10 Star Wars Subplots That Went Literally Nowhere
9. Maz Kanata And Luke's Lightsabre (The Force Awakens)
If there is one object in Star Wars history that is more important than any other, it is Anakin Skywalker's lightsabre. Appearing in every single film except The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi, it makes its way across the galaxy travelling down the entire Skywalker family. Obi-Wan's message to Anakin about the weapon being his life is one of the most important lessons the future Sith Lord fails to learn, and Luke gets the same kind of schooling when Obi-Wan hands it to him in A New Hope.
The last time we initially see the weapon is during the Vader-Luke fight atop Cloud City in Empire. Vader slices Luke's hand off in a pretty symbolic illustration of his world becoming split apart, with the lightsabre falling down the shaft and out of the original trilogy.
However, the weapon naturally returns in The Force Awakens when Han, Chewie, Fin and Rey arrive at Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana. Found in a chest in the castle by Rey, there's no real explanation as to how Maz could have ever found this lightsabre besides it being a crucial plot point. Known as the Scavenger Queen and having some sensitivities to the Force, there's a chance that might have helped, however the whole absurdity of the situation is thrown away by Star Wars pretty quickly.