Star Wars: 15 Things The Movies Stole From The Expanded Universe

11. General Madine Was Given A Beard Because Of A Toy

Anybody who's seen the Poe Dameron action figure for The Force Awakens probably knows that toy accuracy isn't high on Lucasfilm's list of priorities (seriously, is that really meant to be Oscar Issac?), although it seems that that's more on the toymaker's side than the filmmaker's.

By the time Return Of The Jedi rolled around Star Wars was a merchandising giant, to the point where creating tie-ins began to dominate key development points in the movie (it's highly suspected that was the reason we got the teddy bear-esque ewoks and a second Death Star). There was even one creative decision in the film that wasn't just done with toys in mind, but done because of them.

Crix Madine, the General who briefs the Rebels on Han's strike-team, is notorious for his incredibly obvious fake beard (that was probably made by skinned ewoks). The reason for such a shoddy make-up effect in a movie series known for envelope-pushing visuals was simple - it was realised at the last minute that the action figure Kenner were developing had a beard, and in the interest of giving kids the best possible tools to recreate the movie, the character needed one too.