10 Amazing Star Wars Scenes That Came Totally Out Of Nowhere

At this point, after taking in a whopping nine Skywalker Saga entries, a few spin-off features, many a live-action and animated series, numerous video games, comics and novels, Star Wars fans have very much been conditioned to expect the unexpected in this sprawling galaxy far, far away.

Because just when you assume to know precisely how an eventual exchange, showdown, character arc, or backstory will unfold, the brilliant minds behind the small and big screen offerings in particular usually go and leave you with your jaws dangling off the floor on the back of one often game-changing or just plain unexpectedly epic scene.

And that's why fans of the Force tend to have no choice but to keep on coming back for more.

For a whole host of reasons - from simply being a staggering turn of events or coming equipped with a hugely unanticipated cameo appearance - these utterly amazing sequences caught everyone from Star Wars newbies to veteran Jedi lovers off guard.

So, it's time to get stuck into shocking lightsaber showings that had no right to go so hard, under-utilised characters finally showing exactly what they're made of, and those sudden acts of violence that remind fans that just when they think they've seen it all, Star Wars will always find a way to keep them on their toes.

Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had already been a pretty relentless ride thanks to the Death Star blast which had completely wiped out the base on Scarif. But just when folks were preparing to get off said rollercoaster of emotions and reach for the tissues, the director had one last Sith-shaped ace up his sleeve.

Rather than just end the bittersweet tale of the titular crew finally managing to get the Death Star plans to the Rebels' after they'd unfortunately paid the ultimate price, Edwards suddenly unleashed a Darth Vader unlike any fans had witnessed on the big-screen before.

During one absolutely breathless set-up to the sight of a de-aged Carrie Fisher explaining how the aforementioned schematics had given the Alliance "hope", Rogue One briefly turns into something resembling a brutal slasher flick in space.

Vader savagely slices through the desperate Rebels aboard their command vessel as he attempts to get the plans back in Imperial hands, showing off a level of cold-hearted ferocity that few honestly saw heading their way after Vader's previous brief showing opposite Director Krennic earlier in the picture.

Nobody likely had a glorious Vader massacre on their Rogue One bingo card coming into this one, but it acted as one of the spin-offs undisputed highlights when all was said and done.