bummed about that show getting cancelled that I wasn't particularly looking forward to the franchise's next entry in the 2024 TV schedule. So, I didn't even watch the trailer for Skeleton Crew when it was released, and my knowledge of the show basically consisted of that Jude Law had been cast and it was going to be about kids.

Still, I'm a fan of the galaxy far, far away going back to VHS tapes in the '90s, so I wasn't going to just not give it a chance when it could turn out to be one of the best Disney+ Star Wars shows. The Disney streamer released the first two episodes on premiere day, and I understand why after watching them. So, let's get into what it was like to watch a Star Wars project completely unspoiled by a trailer and what I was most impressed by after two episodes.

Skeleton Crew Is Just Fun

Look, I love when Star Wars gets dark and/or gritty. Rogue One is by far my favorite of the franchise's movies outside of the original trilogy. I'm usually against even my most beloved characters coming back from certain death (as Force ghosts or otherwise). Even my Rebels-loving heart won't rank Ahsoka over the heaviness of Andor. As a kid, I would rewind the the scene of Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, because what's a space opera without some tragedy?

But gosh dang it all to wholesome heck, Skeleton Crew was just so much fun as soon as Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB were introduced that I felt like I was A New Hope again for the first time. This series really shows Star Wars through the eyes of children more than even the lighter animated series did, and I'm hoping that sense of fun doesn't change in Episode 3 and beyond.

The At Attin Mystery

The biggest mystery of the show so far concerns the planet that the kids come from, which they insist is At Attin, not knowing that that's a place of myth and treasure to the rest of the galaxy. That gradual reveal was fantastic, as far as I'm concerned, not least because something seemed off about the planet from the start. While the Star Wars galaxy is a huge place and not every planet is going to be Tatooine, I was getting vibes from At Attin that ranged from The Giver to Brave New World, without the latter's problematic issues.

It's also nice to have a Star Wars mystery that isn't necessarily going to involve secret Sith or deep Jedi lore or space whales. Is there a perfectly reasonable explanation for At Attin being a myth to everybody except the four kids? Is At Attin an outer space El Dorado? What about Wim's mint condition Old Republic credit? I don't know, but I'm invested in finding out.

Completely New Locations

While I do love some good old-fashioned Tatooine action for the sake of nostalgia and I did nerd out when Lothal was brought into live-action on Ahsoka after being so heavily featured in animation on Star Wars Rebels, Skeleton Crew featuring a planet that hasn't been visited time and again as well as a space port that does not have to be Mos Eisley to be a hive of scum and villainy? Great to see. Unspoiled as I am (and may remain), I can't say with any uncertainty that these kids won't wind up on any terrain that's familiar to franchise fans, but I appreciate the originality so far.

The Nostalgic Vibes

I'm sure that Skeleton Crew will be a great entry into Star Wars for youngsters, and I loved the sense of nostalgia that I took away from the new show's first two episodes. The similarities to Goonies are no coincidence after the classic '80s film's director gave some advice to Skeleton Crew's co-creator, but I also found myself thinking back to A New Hope and Return of the Jedi in particular.

Sure, there were serious moments and fights in those films that are some of the most iconic in cinematic history, but there were also hijinks and shenanigans and Ewoks. Skeleton Crew felt like a tonal throwback to me in the best way, and I finished the second of the two episodes just hoping that this wouldn't be the second show this year to polarize the most vocal members of the fandom.

The Child Actors

Credit where credit's due – while Jude Law may be the big name attached to Skeleton Crew, he didn't turn up until the last few moments of the second episodes to enigmatically use the Force. Unspoiled as I am, do I know who his character is, how long he was in the brig, or why he waited for a foursome of preteens before using the Force to fetch the key? I sure don't, but due to the performances from the kids, I was sold on the show well before the John Williams-loving Jude Law showed up.

The main cast of kids are Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern, Kyriana Kratter as KB, and Robert Timothy Smith as Neel, and seeing them bounce of each other reminded me of the first season of Stranger Things. I hadn't seen any of those kids in any projects before their adventures in Hawkins and the Upside Down started, and I didn't have any preconceived notions about the Skeleton Crew kids either. They make a great ensemble after two episodes.

Jude Law The Jedi (Maybe?)

Jedi and Sith aren't always my favorite parts of the extended Star Wars universe, since I don't think that everything needs to involve the Force to be interesting. (See: my love of Rogue One and Andor.) So, I'm not invested in the idea of Jude Law's character as a Jedi (or not). It's possible his character is somebody familiar from Star Wars lore based on clues that I just haven't caught, and I haven't gone looking for any spoilers since watching the first two Skeleton Crew episodes. But Law's character got a solid introduction to set him up as – I assume – the mentor character of the show.

Now, I know there's every chance that Jude Law's character isn't actually a Jedi, as there are more Force users in the galaxy far, far away than the same order as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, but a mysterious Force-user wearing a long robe with a mystical song playing over the soundtrack makes me think Jedi. Either way, this seems unlikely to be a situation like The Mandalorian where the main characters' stories are slowly but surely absorbed by the larger mythology of the saga.

All in all, I'm a fan of Skeleton Crew after going in unspoiled, and I'm tempted to remain as spoiler-free as possible for the rest of the season and into the 2025 TV schedule. Whether you're with me or not on that, you can count on new episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew releasing on Wednesdays on Disney+.

What I didn’t know is that Skeleton Crew co-creator Jon Watts actually spoke to Dick Donner before the director died, and picked up some very valuable advice.

Watts spoke with SFX Magazine for the latest issue, and previewed the new show Skeleton Crew. Unlike Andor, which immerses itself in Star Wars politics, Skeleton Crew is unapologetically light and fun, a fast-paced romp with four kids and a delightful Jude Law. The show works well because we like the kids at the heart of the story. And when speaking with SFX Magazine, Jon Watts opened up about that casting, saying:

When we got the opportunity to interview the Skeleton Crew cast about their time spent in the Star Wars universe, it was entertaining to hear Ravi Cabot-Conyers compare his character Wim to a young Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, with his co-star Ryan Kiera Armstrong calling her own character, Fern, the Han Solo of their makeshift group. The best Star Wars stories need those personality dynamics, and you can see it in the young cast as they talk about the show.

We’ve been prepping ourselves for Skeleton Crew, and raving about how it feels like the perfect show for families to stream for the holidays. It has a lot of heart, a lot of comedy, and stripped-down action that appeals to everyone. It also has more droids and creatures in any Star Wars movie and show than I have seen in quite some time.

Maybe I didn’t get Jude Law to reveal his favorite John Williams score of all time – he did get it down to his Top 3. But I did manage to get very excited for Skeleton Crew, which arrives with two new episodes on December 3, then one a week after that.

Field Of Dreams

Near or at the top of any list of the complicated relationships between fathers and sons has to be the classic Field Of Dreams, a movie that no matter how often you rewatch it, you see something new, and you probably shed a little tear at the end when dad and son finally have that game of catch. It's something almost all kids can relate to, and makes fathers long for childhood again.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Superheros have long had complex relationships with their dads. From Superman to Batman, and even in the MCU. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we learn about Star-Lord's father, played by Kurt Russell. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) never knew his father and lost his mother at a young age and both of those things help mold his personality and his ethos, so when he finally meets his dad, it gets messy.

In The Name Of The Father

One of Daniel Day-Lewis' best roles came as a man accused of a terrorist attack that he didn't commit in In The Name Of The Father. The movie, based on a true story, explores the complicated nature of how a father and son interact when his father is also wrongly implicated in the same plot and both are sent to prison together. It's an amazing movie sure to bring a tear to your eye.

Boyz N The Hood

Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne) is a single father trying his hardest to keep his son Tre off the streets and raise him the right way in a world working hard against him in Boyz N The Hood. Furious is tough on his son, but it's only because he loves Tre and he knows he has to be tough to survive and avoid all the pitfalls of a teenager in South Central LA.

Road to Perdition

Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is an orphan taken in by a mob boss, John Rooney (Paul Newman) in one of the best examples of a movie based on a comic book that isn't about a superhero, Road to Perdition. Without spoiling too much, the relationship is strained, to say the least, and culminates in a dramatic scene between the two that is the ultimate expression of how difficult the dynamic can get.

Back To The Future

Back To The Future isn't only a movie about the relationship between a father and a son, but Marty's relationship with his father George is one of the pivotal plot points from beginning to end. They clearly love each other, but Marty (Michael J. Fox) doesn't respect George (Crispin Glover), until the very end when his father proves what kind of man he can be.

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

At the heart of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the relationship between father (Sean Connery) and son (Harrison Ford). They pretty much disagree about everything and both think the other is a little silly at times (or all the time), but they show the strength of their relationship when they come together to complete the task that the father started decades ago and it makes for some amazing moments throughout the film.

Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can is all about the insane life of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio). That all starts at home when he was a kid and his father, played by Christopher Walken shows that he is quite the con man himself. Frank, Jr idolizes his father and you get the sense that everything he does in life is to please his father and make Frank, Sr. proud.

There Will Be Blood

Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a singularly focused man. He is harsh, brutal, and unforgiving in the quest for his fortune. The one aspect of his life where is, at least a little, less harsh and brutal comes in his relationship with his son, whom he cares for deeply and truly and does all he can to help the boy as he raises him. That is, until it all falls apart, as so many relationships like that do, sadly.

The Godfather

In the history of film, there may be no better example of the complicated nature between a father and a son. Not only is The Godfather one of the best gangster movies of all time, but what makes it one of the best films of all time is the way it explores the relationship between Michael (Al Pacino) and his father Vito (Marlon Brando).

The Pursuit Of Happyness

The Pursuit Of Happyness is the true story of Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, that follows Gardner's struggle to raise his son and make both their lives better. Father and son are homeless in the movie as Gardner works to become a stockbroker. It's a movie that definitely restores your faith in humanity.

The Lion King

Disney may have made some of the best kids' cartoons ever, but they also aren't afraid to explore the death of a parent in their movies. One of the most tragic deaths in Disney's history is the demise of Mufasa in The Lion King. The way it affects Simba is powerful and sets the tone for the movie and for Simba's whole life.

The Iron Claw

2023's The Iron Claw is all about family. The Von Erichs, led by patriarch Fritz are not only one of the most successful families in professional wrestling history, they are also the most tragic. Fritz is a complicated man and that reflects on how he raises his sons.

Elf

There is no doubt that Elf is one of the best Christmas movies of all time, but it's also one of the best father-and-son movies, too. Not only is it about Buddy (Will Ferrell) getting to know his biological father played by James Caan, but it's also about the elf who raised Buddy as his son, played by Bob Newhart. Both are magical relationships.

The Road

How does a father raise his son in a world that has been destroyed by a mysterious event that is never fully explained? The Road, starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as father and son attempt to do it. It's a bleak movie, one that really sticks with you after you see it and the relationship is both brutal and beautiful.

Fences

In Fences, part of the Pittsburgh Cycle by playwright August Wilson, Denzel Washington's character is a bitter man who denied his dream of playing professional baseball, and those around him, especially his son, suffer the consequences. It's not the kind of father/son movie that you'd ever want to use as a sterling example of fatherhood, but that doesn't mean that millions of fathers and sons don't interact in the same way.

Star Wars

Throughout the entire Star Wars saga, the relationships between fathers and sons play out in dramatic ways. The most famous example, of course, is between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but in the sequels, there is also the relationship between Han Solo and Kylo Ren, which ends as tragically as possible.

American Pie

You have to empathize with Eugene Levy's character in American Pie. It's clear he loves his son very much, but he just doesn't understand his son at all. Or, at least, he kind of understands and just isn't equipped to deal with raising a teenager. It's something all fathers can relate to, without a doubt.

Frequency

Frequency is a vastly underrated movie that doesn't get mentioned enough. It's all about a son's attempts to get to know a father he hardly knew in life. When the supernatural intercedes he has the opportunity to speak directly to his dead father, the movie opens up the emotional floodgates.

Life Is Beautiful

1997's Life Is Beautiful is one of those amazing movies you can only watch once. The relationship between Guido and his son Giosuè is the "beautiful" part of the title because everything else shows just how ugly life can get for some people. It's a tragic movie, but at its heart is the love between father and son,

The Many Saints Of Newark

Tony Soprano is a complicated guy. A guy who spends years in therapy during The Sopranos and it turns out a lot of his emotional baggage traces back to his father Johnny as we learned in the prequel movie The Many Saints Of Newark. Johnny was a man that Tony loved and feared, as many sons do of their father, but maybe not in such dramatic ways.

Ad Astra

Ad Astra isn't the first sci-fi movie to explore the relationship between fathers and sons, but it is one of the most dramatic. Whenever a son loses a father at a young age, it makes for very complicated emotions about their father and this plays out in Ad Astra as the two are reunited many years later in a very distant place.

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It is about family. It's about brotherly love and the complicated relationships that brothers have with each other as much as it is about their relationship with their strict but loving religious father. Neither son turns out much like their father at all, but despite their sometimes harsh upbringing, but love and respect their father.

East Of Eden

East of Eden starring James Dean is based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same, which itself is loosely based on the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. As such, it's all about familial relationships, including Cal and Abel's very complicated with their father, Adam.

Nowhere Special

You may not have heard of the Irish movie Nowhere Special, but if you love to cry at tragic stories on film, you need to check it out. A single father faces the worst nightmare any dad can imagine. He is diagnosed with a terminal illness and must work out plans for the rest of his 4-year-old's life, including who is to raise the child. It's heartbreaking and beautiful.

Tree Of Life

Whatever subject director Terrence Malick chooses to explore in his films is sure to be interesting and worth anyone's time. In Tree Of Life, Malick takes on a father's life with this family, mostly in the seemingly idyllic 1950s. Of course, under the surface, the family is far from ideal.

Billy Madison

Not every movie about the love between a father and son has to be serious. In fact, Billy Madison proves that even the funniest movies can still explore the subject. Billy, played by Adam Sandler, is an idiot. His father, played by Darren McGavin still loves him enough to give Billy one last shot at inheriting the family hotel business. It's also Adam Sander's best movie.

My Life

Michael Keaton has starred in a lot of movies in his long career and some, like Mr. Mom and Batman, are better remembered than others, like My Life. To be sure, My Life is not one of Keaton's best movies, but it does show an incredible relationship between a father and his unborn son as Keaton's character is diagnosed with terminal cancer and spends his remaining days filming videos to teach the son he will never know everything he thinks a son should learn from his father. It's a sad movie, but a worthwhile one.

Boyhood

Director Richard Linklater's Boyhood is one of the most ambitious films ever made as it was shot over 11 years and at the heart of the movie is the complicated, loving, and realistic relationship between a father, played by Ethan Hawke, and his son, played by Ellar Coltrane.

Hook

In Hook, Robin Williams plays a father who grew up too much. He's lost all the sense and wonder he once had as a child and as a result, his son, who still has that sense of wonder, has become alienated from his father. All that it takes to rekindle his love for life, and for his son, is for Williams' character to remember his lost childhood. Thankfully he does.

A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale is all about a teenager struggling between choosing the straight-laced, but somewhat boring life his father, played by Robert De Niro, wants for him, and the exciting criminal life a father figure, played by Chazz Palminteri, can offer him. Which will he choose?

Tommy Boy

We don't watch Tommy Boy for a heartfelt movie about a father and his son. We watch Tommy Boy for the hilarious quotes. Still, there is that wonderful relationship between Tommy (Chris Farley) and his father, Big Tom, played by Brian Dennehy. Its just a shame it ended so soon.

Here’s a fun exercise: Try and rank your Top 5 films scores composed by the legend, John Williams. You’d think that Star Wars would have to be included (and it’s up to you which composition you’d like to choose, as there are too many great ones that should be in the conversation). Raiders of the Lost Ark also feels like a slam dunk, especially after Harrison Ford joked that it follows him everywhere he goes. My own personal Number One choice on the list is the Superman theme that Williams composed for RIchard Donner, because it is about as iconic as scores come. But this, of course, leaves off Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Home Alone, Catch Me If You Can, Harry Potter… the list literally goes on and on. If you really want to make a movie lover’s head explode, ask them to pick the best John Williams score.

I tried that with Jude Law as he prepares to enter the Star Wars universe courtesy of the upcoming Star Wars show Skeleton Crew, available with a Disney+ subscription. And it basically melted his face.

Jude Law has been making movies for the bulk of his adult life. He’s a two-time Oscar nominee, for Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley. He’s been associated with key directors such as Spielberg (in A.I. - Artificial Intelligence), Mike Nichols (Closer), Clint Eastwood (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition), Martin Scorsese (The Aviator), and many, many more. So he knows what he’s talking about. Yet, when I asked him to rank Star Wars on his own personal John Williams list, Law was speechless. He tried to tell CinemaBlend:

He’s not wrong. When you start to drill down into John Williams’ filmography, you will uncover most of your favorite movies. And his music ends up being a main reason why the films are such a success. That’s why he has a whopping total of 54 Oscar nominations. 54!!! Take that, Meryl Streep.

I actually love the music in the upcoming Star Wars show Skeleton Crew. I think it helps to set the tone for the pirate mood and atmosphere that envelopes the series. You will dig it, once it starts to stream, so make sure that you have your Disney+ subscription up to date, so you can keep up with it as it plays.

During his conversation with Matthew Belloni on The Town podcast, Denis Villeneuve admitted that he was the “target audience” for Star Wars: A New Hope when it came out in 1977 because he was 10 years old at the time, and added that The Empire Strikes Back was “the movie that I anticipated the most in my life.” However, his enthusiasm for a galaxy far, far away took a nosedive with the release of Return of the Jedi, with the filmmaker explaining:

So this isn’t even a matter of Denis Villeneuve not approving of the more recent Star Wars movies and the TV shows that are streaming with a Disney+ subscription. He became disillusioned with this franchise over 40 years ago when he and his friend were disappointed by Return of the Jedi, with the Ewoks in particular being especially heinous offenders. So while other directors would jump at the chance to leave their stamp on the cinematic side of the Star Wars franchise, Villeneuve is content with never exploring that world.

Fortunately for Star Wars fans, there’s no shortage of movies that are in the franchise’s creative pipeline, although so far only one has an official release date, with The Mandalorian & Grogu coming out in May 2026. Among the undated movies include the Rey movie being directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni’s New Republic era movie, and James Mangold’s movie about the dawn of the Jedi and the origins of the Force. It was also recently reported that Simon Kinberg is developing a new trilogy of Star Wars movies that will be set after The Rise of Skywalker.

As for Denis Villeneuve, his latest movie, Dune: Part Two, can be streamed now with a Max subscription alongside its predecessor and the new series Dune: Prophecy. Last month, the director said he was in the middle of writing Dune: Messiah, and it’s looking like that will be the the “event film” he has lined up for December 18, 2026.

There is debate amongst film fans as to whether a MacGuffin can be a person, or if it has to be something that is otherwise pointless to the plot, but for this list's sake, we're not making any kind of distinction. It can be a person or a character. It can be crucial to the plot, or irrelevant. It is just something that carries the plot forward.

Pee-Wee's Bicycle In Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

One of the classic '80s MacGuffins is, of course, Pee-Wee Herman's bicycle in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. After it is stolen, Pee-Wee embarks on a cross-country trip to the Alamo's basement to find it. Without the stolen bicycle, there is no movie, so it is, indeed, a true MacGuffin.

The Briefcase In Pulp Fiction

One of the coolest uses of a MacGuffin is by Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction. We never even see what the MacGuffin really is, just the briefcase it's housed in. We know it radiates golden light and leaves everyone who sees it a little speechless, so it must be something either incredibly beautiful, incredibly valuable, or both.

Doug In The Hangover

Sometimes, the MacGuffin is a person. You can argue all you want about whether or not that counts, but we're not listening. The best example we can think of to prove it can be a character is Doug in The Hangover. The movie doesn't happen without the search for Doug, and the groom-to-be isn't really much of a character otherwise, with only a few scenes at the beginning and at the end. Without him though, there isn't even a bachelor party to create the hangovers in the movie.

Big Worm's Money In Friday

In Friday Craig (Ice Cube) gets sucked into Smokey's bad day after Smokey (Chris Tucker) gets himself into trouble with the local neighborhood dealer and must come up with the money he owes him or else. It doesn't motivate Smokey all the much, but hey, it finally does by the end.

The Death Star Plans In Star Wars

There is a lot of debate over what the MacGuffin is in the original Star Wars. Some say it's the plans for the Death Star that R2-D2 is tasked by Princess Leia to deliver, others say it's the droid itself. Let's quit splitting hairs here because they are both kind of the same thing, and they are both critical to the whole adventure.

The Letters Of Transit In Casablanca

In the very beginning of Casablanca, it's explained that everyone in Casablanca during World War II is trying to get out and on to their next place of safety, usually the U.S. via Portugal. That's what makes letters of transit so important, especially when you are wanted by the Germans for being a spy, as Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) is. His hunt for them, and Rick (Humphrey Bogart) hiding them is what drives the plot (along with Rick and Elsa's love story).

