A film series as large and expansive as George Lucas’s Star Wars universe is not going to be without its errors. And any script set within that universe is also bound to contain some minor holes. They don’t detract from the incredible stories the series tells; rather they expose themselves only once you really think about them. Despite this, most of them are more gaping than an intergalactic Goatse, more annoying than Jar Jar Binks’ failure to grasp basic language and bigger than Lucas’ paycheck. All of which are sizable, impressive and downright wrong on many levels.
But moving on from shocking pictures, more shocking marketing strategies and even more shocking salaries, here is a celebration of some of the larger plot holes of the series, but ones that don’t necessarily affect your enjoyment of the films for the first several viewings.
10. Rebels Without An E-mail Account
Let’s kick things off with the film that kicked things off. A film that introduced spaceships, holograms, lightsabers, astromech droids, blaster guns, death stars, you name it, the galaxy far, far away has it. Yet there’re two things that A New Hope’s rebels seem to lack: e-mail or a flash drive.
Picture the scene: You are Princess Leia (not in her slave gear, you filthy fanboys), you’ve just been handed the plans for the Death Star on a small drive of some sort that can plug into computers and droids and god knows where else. What would you do? Maybe send a space message to your rebel comrades nearest to the Death Star and blow the moon-impersonating ball of death up before it can fire on your home planet? Maybe make a thousand copies to give to every trooper you can, give everybody a copy that they can potentially take with them and make good their escape? Nope, you hog it to yourself, shove it inside R2-D2 and pray he, and the only existing copy of the vitally important plans, land somewhere in the deserts of Tatooine where the Jawas or Tusken Raiders aren’t going to rip them apart without even a second glance. Alderaan thanks you for your greed (not that you seem to show any emotion when and after it gets blown up, you heartless monster).
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14 Comments
For number 10, maybe they don’t have intergalactic email. considering, email wasn’t used until the ’82.
Email wasn’t really something you could include in Si-Fi movie considering the closest thing back then was a Fax, and they covered that with video communications and com-links.
I think at this stage of the game, all Star Wars plot holes have been well established. A good article none the less.
This really reminds me how terrible the prequels were and how the originals weren’t all that amazing either
I see you fail to understand the distance between stars. The Millennium Falcon *had no working hyperdrive* and had to limp its ass to Bespin. Even being the nearest system, it would still take a very goddamn long time to get there. No, the real plot hole there is that they had sufficient food, or maybe a cryogenic chamber they failed to mention. Likely, the trip took a year.
You’d think if they’d been travelling for a year they would have mentioned it by the time they get to Bespin; when they arrive they seem to step off as if it has been a leisurely afternoon ride. The way these sequences are put to film heavily suggest it is the other way around, and that Luke’s training takes a very short space of time. If it was the long way around Han’s facial hair would be hitting Chewbacca levels of length by the time they hit Bespin.
The prequels had so many plot holes.
The one that bugs me the most is the whole clone army and fleet of ships. It was all ordered by a Jedi ten years ago secretly who just happen to be killed. The Clone troopers are based on a bounty hunter who is in alliance with the Confederacy. A fleet of Star Destroyers, Starfighters, Troop transporters, At-at thingys. That is all ready in time for war. Made at a planet that dosen’t show up on any star charts cos some one erased it.
Not once during episode 2 or 3 does any one mention these chain of events and how it stinks.
“The one that bugs me the most is the whole clone army and fleet of ships. It was all ordered by a Jedi ten years ago secretly who just happen to be killed.”
I fail to see how that’s a plot hole. Some Jedi was duped into ordered a clone army and got murdered after he did it. Or that Jedi was working with Sidious. Or that Jedi was Sidious.
“The Clone troopers are based on a bounty hunter who is in alliance with the Confederacy.”
And what is the problem here? It’s called “playing both sides against the middle.” It was all a plan of the Sith and Jango Fett was in on it. They get the Trade Federation and the others to amass a huge droid army which can be controlled 100% since they’re droids. They start a war to force the Republic to approve the clone army which is 100% loyal to the Chancellor. A Sith was in control of the Republic, a Sith was in control of the Confederacy. No matter which side won, the Sith would be in control with a huge army of slaves. They win by default.
Or Jango did it because both sides were paying him. He doesn’t seem the type to give a crap about sides. The Kaminoans paid him for his DNA, he gave it. The Confederacy paid him to fight, he fought.
“A fleet of Star Destroyers, Starfighters, Troop transporters, At-at thingys. That is all ready in time for war. Made at a planet that dosen’t show up on any star charts cos some one erased it.
Not once during episode 2 or 3 does any one mention these chain of events and how it stinks.”
Most likely the equipment used by the clones was ordered by Syfo Dias. Why order a clone army but not weapons and ships for them to use? The planet not showing up on star charts was mentioned in the movie, and the characters did remark how strange it was. But they were too busy fighting in a huge galactic war to have time to investigate fully.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty to hate about the prequels and plenty of plot holes. But what you mention aren’t plot holes. They’re plot.
One thing that bugged me was Vader murdering the children. And essentially getting away with it. I mean, I know they are supposed to leave their families, but someone must have wanted to call Law & Order or something. And after that happened Vader got sympathy at the end of Return of the Jedi. I mean, if my old man slaughtered a bunch of kids, I don’t care about trying to find the good in him. The dude sliced up a ton of innocent children.
Yeah, I mean Vader was only the second in command of a dictatorship that had total control over pretty much the whole galaxy. How could he possibly have gotten away with killing those kids. They were Jedi too. Not like the Jedi were public enemy #1 at that point. And I’m sure Vader killing those children would have been broadcast to the whole galaxy and not destroyed or anything.
As far as #2 goes, Obi Wan did refer to R2D2 as his old friend. This might seem a bit strange, but he also referred to R2D2 in the same manner in episode 3, which to me suggests that Obiwan knew and recognized the little guy.
Yoda could not defeat the Emperor. That was way anakin was the chosen one. Only he could bring balance to the force. It didn’t matter who face the Emperor, they would not be able to defeat him. If you watch the movie and listen you would have seem that.
Sorry to be nit-picking but…
On plothole #6 (travel time to Bespin/Tatooine), I think Han and the gang had to hide out in an asteroid field (trying to repair the Falcon’s hyperdrive) before heading to Bespin, so Luke had a lot more time with Yoda than what you’re proposing. Also, I don’t think Han was able to fix the hyperdrive completely, so the Falcon had to reach Bespin by taking short hyperjumps, then taking a nav reading, while Luke was proably able to make it to Bespin in one jump, thus shorter travel time (and more one-on-one with Yoda) for Luke.
One plothole I wished you mentioned was ‘how in the heck Padme decide to stay with Anakin even after he told her he slaughtered a whole tribe of Tusken raiders?’. Usually, in any other movie, the female would pick up either a sharp object or a heavy, blunt weapon, then run screaming away from the psycho.
Thanks for the interesting article.
I’ve thought about #6. quite a bit. In terms of Physics, all time is relative. It is conceivable that Luke could have been training for months on Degobah with Yoda, while those on the Millennium Falcon with a hyper drive–a device which essentially bends space and time–travel to Bespin. It does break down at one point, causing them to hideout on the asteroid. Conceivably weeks could be passing for Luke during this time, depending on the factors of physics of course.