10 Crazy Star Wars Theories That Might Not Be Quite So Crazy

If The Last Jedi taught us anything it is that fan theories are a double-edged sword: they are fun to think about, but you never know when some smart-arse film maker will go out of his way to subvert every single one of them... and the fans did not even get any royalties.

Jokes aside, George Lucas may have laid the groundwork, creating a down a mythos of breathtaking scope and detail, but it is the passionate and dedicated fan base, including the authors, developers and film makers who expanded upon it, who lifted Star Wars from the plucky little sci-fi adventure that nobody believed would work to the truly culturally defining phenomenon it is today.

With that level of brainpower it should come as no surprise that theories run the gamut from the straight-faced to the bizarre to the thoroughly tongue-in-cheek. Plot-holes have been busted and new ones unearthed. Personal head-canon has been cemented and monumental arguments have been had. But most importantly, the discussion has never grown stale and Star Wars’ indelible mystique has persisted.

With the sequel trilogy over and a new era before us the time is ripe to add some new ideas to the mix. Time will only tell if there is any truth to them but here are ten theories that might just be crazy enough to pass the test.

If Galen Erso is to believed, the flaw he engineered into the Death Star was supposed to be perfect. Except, in Episode IV an Imperial tactical officer discovers the flaw within minutes. Obviously, Erso was not quite as smart as he thought.

In order to explain this the theory proposes that Tarkin was in fact fully aware of Erso’s attempted sabotage and, playing the long game, allowed it proceed as part of an elaborate trap. Recall that when told of the flaw, Tarkin did not seem surprised that it existed but instead at the suggestion that he evacuate. Consider also that the thermal exhaust port could easily have been made safe by installing a simple grill or armoured cap.

So, the Empire allowed the Rebellion to acquire the plans in order to expose Leia, a thorn in their side, and find her Rebel contact, and with that contact, the Rebel base. That the Falcon happened to come along was pure luck, and tracking it would meet with better success than torture.

It was a high risk, high reward gambit, and one that, if you think about it, nearly worked.