The Dude's Rug In The Big Lebowski

The Coen Brothers love to use MacGuffins in their movies, and for The Big Lebowski, they created the perfect one - The Dude's rug. It's a completely meaningless object in the grand scheme of things, but without The Dude's ire at the destruction of it and the hunt to replace it (because it really tied the room together), there would be no adventure at all.

The Ring In The Lord Of The Rings

One of the greatest MacGuffins in film and literature is the one ring to rule them all in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is no question it's a true MacGuffin, as literally everyone and everything in the franchise is motivated by it.

The Ark In Raiders Of The Lost Ark

All of the Indiana Jones movies have used MacGuffins to send our hero, played by Harrison Ford, on his adventures. In the first of the five movies, it is, of course, the Lost Ark of the Covenant. It's being chased by both Indy and the Germans, and whoever gets it first could change the fate of World War II and, indeed, the whole world.

The Fabergé Egg In Octopussy

A lot of James Bond movies employ MacGuffins to motivate the super spy into action. One of the most fun has to be the Fabergé Egg in Octopussy. Not only is it a really cool-looking MacGuffin, but it's not something you'd ever think a spy like Bond would need to be worried about, yet it also works perfectly within the story.

Rosebud In Citizen Kane

At the very beginning of Citizen Kane, we hear Kane say "Rosebud." For the rest of the movie, we are left wondering what that means. It turns out, as we discover in the final scene that Rosebud was Kane's childhood sled and that his entire motivation in life and through the movie was to find that lost bit of his youth. Without the sled, there is no Charles Foster Kane, tycoon.

The Plans For The Silent Plane In The 39 Steps

Of course, you have to include Hitchcock on this list, as he was the master of the MacGuffin. The most common one people point to comes from one of his earliest movies, The 39 Steps. You can argue over whether it's the secret plans for the plan themselves, or Mr. Memory, who has memorized those plans as the MacGuffin, but either way, the movie's plot relies on those plans to motivate all the characters in the film.

Ruby Slippers In The Wizard Of Oz

Two of the most famous props in history are Dorothy's ruby slippers in The Wizard Of Oz. The twist here is that it's not our hero Dorothy looking for the MacGuffin, it's the Wicked Witch of the West desperately seeking them out and trying to steal them. "Home" motivates Dorothy, while the shoes motivate her enemy.

The Grail In Monty Python And The Holy Grail

The Cup of Christ, or The Holy Grail, is a common MacGuffin in pop culture. Indiana Jones and his father search for it, and so does Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code. The most ridiculous (and hilarious) search for the mythical cup has to be Monty Python's quest for The Grail. Like so many others, they come close to grasping the holy relic, only to be thwarted by the police in the end. It's really a silly story.

Private Ryan In Saving Private Ryan

One great example of a person or a character being a solid MacGuffin is Private Ryan (Matt Damon) in Saving Private Ryan. Ryan is really only there to motivate Miller (Tom Hanks) and his chosen team to save him. He's otherwise irrelevant to the story. Sure, we care if Ryan's been a good man since getting saved, but mostly, we care about the other characters in their hunt for him.

The Maltese Falcon In The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon in The Maltese Falcon is a wonderful example of a MacGuffin being basically just a random object. The object could be anything, it just happens to be the little statue that is motivating everyone in the movie. It's maybe the most basic example of a successful MacGuffin in film history.

The Chimera Virus In Mission: Impossible 2

Every Mission: Impossible movie has a MacGuffin. Some are cooler than others and even though Mission: Impossible 2 is generally ranked as the worst in the franchise, the MacGuffin is kinda the coolest. A virus that could wipe out life on Earth. Now that we've all gone through a traumatizing pandemic, it feels even more motivating.

The Infinity Stones In The MCU

There is no more ubiquitous MacGuffin in movie history than the Infinity Stones in the MCU. They appear in one form or another in more than a dozen movies, culminating with the destruction of Thanos and his minions at the end of Avengers: Endgame when Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr) sacrifices himself to save the world and prove he has a heart.

Colonel Kurtz In Apocalypse Now

Marlon Brando's wild performance as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now is part of what makes it such an incredible movie. Without it, it would unquestionably be less of a film. BUT, Willard (Martin Sheen) could have been searching for anything important to motivate him and the boat's crew up the river. It just happened to be a rogue psychopath.

The Necklace in Ocean's 8

Obviously all the best heist movies usually have a pretty motivating MacGuffin. In Ocean's 8 it is a pretty traditional one. It's simply a very valuable necklace around the neck of an actress played by Anne Hathaway. How Ocean's crew goes about stealing it is what makes the movie great, but it's still just a thing at the end of the day that could have been anything else.

The Declaration Of Independence In National Treasure

There is no bigger piece of American history than the actual Declaration Of Independence. As a MacGuffin in National Treasure, it makes for the perfect object worth stealing. For Benjamin (Nicholas Cage), the motivation is pathological, as he'll stop at nothing to acquire it.

The President In Escape From New York

There are arguments that the briefcase handcuffed to the President (Donald Pleasance) is the real MacGuffin in Escape From New York, but let's give those going after it a little credit and hope that they at least partly wanted to save the man himself.

The Heart Of The Ocean Necklace In Titanic

James Cameron needed to find a good reason for us to get invested in the love story in Titanic because, without it, it's just a disaster movie that would have been over too quickly. The way he brings us all into the hunt for the ship and the stories on it before it sinks is the fictional "Heart Of The Ocean" necklace owned by Rose and had been in her possession all that time.

Red Ryder BB Gun In A Christmas Story

Ralphie gets berated by Santa, dismissed by his mother, pens a wonderful composition for his teacher, and eventually shoots his eye out all in his desire to own a "Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time." It's the ultimate MacGuffin.

The Briefcase Full Of Money - No Country For Old Men

There is no bigger motivator in the world than money. For better or for worse, that's how it goes. Even someone like Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) in No Country For Old Men, who seems only slightly motivated by money goes through a terrible ordeal to keep the briefcase full of money he found and everyone else is after.

The Buried Money/The Big W In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World

A MacGuffin doesn't get any plainer than cash at the end of an epic race like in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World. The price, $350,000 buried under "a big W" in a California state park motivates one of the greatest comedic casts ever assembled to race each other to find the buried money.

Genesis Device In Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan is often thought of as the best of all the Star Trek movies, and certainly the best that features the cast of the original series. In it, both the crew of the Enterprise and their arch-enemy, Khan, are in desperate search of The Genesis Device.

The Buried Treasure In O Brother Where Art Thou?

Yet another movie where the MacGuffin is buried treasure, but we couldn't leave the Coen Brothers' classic O Brother Where Art Thou? off the list. Though it's based on The Oddessy, where the motivation was to get home, this one is a little simpler. Three idiot prisoners trying to get rich quickly. In the end, it's more about the friends we met along the way.

The Diamonds In Diamonds Are Forever

James Bond often has some interesting MacGuffins and as the years have worn on, they've gotten increasingly complicated. It makes us yearn for the days when it was just a simple bag of diamonds, as it is in the aptly titled Diamonds Are Forever.

Turboman Doll In the Jingle All The Way

Every Christmas there is a hot toy that people occasionally come to blows over, like Frank in Seinfeld, for example. In Jingle All The Way, it's a Turbo Man doll and one father is willing to go to extreme lengths to get one for his son!

The Pink Panther Diamond In The Pink Panther

Peter Sellers' portrayal of Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther is one of the all-time great comedic performances. In it, he is searching for the stolen Pink Panther diamond. It's a classic MacGuffin, but worth mentioning because the hunter is such a goof.

Green Destiny Sword In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Occasionally, a MacGuffin is a supernatural object or even a supernatural weapon like the Green Destiny Sword in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The movie, though highly stylized and more of a visual work of art than a true quest, still has a fairly simple motivating device, just like all the best MacGuffins.

Dazed And Confused

From the opening notes of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" to the '70s muscle car cruising the parking lot, you know exactly when Dazed And Confused is set. There is no mistaking the era even before you see the characters and their costumes. While it was made in the 90s, the movie is pure 1970s.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most important movies ever made and by opening what everyone expected to be a sci-fi movie with a bunch of monkeys learning how to use tools (and more), it sets a very different kind of tone than any other sci-fi movie before it. It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before it. Of course, it also has one of the wildest endings of all time, too.

The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight is one of the greatest movie villains of all time and while audiences don't immediately know (or maybe they do) that the opening scene is Clown Prince of Crime from the back, by the end of the opening scene, we know exactly what we are getting into. One of the best comic book movies of all time opens with one of the best scenes of all time for a villain who completely steals the show.

Star Wars

From the opening blast of the classic John Williams score to the now-iconic scroll, and finally, the two massive spaceships firing lasers at each other, Star Wars easily has one of the most memorable opening scenes of any movie, ever. Audiences in 1977 were simply blown away from the moment the movie started and it immediately became the classic it is and how it has endured for decades.

Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino's second film, Pulp Fiction, was one of the most anticipated movies of 1994 and the director immediately let audiences know he was on point with the opening scene between Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer in the diner. It's classic Tarantino with great dialog and finally, a burst of near-violence that sucks moviegoers in at once.

Jaws

Jaws is thought of these days as one of the best movies Hollywood has ever produced. Director Steven Spielberg did an absolutely masterful job of scaring the audience by not showing the shark very much and that starts with the creepy, foreboding scene when a lone swimmer becomes the shark's first victim.

Citizen Kane

"Rosebud" is one of the most mysterious opening lines to any movie, ever. The snow globe falling out of a dying man's hand and breaking on the floor only adds to the mystery. That's how Citizen Kane opens and audiences then and now are captivated from that moment until the end, when they learn what "Rosebud" means in the movie's final scene.

Apocalypse Now

Some movies just need to have some incredible music and one iconic shot to lock you in. Apocalypse Now is one of those movies. From the foreboding sounds of The Doors' song "The End" to the fireball or napalm that rushes across the jungle in the opening scene, director Francis Ford Coppola immediately let everyone know this was going to be a different kind of war movie.

Purple Rain

If you're one of the most iconic musicians of your day and you decide to make a movie about a fictionalized version of yourself, you'd better open the show with a banger. That's exactly what Prince did when he opened Purple Rain with "Let's Go Crazy." It's simply a performance (and guitar solo) for the ages and sets the tone for the movie perfectly.

The Godfather

While it may not start with a bang like some of the other movies on this list, the opening scene of The Godfather sets the tone for the movie in a way nothing else could. Within minutes audiences knew exactly what kind of man Vito Corleone was and what was important to him.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best adventure films of all time and as such, it opens with one of the most exciting sequences in Hollywood history as our hero Indiana Jones dodges traps and a giant boulder to escape with his treasure. Though he loses it right away, of course. It's a very worthy opening to the Indiana Jones franchise.

Boogie Nights

Director Paul Thomas Anderson knocks it out of the park with the first scene in Boogie Nights that lets you know exactly where and when the movie is happening. The long tracking shot introduced almost every character movie right away and audiences are already getting to know them by the time the shot changes. It's brilliant.

Saving Private Ryan

In many ways, Saving Private Ryan changed how war movies are made and what audiences expect from them. The opening scene, when Tom Hanks and his platoon hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day is one of, if not the, most intense action scenes ever put on film. It's praised for its depiction of the battle and the visceral feel of it all is simply incredible.

Spectre

The James Bond franchise is famous for its opening, pre-credits scenes, so we had to include one on this list. There are any number of great ones you could go with, but for our money, the opening to Spectre with the tracking shot all across Mexico City and into a hotel, and out to the ledge, is pure magic. And pure Bond.

Scream

In an homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho, the opening scene of Scream features one of the biggest stars in the movie, Drew Barrymore, getting killed just minutes into the story. For audiences at the time, it was a completely brilliant and shocking moment as Barrymore had been marketed heavily so no one expected her to meet her demise so soon. It was something Barrymore insisted on.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

When it comes to the Mission: Impossible franchise, fans can always count on an amazing opening sequence. On the one hand, it's hard to pick one as the best, but on the other hand, c'mon, it's the one where Tom Cruise hangs from a freaking plane! That opening to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is one of the most incredible stunts Cruise has done on a long, long list of stunts he's done for those movies.

Trainspotting

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting walks a tightrope between really cool and fun, and desperately tragic. This is all summed up in the first few seconds of the movie when audiences see a very rough-looking Renton (Ewan McGregor) running from the police and almost getting hit by a car as Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" accompanies the scene. It's not only the perfect opening scene for the movie, it's a brilliant musical moment as well.

There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is one of the examples on this list of movies that set a tone immediately, but do so not with action and pizazz but with a gentle slow build. There is virtually no dialog other than some grunts from the protagonist (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he struggles to get his oil well going. Like the rest of the movie, it's intense, but quietly so. It's really perfect.

The Matrix

While we don't meet Neo right away in The Matrix, we do get a great example of how the world in the movie is going to work as we watch Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) barely escape a group of Agents in the Matrix.

Inglourious Basterds

If you want some quiet intensity, there may be no better opening scene than Inglourious Basterds. Christoph Waltz's character sitting and drinking milk while hunting for hidden Jews is seriously intense without anything more than some brilliant dialog by Quentin Tarantino and a glass of milk. It's the least over-the-top moment in te movie, and yet sets the tone perfectly.

Top Gun

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is an exciting and dangerous place to be. For Top Gun, director Tony Scott didn't need to use any of the stars of the movie, or even any actors at all. Instead, he used actual Navy members doing their actual jobs as jet fighters took off and landed all to the soaring notes of Harold Faltermeyer's guitar-based soundtrack. Talk about pulling you right into a movie!

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1

Director James Gunn has become famous for his brilliant use of music in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies. Star-Lord's mixtape quickly became one of the main characters of the movies, almost. That started at the very beginning of the first movie when we all first meet Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) as he dances his way through the opening scene to "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone.

Full Metal Jacket

The very beginning of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket features young men getting their heads shaved as they join the Marines. The next few minutes are just R. Lee Emery yelling at the new inductees. It's one of the most iconic opening scenes of any movie, much less any war movie and it's a big part of what makes it among the best war movies ever made.

Deadpool

By now we all know just what kind of "superhero" Deadpool is. In fact, even if you weren't familiar with the anti-hero from the comic books, it only takes about the first ten minutes of the first Deadpool movie to know exactly who he is. There really is no better introduction to a superhero movie, and that's really saying something.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The two main characters in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels are, in some ways, very competent criminals. In other ways, they are complete disasters. The opening moments show both sides of them perfectly as they pull off their scam selling stolen jewelry for a time before they lose all their merchandise getting chased by the cops.

Jurassic Park

There was no bigger movie in the early '90s than Jurassic Park and there was no bigger opening moment than when audiences were thrown right into the action as the game wardens and staff tried to wrangle a velociraptor into its cage. It did more than just help the movie become iconic for millions of people.

No Country For Old Men

The opening scene to No Country For Old Men immediately draws the audience into the movie and its dark, foreboding nature. After a voiceover by Tommy Lee Jones, we see an unknown character getting arrested for an unknown reason. We soon learn that the character is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and just how ruthless he is.

Gladiator

Ridley Scott may not care much for historical accuracy, but that doesn't matter when you recreate an ancient battle as he does at the opening of Gladiator. It's an amazing scene reminiscent of the great battle scenes in movies before CGI when it was all about practical effects and a huge number of extras.

Once Upon a Time In The West

To make a great western, you have to set a mood. Once Upon a Time In The West does this as well or better than any other Western. Viewers can feel the heat of the day and the crackling tension well before any action happens. You know it's coming, you just don't how or when.

Baby Driver

Take a great soundtrack, a cool moment of people wearing matching suits and sunglasses, throw in a fantastic car chase and you're guaranteed to suck audiences in immediately. Just like they do in Baby Driver. The movie takes off at full speed right from the jump.

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino told the whole world just who he was in the first few minutes of his first movie, Reservoir Dogs. The intense, fast-paced dialog he's known for is present right at the very beginning as his character Mr. Orange explains the real meaning behind his favorite Madonna song. And it's not what you think.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange's opening scene definitely has audiences asking more questions than it's ever answering, but that's exactly what draws you in so quickly. You have to know what these guys in the funny outfits are up to and why in the world they are seemingly drinking milk in a weird bar. Later, you might regret getting those answers...

Such is seemingly the case when it comes to the backstory of fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano. She was created for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, but has since been the subject of novels, live-action shows and additional animated series, and some of that has my head spinning as different stories appear to contradict others.

Tales Of The Jedi And The Ahsoka Novel Appear To Tell The Same Story

Back in 2016, before we ever knew we’d get more Star Wars: The Clone Wars or a live-action Ahsoka series, we got Ahsoka, a novel by E.K. Johnson. The book is set following the events of Season 6 of The Clone Wars, which was then the end of the series. It follows Ahsoka as she hides out following Order 66. Eventually she is forced to use The Force, which sends an Inquisitor after her whom she defeats.

This is also essentially the story told in Episode 6 of the Tales of the Jedi animated series. Obviously a 12-minute animated episode is more condensed than the full novel, but there were already some significant continuity issues between the two, and now there are more.

The newest edition of the Star Wars Encyclopedia (via SFFGazette) states that the Inquisitor that Ahsoka battles in Tales of the Jedi goes by the name First Brother. The problem is that the Ahsoka novel specifies that the person she is fighting there is Sixth Brother. So are these two things not telling the same story?

It’s a minor thing to change the name of a small character but it would have been just as easy to simply use the name that had already been used. All this does is add confusion to the situation. Is Tales of the Jedi retconning the events of the novel? Is this a very similar, but different situation?

Is The Ahsoka Novel Now Non-Canon?

Dave Filoni, who co-created Ahsoka with George Lucas, and has been shepherding the character through the Star Wars universe since, reportedly worked with E.K. Johnson on the novel, so the story would seem to have had the official Star Wars seal of approval. This makes the decision to change things in Tales of the Jedi all the stranger since it’s not like Filoni was rewriting a story he hadn’t been involved in.

At the end of the day, this doesn’t necessarily matter. It’s not like this isn’t an entire Star Wars Expanded Universe of novels that have been relegated to the dustbin of Star Wars history, so one more is no big deal. Still, for those that want to follow the “real” story, decisions like this make that more difficult.

When I first started re-watching The Mandalorian Season 1 with my Disney+ subscription, I had one goal in mind. Considering I was so obsessed with the reveals and ties to the Star Wars movies, I didn't know if there was more to the show than that and if it would hold up knowing everything that happens. I'm happy to say that five years later, it still does, and it made me appreciate Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin a lot more.

As conversation surrounds the future of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, I think it's worth reminding readers preparing for new shows on the 2025 TV schedule that there's still great things from D television worth looking back on. So let's take a trip down memory lane and talk about the bounty hunter who has dominated franchise conversations the past few years and how much he's changed.

Din Is Not Nice In The Mandalorian Season 1

I once referred to Din Djarin as a "reluctant father figure" in an article comparing him to Joel from HBO's The Last of Us, and it's hilarious just how unsuited he is to caring for a child in The Mandalorian Season 1. From the first episode, it becomes remarkably clear that Din has few tools for solving problems if violence is not an option. He couldn't even negotiate with Jawas without busting out his flamethrower and threatening to burn them all for stealing his stuff.

Let's also not forget the opening scene, in which he ropes an escaping attacker and allows him to be cut in half by the closing door. I think what's most disturbing about it as well is that his penchant for violence is not exclusive to when he's carrying out a bounty hunting job. He was just raised by his fellow Mandalorians to be a killing machine that works in service of the remaining coven, in hopes they could one day reclaim the pride they had as a people on Mandalore.

It's jarringly different than the Din Djarin we've seen in his most recent appearances with Grogu. If you were to tell someone fresh off watching The Mandalorian Season 1 that these two characters would get a movie together, I'm sure they'd be interested, but confused about how much the little guy would factor into 2026's The Mandalorian and Grogu. Fortunately, future seasons and appearances have helped in further establishing these two as multi-dimensional characters worthy of their own feature, and not just shallow fun for Star Wars fans.

Din Is Woefully Incapable Of Caring For Grogu

When Din finally gets Grogu, I think it's remarkably clear from the jump that he's in no way fit to care for a child. In fact, he gets called out by mechanic Peli Motto for leaving The Child alone on the ship while he goes out on a mission. Even if Grogu, who we were calling Baby Yoda back then because we didn't know his name, is close to 50 in The Mandalorian, he could not hang out on the ship alone.

The only time we see Din connect with Grogu in a way that could hint at a deeper connection is when he screws off the ball on a lever in the Razor Crest and gifts it to The Child. It's a moment I admittedly wasn't paying a ton of attention to when I watched it way back mainly because I was still geeking out over the fact Moff Gideon had the Darksaber.

In hindsight, I can see that Din becoming a father figure to Grogu is one of the major stories of The Mandalorian. This is evident when he officially becomes a Foundling at the end of Season 3, but I think that, once again, we were more concerned about CGI fights and reveals more than the story being told. I think there's some shared blame here between viewers and the way Disney hypes its storytelling, but maybe that's something best tabled until it can be tackled in another story.

I Need To Give The Mandalorian Credit For Developing Din Djarin's Character More Than I Assumed

I think because Disney has conditioned me to be more on the lookout for unexpected cameos and other easter eggs in Marvel and Star Wars shows, I took for granted some of the strong storytelling that's happened over the course of The Mandalorian. At face value, this is a story ultimately meant to bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens and, I'm assuming, make more sense of Emperor Palpatine's return to power. As we've seen with many of these projects, they're ultimately meant to further service the movie side of things.

