10 MASSIVE Star Wars Moments You Didn't Even See!

10. The Sterilisation Of Geonosis

While it definitely had something of a starring role in the middle chapter of the prequel trilogy, Geonosis and its bug-like inhabitants oddly disappeared by the time of the original trilogy.

They still had a major part to play in the wake of the Clone Wars coming to an end, though, with the Geonosians actually initially designing the superweapon that would become the Death Star and eventually being forced to help build the terrifying space station for the Empire over their homeworld during the early days of the Galactic Empire.

Things then took a turn for the worst for the species.

Once the Death Star's hyperdrive was fully operational, the call was made by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin to completely sterilise the desert planet via Imperial gas canisters. And that act right there almost resulted in the complete extinction of the species, with only little Klik-Klak and a queen egg surviving the massacre, as seen in the Rebels animated series. Though said queen would eventually hatch and actually be sterile - she'd go on to connect herself to a droid factory and produce her own battle droid offspring instead.

However, that horrifying extermination of sorts has only ever been mentioned and discussed in shows and comic books, with viewers never actually seeing the shocking events that led to the Geonosians eventually being pretty much wiped out completely by the time of Episode IV - A New Hope.