10 Most Notorious Star Wars Urban Legends

9. The Wampa Was Created To Mask Mark Hamill's Injuries

Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Wampa Attack
Lucasfilm

In the wake of fracturing his nose and cheek in a car crash back in 1977, Mark Hamill's face looked noticeably different during his appearance in Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back.

It didn't take long for people to wonder whether the scene involving the terrifying Wampa attacking Luke Skywalker on Hoth was written into the script as a way of explaining the star's injuries - and one of the first Star Wars urban legends was soon born.

Despite it being noted by George Lucas in the movie's DVD commentary that this moment definitely wasn't added after Hamill's crash and had been written before, many still questioned if that was actually the truth.

Some years later, though, Lucasfilm creative art manager Phil Szostak took to Twitter/X to bust or confirm a number of interesting Star Wars myths - among them was this Wampa urban legend.

As Szostak would post, Empire Strikes Back story notes contained a line which read "Luke crash in beginning (scar on face)", seemingly suggesting that Lucas was thinking of a way to explain why Hamill would look a little different in the latest movie.

The Lucasfilm employee would then follow up that post by showing how an Episode V treatment from November 1977 (after Hamill's crash) included a moment where Luke was "bashed in the face by a snow monster." Again hinting at Lucas adding in this Wampa attack post-Hamill crash.

In other words, it's still not fully clear whether this one is true or false.

Contributor
Contributor

Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...