What I paid less attention to is that this is a story of a radicalized and sheltered individual slowly changing his whole worldview when the care of a child is thrust upon him. Slowly but surely, we see him change his thoughts on droids, the Rebel forces and even what it means to be a Mandalorian. Granted, we can't 100% attribute all of that to his relationship with Grogu, but it's played a big role.

It's a perspective that I'm glad I recognized ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu. While I can't say with any certainty Din's evolution as a character will have some massive payoff in the movie, I feel relatively safe in predicting that if you watch Episode 1 of The Mandalorian before sitting down to watch this upcoming feature film, the difference in the character is going to be night and day. Now that I think more deeply about it, he might be in contention for one of the biggest evolutions in character arcs in Star Wars, though I don't think anyone is going to top the changes that Anakin Skywalker went through.

If you're curious enough to check out The Mandalorian Season 1 again, it's ready and waiting on Disney+ for anyone who wants to remember "The Way." CinemaBlend will continue to be on the lookout for updates on the upcoming movie with the Star Wars duo, which is expected to drop in May of 2026.

When William Shatner said he'd be willing to allow AI companies to use his likeness for projects, he wasn't kidding. While he kept true to his word about not wanting to change James T. Kirk's death scene in Star Trek: Generations, the actor found a way to return to the franchise that made his career. He's featured in a new short film celebrating the 30th anniversary of Generations, but it took the help of prolific Star Wars actor Sam Witwer to make it happen.

William Shatner has always had a unique relationship with Star Wars, having both trolled the franchise and worked with writers from it on other projects. Now, we have the franchise to thank for a new James T. Kirk performance, though Shatner and the actor responsible's involvement may require some talking out.

William Shatner Returned To Star Trek, But He Had Some Help

It isn't a trailer for an upcoming Trek series, but OTOY's latest short film celebrating the anniversary of Star Trek: Generations is worth a watch. Unification follows William Shatner's Kirk, who is seemingly cloned at the Daystrom Station after he dies in the movie. After that, he encounters a few familiar faces and maybe even makes it to the Kelvin universe to see his old friend Spock. The details are unclear, but check out the video below all the same, and continue for details on how this wild movie was made possible:

William Shatner's voice and a digital recreation of his face can be seen in Unification, but that's not his body, it's Sam Witwer.

Actor Sam Witwer has been a huge part of the Star Wars world for years as he's done voice-acting for several shows, games, and movies. Readers may best know his voice as Darth Maul, but he's also voiced Stormtroopers and many other additional characters. Fans tend to get excited when they hear he's on board for Ahsoka and other projects, and I have to say I'm jazzed to see he could be a part of this Star Trek project.

Will Star Trek Commit To Bringing Characters Back Via De-Aging Technology?

While Star Trek: Picard used de-aging technology for brief scenes, it seems largely expected that when it comes to key franchise characters, Paramount would sooner recast the role. I wouldn't bank on this de-aged CGI James T. Kirk making his way into a real Trek series, considering the role for young Kirk was already given to Paul Wesley.

Wesley has appeared in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds a handful of times, and he will also pop up in Season 4. It seems like, for the time being, the franchise has already decided on who will be its James T. Kirk for the official shows and movies.

However, what OTOY did with Sam Witwer and William Shatner is very impressive and a cool way to celebrate Generations on its anniversary.

Those with a Paramount+ subscription can rewatch Star Trek: Generations today. I can't say it's my favorite movie of the bunch, but with the 30th anniversary being so recent, it couldn't hurt to throw it on if anyone is feeling nostalgic.

The Star Wars universe is vast in a galaxy far, far away, but you want to know what people love to hate? Rey, for some ungodly reason, and I'm kind of tired of it because people are way too hard on her – especially after I just rewatched the Star Wars sequels for the first time in a while.

Let me preface this by saying that I do not claim to be someone who grew up loving Star Wars. When I was five, my older brother and father were going to a Star Wars premiere, and I was at home playing with my American Girl dolls. I was not interested in this world until very late, probably when I began high school in 2012.

However, as someone who has been a part of the fandom for 12 years now, I have some connection to this world. I am allowed to have an opinion, and it's that everyone is way too hard on both Rey and Daisy Ridley. I really have to talk about it because it's driving me crazy.

Rey's Story Is Diminished By The Flaws Of The Sequels Around Her

Before you come at me with your pitchforks, hear me out. Rey isn't a bad character – the sequels are bad stories.

The first three Star Wars films have a rock-solid story, but then the prequels came along, and they earned a fair amount of criticism. Now, years later, people are looking at the Star Wars prequels with an air of respect, and Hayden Christensen is getting the flowers he deserves and vindication on his work– which is excellent! Ewan McGregor even got a whole series dedicated to his version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But I genuinely don't think the same is going to happen to Rey because the sequels' flaws diminish her story in general. There are so many moments in these movies where I genuinely scratch my head at what happened because it just doesn't make sense, and then Rey is right in the middle of it, somehow going along with what is happening.

I think the first of the sequels – The Force Awakens – set up a really good premise. We had this nobody girl who didn't have a family, didn't have a name and didn't really care for one, who was trying to survive on Jakku, and the Force called her into this crazy galactic war. It's basically the recipe for success. Heck, Luke basically started as nobody as well – it was only later that he discovered his true origin.

But as the films go on, the plot gets messier and messier, and it falls apart, taking Rey along with it.

She Didn't Have The Core Trio That Luke Had –– At Least, Not As Strong Of One

I stand by the fact that a core trio always surrounds every good movie or TV series that has a substantial freaking fandom.. The Harry Potter series had Harry, Ron and Hermione. The new Spider-Man films have Peter, Ned and M.J. One of the best anime ever, Attack on Titan, has Eren, Mikasa and Armin. It's just a staple, and the original Star Wars movies had that too with Luke, Leia and Han.

And Rey… didn't have that. She didn't have that support system.

Sure, there was Finn and Poe, but both of them felt so disconnected from Rey. Both felt like they were going on their own adventures when, most of the time, in any of these other scenarios, the trio was constantly helping each other out. I didn't feel that camaraderie with them at all.

That's a shame. I really like both Finn and Poe, as well as their actors, and I would have loved to see more friendship moments between the three of them as we saw with Luke, Leia and Han. But nope, that didn't happen.

The Movies Themselves Tried To Do Something Different, And People Hated It, But If You Do The Same Thing, People Also Hate It

At the beginning of the Sequel Trilogy, Rey was pretty much a carbon copy of Luke. Obviously, she did not have the same background, but she was a person who had nothing to do with the fight happening and was brought into it thanks to external circumstances beyond her control. The Force Awakens—which is my favorite—relied too much on the original films.

I sometimes think that's fine. If it's not broken, don't fix it, right? But Star Wars fans of all ages wanted something different, something new, a twist of some kind. You're never going to get a better plot twist than Luke finding out Darth Vader is his father, but you can try.

The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker attempted to do that with their stories, trying something new and testing out new lore—but it just fell flat, and fans hated that more. Rey didn't have that same solid storyline that protected Luke during her three movies because things kept changing so constantly. It's no wonder people found her hard to follow.

And When Has Star Wars Lore Ever Been Clean-Cut?

Star Wars lore is messy and dirty. And yet, people will blame Rey's character for her questionable family relations.

When, on God's green Earth, have we ever had a clear vision of what the entire lore of the Star Wars universe is? The only time was during the Original Trilogy, but other than that, things have been changed, redone, retconned and so much more. Now we're getting upset over something about Rey's parentage? Or Palpatine being back? Or whatever the heck it is now?

At this point, I've learned to let go. If I let go of all this lore in the back of my head and focus on the story at hand, I would enjoy the movies a lot more. Sure, it's there for information, but when there are thousands of things that are conflicting and fighting in your brain, it's time to chill.

That's how I'm able to enjoy Rey a lot more. Oh, did they change that up? Strange, but okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion; that's the beauty of being human. But don't blame Disney for messing up the lore of this series with Rey and everything else when it's been messy for years.

I'm Nervous For Her In These Reported New Movies

Rey is not the person we need to be harping on. As someone who waited years to see a young, badass female live-action Jedi on screen (that wasn't Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars and Rebels), Rey was a good answer, and Daisy Ridley was a good choice.

But her character was harped down by poor story choices, poor characters around her, and sometimes lore that doesn't make sense, even if you can separate parts of it. I don't know how they're going to use her in a new series of movies.

I'm nervous for Ridley and for the character, and I hope that they deliver something great. There have been some great Star Wars projects over the last year, from The Mandalorian to Ahsoka to Andor, but will this creative team be able to bring that same amount of magic to a new franchise and make Rey the star she is supposed to be?

I don't know…but I suppose we'll have to wait and find out. I think until then, I'll rewatch the Star Wars films once more when I have the chance, and be excited for all the upcoming Star Wars movies.

It turns out Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin wasn’t the only high-ranking Imperial officer with whom Orson Krennic butted heads. In an interview with Empire, Mendesohn shared that the gloriously-caped baddie will encounter resistance from Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero, who was one of the main antagonists in Andor Season 1. Mendelsohn started off by saying:

With Andor Season 1 taking place five years before Rogue One, and Season 2 (which finished filming in February) set to cover the remaining four-year gap, we’re looking in on Orson Krennic when he was still supervising the construction of the first Death Star. In fact, Season 1’s ending showed that the machinery made at the Narkina 5 prison complex was being assembled on the giant space station’s firing dish. Krennic is still high up in the Imperial food chain at this point, but per Ben Mendelsohn, he and Dedra Meero will have plenty of differences in opinion, even though everyone in the Empire is collectively working towards the same goal. The actor continued:

Ben Mendelsohn refused to share if Tarkin will also be present in Andor Season 2, but frankly, I’m ok not knowing one way or the other right now. I’m just looking forward to seeing exactly how Krennic and Dedra will clash. Is she one of the Imperials who thinks the Empire should divert resources from the Death Star to another project, much like how Grand Admiral Thrawn wanted his TIE Defender program prioritized in Star Wars Rebels? Or is Dedra pro-Death Star, but doesn’t agree with how Krennic is handling the operation?

Since Dedra Meero is nowhere to be seen in Rogue One, either she’s moved on to other things or the future doesn’t bode well for her in this next and final batch of Andor episodes. If she doesn’t end up making it out of this show alive, perhaps Orson Krennic will end up being responsible for her demise, be it directly or indirectly. We’ll find out what’s in store for these two characters when Andor Season 2 premieres April 22 to Disney+ subscription holders on the slate of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

It hasn’t been clarified yet if Kinberg’s Star Wars movies will be set after The Rise of Skywalker or be more of a standalone thing, and per THR, the availability of Rey is the main reason for this. The outlet reports that Ridley’s character is “key to the franchise’s next turn,” meaning that even though Kinberg’s trilogy is in the early story conception stage, this may result in it clashing with what Obaid-Chinoy is putting together for her sole movie. Although the insiders who spoke with THR denied that there’s a “battle” over Rey, they did make it clear there’s “internal deliberation” about what to do with her next, with one insider saying:

Keep in mind that although The Mandalorian & Grogu is set for release in May 2026, the title characters originate from the TV realm, with The Mandalorian being the first in the Star Wars franchise’s lineup of Disney+ subscription-exclusive programming. Whether or not they’ll thrive on the big screen too remains to be seen, but Rey already has this kind of cache from The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. And with so many of the classic Star Wars characters dead post-The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is arguably the biggest film-related “entity,” with another insider saying that “the closet is a little bare.”

The article also mentions that Rey is “set to play a role in several movies that are being developed,” but it’s unclear which ones. So maybe there’s a world where both Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s movie and Simon Kinberg’s trilogy can both make use of her, or maybe those other movies refer to the ones being put together by folks like Taika Waititi and Shawn Levy. As things currently stand with Obaid-Chinoy’s movie, it takes place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker and follows her forming the New Jedi Order. However, Steven Knight, who’d taken over scripting duties from Damon Lindelof, exited the project last month, and the search for a new writer is ongoing.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend with more news on what the future holds in store for Daisy Ridley in the Star Wars franchise. Next up on the slate is Skeleton Crew, which premieres December 3 on Disney+, the same platform where you can easily stream all the Star Wars movies in order.

For years now, Sam Jackson has maintained that Mace Windu survived Revenge of the Sith, hoping one day to reprise that role in the galaxy far, far away. Now a rumor from Twitter from a notable scooper claims that Jackson is in talks to return. But I'm worried that whatever that project might be will fail to be at the quality level that the character and Jackson both deserve.

The debate about whether or not Mace Windu was alive has been going on for years now, so there's a a ton of hype and expectations surrounding any potential reprisal for Sam Jackson. And since Star Wars shows have ranged in quality over the years, I'm hoping it more Andor than The Acolyte.

The rumor about Sam Jackson's possible return doesn't offer any clue as to what it might be. We don't know if there's a movie, a voice performance in an an animated project, or even a live-action TV spinoff in the works. So if its more of a cameo or a quick episode of TV, then perhaps the stakes aren't quite as high. But if Mace Windu is getting his own project, I want it to be great.

Ewan McGregor's return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series was solid, so there's definitely reason to believe that Lucasfilm could stick the landing. But there was an overarching story connected to both the prequels and OG trilogy to pull from, including a reunion with Darth Vader and young Leia and Luke. If Mace Windu survived his seemingly fatal encounter with Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, what came next is a total mystery.

Only time will tell if this rumor comes to fruition, but Samuel L. Jackson's ongoing passion for his signature Star Wars character definitely make sit feel possible. That's the exact type of excitement that landed him a purple lightsaber when debuting as Master Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy.

It's been years since The Rise of Skywalker ended the Skywalker Saga, with the franchise only growing on the big screen. While Lucasfilm announced a new trilogy, the timeline of these projects is unclear. So who knows? Maybe one of them will include Mace Windu.

The Star Wars franchise is streaming in its entirety on Disney+. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Daisy Ridley quickly became famous at the age of 23 for taking part in some of the best Star Wars movies in years, starting with The Force Awakens. But as she became a new face of one of the biggest franchises of all time, the actress was quickly thrust into the spotlight and exposed to the double-edged sword of fame. Ridley recently recalled how one interview she did during her time promoting the Sequel Trilogy led to some fallout at the expense of her own shuteye.

Back in 2019, ahead of The Rise of Skywalker hitting theaters, Daisy Ridley was asked by The Guardian about how her “privilege” has perhaps affected how she navigates celebrity. The interview wrote that the question led Ridley to become “suddenly incredulous” and led things to “take an awkward turn.” Ridley then said her and co-star John Boyega had a “similar enough” upbringing before correcting herself that she’d gone to a performing arts boarding school on scholarship. Here’s how she reflects on the interview now:

While speaking to The Telegraph, Ridley reflected on her comments from five years ago, sharing that the interview’s contents kept her up at night because of how she felt her words were taken out of context and expressed in a way that did not reflect what she meant to say. The interview certainly could make it sound like Ridley was tone deaf to how her co-star being the son to immigrant parents from Nigeria would give them different privileges, but that was not the star’s intention.

When the interview was released, a Reddit thread on the topic showed a lot of fans siding with Ridley. One comment said the interviewer gave her a “really dumb” question, while others said it was “passive aggressive” and “nasty” toward the actress. Ridley and Boyega became fast friends on the Star Wars movies and remained close throughout their wild shared experience together of becoming big names in Hollywood with the release of The Force Awakens. (Ridley even gifted Boyega with an awesome wrap gift after they finished filming the trilogy.)

Next up, Ridley is set to reprise her role as Rey in an untitled movie that has the actress excited to return to the universe. The movie will pick up 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker at a time when Rey is training a new generation of Jedi. You can check out what other upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows are coming up next here on CinemaBlend.

Greedo

When of the earliest examples of fans getting attached to a somewhat minor character is Greedo in the first Star Wars movie. Fans have argued for decades over whether it should be Han Solo shooting first in their encounter (as it was originally) or the bounty hunter shooting first (as it is in the re-edits). Either way fans still love the confrontation and we learn a lot of Han either way.

Wedge Antilles

It's easy to see why fans love Wedge Antilles. He is a first-rate pilot and a dedicated member of the Rebel Alliance in the first three movies. He takes place in most of the major battles in the original trilogy, playing a part in the destruction of both Death Stars and flies a snowspeeder in the Battle of Hoth as well. He even has a voice cameo in Rogue One.

Boba Fett

It's true, Boba Fett doesn't really count as random anymore, what with his backstory in the second trilogy and his own show on Disney+, but we had to include him here because he's really the O.G. random character that fans gravitated to in the original trilogy.

Willrow Hood

Without a doubt, Willrow Hood is the most random character to gain traction among fans in the Star Wars universe. He's seen for about one second on screen, evacuating from Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back carrying what appears to be an ice cream maker. Fans loved the shot of him so much that an entire backstory has been created, making him a hero of the Alliance.

Salacious B. Crumb

For a character who is kind of pure evil and doesn't have an lines other than his maniacal laugh, Salacious B. Crumb has become quite the fan favorite. He's essentially just Jabba The Hutt's pet in Return of the Jedi, but that laugh and his ridiculous nature have endeared him to fans, who just love to hate him.

Logray

The Ewok shaman Logray quickly became everyone's favorite Ewok besides Wicket. His reactions to C-3PO's stories and his leadership in the community is what fans are most drawn to.

MSE-6 Mouse Droid

Though it's not really a character per se, this little repair droid has a big personality and from the beginning of the franchise has been a fan favorite among the random droids. An MSE-6 Mouse Droid is first seen in A New Hope and has appeared in many places around the franchise over the years.

Cornelius Evazan

Cornelius Evazan is a wanted man, he has the death sentence in 12 systems if he is to be believed. He is also on the business end of a light saber the first time Star Wars fans saw one in action when Obi-Wan strikes him down in the cantina. He does make a cameo in Rogue One as a great easter egg for fans.

Lobot

Lobot is a classic case of a random character taking on great lore among Star Wars fans. Though little is said about him when viewers first see him on Cloud City in Empire, it turns out he has a long backstory and has been Lando's right-hand man for years, as revealed in comics years later.

Lor San Tekka

It was always great when the late Max von Sydow showed up in a movie or TV show. His addition to the Star Wars universe in The Force Awakens as Lor San Tekka, a believer in the Jedi Order. He plays a key role in finding where Luke Skywalker is hiding.

Admiral Motti

Even snarky baddies like Admiral Motti in the original Star Wars. Not only is his attitude shocking, but he learns the hard way just how powerful Darth Vader is, and viewers see just what can be done by using The Force. He's not a good guy, but he is a fan-favorite character.

Uncle Owen And Aunt Beru

Uncle Owen And Aunt Beru aren't the most random of characters, obviously. They play an important role in the saga as the people who raised Luke Skywalker and are ultimately part of his motivation for the rest of the franchise. Still, they have very minimal screen time in the original Star Wars and they are beloved by fans, so they fit on this list.

Kit Fisto

Over the years, Kit Fisto has become an important character, especially in the animated Clone Wars but originally, when he is first seen in Attack Of The Clones is just a random member of the Jedi High Council who caught fans' eyes. It turns out he's one of the strongest Jedis, but it would be years before we learned that.

Nien Nunb

Nien Nunb is one of the many characters who have a pretty limited role when we first meet him as the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon in Return of the Jedi but grows as a character throughout the third trilogy, but his reactions and flying skills endeared him to fans way back in the day.

The Rancor Trainer

There is no more random character who captured the hearts of fans than the rancor trainer in Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi. What did for everyone is the way he broke down and cried after his rancor was killed by Luke. It's a very human moment, as it were.

Labria

Labria, or Kardue'sai'Malloc as we would later learn was his real name, has about two seconds of screen time in the cantina in the original Star Wars. His devilish look was instantly a great Halloween costume for hardcore fans.

Dak Ralter

We don't get to know too much about Dak Ralter. In the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, Dak is Luke Skywalker's wingman in the snowspeeder. After the is shot down, sadly Dak doesn't make it. Luke manages to escape but is unable to save Dak and it's a surprisingly emotional moment for a character we hardly knew.

IG-88

Sure, the IG-88 has become one of the most iconic droids in the Star Wars universe over the years, but back when it first appeared in Empire, it was just a random bounty hunter, one of a number of bounty hunters, who got it's own action figure. One of the O.G. randoms.

Fi'Grin Dan And The Modal Nodes

Music is incredibly important in the Star Wars universe, from John Williams' amazing score (one of his best) to the music in various water holes around the universe. One of the most famous bands, and a group that fans absolutely love, is the O.G. cantina band, Fi'Grin Dan And The Modal Nodes.

Yaddle

For a character who has as little screen time as Yaddle to have the kind of lore she eventually has shows just how much fans can connect to the most random characters in the Star Wars universe.

Garindan Ezz Zavor

Garindan Ezz Zavor is a spy for the Empire whose look seems to be inspired by doctors during the Plague in the Dark Ages. He follows the rebels as they try to escape Mos Eisley in A New Hope and though he is only seen in a few brief scenes, his striking appearance made him the subject of a lot of wonder from fans.

