4 Mind Blowing Star Wars Fan Theories That Explain Everything

By Will Earl / July 21, 2018

Ever since 1977, the sun has never set on the Star Wars empire. Ten films, dozens of video games, hundreds of books, thousands of comics, millions of heated living room discussions and one truly awful Christmas Special are all testament to the irresistible influence of the story.

It seems that the gravitational pull of such a vast mass of science fiction has led to a concentration of super-fans, like the impossibly densely packed particles at the centre of a black hole of lightsabers and Darth Vader voice changers. It is likely that there will never be a media franchise that inspires such passionate legions of fans as Star Wars. And Star Wars fans, as insatiable as they are, continue to ceaselessly expand upon these stories in with their own speculation, analysis and theory.

Often, fan-created content is among the greatest atrocities committed by mankind, but sometimes some great ideas are born of the ether. Sometimes a fanbase can take what already exists and expand on it in new and inventive ways, either adding more depth to existing material, or else providing an entirely new perspective on the subject matter itself. And some of these fan theories are actually pretty darn amazing.

4. The Real Reason Stormtroopers Have Terrible Aim

It’s become something of a running gag that Stormtroopers couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. It would seem that this negative reputation is aptly deserved on a casual review of the films, however characters in-universe seem to treat Stormtroopers with a surprising degree of respect. Obi-Wan notes that the murder of the Jawas on Tatooine involved blaster strikes ‘too accurate for Sand People, only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise’. And indeed, they should be. After all, Stormtroopers are trained for years to be the backbone of the Imperial war machine.

So, why the terrible aim? Well, one theory draws from the final moments of Rogue One for an answer. Towards the end of the film, Chirrut Imwe walks straight into an onslaught of blaster fire unharmed, at least for a long while, while striving to be one with the force. The theory follows that the force grants a sort of shield from blaster fire if the person in question is sufficiently force sensitive. It’s not impossible to get hit, obviously, but it does explain how force sensitive Luke and Leia manage to dodge so much blaster fire throughout the series.

This theory would also indicate that Han Solo might also be a little force sensitive himself, which would go some way to explaining his virtuosic piloting ability, and his talent for taking out the deadliest bounty hunter in the galaxy and bullseyeing a tendril of the Sarlacc, both while blind.