10 Origins Of Star Wars Props You Won't Believe
Star Wars has some iconic props, and a ton of them were made from whatever was lying around.
Star Wars may have taken place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but it was filmed right here on Earth in the late-1970s. As a result, the folks who put together the series' iconic props had to get creative when it came to fabricating everything from clothing and weapons, to communications devices and starships.
Since the franchise has been around for over 40 years, there have been plenty of stories about the various props and how they were created. Still, there are plenty that have escaped the attention of more than a few fans — up to and including some of the franchise’s most memorable items.
Whether a prop was reused from another science-fiction franchise or repurposed from something else entirely, there are plenty of Star Wars props that have interesting stories behind their creation. There's even a Facebook page called "The Parts of Star Wars" devoted to identifying real-world items from the franchise.
This list takes a look at some of the more fascinating origin stories for Star Wars props. Some you may know, while others will likely surprise you.
These 10 items were created here on Earth, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an interesting story behind them....
10. A Collection Of Random Items Were Thrown Into The Franchise
When you stop to think about it for a moment, who really knows what kind of equipment people used a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? Take C-3PO's communicator from A New Hope - that thing was nothing more than plumbing valve thrown together at a moment's notice.
In that same film, Luke's home on Tatooine was filled with blue milk and other sci-fi contraptions, but look a little closer, and you'll see something familiar. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen's shelves were filled with all kinds of tupperware.
Then there's Willrow Hood, a random background character from Empire, who is seen escaping from Cloud City when the Empire takes over. He's holding a strange white device, which turns out to be nothing more than a standard ice cream maker... and it's included with his officially licensed action figure!
Many of these objects (and more) were modified only slightly to make them appear used, but for the most part, what you saw was what you got — at a local hardware store. The tradition continues in The Mandalorian and elsewhere, which was evident when Jon Favreau shared a pic of a familiar ice cream maker during the filming of the show's first season, which was eventually revealed to contain a batch of precious Beskar.