Paige Tico

Paige Tico is one of the biggest heroes in The Last Jedi, yet she is still a pretty random character to play such a big role. This isn't unique to the franchise, of course, so she definitely belongs on this list, as she only has a couple of minutes of screen time. A big impact in a small amount of time.

GNK Power Droid

One of the greatest things about the art department on the Star Wars movies is how many fun and interesting droids they come up with. A prime example is the GNK Power Droid, which pops up in a number of spots around the universe but really grabbed fans' hearts with his terrifying scream as his feet are branded in Return of the Jedi.

Tion Medon

Tion Medon has one of the most unique vibes in the whole franchise. He looks like a character from a horror movie, but he proves quite quickly where his alliances lie when he informs Obi-Wan that Grievous is using his home planet as a base in Revenge Of The Sith. Later, he takes on a bigger role in The Clone Wars.

Max Rebo

Like other musicians in the Star Wars universe, Max Rebo quickly became a fan favorite after first being spotted in Jabba's palace in Return Of The Jedi. He was so popular that he was brought back in The Book Of Boba Fett. His unique look and awesome-looking keyboard make everyone want to hire them for their parties.

Dexter Jettster

The prequels are often accused of being too cartoony for the Star Wars franchise and it's characters like Dexter Jettster who justify the complaints. As a... diner owner... Dexter Jettster is an old friend and source for Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones. Despite being a pretty silly character in a pretty silly moment, he's still pretty fun, which explains his popularity among those who love the prequels.

EV-9D9

One of the most nerve-wracking droids has to be EV-9D9, which runs Jabba's fleet of stolen droids. He's like the warden in a droid prison and his crackly voice makes him very intimidating, but it makes him stand out and people love him for it.

Ben Quadinaros

Sure, he's one of the cheesiest parts of The Phantom Menace, which itself is the cheesiest of all the movies, but Ben Quadinaros is still easy to love. The hapless podracer just can't find any luck in the race and everything goes wrong for the poor guy. He's an underdog we can all root for.

Jek Tono Porkins

Porkins is a character that Star Wars fans love to hate. He certainly doesn't fit the mold of a typical pilot, as he's on the heavier side. He also doesn't perform all that well in his attempts to take down the Death Star. But come on! We should appreciate that he even got into the fight!

Plo Koon

He may look like a living nightmare, but Jedi Council member Plo Koon is one of the Jedis in the prequels that fans just loved. A deft fighter and a strong ally in every way, Plo Koon met his demise due to Order 66 but his memory lives on forever.

Exogorth

Is it fair to call the Exogorth a character? Sure, why not, is what we say. The "character" doesn't have any lines and it's only on screen for a few seconds as it attempts to eat the Millennium Falcon after Han and co tried to hide in its belly. It's one of the best moments of Star Wars and one of the most memorable for even the youngest fans.

Teedo

Like so many other characters and creatures in the Star Wars universe, Teedo (which is technically his species, not his name) packs a lot of personality into just a little screen time. He's a scrounger on Jakku, competing with Rey with junk to sell in The Force Awakens. It was a moment when fans felt like the sequel trilogy returned to its original roots after the prequels.

If playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies was life-changing for Carrie Fisher, you might imagine what that would mean for Daisy Ridley playing Rey. Unlike Mark Hamill, who was considered the main hero in the George Lucas series playing Luke, Rey was the heroine for the sequel trilogy.

The talented actress was fortunate enough to get to work with Fisher before her death in 2016, and Ridley shared in a Drew Barrymore Show clip one big piece of advice for how the veteran actress helped her adjust to Star Wars fame:

Just watching the clip now, those truly were sage words of advice from the When Harry Met Sally… actress. I know I would be “stuttery” too if I found myself surprisingly walking alongside someone famous down the street. I'm sure it can be easy for celebrities to be annoyed if these interactions are happening all the time, but Ms. Fisher's perspective showed a lot of empathy and helps me to see how Star Wars ultimately became one of the most memorable and best sci-fi movies of all time.

That's particularly true when you consider a story Ms. Fisher actually told back in the day, in which she had a gross-yet-memorable fan interaction with a Star Wars lover during which the guy admitted to thinking about her four times a day for a decade. Welp.

The late actress may have had a legendary career playing a lead in Star Wars, but it wasn’t without its own consequences of fame. Fisher also told Daisy Ridley that dating was hard for her playing the galaxy princess as she had concerns people would be in it for the street cred: “I had sex with Princess Leia.”

Despite all of the obstacles the American actress faced, Carrie Fisher used her experiences in Hollywood to be a mental health advocate through her books, memoirs, and public appearances. Not to mention, the infamous star was known for being a script doctor re-writing some of her Star Wars lines and fine-tuning scripts like The Wedding Singer, Hook, and Sister Act. She’s truly an inspiration for actresses hoping to have careers with longevity in Hollywood.

Daisy Ridley previously recalled how “overwhelming” it was for her when the Star Wars movies debuted, and her latest comments to Drew Barrymore tie in similarly. She said she’d be recognized by people in public restrooms and learning about all of these new career insights like doing press junkets. But the Young Woman and the Sea actress explained that once everything slowed down, she had a great understanding of how fame worked and that now it’ll be easier for her to manage knowing what’s coming.

While the last time that Daisy Ridley played Rey was back in 2019 for Rise of the Skywalker, it looks like fame will encounter the Ophelia actress yet again when she reprises Rey for her upcoming solo movie. Even though it had been a few years since she played the female Jedi, Ridley knew she had to return to the franchise because of the excitement of revisiting the character that put her name on the Hollywood map and continuing Rey’s journey. The upcoming Star Wars flick may have lost its screenwriter, but The Marsh King’s Daughter star offered encouragement, also revealing the new movie is in “the next stages” and “we’re all good.” You can watch Ridley’s interview in full with Drew Barrymore below:

I personally hope Daisy Ridley felt very lucky to have a Star Wars muse like Carrie Fisher around to help her tackle newfound fame. You can watch the two actresses take on the First Order in the Star Wars movies available on your Disney+ subscription.

For anyone who's more so up on science fiction and less on sports, Victor Wembanyama is the same player whose security detail stopped Britney Spears from approaching him. Those who follow the NBA may not even know that he's a huge fan of the prequel movies, and had a chance to make his dream come true, thanks to the stars aligning.

How Victor Wembanyama Met The Star Wars Actors

A picture posted by @_TheFailedJedi on X (via @Wemby_Muse) showed "Wemby" with not just Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, but also Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano). Before anyone starts speculating about plans for Ahsoka Season 2, I should note there's a reason for this.

As reported by KENS5, Spacecon 2024 recently took place in San Antonio. It was there that the three actors were guests of the convention. Seeing as Victor Wembanyama is the star of the San Antonio Spurs, it was likely easy to arrange for him to meet the trio, even with the NBA season going on. What might be harder, however, would be getting him into a Star Wars production, but I still think it would be worth the trouble.

Why Victor Wembanyama Would Be Great For Star Wars

I'm always a fan of surprising athlete cameos in movies, but there's a specific reason why Victor Wembanyama lends himself to Star Wars in a way even other basketball players couldn't. He stands at seven feet, four inches tall, and has a wingspan of eight feet. So he's not only incredibly tall, but his arms are also incredibly long.

His physique has likened comparisons to the creepy character Slenderman, who the France native actually dressed as last Halloween. Take a look:

Star Wars is a franchise with tons of different species and aliens of different shapes and sizes. Surely, there's room for him to appear as one of them. I'd say maybe cast him as a young Jedi but, given how The Acolyte and other shows have been about the brutal murder of those Force-users, I'm not sure he'd want that role. (Though I could be wrong in that assumption.)

He could be the tallest Wookiee to ever appear in Star Wars, which would be fitting given his recent custom Nike shoes themed after the franchise. These just have to be seen to be believed, so without further comment, check out the "Wookiee of the Year":

I should also note that Star Wars has used professional basketball players before to play Wookiees in the universe. Joonas Suotomo, who ultimately took over the role of Chewbacca for Peter Mayhew, was on the Finnish national basketball team. It's also been noted several times over the years that Lucasfilm hired several Australian basketball players to portray Wookiees when they were filming for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (via @NBL).

All in all, I'm just saying that the opportunity could be there for Victor Wembanyama if he can talk to the right people. Whether he spoke to Hayden Christensen and co. about that during their meet-up is unclear. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that something can be worked out.

Catch the premiere of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew using a Disney+ subscription when it premieres on December 3. I wouldn't expect Victor Wembanyama to be a part of the fun, but I hope we see him appear in the franchise down the way!

Shmi Skywalker Allowed Anakin To Go With Qui-Gon

Shmi Skywalker could have refused Qui-Gon Jinn’s request to take Anakin away from Tatooine and be trained as a Jedi. However, she knew her son was destined for a life better being a slave, so she made the heartbreaking choice of letting him go. It’s just unfortunate that this decision led to the rise of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi Order.

Carson Teva And Trapper Wolf Saved Din Djarin And Grogu

Din Djarin, Grogu and the Frog Lady would have been eaten by the spiders on that ice planet had New Republic pilots Carson Teva and Trapper Wolf not intervened. The two used the blaster rifles they carried aboard their X-Wings to kill the creatures. However, they weren’t feeling generous enough to help Djarin fix up the Razor Crest, as they’d already decided to drop the arrest warrant placed on him.

Clone Trooper Destroyed The Crab Droid

Unlike every other entry on this list, here we have a nameless character, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve recognition. During the Battle of Utapau, this clone trooper managed to get up close and kill one of the Separatist’s crab droids, which is hard enough for multiple clones to accomplish on a normal day. Then mere seconds later, this clone managed to destroy another one from afar.

Kino Loy Ignited Narkina 5 The Prison Uprising

After realizing that none of the prisoners on Narkina 5 would ever be freed, Kino Loy agreed to help Cassian Andor with instigating a breakout. After them and their allies made their way to the facility’s intercom system, Kino inspired the rest of the prisoners to rise up and escape. It was an inspiring moment tinged with tragedy since Kino couldn’t escape with everyone else since he couldn’t swim.

R2-D2 Smuggled The Death Star Plans Off The Tantive IV

When it became clear that Princess Leia wouldn’t be able to deliver the plans to the first Death Star to the Rebel Alliance, she entrusted R2-D2 with the plans, as well as a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi, so that Darth Vader wouldn’t obtain them. It paid off, as the astromech droid and C-3PO were able to flee from the captured Tantive IV on an escape pod, landed on Tatooine and eventually found Obi-Wan.

C-3PO Bailed Out Hera Syndulla On Behalf Of Leia

Hera Syndulla disobeyed orders when she traveled to Seatos with a squad of New Republic fighters to help out Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren. As a result, she was in danger of being court-martialed, but C-3PO arrived to bail her out of this situation to pass along “evidence” from Leia Organa that Hera was following her orders. The golden protocol droid’s timing could have used a little work, but better late than never.

Jar Jar Binks Advocated For The Chancellor Emergency Powers

Ok yeah, in hindsight this move spelled the beginning of the end for the Republic. However, if Jar Jar Binks hadn’t given that speech in favor of giving Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers, then the clone army would never have been into action and the Republic would have been overwhelmed by the Separatists. So in the short term, this was arguably a good move.

Migs Mayfeld Killed Valin Hess

Granted, this wasn’t the most strategically sound move considering that Migs Mayfield and Din Djarin were undercover at the Imperial facility on Morak to learn where Moff Gideo’s ship was. However, when Hess started bragging about the thousands that were killed during Operation Cinder, Migs had enough and shot his former superior. This action showed us how traumatized that conflicts left him.

Lando Calrissian Rescued Leia, Chewbacca And C-3PO

Although Lando Calrissian’s betrayal of Han Solo came from a place of wanting to protect his operation on Bespin, his lingering guilt coupled with Darth Vader continuing to change the conditions of their deal made him realize he’d made a mistake. So with the help of his security force, Lando rescued Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO from the Imperials, though they were unfortunately too late to stop Boba Fett from taking the carbonite-frozen Han away.

Boba Fett Jumped Into Action On Tython

Before he took the lead in The Book of Boba Fett, Boba was a supporting character in The Mandalorian Season 2, and one of his best moments in the entire franchise came when he retrieved his armor from the Razor Crest on Tython. Mere moments after suiting back up for the first time in years, Boba wiped the floor with the stormtroopers in his vicinity.

Arvel Crynyd Flew Into The Super Star Destroyer

You may not know his name, but if you’ve seen Return of the Jedi, then you’re familiar with the Rebel pilot who brought down a Super Star Destroyer at the cost of his own life. After the Executor’s bridge deflector shield was destroyed, Arvel Crynyd steered his critically injured A-wing into a kamikaze run into the bridge, resulting in the ship colliding with the second Death Star.

Maarva Andor Inspires Rebellion With Her Posthumous Message

Maarva Andor spent her last days opposing the Imperial occupation on Ferrix, but even in death, she was able to inspire the masses. During her funeral ceremony, a hologram recording was played where she urged the people of Ferrix to rise up against the Empire. So what started out as an event to honor Maarva ended as a riot against this tyrannical force.

Paige Tico Opened The Bomb Hatch

During the evacuation of D’Qar, Poe Dameron organized an assault on a First Order Dreadnought that led to many Resistance casualties. This might have been a complete failure had Paige Tico not opened the hatch to drop her ship’s proton bombs onto the enemy vessel. Sadly, with the rest of her crew dead and their bomber badly damaged, there was no way for Paige to escape getting caught in the fire that engulfed the Dreadnought.

Bo-Katan Kryze Saved Din Djarin

Din Djarin was overwhelmed by some Alamites when he was exploring Mandalore to see if it was inhabitable. Luckily for him, Grogu was able to escape and make his way back to Kalevala, who was able to infer from the little guy that something was wrong. She went back to Mandalore and saved Din from his captors, which inadvertently paved the way for her getting the Darksaber again.

Wedge And Janson Took Down The AT-AT

Once Rogue Squadron learned that the AT-ATs’ armor was too strong for the snow speeders’ blasters during the Battle of Hoth, Luke Skywalker ordered his fellow pilots to use their harpoons and tow cables to bring these walkers down. The only duo that manages to accomplish this (at least onscreen) is Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson, who also fortunately both survive the conflict.

Tala Sacrifices Herself To Save The Path Refugees

When Darth Vader, Reva and their stormtrooper squad arrived at the Hidden Path facility on Jabiim, it didn’t take long for bodies to stop dropping. However, a lot more of these dissidents would have died had Tala Durith not sacrificed herself by detonating a thermal detonator as the Empire’s soldiers surrounded her. This explosive distraction allowed many of her allies to successfully flee the planet.

Sabé Served As Queen Amidala’s Decoy

For a decent chunk of The Phantom Menace, the Queen Amidala presented before the audience and characters like Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t the real deal, but rather the handmaiden known as Sabé (a role Keira Knightley can’t remember playing). She put her life on the line to keep Naboo’s ruler free from harm at key moments in Episode I, and her decoy act paid off one last time when it fooled Nute Gunray, allowing Padmé to take him captive.

IG-11 Self-Destructed To Save The Group

IG-11 started out wanting to kill the being known then as just The Child, but by the end of The Mandalorian Season 1, the droid sacrificed himself to save the little guy and those in his orbit. Grogu, Din, Cara Dune and Greef Karga were nearly ambushed by stormtroopers ready to open fire on the lava ferry they were aboard, but IG-11 went ahead and self-destructed himself to remove those adversaries from their path.

Galen Erso Hid A Weakness In The First Death Star

Galen Erso was one of the key architects in the construction of the first Death Star, but he also proved to be the catalyst of its destruction. Galen was the one who hid the exhaust port weakness inside the space station. If he hadn’t committed this act of secret defiance, one which ultimately cost him his life, then the Empire would have later wiped out Yavin IV and, with time, the entirety of the Rebellion.

Paz Vizsla Bought Time For His Fellow Mandalorians

Paz Vizsla spent most of his screen time clashing with Din Djarin, painting him in a somewhat antagonistic light. But as The Mandalorian Season 3 was wrapping up, the warrior died in a very sympathetic light, as he stayed behind to buy some time for his fellow Mandalorians by fighting off Moff Gideon’s Praetorians Guards on his own.

Yoda Rescued Obi-Wan Kenobi And Anakin Skywalker

In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker weren’t strong enough to defeat Count Dooku on Geonosis. Fortunately, Yoda showed up moments later and he dueled his former apprentice (which made for one of the franchise’s best lightsaber battles) and probably would have won if given more time. The only reason Dooku managed to escape was because he tried to crush Anakin and Obi-Wan with some rubble, prompting Yoda to focus on saving them.

Kelleran Beq Saved Grogu

Up until The Mandalorian episode “The Founding,” we had no idea who Grogu, who’s approximately 50 years old, was able to escape the Jedi Purge. That episode finally provided the answer, as Kelleran Beq, the same character whom Ahmed Best played in Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, got him out of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during Order 66 and arranged for him to be taken off planet by members of Naboo’s Armed Forces.

Amilyn Holdo Made A Suicide Attack

Amilyn Hold ordered that the Resistance abandon their larger ships on smaller transport vessels when the First Order was pursuing them in The Last Jedi. However, because DJ learned about this plan and tipped off General Hux, each transport was picked off one by one. The only reason they all weren’t destroyed was because Holdo rammed her ship at hyperspace speed into Snoke’s flagship, a move that would come to be called the Holdo Maneuver.

Fennec Shand Killed The Sarlacc

After Boba Fett and Fennec Shand stole back the Slave I from what was once Jabba the Hutt’s palace, they embarked to the Sarlacc Pit to see if they could retrieve Boba’s armor. Well, needless to say that the creature did not like its personal space being invaded by the ship, but Fennec was able to save their lives by just barely triggering a seismic charge to drop in its mouth.

K-2SO Saved Jyn Erso And Cassian Andor

K-2SO was originally an Imperial enforcer droid, so it's fittingly ironic that he was destroyed while helping carry out one of the Rebellion's most important missions. The reprogrammed droid fought off stormtroopers and sacrificed himself so that Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor would have extra time to find the Death Star plans.

Jacen Syndulla Helped Rescue Ahsoka Tano

Like his father, Kanan Jarrus, before him, Jacen Syndulla is pretty Force sensitive. This was demonstrated when he was able to not only sense that Ahsoka Tano was still alive on Seatos, but direct the rescue party to her location once she was out of the World Between Worlds. Without him, it’s likely Hera and the others wouldn’t have been able to find her.

BB-8 Saved Finn And Rose Tico

After Snoke’s flagship was destroyed by Amilyn Holdo, chaos was rampant in the area where Finn, Rose and the other survivors were located. The Resistance protagonists tried to make a run for it, but they were soon cornered by Phasma and her remaining stormtroopers. Luckily, BB-8 commandeered a nearby walker and provided them with some cover fire.

Cobb Vanth Refused To Help Cad Bane

When Cad Bane showed up in Freetown to demand that the town remain neutral in Boba Fett’s upcoming war with the Pyke Syndicate, Cobb Vanth could have easily caved to his demand. However, with Boba being one of his allies, Cobb refused to bend and was gunned down in a standoff with a blue-skinned bounty hunter. Fortunately, he was later shown being healed in Boba’s bacta tank.

Chirrut Îmwe Activated The Communications Switch

During the mission to secure the Death Star plans from Scarif, the blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe pulled off a feat that few with eyesight would likely have been able to accomplish. Despite blaster bolts flying at him from every which way, Chirrut was able to find his way to a nearby console and activate the master switch that established communication with the Rebel fleet. Unfortunately, he was killed moments later.

Jecki Lon Engaged The Stranger Alone

As a Padawan, there was really no way that Jecki Lon was going to win in her lightsaber duel against The Stranger, a.k.a. Qimir, during The Acolyte. Still, the fact that she stayed alive as long as she did, held her own and even managed to damage his helmet before being sliced down was incredible.

General Hux Saved Finn, Poe And Chewbacca

Sometimes hate can forge unlikely alliances. Jealous and bitter at how he was being treated by Kylo Ren and Allegiant General Pryde, General Hux became a spy for the Resistance has part of an effort to undermine Ren and become the new Supreme Leader. Eventually he blew his cover to help Finn, Poe and Chewbacca escape the Star Destroyer they were on, and while Hux later tried to tell a cover story to preserve his position in The First Order, Pryde saw through the lie and shot him.

The Armorer Compromises To Unite All Mandalorians

As the leader of the Mandalorian sect known as The Children of the Watch, The Armorer promotes the ancient ways of Mandalore, particularly not removing their helmets in front of others, which mainstream Mandalorian culture has long since abandoned. However, in order to reunite all surviving Mandalorians under Bo-Katan Kryze, who’d inherited the Darksaber, The Armorer was willing to ally herself with those who didn’t fully align with her group’s beliefs, as evidenced when she interacted Bo-Katan to take her helmet off.

Here are 32 movie villains with a tragic backstory…

Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)

Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger helped make Black Panther one of the best Marvel movies as well as a landmark comic book movie thanks in no small part to his tragic backstory. The unknown cousin of Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa and son to a wayward prince killed by the former king, Killmonger spent his life searching for himself and his elusive homeland of Wakanda. Sure, he tried to take it over and bring chaos to the world, but he had every right to do so.

Lotso (Toy Story 3)

On the surface, Lotso (Ned Beatty) seems like an iron-fisted ruler of the toys stuck at Sunnyside Daycare, but his heartbreaking personal history adds a whole other level to the Toy Story 3 antagonist. After being left at a rest stop by his “faithful” owner long ago, Lotso went to great lengths to find the little girl, only to discover he’d been replaced. Traumatized by the experience, the once kind-hearted stuffed bear went through a radical transformation.

Gollum (The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy)

Though not the central antagonist in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gollum (Andy Serkis) is up there. In the third and final film – The Return of the King – it’s revealed that Gollum was once a hobbit who became consumed by the powerful ring, being transformed into a deformed and deranged creature with one purpose in life: hold onto his “precious.”

Jason Voorhees (The Friday The 13th Movies)

Jason Voorhees is one of the most recognizable horror movie villains of all time with a kill count that is up there with the best of them. However, like other great horror icons, this masked, undead killer has a heartbreaking story behind his path of blood, guts, and revenge. Cast aside by society and the counselors of Camp Crystal Lake, a young Jason drowned with no one watching.

Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

Roy Batty, or model number N6MAA10816, is one of those characters played by the late Rutger Hauer that will live on forever, and that’s because the Blade Runner villain was a sympathetic antagonist like no other. Forced into slavery upon his inception, the vengeful replicant suffered years of unimaginable abuse and danger to help the bottom line of the Tyrell Corporation. That was until he led a rebellion for a better life for himself and others of his kind.

The Grinch (How The Grinch Stole Christmas)

One of the best things about Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is the way the 2000 movie expanded Jim Carrey’s titular character and provided a more in-depth look at the green recluse and what led him to live alone on Mount Crumpit. The story of a young Grinch being picked on by his schoolmates for no reason besides his appearance is utterly heartbreaking and is impossible to watch with a dry eye.

Carrie White (Carrie)

An antagonist or protagonist depending on how you look at it, Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) in Brian De Palma’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name is one of the most sympathetic and justified characters in the history of horror movies. Through no fault of her own, the teenage girl with awe-inspiring and deadly powers, is thrust into a murderous rampage after being tormented and humiliated by her fellow students.

Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs)

Hannibal Lecter will forever go down as one of the most chilling horror movie icons of all time, but he also has one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking backstories. Long before he became the infamous cannibalistic at the center of The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal was a young boy when he narrowly survived an encounter with a group of starved and desperate Nazi soldiers who attacked and ate his sister.

Magneto (The X-Men Movies)

Magneto (Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender) was one of the most complex characters in all of the X-Men movies and had one of the most unsettling backstories. In X-Men: First Class, we saw the origins of the legendary comic book villain who was forced to watch his mother being brutally murdered in a German concentration camp.

Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

Perhaps the best comic book movie villain of all time (at least in the MCU), Thanos (Josh Brolin) wasn’t your average big bad. Inspired by the traumatic event where he watched his civilization rip itself apart due to a lack of resources, the Mad Titan put a plan into effect to prevent that from happening ever again. It’s just that his plan temporarily resulted in the deaths of billions of living beings.

Severus Snape (The Harry Potter Movies)

Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) will always be one of the most complex and beloved characters in the Harry Potter series, even if he’s viewed as a villain for most of the books and movies. Madly in love with Harry’s late mother, Lily, a young Severus was also bullied by the Potter’s father and his friends, pushing him to the dark side.

Candyman (Candyman)

Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd), aka Candyman, is a terrifying figure in the world of horror, but that’s because he also has an incredibly tragic backstory in which he was was lynched, disfigured, and killed by bees before his body was burnt by an angry mob.

Frankenstein’s Monster (Frankenstein)

Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein was just enjoying being a dead man when he was reanimated and unleashed upon the world in the 1931 horror classic. Though viewed as a monster by most, this tragic figure had a heartbreaking existence.

Darth Vader (The Star Wars Movies)

Losing your mother and being responsible for the death of your wife is enough to make anyone turn to the dark side, and that’s what happened to Anakin Skywalker, aka, Darth Vader, in the Star Wars movies. Sure, Lord Vader is all but void of humanity, but that’s because of the pain, suffering, and tragedy that filled his life, both before and after being defeated by his mentor in battle.

Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)

The Dark Knight Rises is a bit of a mess, but Tom Hardy’s Bane is one of the most interesting characters and sympathetic villains in all of comic book movies. Taking over Gotham was bad and there were a lot of unnecessary deaths, but the masked figure was doing it for Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), whom he nearly died protecting years earlier.

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

Sleeping Beauty leads us to believe that Maleficent is a force of pure evil, but the character got her due in Maleficent. In this live-action Disney film starring Angelina Jolie, we learn that the character was only acting out the way she did because her former friend and current king betrayed her long ago.

Mr. Freeze (Batman & Robin)

Batman & Robin isn’t the first movie that comes to mind when you’re thinking about tragic villains, but Arnold Schwarzenegger’s take on Mr. Freeze in this 1997 comic book movie has a heartbreaking backstory. All of his antics, destruction, and puns are part of an attempt to reconnect with his wife, who’s long been in a coma, caught between the living and dead.

Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street)

Before he was Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), Benjamin Barker was a talented barber sent into exile by a powerful and corrupt judge who lusted after his wife. In Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, it is revealed that Barker’s wife took her own life and their daughter is under the control of his nemesis, which kicks off his bloody tour of revenge.

Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)

Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, though different from his comic book counterpart, quickly became one of the best and most complex villains in the MCU. Instead of being gifted with superpowers or awesome tech, this antagonist used his grief from the death of his family (at the hands of the Avengers) as his motivation to tear the team apart from the inside.

Kayako Saeki (Ju-On: The Grudge)

Kayako Saeki is Ju-On: The Grudge is one of the most terrifying horror movie characters of the 21st century but also one with an absolutely gut-wrenching origin story. Once a living person, the film’s antagonist became a ghostly undead figure after she and her family were viciously murdered and left to haunt their former home for all eternity.

Scar (The Lion King)

If you only take into account the events of The Lion King, then Scar is a vengeful, jealous, and bitter brother of the king of the Pride Lands. However, learn more about his upbringing in which he was originally named Taka (a name that essentially means “trash”) and how he was cast aside for Simba, and his actions start to make sense.

Norman Bates (Psycho)

Though vicious and sadistic, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in Psycho had quite a tragic backstory, one filled with jealousy, revenge, and unaddressed mental illness. This does not justify his actions, but it does offer some insight into why he carried out the way he did.

John Kramer (The Saw Movies)

John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka, Jigsaw, is one of the most devilish and inventive serial killers in cinematic history, but he’s also oddly enough one of the most sympathetic. The death of an unborn child, a divorce, a terminal illness, and a slow descent into madness helped turn the civil engineer into a murderous madman.

Ms. Collins (Last Night In Soho)

Last Night in Soho, one of the best horror movies of 2021, had what can best be described as one of the most shocking endings in recent memory when it was revealed that Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg), the seemingly normal owner of Ellie’s (Thomasin McKenzie) small apartment is a vicious killer preying upon less-savory men. However, it turns out that Ms. Collins’ motivation for the crimes is even more tragic.

Cruella De Vil (Cruella)

Estella Miller (Emma Stone), who later becomes the Cruella de Vil we all know and love (to hate) from 101 Dalmatians, had quite a tragic backstory in Cruella, a 2021 prequel that explained her hatred for a certain breed of dogs. Losing a parent to a pack of the spotted pups is enough to drive one mad.

Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness)

After witnessing the death of her best friend and lover, not once but twice, before being turned to dust for five years and then returning to a world she no longer understands, it’s easy to see how Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) could turn into a monster of her own creation in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Add in the deaths of her children (don’t tell her they don’t exist), and it gets even darker.

Two-Face (The Dark Knight)

The Two-Face story has always been one of tragedy, but no version is as heartbreaking as the one that plays out in The Dark Knight. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) goes from being Gotham’s last hope against crime and corruption to one of its most violent and disfigured villains. The loss of the love of his life and a chance at normalcy push him over the edge.

Ghost (Ant-Man And The Wasp)

Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), better known as Ghost, was introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp as a young and tormented villain still suffering from the effects of a quantum explosion that left her in state of physical limbo and her parents dead. Sad, confused, and angry, Starr turned against S.H.I.E.L.D. after the organization began taking advantage of her powers.

The Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), aka, The Vulture, quickly made an impact in Spider-Man: Homecoming, providing an all-time great movie villain in the process. After the Department of Damage Control essentially puts his small salvage operation out of business, Toomes goes to great lengths to provide food, shelter, and security for his family… even if it means taking a more villainous path.

Syndrome (The Incredibles)

One of the best Pixar villains, Syndrome (Jason Lee) in The Incredibles has a great and unforgettable backstory that adds another dimension to his character. After being turned down by his longtime idol, Syndrome turns to a life of villainy against Mr. Incredible after his whole worldview is shattered in an instant.

Arthur Fleck (Joker)

Not knowing your father has to be one of the most traumatic events someone could go through, but that’s just a part of Arthur Fleck’s (Joaquin Phoenix) story in Joker. The unhinged and violent loner in Todd Phillips’ 2019 comic book movie lived a life of loneliness, misery, and confusion before making a name for himself in a shocking way.

Draco Malfoy (The Harry Potter Movies)

Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is one of the most annoying Harry Potter characters, but he’s also a villain who’s rather sympathetic once you consider his backstory. Subjected to all kinds of torment by his father and the expectations of his family, poor Draco never stood a chance.

The future of Star Wars movies seemed to be in a better place recently than they had been. We know The Mandalorian & Grogu is in production, so we will, barring an even bigger surprise, get at least one big screen adventure when the upcoming Star Wars movie debuts in May of 2026. However, the movie many expected to come after that, appears to have hit a snag.

Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars Movie Has Reportedly Lost Its Screenwriter

In a report from Puck News (via Variety), it seems that Steven Knight, who had taken over screenwriting duties for the untitled Star Wars movie that will star Daisy Ridley as Rey, reprising her role from the sequel trilogy, is out. The reason for his departure is unclear but Lucasfilm is actively seeking somebody to take over. Knight himself had taken over the script from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson.

Daisey Ridley is still attached to star in the film, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still set to direct the movie. The project didn’t have an official release date yet, but since it seemed to be moving forward faster than other planned Star Wars movies, it was suspected Disney was eyeing a December 2026 release date where an “Untitled Star Wars” movie is currently slated on Disney's upcoming movie schedule.

A new screenwriter doesn’t mean the movie is starting over from scratch. More than likely whoever takes over will start with the last completed script and work from there. Still, many fans are concerned about the future since this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a Star Wars movie struggle in the script phase. But Daisy Ridley's most recent comments seem much more positive.

What Daisy Ridley Is Saying About The New Film

At almost the same time that news of Steven Knight’s departure was being covered in the press, a new episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast was dropping that contains an interview with Daisy Ridley. Host Josh Horowitz asked Ridley about the new film, and she certainly didn't imply there were any concerns with the film, saying “We’re all good,” and that she expects things to take a step forward soon. Ridley said…

While it’s unclear when Ridley sat down for this interview, it’s also unclear exactly when Knight left the project. Regardless, Ridley could have downplayed the movie if she had any feeling that the movie would be significantly delayed, but she didn’t do that.

When we see the new Rey movie is unknown, and it certainly could be quite some time before we do if it takes a long time for the film to complete a script. However, all signs point to the movie still moving forward. And as long as the result is good, any delays will certainly be worth it.

Marvel Is Publishing Star Wars: Legacy Of Vader

Marvel Comics announced today that writer Charles Soule is teaming with illustrator Luke Ross for Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, a limited comic book series following Kylo Ren in the year between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The series will explore Kylo’s “enduring connection” to Darth Vader, a.k.a. his maternal grandfather, and how the actions of the man previously known as Anakin Skywalker guide Kylo’s choices at a time when he’s long since eschewed his Ben Solo identity. This will include Kylo traveling to Vader’s castle on Mustafar and visiting Tatooine, where his grandaddy and uncle Luke both grew up.

Soule, whose many Star Wars writing credits include Marvel’s 2017 Darth Vader series and Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, which depicted Ben’s fall to the Dark Side, had this to say about Legacy of Vader’s premise:

You’ll notice Charles Soule mentioning Kylo Ren’s “deep connection” with Rey. On the surface, that could just be referring to how their lives intersected in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, from that duel on Starkiller Base to when they fought Snoke’s Praetorian Guard. But additional information supplied about Legacy of Vader reveals it goes even deeper than that.

Why Reylo Shippers Should Be Excited About This

A segment of the Star Wars fanbase were shipping Rey and Kylo Ren together stretching back to when The Force Awakens kicked off the Sequel Trilogy in 2015, but it was the two of them sharing a kiss before Kylo died in The Rise of Skywalker that really sent them into high gear. Granted, there were other fans who didn’t like the kiss, though director J.J. Abrams hit back against the idea that Rey and Kylo purely had a brother-sister dynamic. Thanks to the announcement of Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, we know for a fact that, at least where Kylo was concerned, he definitely had romantic feelings for Rey.

Mark Panicccia, a senior editor at Marvel Comics whose workload includes Star Wars titles, went on X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a spoiler-free snippet of the Legacy of Vader #1 script detailing the events of Kylo Ren’s recent past when the comic book series begins. That includes:

Considering that Marvel’s Star Wars comics are part of the official canon, then we can officially scrap this brother-sister idea for good. Kylo definitely has a romantic interest in Rey. Admittedly, it still remains to be officially clarified if Rey truly felt the same way when Kylo died, because in the Rise of Skywalker novelization, that smooch was described as a kiss of “gratitude, acknowledgement of their connection, celebration they’d found each other at last.” However, that same book also shared their touching last words, so a stronger argument could be made for her having a romantic interest too.

Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 comes out on February 5, 2025 online and at your local comic book store. Keep yourself entertained in the meantime by streaming all sorts of Star Wars content with your Disney+ subscription and looking through our guide of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

The Breaking star recently appeared at New York Comic Con, where he chopped it up with the fans, took pictures and signed autographs. While at the annual convention, the 32-year-old British actor also shared some photos to social media. Among them was a snapshot of a bracelet he sported sometime during the festivities. The accessory conveys a brief, but clear, sentiment that you can see in the screenshot from his Instagram story down below:

At first glance, it may look like one of the bracelets that are handed out at Taylor Swift concerts, but this one has a Star Wars-infused twist. I can’t help but smile when seeing how John Boyega nodded at Finn and Poe. What I’d also want to know is how the actor obtained that trinket. On the one hand, I could see him having it made for himself. However, given the fan-oriented nature of Cons, it’s also possible that someone gifted him the item while he was making his way across the convention floor.

Since the two characters debuted in 2015’s The Force Awakens, Finn and Poe have been heavily shipped. The two became fast friends during the opening moments of the aforementioned film, during which they both escaped the clutches of the First Order. They eventually reunited at the Resistance’s base. It was there that they excitedly embraced, and Poe also allowed Finn to keep his jacket, which the latter picked up after they crashed on Jakku. By the events of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, the pair remained close friends, but there was no sign of romantic sparks.

Oscar Isaac seemingly couldn’t stop teasing the idea of his character linking up with ex-Stormtrooper Finn. He even joked that it was “a little difficult” to see Finn lock lips with Rose Tico in The Last Jedi. Also getting in on the fun was Mark Hamill, who penned a poem about the two theoretical lovers, and John Boyega fanned the flames by sharing pics of himself and Isaac. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy weighed in as well years ago and, while she didn’t say the ship would happen, she didn’t say definitively that it wouldn’t.

Nevertheless, the Moon Knight star claimed that the “Disney overlords” weren’t ready for such a relationship to be highlighted in the galaxy far, far away. I do like the idea of Poe and Finn being platonic friends with a brother-like relationship, though I can certainly understand the appeal of them being together. LGBTQ+ Star Wars characters are gradually starting to come into the fold, though there’s still plenty of work to be done when it comes to representation on that front.

There’s no telling whether there might actually come a time at which John Boyega and Oscar Isaac’s characters will return. Given the franchise is headed in new directions, I’d say the chances of that are slim. Still, there’s always fan fiction, and those who feel strongly can continue to celebrate the big “what if” via bracelets like Boyega or in other ways.

You can check out the adventures of Poe and Finn by streaming the Star Wars movies using a Disney+ subscription.

In the 1970s, Al Pacino’s career skyrocketed immensely when he played Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece. While talking about the sudden fame in Sonny Boy (via Entertainment Weekly), the actor said this:

Pretty wild, right? As Pacino shared, he was overwhelmed with all the attention he was getting post-Godfather, and there many directions his career could have gone down if he wanted to. Of course, we know he didn’t get the role, but he certainly put some thought into starring in the George Lucas movie. As he continued:

Al Pacino decided to leave it up to his acting teacher Charlie Laughton, who would go on to be a lifelong friend and mentor to the actor. Under the guidance of Laughton, not only would Pacino reject Star Wars, but he rejected blockbusters and franchises all together (aside from Ocean’s Thirteen back in 2007). Oh, and he did a donut commercial in an Adam Sandler movie, but we’re talking about the early years here.

Over the years, we’ve learned a ton of other big actors could have done Star Wars. Both Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell auditioned, but didn’t book it. Burt Reynolds, like Pacino, was offered the role, but turned it down, though he said in 2016 that he “regret” it and wishes he could have played the part.

Even though it’s fun to imagine what could have been, it’s hard to see anyone else but Harrison Ford playing Han Solo. The story behind Ford getting the role has to do with his connection with George Lucas on his prior film, American Graffiti. But, in a fun connection to himself and Al Pacino, the actor has said that he was working as a carpenter for the filmmaker behind The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, when he was approached for the role.

Ford’s role as Han Solo would directly feed into his legendary role in the Indiana Jones movies and help him become one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, while Al Pacino took the auteur route. Almost 50 years later, there’s more upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows on the way.

A TikTok is going viral that has people laughing both in the comments and in the theme park. A guy tries to interact with Chewbacca in his native language, calling out with his best Wookiee noises, but Chewie is hilariously unimpressed. Check it out.

@deandre1108

♬ Comforting - Noah

A lot of people appear to be having some fun at the expense of this guy and his Wookiee call. The clip of a nonplussed Chewbacca has gone viral with millions of views and thousands of comments. Everybody is laughing at Chewbacca’s reaction.

Who among us hasn’t attempted to talk like Chewbacca? Any Star Wars fan has probably done it. Some people can pull off pretty good Wookiee calls, but some of us just don’t have that innate talent. This is, unfortunately, the case of somebody who really can’t pull it off and Chewbacca lets him know that the attempt just wasn’t noteworthy.

Chewbacca is one of the more likely Star Wars characters that you'll meet if you happen to be walking through Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. He's one character who transcends the eras of Star Wars movies, appearing in all three trilogies of films. Originally Galaxy's Edge was designed as a place where characters from only the sequel trilogy era could be found. However, Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and others from the recent Disney+ Star Wars series have been added and can be found in the land as well.

It’s actually pretty impressive how nonplussed Chewbacca can look here. Most Disney characters who walk around the parks in full masks wouldn’t be able to give this sort of expression, but Chewbacca’s Galaxy Edge character is essentially identical to the version we’d see in a Star Wars movie, so the mask is full of a lot more expression.

Chewbacca probably has to deal with a lot of people growling at him as he wanders through Galaxy’s Edge and interacts with guests. Honestly, it’s preferable to when some guests decide that grabbing Chewbacca is an acceptable thing to do.

I'm curious what sort of reaction Chewbacca would give to people who are better at sounding like a Wookiee. Can you have a "conversation" with Chewie where he'll respond to you if you are actually any good at making the right screams and growls?

While there are no specific plans for another season of the Star Wars Disney+ series as far as we know, Ewan McGregor has been more than open about the fact that he would like to return to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi at some point in the future. Speaking with Comicbook.com, McGregor revealed some specific things he would love to do if he had the chance. Interestingly, one of them involves taking the character back in time and doing a live-action story set during The Clone Wars. The actor said…

Seeing The Clone Wars in live-action certainly has appeal. We only ever saw the events depicted in animation, so seeing Ewan McGregor decked out in armor in live-action would surely be fun to see for fans.

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time we’d seen the animated universe of Star Wars appear in live-action. Rosario Dawson, of course, has appeared as Ahsoka Tano in live-action, her character was originally introduced in The Clone Wars series as well. The Ahsoka series brought several characters from the animated Rebels series into live-action as well.

It’s an interesting idea if for no other reason than such an idea would set a new live-action Obi-Wan story before the events of the series we already have. Part of the reason that the DIsney+ series worked chronologically was that it had been so long since prequel trilogy that Ewan McGregor was the right age for a story set about a decade prior to iStar Wars: A New Hope.

A story set earlier would likely mean de-aging McGregor via CGI. The actor says he’s more than willing to do that, but it would mean one of the most extensive uses of the technology we’ve seen to date. Traditionally that sort of CGI is used for only a few scenes or is limited to secondary characters. De-aging which would be in essentially every shot of a series or movie would be a first.

One thing that a live-action Clone Wars story would do, that Ewan McGregor also seems excited about, is that it would bring Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan together again. Christensen returned for flashback scenes in the Obi-Wan series and donned the Darth Vader mask as well, but seeing them be Jedi together again would be great.

That’s certainly something that a lot of fans would get behind. At this point, more live-action Obi-Wan is nothing more than theoretical. Still considering the first series was a success, it’s hard to imagine that another adventure for Obi-Wan isn’t at least being considered.

Before 2024 is over we’re going to sequels to two more Disney franchises, Moana and The Lion King. 2025's movie schedule is already looking quite strong for Disney with Marvel Studios set to make a return to multiple yearly releases. Here’s a look at everything Disney has announced including all the upcoming Marvel movies, the schedule of upcoming Star Wars movies, and more.

Moana 2

Release Date: November 27, 2024

In a surprising announcement, Disney revealed that a planned Moana series for Disney+ will instead be a theatrical movie. According to what we know about Moana 2, after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey into unknown waters. Dwayne Johnson will also return as Maui. The Moana 2 trailer revealed that our hero now has a little sister, so the stakes of this adventure have gone up.

Nightbitch

Release Date: December 6, 2024 (limited)

This new Searchlight project, based on the book of the same name, stars Amy Adams as a woman who recently became a stay-at-home mom and finds herself transforming into a dog. It’s a pretty wild premise, to be sure, but we know Nightbitch is a horror/comedy, so at least some of the plot's outlandishness is intentional.

Mufasa: The Lion King 

Release Date: December 20, 2024

The Lion King was a massive hit as both a traditionally animated film and as a technically impressive CGI remake. While that success meant several direct-to-video sequels for the original, it meant a CGI prequel for the remake. Mufasa: The Lion King will follow the life of Simba’s father, and it’s set to be directed by the great Barry Jenkins, so this one is going to be worth checking out. The Mufasa trailer revealed some new details about Mufasa’s story, including the fact that Mufasa is an outsider to the pride, putting a whole new spin on the relationship between Mufasa and Scar.

Captain America: Brave New World

Release Date: February 14, 2025

The fourth Captain America movie will be the first one not to star Chris Evans in the title role. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson took on the mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, and he’ll take Cap back to the big screen in Captain America: Brave New World. The film will see the new Cap drawn into a race for a new element, adamantium, which is found inside the celestial body left behind in the wake of the Eternals, and yes, Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross will become the Red Hulk.

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Release Date: March 7, 2025

Disney's Snow White

Release Date: March 21, 2025

Before most people saw her in West Side Story, Rachel Zegler was cast in the live-action adaptation of Snow White. After the world saw that dance-filled remake, though, we could not wait to see this updated story. This one goes back to the original hit for Walt Disney Studios, and while we know this Snow White adaptation will make some key changes to the original story regarding the dwarfs, it will also include some new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of The Greatest Showman. Snow White’s release date was originally set for 2024 but the film was delayed a year. It now seems set to come out in 2025.

The Amateur

Release Date: April 11, 2025

This 20th Century Studios project will star Rami Malek as a CIA cryptographer who goes after the terrorists who killed his wife when his agency refuses to help.

Thunderbolts

Release Date: May, 2, 2025

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a proper MCU team-up movie but that will change in the summer of 2025 when the Thunderbolts* release date arrives. Thunderbolts* will bring back Florence Pugh’s Yelena, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, all from Black Widow. The team will also include Wyatt Russell’s US Agent from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hannah John Kamen’s Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier will act as the team leader, which means anything is possible.

Lilo & Stitch (Live-Action)

Release Date: May 23, 2025

Lilo & Stitch will be the latest in the long line of Disney animated films to get the remake treatment. The cast includes Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani and Kaipot Dudoit as David, who will star alongside a CGI stitch.

Elio

Release Date: June 13, 2025

Pixar’s Elio is the story of an 11-year-old boy who gets transported across the galaxy and finds himself mistaken for an ambassador for the planet Earth. Newcomer Yonas Kibreab voices Elio, while Zoe Saldana voices the boy’s aunt. Originally Coco co-director Adrian Moloina was set to direct, but he was replaced by the team of Turning Red’s Dommee Shi and Madaline Sharafina after the film was delayed a full year. While some of Elio’s details have changed, the core story appears to be intact.

Fantastic Four

Release Date: July 25, 2025

The first family of comics will finally make its Marvel Cinematic Universe debut following years of speculation. On Valentine's Day 2024, the long-rumored main cast of Fantastic Four was finally confirmed. Pedro Pascal is Reed Richard, Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm and Joseph Quinn will be Johnny Storm. Based on what we know about Fantastic Four, the movie is set in the 1960s, though apparently not in the world we know. Whether or not Robert Downey Jr., who is set to return to the MCU as Fantastic Four nemesis Doctor Doom, will make his first appearance here, is unclear.

Freakier Friday

Release Date: August 8, 2025

A sequel to Disney’s Freaky Friday remake seems to be something a lot of people wanted, and now, they’ll get it. The movie, officially titled Freakier Friday, will come out in 2025 and will see Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as the body-switching mother and child. The new film will see Lohan’s character as a mom, with The Acolyte’s Manny Jachinto playing her husband. Original film co-stars Mark Harmon and Chad Michael Murray will also be returning.

Tron: Ares

Release Date: October 10, 2025

The Tron franchise has had a rough time at the movies, and yet, the program refuses to end. The long anticipated, and long believed-dead third Tron movie, Ares, starring Jared Leto, recently completed filming. A trailer shown to fans at D23 confirmed that a large portion of the movie will take place in the real world, rather than the Grid. The score is set to be written by Nine Inch Nails.

Predator: Badlands

Release Date: November 7, 2025

Following the incredible Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg has returned to the Predator franchise for the new film Predator: Badlands. Unlike the previous installment, the new film will be a big screen release, starring Elle Fanning.

Zootopia 2

Release Date: November 26, 2025

After the first Zootopia made $1 billion at the box office, the sequel was only a matter of time. Previously confirmed for a 2025 release, in the summer of 2024 it was revealed that the movie will introduce reptile characters in the mammal city. The plot of Zootopia 2 will see Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde attempt to track down a snake named Gary, voiced by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan. A sneak peek at D23 also revealed a location not seen in the previous film, Marsh Market.

 Avatar: Fire & Ash 

Release Date: December 19, 2025

The Avatar films have previously shown us the jungles and the oceans of the world of Pandora. We know Avatar: Fire and Ash will take us to a new biome, the volcanic home of the Na’Vi known as the Ash people. At D23 in 2024 the film’s title was officially revealed, seemingly hinting that Jake and Myteiri’s family will deal with some sort of cataclysm, as well as its aftermath.

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Release Date: January 16, 2026

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Release Date: February 13, 2026

Hoppers

Release Date: March 6, 2026

We don't know much about Hoppers yet beyond the fact that it will see a human transfer her consciousness to a robot beaver so that she may live among animals. It's a wild premise, but Pixar has done more with less before.

Untitled Disney

Release Date: March 27, 2026

Untitled Disney

Release Date: April 17, 2026

Avengers: Doomsday

Release Date: May 1, 2026

The MCU multiverse was born in the first season of Loki with the introduction of Jonathan Majors as Kang. With Marvel's decision to split from Jonathan Majors, this movie appeared to cease to exist, and it was only a matter of time before something new would be announced. That finally happened at SDCC in 2024 when Avengers: Doomsday was revealed in place of the previous film, starring a returning Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.

The Mandalorian & Grogu

Release Date: May 22, 2026

We haven't seen a new Star Wars project on the big screen since The Rise of Skywalker, and it seems the plan is that the first one we see in years will have started on Disney+. The Mandalorian & Grogu movie has been officially confirmed as the first new Star Wars movie we get, when it arrives in the summer of 2026.

Toy Story 5

Release Date: June 19, 2026

At D23 2024 we finally got some details about the fifth Toy Story movie that had been previously announced. Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote all the previous Toy Story films, will direct, as well as write the new movie. Among the Toy Story 5 details we have, we know the plot will revolve around the toys dealing with the growing importance of technology in their lives. Some 50 out-of-control Buzz Lightyear toys will also fit into the plot.

Moana (Live-Action)

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Knowing how successful live-action remakes of Disney movies are, we probably could have guessed that a live-action Moana would happen someday, but few probably expected it to happen so fast. Less than a decade after the animated hit was released, the live-action version is set to debut. Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role in the flesh as Maui. Auli'i Cravalho will not be back on screen, opening the door for another newcomer to make a splash, but the original Moana is involved as a producer.

Untitled Marvel 

Release Date: July 24, 2026

Untitled Disney

Release Date: August 14, 2026

Untitled Disney

Release Date: September 18, 2026

Untitled Marvel 

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Untitled Disney Animation

Release Date: November 25, 2026

The only thing we know for sure about this Disney Animation project is what it isn’t. It won’t be Frozen 3. At D23 in 2024 Disney Animation chief Jennifer Lee confirmed this would be an original animated film, but did not say anything more about the project.

Untitled Star Wars

Release Date: December 18, 2026

After many years of confusion regarding the future of the Star Wars universe on the big screen, we finally received some details. At the recent Star Wars Celebration in London, three new movies were confirmed. One of them will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey in a film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. A second film will be directed by Dave Filoni and will act as a culmination of the current Disney+ series that he has produced. A third project, directed by James Mangold will tell the story of the first Jedi. An older project, written and directed by Taika Waititi is also still in development. Which of these projects this one will be is unknown.

Avengers: Secret Wars

Release Date: May 7, 2027

Secret Wars is one of the most popular comic crossover stories that Marvel has ever created, and so there’s already a lot of excitement surrounding a movie of the same name. Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be the official end of Phase Six of the MCU and The Multiverse Saga, but that’s really all we know at this point.

Frozen 3

Release Date: November 24, 2027

We’ve known for a while that Frozen 3 was in development at Disney, but fans will need to wait a bit longer to see it. The Frozen 3 release date for November 2027. In addition, at D23 Disney Animation head Jennifer Lee confirmed that the story is so big it will require two movies, though when we’ll see the second one is anybody’s guess.

Untitled Star Wars 

Release Date: December 17, 2027

With so many different Star Wars movie projects having been cancelled before they ever really happened, it’s impossible to even guess what movie this could be. It could be any of the previously mentioned projects, or it could be something that hasn’t even been revealed yet.

Untitled Marvel

Release Date: February 18, 2028

Untitled Marvel

Release Date: May 5, 2028

Untitled Marvel

Release Date: November 10, 2028

Avatar 4 

Release Date: December 21, 2029

James Cameron has said that parts of Avatar 4 were filmed alongside Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, but another massive production will need to get underway to finish out the five-movie cycle. One certainly hopes that it won’t take as long to happen as it did to make the first sequel.

Avatar 5 

Release Date: December 19, 2031

The final Avatar movie will finally arrive in 2028, assuming there are not more delays, and Cameron doesn’t get it in his head to write more sequels.

While all of this is, of course, subject to change, and there are a lot of “Untitled” movies we know literally nothing about, there’s plenty here that is likely to keep Disney on top of the box office for several more years to come. Continue below for a look back at recently released Disney films.

Previously Released

The First Omen

Release Date: April 5, 2024

A prequel to 1976's horror classic The Omen, the new film focused on an American woman working at a church in Rome who discovers a plot to bring about the Antichrist.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Release Date: May 10, 2024

The last Planet of the Apes trilogy was a major hit for Fox, and now that Fox is under the Disney umbrella it's time to start again. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes followed on the events of the previous trilogy, but was set many years later, and focused on a new generation of apes that have now taken control of the planet, and do battle with each other.

The Young Woman And The Sea

Release Date: May 31, 2024

Originally planned as a Disney+ movie, The Young Woman and the Sea was instead released in theaters. The film starred Daisy Ridley as Gertrude Ederle, the Olympic gold medalist who became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Inside Out 2 

Release Date: June 14, 2024

Pixar has released a string of generally well-received original films in the last few years, nothing prepared us for the success of Inside Out 2. The movie became the highest grossing animated movie ever made.

Kinds Of Kindness

Release Date: June 21, 2024

The last time Emma Stone and Lanthimos got together it created Poor Things, a multiple Oscar winner, including Stone's second award for Best Actress. The new film is an anthology, telling theree different stories, one about a police officer reunited with his formerly missing wife, a tale about a woman looking for a somebody destines to become a spiritual leader, and a man without choices who tries to take control of his life.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Release Date: July 26, 2024

Nobody was quite sure what to expect when Deadpool made his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What we got, despite it being a Disney movie, was a movie just as violent and vulgar as the character’s previous outings. Audiences loved it, making it the MCU’s first billion-dollar film in quite some time.

Alien: Romulus 

Release Date: August 16, 2024

The first entry from Disney in the storied Alien franchise set itself in between the first two films in the series, and by many estimates, it belongs up there with them in terms of quality as well. The movie followed a team looking to salvage valuables from a derelict space station, only to discover that something dangerous was there with them.

Between the inevitable release date changes and the number of “Untitled” films that are still waiting to be filed in, there’s still a lot of questions about just what Disney has in development. Keep checking back here as we’ll keep updating this as new details are revealed.

A Real Pain

Release Date: October 18, 2024

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain stars him alongside Kieran Culkin as cousins who reunite to our Poland as a way to honor their grandmother.

Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon has been one of the highlights of The Mandalorian on Disney+. The character was one that the actor was given almost complete freedom to create himself, That led to the fan-favorite actor him making one specific request of creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. And I have to say, he was so right to ask for this creative detail.

Speaking at Los Angeles Comic Con (via People), Giancarlo Esposito revealed that when he was first brought on the first Star Wars series on Disney+, Filoni and Favreau were still very tight-lipped about the show, meaning that he didn’t have a great deal of direction as far as how to portray his character. Esposito did his own research, which resulted in one particular request regarding Moff Gideon’s wardrobe. The actor said…

I think we can all agree this was an excellent decision. It’s difficult to walk around wearing a cape and not look, and feel, larger than life. Giancarlo Esposito clearly saw this. He knew the cape would impact the way he carried himself on screen, and that was what he wanted.

Moff Gideon is one of the last vestiges of the old Empire. He’s a man who used to be important but now finds himself in a world that has moved on without him. Gideon still sees himself as important and carries himself that way. He’s dedicated to bringing back a world in which the Empire and he himself are at the center. That cape coveys all of that in a single look.

The Boys actor says he did go back and watch other characters in Star Wars while looking for inspiration for his own. Specifically, he looked to Peter Cushing, who played the first Grand Moff character, and of course, Darth Vader. Perhaps it was the way that Vader carried himself with a cape that inspired Moff Gideon’s look. Esposito continued…

While Giancarlo Esposito doesn’t credit David Prowse, the actor inside the Darth Vader costume, it’s clearly the way he carried himself that inspired the actor and likely led to Moff Gideon’s look. Though sounding like James Earl Jones would certainly help with the overall feeling of power in the character.

Whether we’ll get to see Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian again is unclear. He appeared to have died at the end of Mando Season 3, but the man previously tried to clone himself, and the actor has made it clear he’d be more than happy to return for the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie that is set for release next year. Hopefully, we'll see the School Daze actor play this role -- cape and all again.

Check out Giancarlo Esposito's performances as Moff Gideon by streaming The Mandalorian's three seasons with a Disney+ subscription. is done with Star Wars as a franchise, he'll be plenty busy with another as he'll debut in the upcoming Marvel movie Captain America: Brave New World early next year.

Jodie Turner-Smith played Aniseya, the mother of the sisters played by star Amandla Stenberg. The actress recalled being quite excited when Stenberg handed her a literal essay about her character so that the two would be on the same page regarding how she was planning to play the role. Turner-Smith also hyped up Stenberg while speaking with Glamour Magazine, praising the actress' dedication:

This is far from the first time that a person of color has received a torrent of hate following after cast in a major movie. Disney itself has seen a significant amount of this due to the decision to cast actresses like Halle Bailey and Rachel Zegler as live-action Disney Princesses. It’s happened outside the House of Mouse as well, and Jodie Turner-Smith wishes all studios would use their platforms to support the people going through it, rather than what they frequently do, which is stay silent. She continued…

The fact that Disney and Lucasfilm did largely stay quiet during The Acolyte’s issues is interesting because the company hasn’t always remained on the sidelines. Moses Ingram, who was part of the Obi-Wan series cast, received a fair amount of racist backlash as well. However, when that happened The official Star Wars social media accounts spoke out against the hate she was receiving.

Studios are obviously hesitant to wade into issues like this, because it has the potential to impact them financially, which is their ultimate motivation. However, the Queen & Slim star suggests that studios might discover that supporting these stars and standing actively against racism might be the more financially lucrative decision. She explained…

Since there is no indication this sort of behavior will be stopping anytime soon, studios will continue to have to decide how to handle such matters. In the meantime, Disney+ subscription. holders can still stream the sole season of The Acolyte.

A representative for Robert Watts confirmed to THR that he passed away in his sleep at his home in East Sussex, England on Monday, September 30. Fans took to social media around that time to pay tribute to the beloved filmmaker and his body of work. Days later, Mark Hamill took to Instagram to share some sweet photos of Watts, including one behind-the-scenes snapshot that appears to be from one of their ventures into the galaxy far, far away. As great as those pics were, it was Hamill’s sentimental message that was really touching:

To say the late producer helped craft some of the most influential films in the history of cinema would be an understatement. Before collaborating with George Lucas, Mr. Watts worked as a production manager on films like Bud Yorkin’s mystery romp Inspector Cluseau and Stanley Kubrick’s iconic science fiction feature, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which both released in 1968. Watts also served as a location manager on one of the 007 movies – Lewis Gilbert's 1967 flick You Only Live Twice.

The Alive producer rose to prominence, though, as a production manager on 1977’s Star Wars, serving as a driving force amid the film’s notably troubled production. Following the film’s success, Watts held the position of associate/co-producer on the sequels – The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. After the original trilogy ended, the Papillon production manager went on to serve in producing capacities on the first three Indiana Jones movies. Who Framed Roger Rabbit and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West were also among his credits.

I’m not surprised at all that Mark Hamill took the time to pay tribute to Robert Watts, considering he’s proven to have no problem giving someone their flowers. Earlier this year, Hamill praised comedian Bob Newhart after his passing, and paid tribute to James Earl Jones with a lovely message. Aside from memoralizing fellow stars, the retired Joker voice actor also speaks highly of co-stars during discussions. This past summer, for instance, Hamill praised Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess Leia in the first SW movie.

As important as Mark Hamil, Harrison Ford and their cast members’ contributions to the Star Wars movies were, one can’t understate the importance of the work done by the crew. That’s why Robert Watts’ work should be greatly appreciated by fans of all generations, and I’d wager that it’ll surely be enjoyed for years to come.

On that note, you can stream the original three Star Wars films now using a Disney+ subscription.

Fans have spent years watching the Star Wars movies in order, with multiple generations growing up as more content was released. Those fans are looking forward to upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, while also continuing their nostalgic love for the franchise's past. And through the years there were at least 32 big comedic moments. Here they are in no particular, but be warned: spoiler alert for the movies and TV shows of the property.

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball." The Empire Strikes Back

Han Solo is one of the most beloved characters of the entire Star Wars franchise and is a scene-stealer with plenty of comedic moments. He is famously best friends with the Wookie Chewbacca, and they have some funny give and takes. That includes when Chewie was laughing at his buddy during an argument with Leia, prompting Harrison Ford's character to give this famous response.

Jar Jar's numb tongue, The Phantom Menace

Jar Jar Binks is an infamous character in Star Wars lore. When The Phantom Menace arrived in theaters back in 1999, some fans took umbrage with the Gungan's clown-like behavior throughout its runtime. But there were some genuinely funny moments, including when his long tongue became numb after accidentally getting it zapped by Anakin's podracer.

"I hate it when he does that", Attack of The Clones

During Attack of the Clones, we catch up with Anakin Skywalker after he's gotten older and is training to be a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi. We quickly see the give and take of these two beloved characters, and it becomes clear that Hayden Christensen's character isn't one for rules. And after jumping out of Obi-Wan's speeder on Coruscant, Ewan McGregor's Jedi Master makes it seem like this is something that he's got a habit of doing.

Young Leia sassing her cousin.

Fans were psyched when it was revealed that Ewan McGregor was returning as Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own live-action series for Disney+. In that series, we meet a young version of Princess Leia, who is shown to be as resourceful and headstrong as the character made famous by the late actress Carrie Fisher. In the first episode, she has a funny scene with her cousin Niano Organa, and throws some serious shade in the process.

Everything Babu Frik did, The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker's ending might be controversial, as is the quality of the trilogy-ending blockbuster. But there are a few moments that moviegoing audiences seemed to really respond to, including the introduction of Babu Frik. This Anzellan droidsmith is adorable, and his little voice made for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in the threequel.

Chewie almost eating a Porg, The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is arguably the most divisive chapter in the franchise, with some loving it and others taking umbrage with Rian Johnson's bold narrative choices. I personally love it, including the various comedic bits that were included. And when Rey and Chewie travel to Ach-To to find Luke, the Wookie cooks up a Porg... only to be met with looks of horror by the alien creatures watching him.

"Good job.", Attack of the Clones

Attack of the Clones' most epic scene is arguably during the epic colosseum sequence on Geonosis. It looks like Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan are doomed, and are about to be executed in front of a crowd of creatures. When his Padawan says they decided to "rescue him", Kenobi's sassy response is definitely a comedic high point of the movie.

BB-8's thumbs up, The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens finally brought Star Wars back to movie theaters, to the joy of the rabid fanbase. While legacy characters were included, the story mostly focused on a trio of new heroes. But we also were treated to the adorable BB-8, who used a small torch to give Finn a thumbs up in one funny moment from the film.

Luke tossing his lightsaber, The Last Jedi

The ending of The Force Awakens, finally saw Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker appear, greeted by newcomer Rey on the planet Ach-To where he'd been isolating himself. The Last Jedi picks up on that exact moment, but Rian Johnson subverts expectations and sees the Jedi toss his lightsaber behind his back. While that moment was shocking it's also a funny moment that showed that the legacy character isn't what we'd been expecting.

"That's not how The Force Works", The Force Awakens

Each of the sequel trilogy movies focused on one of the OG heroes, and The Force Awakens was largely a Han Solo movie. He serves as a mentor to both Finn and Rey, while also trying to save his son Ben from the Dark Side. During the mission on Starkiller base, Han has to break it to John Boyega's hero, and the newcomer has no idea how The Force actually works.

"Congratulations, you're being rescued", Rogue One

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made history as the first standalone project in the franchise, which directly connected to the events of A New Hope. We met a motley crew of ill-fated rebels, including Alan Tudyk's droid K-2SO. One of the droid's funniest comes when he's "rescuing" Jyn Erso in a brutal yet hilarious way.

Getting green milk from the source, The Last Jedi

Luke's portrayal as a recluse in The Last Jedi is definitely something that struck Star Wars fans when the movie was released back in 2017. Early in the film Rey follows him around Ach-To, and sees his strange lifestyle. That includes milking a creature known as the Thala-siren, and chugging some green milk immediately afterward.

Yoda messing with Luke, Empire Strikes Back 

During The Empire Strikes Back, which is arguably the strongest entry in the Star Wars franchise as a whole, Luke travels to Dagobah to train as a Jedi with Yoda. During this time the little green Jedi Master has plenty of funny moments, where he laughs at Mark Hamill's character or pokes fun at him for knowing so little about The Force.

Poe sassing Kylo Ren, The Force Awakens 

Kylo Ren is an intimidating character when he's introduced in The Force Awakens' opening sequence. Despite killing innocent people and stopping Poe's blaster with The Force, Oscar Isaac's pilot is still not quite intimidated. And when they come face to face, Poe takes the time to take the piss out of the situation and asks who should talk first.

When the droids thought the heroes were crushed, A New Hope

During the mission to rescue Princess Leia in A New Hope, the heroes famously find themselves in a trash compactor when trying to avoid Stormtroopers. They were nearly crushed to death before C-3PO used comms to communicate with Luke. But their sounds of joy are mistook for sounds of agony, in one particularly funny moment from the first Star Wars movie.

Shirtless Kylo Ren, The Last Jedi

During The Last Jedi, it's revealed that Rey and Kylo Ren have a mysterious connection through The Force, and are able to have full conversations despite being on entirely different planets. During one of these sequences, Adam Driver's villain is shirtless, and Rey has a funny reaction to seeing him half-dressed. The sequence also elicited some laughter from audiences, who were similarly surprised to see the villain without a shirt on.

"No, I’m sure he doesn’t like you at all. No, I don’t like you either", A New Hope

While R2-D2 and C-3PO are close friends (as far as droids go), they do a great deal of bickering throughout the years as well. Anthony Daniels' protocol droid was particularly savage during A New Hope when the droids are stranded on Tatooine. And that includes one funny line here where 3PO claims to not even like the R2 unit. Shots fired.

Finn trying to hold Rey's hand, The Force Awakens

Rey and Finn meet accidentally on Jakku early on during The Force Awakens' runtime. But when The First Order arrives looking for BB-8, the pair have to try to fight for survival. During this time Finn repeatedly tries to hold Rey's hand as they run, which seriously annoys the scavenger turned Jedi.

Han speaking shyriiwok, Solo

Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed the title character's origin story and explained how he became the smuggler that fans know and love. Early on in the movie he and Chewbacca cross paths for the first time, where Han reveals he can speak shyriiwok aka the language of the Wookiees. And the entire sequence, including the sounds that come out of Alden Ehrenreich's mouth, is hilarious.

Ewoks worshipping C-3PO, Return of the Jedi

During Return of the Jedi, the rebels mount an assault on Endor to weaken the second Death Star. This mission puts them face to the furry creatures known as Ewoks. While C-3PO tries to translate their language for the heroes, the droid ends up being basically worshipped by the furry creatures.

Chewbacca being a sore loser, A New Hope

During A New Hope, Chewbacca quickly became a fan favorite character for fans. One of the many reasons why is the fact that the hulking Wookiee is a sore loser like so many of us. As such, it's a good idea to "let the Wookie win" in Holochess.

"Who's scruffy looking?", Empire Strikes Back 

During Empire Strikes Back, we catch up with the Rebels sometime after the events of A New Hope. While on the snowy planet of Hoth, Han Solo and Leia Organa get into a number of arguments. And when Carrie Fisher's character calls him a "scruffy looking nerf herder", his look of offense is comedy gold.

Stormtroopers avoiding Kylo Ren, The Force Awakens

While Darth Vader was a stoic and terrifying force in the original Star Wars trilogy, Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is introduced as the opposite. In fact, his anger often gets the best of him, leading to destructive temper tantrums. And during The Force Awakens, two Stormtroopers are hilariously seen avoiding one of these outbursts.

"No, no you will die." 

Legendary actor Ian McDiarmid played Palpatine in all three of the Star Wars trilogies, with the last one clocking in after somehow Palpatine returned in The Rise of Skywalker. McDiarmid has some iconic, over-the-top line readings as the Sith Lord, but this one to Mace Windu tends to make fans laugh for the wrong reasons.

A Stormtrooper bonks his head, A New Hope

This one is perhaps the most famous blunder of the entire franchise. Fans noticed during a scene in A New Hope, a Stormtrooper accidentally hits his head on a door on the Death Star. And no matter how many times I've seen it, it still makes me laugh.

Rey "feels" The Force, The Last Jedi

During The Last Jedi, Rey seeks Jedi training from Luke Skywalker while he's hiding in Ach-To. He tells her to "reach out" to reach The Force, and she takes this too literally. Then he tickles her hand with a leaf and convinces her she's feeling The Force.

Anakin hates sand, Attack of the Clones

This one has become a punch line, and not on purpose. During Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padme are reconnecting, when he infamously talks about hating sand. And it's a line that fans love to poke fun at.

C-3PO gets turned into a battle droid, Attack of the Clones

C-3PO is a solid source of comedic relief throughout the Star Wars franchise, and Attack of the Clones was no exception. Especially in the scenes set on Geonosis, where his body and head were separated and mixed with a battle droid.

"We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?", A New Hope

All sorts of shenanigans happen in A New Hope while Han and Luke are attempting to rescue Leia from the first Death Star. While in disguise, Han ends up on the radio with some Empire forces, in an attempt to talk his way out of the situation. And what follows is a hilariously awkward line by Harrison Ford.

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent," The Phantom Menace

Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn offers lots of words of wisdom during his debut appearance in The Phantom Menace. But he also gets a few chuckles, especially after meeting Jar Jar Binks for the first time and insulting the Gungan's intelligence.

Han being confused out of carbonite, Return of the Jedi

The opening mission of Return of the Jedi sees the group trying to save Han Solo, successfully freeing him from carbonite. But he's super out of it and basically blind, creating plenty of funny moments. Plus his dialogue with Luke about the group's misfortune is the chef's kiss.

Leia is not a committee, Empire Strikes Back 

Leia and Han are bickering through much of Empire Strikes Back, starting at the Rebel Base on Hoth. And then trying to escape on the Millennium Falcon, Han shuts down the debate by saying there's no time to discuss their plan of action by committee. And the Princess of Alderaan was not pleased.

Fans who spent their lives watching the Star Wars movies in order have seen more and more of Han, thanks to his role in the sequel trilogy as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story. But there are the big moments that I think might be the most iconic. Here they are, in no particular order. And beware for Star Wars newbies: here is your official spoiler alert.

"I Know"

Han and Leia's love story is arguably the most significant in the entire Star Wars franchise, and fans got to see things really progress in Empire Strikes Back. And every fan remembers Han's iconic response after Leia tells him she loves him... right before he ends up frozen in carbonite.

Saving Luke on Hoth

While Luke is a Jedi and the Star Wars franchise's biggest hero, he needs to be rescued a number of times throughout the franchise, usually by Han. One of which happens on the snowy planet Hoth, with the rebel famously putting Luke inside a dead Tauntaun. Good thing he was there, or our hero would have perished before ever training with Yoda.

"Its true. All of it."

When the sequel trilogy was beginning, fans delighted in new footage of Harrison Ford's Han Solo. He serves as a mentor to Rey and Finn throughout The Force Awakens, reclaiming the Millennium Falcon in the process. And one particularly magical moment from that film happens when he confirms that all the legends about Jedi, Rebels, and The Force were true.

Shooting first.

This one is a bit of a hot topic issue among Star Wars fans. The conversation about if Han Solo shot first during his conflict with Greedo in A New Hope continues to rage on, with even George Lucas weighing in. I'm among the contingency that thinks he did indeed shoot first, and it only makes me love him more.

"That’s not how The Force works."

Han ends up dispensing a bunch of wisdom throughout The Force Awakens, to both Finn and Rey. When The Resistance is mounting its attack on Starkiller Base, Finn says he intends to break in by using "The Force." And Han's exasperated response is thoroughly delightful.

"190 years old? You look great!"

While Solo struggled at the box office, it helped to offer some backstory for the beloved title character. That includes seeing the first meeting of Han and Chewbacca, and watching as their bond grew throughout their first mission together. And Han's shocked response after learning Chewie's age is definitely a comedic point.

Winning the Millennium Falcon

While Han is famously the owner of the Millennium Falcon, it's revealed in dialogue that he actually won the ship from Lando Calrissian in a game of Sabacc. When Solo: A Star Wars Story arrived in theaters in 2018, we finally got to see it happen. Solo's ending showed that lucky game, a moment in the franchise's story.

"Never tell me the odds."

This is definitely one of Han Solo's most known quotes. He utters this statement to C-3PO in Empire Strikes Back, after the protocol droid tells him how slim the odds are of them surviving an asteroid field. Score one point for the nerf herder.

Using Chewie's Bowcaster

Throughout the Star Wars franchise, Han is typically shown using his signature blaster, which has taken out a number of enemies over the years. But during The Force Awakens, he decides to borrow Chewbacca's bowcaster. And it turns out he really likes the explosive power of the Wookiee's weapon.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Over the years, this statement has become a common trope within the Star Wars franchise. Various characters have expressed concern about their circumstances while repeating this line, both in live-action and in animation. And Han Solo was one of the first to say it, after he and the rest of Leia's rescue party end up trapped in a trash compactor on the Death Star.

Trying to help Kylo Ren before his death

Fans everywhere were shook when Han Solo was killed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, especially because it was at the hands of his son aka Kylo Ren. But he displayed a moving act of parenthood by trying to get through to him one more time, even in a dangerous place like Starkiller Base. And who can forget how Leia knew thanks to her connection with The Force?

Becoming a Rebel leader

While he started out as a scoundrel character, the war against The Empire eventually ends up inspiring Han Solo. By the time Return of the Jedi happens, he becomes a full blown General, and leads several key missions. But don't worry, he still has the same swagger.

Battling Boba Fett fresh out of carbonite. 

Han Solo has a rude awakening when he's taken out of carbonite by Leia in Return of the Jedi. They're immediately re-captured by Jabba the Hutt, and is sent to the infamous Sarlacc pit. During the battle he's somehow able to put up a fight, and seemingly kills Boba Fett in the process.

Disguising himself as a Stormtrooper

Han Solo is a smuggler by trade, and only becomes a General of The Rebels basically by accident. But his skills are immediately useful in A New Hope, while Obi-Wan and Luke travel to the Death Star to save Princess Leia. That includes the idea of disguising himself and Luke as Stormtroopers.

“It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs… She’s fast enough for you, old man.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker hire Han Solo and Chewbacca to take them on their mission during A New Hope's famous cantina sequence. But this motley crew didn't have immediate chemistry, and there was some question about how fast the Millennium Falcon was. And Han's response is just one of his many quotable lines.

The Kessel Run

While we heard about The Kessel Run when A New Hope hit theaters in 1977, it would be decades before we actually got to see that referenced event. That occurred thanks to Ron Howard's prequel Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it was a pretty wild show of piloting and luck. No wonder he talked about it all the time.

“Don’t everybody thank me at once."

Han's partnership with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker really hits the ground running in A New Hope. They have to flee on the Falcon out of Tatooine, only barely escaping by jumping to Hyper Space at the right time. He just doesn't get the thunderous applause he was expecting from the rest of the group.

Shooting the Death Star intercom

While it was a good idea for Han and Luke to disguise themselves as Stormtroopers aboard the Death Star, it doesn't all go as planned. Eventually the Empire gets wise, and after trying to quell their fears on an intercom, he eventually decides to just shoot the thing. Pretty iconic.

Trying to shoot Darth Vader himself

We're introduced to Han's old friend Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, but he quickly betrays him and the rest of the Rebels. When they're ambushed by Darth Vader and his forces, he tries to blast the Sith Lord himself, but unfortunately his blaster is taken away, and they're taken into captivity.

“Who’s scruffy-looking?”

Early on during Empire Strikes Back, Han and Leia are having a number of arguments. During one of them, Carrie Fisher's character calls him a "scruffy-looking nerf herder." And Han's response and look of pure offense is a pretty hilarious moment for the character.

Reuniting with Leia

The Force Awakens began the sequel trilogy, and picked up on our beloved legacy characters decades after the events of Return of the Jedi. We find out that Leia and Han have split up, and that their son's turn to the Dark Side pulled them apart. Their final scene together is a touching and memorable scene, one that happened shortly before their son killed him on Starkiller Base.

The battle on Endor

Taking down the second Death Star is a two-part plan, one that includes an attack on the Forrest Moon of Endor. Han leads this assault, and takes down a number of enemies in the process. And throughout it all Leia is there as a partner.

“Chewie, we’re home.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a huge hit, with fans thrilled to catch up with OGs like Han Solo. His entrance in the film saw Han and Chewie boarding a previously lost Millennium Falcon. And the line delivered by Harrison Ford has it happens is a shot of pure nostalgia.

Saving Luke on the Death Star

In A New Hope, Han originally refuses to engage in the final battle to destroy the Death Star. But in the end he's a good guy, and arrives just in time to save Luke's life. And that's why the franchise's hero was able to land the final shot and win the day.

His reaction to learning about Luke and Leia being sinlings

The reveal that Luke and Leia are siblings has been a point of discussion among Star Wars fans for years. I mean, just look at the poster for A New Hope or their kiss in Empire Strikes Back. That's what makes Han's totally confused expression after learning the truth on Endor so perfect.

Escaping Corellia

While Solo was a box office disappointment, it offers some new context and history for its title character. And in the movie's first scene, we watch as Alden Ehrenreich manages to escape the planet Corellia by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately, he had to leave Qi'ra behind.

“Watch your mouth, kid, or you're going to find yourself floating home.”

There are plenty of speed bumps along the way of A New Hope's big mission, with its colorful group of characters forced to lean on each other. Through this Han is flexing his ego a bit, and isn't here for Luke's attitude and backsass. And he even threatens to kick him out into space in the process.

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball."

Chewbacca and Han Solo have a hilarious friendship, one that is central to the Star Wars franchise as a whole. At multiple times during the franchise Chewie laughs at his friend, with Han telling the Wookiee to "laugh it up."

Surviving the Rathtars

When we meet Han in The Force Awakens, he and Chewie are transporting terrifying alien creatures known as Rathtars. But when old enemies pop up, Rey and Finn free them and all chaos ensues. And Han survives with style, albeit with a few close calls.

Shooting Beckett first

While the argument about who shot first has raged on for years, most fans think he did in fact kill Greedo. This seemed to get more evidence in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where the title character kills Woody Harrelson's Tobias Beckett. There's no debating what went own there.

"I don't know, fly casual."

In Return of the Jedi, our beloved group of heroes have to fly past the second Death Star in order to get onto Endor. When Chewie asks Harrison Ford's character what they're going to do, he says simply to "fly casual." You know, because that's a thing.

Helping Ben find the Light Side

While Han Solo died in The Force Awakens, Harrison Ford would go on to play the role one more time. Halfway through the film, Kylo Ren has a vision of his father, who helps convince him to return to the Light Side. And it works, with Ben Solo joining Rey in the final battle against Palpatine. While Han isn't a Force user, he still has a way to influence his loved ones after his death.

From the best Marvel movies to a handful of Best Picture winners and so many others, here are 32 times the villain stole the show in a movie.

Hans Gruber (Die Hard)

Alan Rickman crushed his first major movie role as Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard. Nothing against Bruce Willis’ John McClane, but there’s no denying the fact that Gruber immediately became one of those unforgettable villains we love to hate. The saying “It isn’t Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nataktomi Plaza” says it all.

Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Luke Skywalker is an iconic hero, Han Solo is the coolest scoundrel in the galaxy, and Princess Leia is divine, but we all know that Darth Vader sucks all the air out of the room whenever he’s on-screen in Star Wars. The presence, the physicality, and the powerful voice of the late James Earl Jones, all make Lord Vader one of the best villains of all time.

Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)

Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger is hands down one of the best Marvel villains, with only a couple of other foes topping him in the ranking. The intensity, emotion, and wow factor all go up whenever this long-lost son of Wakanda shows up in Black Panther. 

Colonel Hans Landa (Inglorious Basterds)

Quentin Tarantino pulled off the impossible when he gave the world Colonel Hans Landa, a maniacal yet charming Nazi played by Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds. Seriously, the movie could have been two hours of Landa talking to people (which it pretty much was) and we still would have gone crazy for it. Almost feel bad liking the guy this much.

Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

Avengers: Infinity War, for all intents and purposes, is Thanos’ movie and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are just living in it. Rarely do movies allow the villain to take center stage like this, and the 2018 crossover event is better because of it.

Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)

Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem’s ice-cold killer from No Country for Old Men, is one of those movie villains we’ll be studying for years, if not decades, to come. Every time this assassin with a bad haircut and a unique set of skills comes on screen, you can feel a chill run down your spine.

Annie Wilkes (Misery)

One of the meanest ‘90s movie villains, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) from Misery steals the scene whenever she’s on screen in Rob Reiner’s 1990 Stephen King adaptation. A force of pure evil, this obsessive book fan will forever live in our hearts, even if she fills us with fear.

Terence Fletcher (Whiplash)

J.K. Simmons has played some great villains over the years (Oz fans know what we’re talking about), but even the neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger couldn’t hold a candle to Terence Fletcher in Whiplash. The angry, petty, vindictive, and obsessive Julliard professor is a force to be reckoned with in this 2014 drama.

The Joker (The Dark Knight)

From the first time Heath Ledger’s Joker appears on screen in The Dark Knight, you know he’s going to be a villain to remember. The anarchy, the carnage, the changing stories about how he got his scars, all of it makes him someone we’ll never forget. 

The Terminator (The Terminator)

James Cameron gave the world one of the best sci-fi movies and all-time great villains when he unleashed The Terminator upon the world in 1984. And while Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) are heroes worth rooting for, we all know we want nothing more than to see Arnold Schwarzenegger’s titular cyborg show up with his one-liners and knack for killing folks.

Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs)

Hannibal Lecter, the role that won Anthony Hopkins an Academy Award, was only on screen in The Silence of the Lambs for 16 years, and he still stole the show. The cannibalistic prison inmate who helps Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling in the most unorthodox and unsettling ways is still the most talked about part of the movie despite his limited screen time.

Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest)

Few nurses or medical professionals have instilled as much fear in the hearts of audiences as Nurse Ratched, Louise Fletcher’s manipulative and sadistic character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Sure, we all love Jack Nicholson’s R.P. McMurphy, but Ratched stole the show.

Clarence Boddicker (Robocop)

Long before he was the wise-cracking Red Foreman on That ‘70s Show, Kurtwood Smith played the sensationally violent Clarence Boddicker in Robocop. The man who turned Peter Weller’s Alex Murphy into a crime-fighting cyborg had some wild moments throughout the movie, most of which we can’t really describe here.

Nino Brown (New Jack City)

Already on the rise thanks to Major League, Wesley Snipes became a massive star thanks to his portrayal of Nino Brown, the powerful drug lord in New Jack City. Nothing against Ice-T’s Scotty Appleton (who takes things personally), but Nino is in in a league of his own in this sprawling crime epic.

Bodhi (Point Break)

Though he could be considered an antihero we hate to love, Bodhi, Patrick Swayze’s surfing, skydiving, and bank-robbing character from Point Break is also an incredibly interesting villain. Both physical and spiritual, this three-dimensional adrenaline junkie is just so dang cool.

Regina George (Mean Girls)

Villains don’t have to be angry nurses or criminals with a high body count, and Regina George (Rachel McAdams) proved that in Mean Girls. The leader of the Plastics, a group she ran with an iron and pink fist, Regina was for sure one of the most vindictive antagonists of the 2000s and one we still love to hate.

Clubber Lang (Rocky III)

For the most part, the Rocky movies featured iconic and unique villains like Apollo Creed (before he turned good) and Ivan Drago, but Clubber Lang from Rocky III is in a league of his own. Mr. T’s formidable foe in the 1982 movie stole every scene and his presence could be felt even when he wasn’t on screen.

Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct)

Being bad never looked as good as it did for Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) in the 1992 erotic thriller, Basic Instinct. The crimes, the head games, the seduction, and the attitude make this femme fatale one of the best villains of all time.

Gordon Gekko (Wall Street)

Though there are some who still miss the message of Gordon Gekko’s “Greed is Good” speech from Wall Street, Michael Douglas’ powerful character is very much the villain in Oliver Stone’s 1987 drama. Poor Charlie Sheen didn’t stand a chance next to this guy.

The Wicked Witch Of The West (The Wizard Of Oz)

Margaret Hamilton’s portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz is one of those villainous performances that we’ll never forget. The way she could say things like “I’ll get you my pretty,” throw fireballs, and call on an army of flying monkeys is still frightening all these years later.

Norman Bates (Psycho)

One of the best slasher horror movies of all time, Psycho also features one of the genre’s great villains in Norman Bates. After his facade of a seemingly harmless albeit off-putting man with mommy issues fades away, we’re left with an unforgettable creep.

Cyrus The Virus (Con Air)

Nothing against Nicolas Cage, but Con Air is Cyrus the Virus’ movie. The way John Malkovich looks on screen with that shaved head and goatee makes him look like a cleanup hitter for the Houston Astros who went crazy and killed a bunch of folks after getting busted for steroids adds such a great dynamic to this iconic ‘90s action movie.

Luther (The Warriors)

Though he’s only in a handful of scenes, Luther, with his “Warriors, come out to play,” delivery, steals the show in this ‘70s classic. Would The Warriors be a good movie without him? Probably. But the leader of the Rogues makes it an all-timer.

Scar (The Lion King)

When it comes to Disney villains from the ‘90s, there are few that come close to the rightful king that is Scar. Voiced by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, the brother of King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) takes villainy to a whole new level in The Lion King. Sure, he destroys the natural order of things, brings famine and drought to the Pride Lands, and gives his nephew one major guilt trip after killing his father, but that’s what makes him so iconic, right?

HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

You don’t have to be a human or even a living thing to make a good villain, and HAL 9000 proved that in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Voiced by Douglas Rain, this cold and calculated computer goes out of his way to make life miserable for the astronauts aboard the Discovery One spacecraft. What makes him even more menacing is that HAL is mostly depicted as a camera lens with a red dot in the middle.

Howard Payne (Speed)

Though Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock became massive stars following the 1994 release of Speed, it was impossible to be captivated by the maniacal and over-the-top performance of Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne. The cop-turned-bomber has a way about him that’s just so perfect in this landmark action flick. And if it weren’t for the iconic bus jump sequence, he’d probably be what we talk about the most.

Max Cady (Cape Fear)

Whenever we talk about the best Robert De Niro movies, it doesn’t take long for Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear to enter the conversation. Max Caddy, one of the all-time great movie villains, steals every single scene in this tense revenge thriller, even when the ex-con with a bone to pick with his former defense attorney isn’t on screen. And the way he says “Counselor” when toying with Nick Nolte’s Sam Bowden is just perfect.

Count Orlok (Nosferatu)

Few movie characters have an impact on the viewer like Count Orlok, Max Schreck's vampire from the 1922 silent horror film, Nosferatu. The off-putting appearance, the eerie movements, and the unrelenting nature of the monster are all frightening more than a century after the controversial film was first released.

Joan Crawford (Mommie Dearest)

Frank Perry’s Mommie Dearest is one of the wildest and most terrifying biographical dramas ever made, and the based-on-a-true-story aspect of it makes Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of Joan Crawford even more terrifying. There’s a good chance more people know the “No wire hangers!” line than the movie itself, which says it all.

Agent Smith (The Matrix)

The way Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith says “Mr. Anderson,” whenever he encounters Neo (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix is so bone-chilling, so iconic, and so perfect, we just can’t get enough of it. One of the best sci-fi villains of all time, it’s hard to look away from this increasingly powerful computer program.

John Doe (Seven)

Though we don’t meet Kevin Spacey’s John Doe until the final act of Seven, his presence can be felt throughout David Fincher’s 1995 thriller. The nature of his crimes, especially during the movie’s twisted ending, tells us everything we need to know about the bitter, dangerous, and self-righteous killer.

Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

When it comes to the best horror movie icons, Freddy Krueger is in a league of his own. Robert Englund’s knife-handed killer from A Nightmare on Elm Street is equal parts terrifying and hilarious, so much so that we don’t really care who plays his victims (except for maybe Johnny Depp).

There are popular franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up on the galaxy far far away, seeing projects in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While the Star Wars movies have inspired countless projects that followed, the franchise's success wasn't always a guarantee. Case in point: Francis Ford Coppola recalled seeing an early cut of George Lucas’ A New Hope and explains why it was so "terrible."

While fans are looking forward to the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, information about the original trilogy is still coming out. A New Hope was a game changer for the industry, but there were some concerns. Steven Spielberg has been open about his worries, and now the great Francis Ford Coppola has also spoken out. During an interview with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, the Godfather icon shared what was happening with Lucas and Star Wars before the first movie hit theaters. As he put it:

There you have it. Much of the magic of Star Wars comes in the post-production phase, where visual effects, music, and sound design transport us into the beloved galaxy. And when those bells and whistles weren't working in tandem when folks like Coppola and Spielberg saw an early version of A New Hope.

The feelings of concern from George Lucas' peers makes a great deal of sense when you consider the context of A New Hope's release. Not only did the movie introduce the world to that galaxy far, far away, but it also featured cutting edge visual effects. And when the elements weren't completed, who knows how wild the movie looked?

Trying to imagine Star Wars without music is definitely a struggle. The legendary John Williams famously wrote the beloved score of George Lucas' movie, which adds a sense of scale, magic, and stakes to the world. So who can blame Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg for not immediately falling in love with A New Hope?

In the end, we all know how things ultimately worked out. A New Hope became a huge hit, kickstarting a franchise that would extend across movies, TV, theme parks, and more. The concerns about the movie might seem silly now, but it's fun to hear the BTS process of the film. And besides, sometimes you have to tell your friends the truth... even if it's George Lucas.

The Star Wars franchise is streaming on Disney+. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.

There are plenty of fun facts about Harrison Ford that fans should know about, but I’d argue that the situation that led to him landing the role of Han Solo is one of the best. Of course, before we dive right into that, some context needs to be provided. More specifically, we need to discuss just how the Blade Runner icon found his way onto George Lucas’ radar in the first place. So let’s jump in and discuss the origins behind one of the greatest film collaborations of all time and one of the best casting choices ever made.

Harrison Ford And George Lucas First Worked Together On A Beloved Period Piece

Several years before the public knew what a Jedi was or could even conceive of the concept of the Force, Mr. Lucas made American Graffiti. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the 1973 film was set in 1962 and centered on a group of recent high school graduates during the last night of their summer vacation. Lucas’ nostalgic movie was critical and financial success while also paving the way for future high school movies. It also bolstered the careers of rising actors of the time, such as Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Mackenzie Phillips.

Among that youthful ensemble was also a performer by the name of Harrison Ford, who’d only appeared in a handful of movies by that time (and even went uncredited in a few of those). Ford played the role of Bob Falfa, a street racer who had his sights set on a one-on-one match with fellow driver John Milner. While Ford didn’t appear in the film long, his role was indeed memorable and did bring the fresh-faced actor some notoriety.

However, that major opportunity nearly had a negative impact on his professional trajectory. That’s because it nearly stood in the way of him being able to join the galaxy far, far away.

How Exactly Was Harrison Ford Cast In Star Wars?

By 1976, George Lucas had begun pre-production on his second ambitious sci-fi motion picture, which fans now know as Star Wars. The filmmaker seemed to have a very distinct vision for the flick, which extended to his method of casting the characters. With that, he apparently had one rule – he wouldn’t cast anyone that he’d worked with before. While speaking with Vanity Fair (in a video shared to YouTube) in 2020, Harrison Ford recalled his experience being cast as Han Solo and emphasized the decision Lucas had come to:

The door definitely seemed to be closed for the then-up-and-coming actor at that point, but another one opened (figuratively and literally). During the early years of his career, the Working Girl alum worked as a carpenter to support himself. And, as fate would have it, he was hired to complete a job that put him in proximity to the casting work that was being done for Han Solo. As he further explained to VF:

At this point, you’re probably wondering: “so how did the carpenter/rising actor manage to nab his role as one of the best Star Wars characters?” Well, that good fortune was initiated by what the Patriot Games star referred to as “a favor” while speaking with Esquire:

The rest is, as they say, movie history! No one could’ve predicted just how Harrison Ford would fare in what would become one of the most influential of George Lucas’ movies. Of course, it’s reasonable to say everything turned out just fine.

Harrison Ford’s Han Solo Can Be Shifty But His Legacy As The Character Isn’t

Following Star Wars' release in 1977, Harrison Ford as well as his co-stars received considerable attention. The success of the now-seminal sci-fi film would spawn two sequels – 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Ford would reprise his role as Han Solo in both sequels. And, of course, he’d play Solo on the big screen again in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which hit theaters in 2015. That film would fulfil Ford’s wish to have Solo die, though the character would posthumously return briefly in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

It goes without saying that Mr. Ford has more than cemented himself within the history of cinema, and that’s in great part due to his performance as Han. Even now, it’s wild to think that his casting began not simply with his involvement in American Graffiti but in earnest, with a carpentry job. That’s an amazing story – and one that those who currently enjoy Ford’s work (and will in the future) should always appreciate.

Harrison Ford’s performances as Han Solo are available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. Fans out there should also be sure to remain in the know when it comes to upcoming Star Wars movies.

Many stars just wanted to be part of Lucas’ new Star Wars movies in some way, including Samuel L. Jackson. Looking back on the experience with GQ, the former Mace Windu reveals that when it came time to film his first scenes, he didn’t even know what role he was playing. He just got on a plane and showed up, finding out details as he went along. Jackson said…

While secrecy surrounding major franchise movies is commonplace today, it was less common back when The Phantom Menace was filming. But even now it would be rare for an actor to arrive on set having not seen a script at all or to not even know what character they were playing. Even after Samuel L. Jackson figured out his character was named Mace Windu, he had no idea who Mace Windu was beyond somebody who talks to Yoda.

It wasn’t until Jackson started getting in wardrobe that he realized he was playing a Jedi, at which point he got very excited. Any Star Wars fan would lose their mind realizing they were going to be a “real” Jedi in a Star Wars movie, and the ultra-cool Samuel L. Jackson was no exception. He continued…

That lightsaber handle would eventually get a special Samuel L. Jackson-inspired inscription. The story about Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber is fairly well known. Jackson made the request of George Lucas, and initially, Lucas seemed against the idea but ultimately gave the actor what he wanted. It sounds like the entire experience from beginning to end was a dream for Samuel L. Jackson. Check out his full comments below.

Samuel L. Jackson has a stated interest in playing Mace Windu again, as the Jedi’s fate in the Star Wars prequels is just ambiguous enough that an explanation for his survival could be contrived. While there hasn’t seemed to be much interest in that idea, the prequels have been reevaluated in recent years, and opinions on them are not quite as harsh as they once were. One imagines Samuel L. Jackson would be very excited to hold that lightsaber again.

Fans have spent years watching the Star Wars movies in order, and there are plenty of lines that are a quotable part of the pop culture landscape. And the space opera has plenty of lessons to learn, in addition to blasters and lightsabers. In no particular order, here are some lines from the franchise that teach a solid lesson. Beware for those new to the galaxy: there are spoilers ahead.

"No one's ever really gone." - Luke Skywalker

Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi is one of the most divisive movies in the franchise, especially related to the story revolving around Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker. But he has some great material to work with, including these touching words he says to Leia while Force Projecting himself onto Crait.

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to suffering." - Yoda 

Yoda is full of wisdom throughout the Star Wars franchise, in various points throughout the timeline. In The Phantom Menace we saw him at the height of his power at the Jedi Council, and he had some choice words the first time he met a young Anakin Skywalker.

"The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead." - Maz Kanata

Lupita Nyong'o's Maz Kanata is a mysterious character in the Star Wars universe, one who debuted during J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens. While in the basement of her castle she encourages Rey to move forward instead of looking back, a bit of advice that many of us have needed once or twice.

"Never tell me the odds." - Han Solo

When fans rank the Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back is often at the top of the list. The story is thrilling, and there are plenty of truly iconic lines. That includes the moment C-3PO tells Han how slim their odds of survival are when going through an asteroid field. And it's not bad advice for those needing some optimism.

"There’s always a bigger fish." - Qui-Gon Jinn

Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn is full of wisdom in his brief appearance The Phantom Menace. As such, expect him to appear a few times on this list. One simple but effective bit of knowledge comes as he's with Jar Jar and Obi-Wan in a Gungan boat, and it's something that's relatable in the real world.

"May The Force be with you." - General Dodonna 

This is a line that's been said a number of times throughout the Star Wars franchise, both on the small and silver screens. Funny enough, a small character was the first to utter it: General Dodonna during the briefing scene in A New Hope. And while there's no lightsabers in the real world, its a bit of advice to keep the faith.

"Rebellions are built on hope." - Cassian Andor

This is a line of dialogue that became an ongoing catchphrase throughout Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It's first uttered by Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, before eventually being embraced by Jyn Erso and the Rebel Alliance. And that message of hope is one that works here on Earth too.

"Wars not make one great." - Yoda 

During Empire Strikes back we're introduced to Grand Master Yoda, who has been living in exile on Dagobah. Early on he starts offering wisdom to Luke, including the claim that wars are not what makes a great man. Given his years in the Clone Wars, he would know.

"This is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." - Padme 

Palpatine's true identity is revealed, and he barely survives his encounter with Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith. He returns in his new appearance to the senate and declares the Galactic Empire's existence. And Padme's response to Bail Organa is cautionary tale about the political system.

"Let the Wookiee win." - C-3PO

In A New Hope, R2-D2 is seen playing Holochess with Chewbacca. But Peter Mayhew's signature character is a sore loser, and soon begins to freak out when losing to the droid. C-3PO tells his fellow droid to let the Wookiee win because sometimes you need to pick your battles.

"Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

When Obi-Wan's Force Ghost appears to Luke after Yoda's death in Return of the Jedi, the two have an honest conversation. During this, Mark Hamill's hero is upset that Ben lied to him about Vader being Anakin. But the Jedi offers a line about perspective that you can totally use IRL.

"The greatest teacher, failure is." - Yoda

Yoda's appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was one of the most memorable parts of the blockbuster. It was doubly exciting because a practical puppet was used this time around, after years of visual effects. And Yoda gave Luke nuggets of wisdom, including the positive side of failure.

"I'm responsible these days. It's the the price you pay for being successful." - Lando Calrissian

Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian is introduced in Empire Strikes Back as an old friend of Han Solo. He's the administrator of Cloud City, marking a big change in status for the scoundrel. And after Han notices this, he references the way one's life changes after success.

"You can’t stop change any more than you can stop the sun from setting." - Shmi Skywalker 

The Phantom Menace introduced the generations of fans to a young Anakin Skywalker, who grew up as a slave on Tatooine. After Qui-Gon Jinn decides to take him to Coruscant to be trained as Jedi, he's forced to say goodbye to his mother Shmi. But she offers some great life advice before Anakin departs the planet.

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." - Qui-Gon Jinn

When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan first meet Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, the Gungan is a bit of nuisance. Ahmed Bests' infamous character argued with the Jedi Master during this, claiming that he's able to speak. But as Qui-Gon says, that's not all it takes to be intelligent.

"Sometimes we must let go of our pride, and do what is requested of us." - Anakin Skywalker

In Attack of the Clones, both Padme and the audience are reintroduced to Anakin, who is a Jedi Padawan under the tutelage of Obi-Wan. He's assigned to guard the Senator of Naboo, and they speak about duty while she's packing for Naboo. And the future Darth Vader had a good perspective.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." - Yoda

Yoda dispenses knowledge on the regular during his appearances in the Star Wars timeline, offering advice to the likes of Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker. The latter gets this bit of advice while trying to decipher his vision of Padme's death in Revenge of The Sith.

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin finally breaks bad, and follows the instructions of Sith Lord Palpatine. After massacring Jedi (including younglings), he goes to Mustafar, where he's followed by both Padme and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The latter tries to talk some sense into his former Padawan, taking umbrage with the black and white Sith way of looking at the world.

"As long as there’s light, we’ve got a chance." - Poe Dameron

During The Force Awakens, we're introduced to Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron, who is a hotshot pilot with The Resistance. During the third act he leads a Squadron of pilots to attack Starkiller Base. He speaks literally about the light meaning they still have a chance, since the Base was eating a nearby Sun, but it's also a metaphor about hope.

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

Luke seeks a Jedi Master to train him during Empire Strikes Back, which is when we're introduced to Yoda on Dagobah. When the young Jedi is frustrated with his progress, and talking about "trying" to use The Force, the little green guy makes it clear that there's no such thing as simply trying.

"I know how to run without you holding my hand." - Rey

Star Wars: The Force Awakens brought us a new trio of heroes in Poe, Finn, and Rey. The latter is played by Daisy Ridley, whose parentage was a mystery throughout the sequel trilogy. And as Finn tries to rescue her from the First Order on Jakku, she makes it clear she doesn't need his help.

"That’s how we win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love." - Rose Tico

Kelly Marie Tran made her Star Wars entrance as Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, and represented a regular worker in The Resistance who rises to greatness. During the Battle of Crait, she saved Finn's life by putting herself in danger. And her reason why is a refreshing perspective on the war.

"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to." - Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is the villain of the sequel trilogy, and brought a different energy than other Star Wars antagonists like Vader or Palpatine. In his first movie he's struggling with the Sith's influence vs. his familial ties and training as a Jedi, but decides to "kill" the past... by killing Han Solo. Despite this action, the quote itself can be a helpful piece of advice about letting go.

"Who’s more foolish? The fool or the fool that follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi

While Ben Solo is only still alive for one movie of the original trilogy, he dispenses a ton of wisdom throughout A New Hope. While speaking with Luke, Han, and Chewie after they hid in the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan offered a line about power, and the foolishness of following the wrong person.

"And that is why you fail." - Yoda

When Luke arrives in Dagobah in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, he's not met with the mentor that he thought would be helping him deepen his connection to The Force. Instead he got Yoda, who proved his power by lifting Luke's X-Wing out of the water. And when Luke says that he's having a hard time believing in The Force, Yoda explains his lack of belief is the reason why he hasn't gotten more powerful

"Be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the moment." - Qui-Gon Jinn

Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn was the prequel trilogy's version of Ben Solo, a Jedi Master who helped to guide those around him. Obi-Wan is his Padawan, and his training is still very much happening at the time of The Phantom Menace. And his sentiment about being in the moment is one to live by.

"We take the next chance, and the next, on and on until we win, or the chances are spent." - Jyn Erso

Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso is the protagonist of Rogue One, and a spirited rebel who is on an ill-fated mission to Scarif. She becomes a leader throughout the movie's runtime, and this inspiring speech helps to show the power of taking things step by step. As an over-thinker, I can relate.

"It's every citizen's duty to challenge their leaders, to keep them honest, and hold them accountable if they're not." - Ahsoka Tano

Long before Rosario Dawson's live-action series fan favorite character Ahsoka Tano was brought to life in animation. And while she was still young (and nicknamed Snips), she teaches a lesson to students about the importance of challenging political leaders.

"If money is all you love, then that's what you'll receive." - Leia Organa

Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa is one of the most beloved characters of the entire Star Wars franchise. She's always had a strong sense of morality, including when Han is looking for a reward for saving her in A New Hope. It's like she knew he'd end up being a great Rebel Leader.

"We are what they grow beyond. That is the burden of all masters." - Yoda

When Yoda shows up as a Force Ghost in The Last Jedi, he and Luke discuss the Jedi legacy and his relationship with Kylo Ren. That includes this tidbit about what it's like to be a mentor... but it also might apply to parenting.

"Persistence without insight will lead to the same outcome." - The Armorer 

The Armorer is a fan favorite character in The Mandalorian, even if we've never actually seen her face. And she offered this great tidbit to the title character that's worth remembering.

"Your focus determines your reality." - Qui-Gon Jinn

In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn is shown training a young Anakin Skywalker And his line about focusing is a solid piece of advice to live by.