20 Dark Facts About Star Wars That Are Rarely Addressed

Star Wars is an uplifting and heroic tale of good versus evil. The Light Side prevails over the Dark. The Jedi take on the Sith.

We may remember Luke Skywalker holding out against the Emperor and saving his father, Darth Vader, or audiences may think of Rey and a rise of a new hope.

Yet, many aspects of this film series are on the dark side. Below are 20 dark facts about Star Wars that are rarely addressed.

#20 Droid Torture

A dark fact about Star Wars is that droids can feel pain. A prime example is when a gonk droid was tortured in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in Return of the Jedi.

Audiences saw this droid shriek in agony as hot presses were put to its feet, with C-3PO  witnessing it. This torture treatment continues in the scene but is not brought up again.

The comic Star Wars: C-3PO does have 3PO discuss how he got his red arm from another droid. Cruelty to droids is common but not often talked about in Star Wars.

#19 Ewoks May Have Eaten Stormtroopers

In Return of the Jedi, Ewoks may have eaten Stormtroopers. This is not confirmed but implied by Stormtrooper helmets held up on poles.

Audiences also remember that Luke, Han, and Chewbacca were being brought before a bonfire to potentially be consumed before C-3PO stopped the Ewoks.

Eworks also played music on empty Stormtrooper helmets to imply they were eaten. This is not part of canon Star Wars, but speculation remains.

As fierce fighters who use animal bones for hunting, Ewoks could very well have taken Stormtroopers for their next meal.

#18 Carrying Dead Stormtroopers

In A New Hope, Han and Luke lured Stormtroopers onto the Millenium Falcon, killed them, and took their uniforms. These Stormtroopers were particular soldiers assigned to guard the Falcon.

Their deaths may be excused for allowing disguises for Han and Luke to use as a way into the Death Star. Yet, this is still a dark fact.

The other darker, hidden fact is that after they escaped, Han, Luke, and crew stored these four dead bodies on the ship. That topic is not addressed in this movie or the others.

#17 The Jedi Took Children

Force-sensitive children were brought into the Jedi Order at a very young age. Most potential Jedi joined between the ages of one and three. This may qualify as kidnapping or indoctrination of children.

Children taken were supposed to have parental consent, so it may not be kidnapping. Yet, these young children were expected to fully attach to the Jedi Order and commit only to the Force and serving the Republic.

This could amount to youth indoctrination. As Emperor Palpatine said, the Jedi purposely select recruits at a young age so that they would be most receptive to their teachings and loyal to the Council.

#16 R2-D2 and C-3PO Weren’t Friends

In Star Wars, R2-D2 and C-3PO were the best of friends. Offscreen, they were not.

The actors who played these droids did not get along. Kenny Baker, who played R2, referred to Anthony Daniels, who played 3PO, as “the rudest man I have ever met.” Not exactly words of friendship.

The harsh comments went the other way too. Daniels said acting beside Baker was like “working with a bucket.” The supportive friendship of droids fell by the wayside once the cameras stopped.

#15 The Emperor Was President Nixon

We may think that Emperor Palpatine was inspired by a worldly historical persona like Napoleon. But Richard Nixon provided the basis for the top villain in Star Wars.

For this character, Lucas drew on 1970’s U.S. history, with Watergate and Nixon’s resignation feeding into the Dark Side of Star Wars. We may see grounds for comparison here, with both figures rising around “an orchestrated war” and both falling from power.

#14 A Massacre of Younglings

Although Season 3 of The Mandalorian included some scenes, the massacre of Younglings at the Jedi Temple is a dark fact that has rarely been addressed.

This massacre happened at the Siege of the Jedi Temple during Revenge of the Sith. As part of Order 66, Anakin/Darth Vader attacked the Temple with Clone Troopers. We are left to presume few survived because much of the attack occurs offscreen.

The Mandalorian gave audiences more visual insights but not much discussion about this event.

#13 Luke Could Have Been Girl

While George Lucas was writing the second draft of the Star Wars script, he changed Luke to a girl. Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie also drew up concepts of Luke as a young woman.

As fans posted, Luke was supposed to be female with the name Starkiller. By the third draft of the script, however, Luke was changed back to a farm boy, and the character of Princess Leia was added.

#12 Han Solo’s Illegal Activities

Best known as a hero of the Rebellion, Han Solo was originally a smuggler and carried out many illicit activities.

His list of misdeeds, especially from our Earthly perspective, include deserting from the army, reckless flying, breaking people out of jail, and drug dealing. He also famously killed Greedo at the Creature Cantina.

We don’t talk about that past much, though.

#11 Brains Taken Out in Jabba’s Palace

A dark, Halloween-like fact about Return of the Jedi is that a cult of monks removed their brains to be placed in Jabba’s spider-droids. These disembodied brains roamed about Jabba’s palace.

The B’omarr Order removed their brains when they “became enlightened” and placed them in jars. Spider, or perimeter, droids came equipped with these brains and came with the palace.

Who knew that Star Wars has such grizzly droids?

#10 A Planet’s Population Was Wiped Out

We may remember the scene in A New Hope when Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star. But another planet was wiped out to make way for this superweapon.

The Empire sterilized Geonosis and killed most of the population so that the Death Star could be built there in secrecy. The darker fact is that the Geonisians were the species that largely built the first Death Star. That’s the thanks they got.

#9 The Underworld of Coruscant

Coruscant was the galactic capital during the Republic and the Imperial Center at the time of the Empire. This planet sits at the center of Star Wars with trillions of people inhabiting it.

Yet, there was a seamy underworld on Coruscant that is rarely brought up. These lower levels earn a spot on Wookieepedia but are hidden from the main narrative of the films.

Level 1313 was the most “lawless” and a “haven” for all sorts of scum and villainy. We remember Mos Eisley with that reputation.

#8 Slavery is Rampant in Star Wars

As a boy Anakin Skywalker was a slave, and his mother was enslaved for much of her life. These are just a couple of the ways slavery is rampant in Star Wars.

The Clone troopers served as slave soldiers with no rights, trained from childhood, and were sent to the frontlines to die in mass numbers.

The practice of slavery was also common across the galaxy and included indentured servitude. Perhaps the films aimed for realism with Earth’s history.

#7 Grievous Died a Torturous Death

In Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous died horribly. After a tremendous fight scene with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Grievous burned from the inside out.

We can see the flames inside of him erupt after Kenobi blasts him a second time, racing through his skull. This was a tortuous death that seems to be acceptable because of the hero-villian setup.

#6 Luke Tried to Murder His Nephew

In The Last Jedi, audiences found out more about Luke’s attempt to kill Ben Solo. Luke had determined that Ben was going to the Dark Side and tried to eliminate him before it happened.

That this was his nephew is not addressed much in the films. There are different versions of what happened between Luke and Ben, and in version two Luke’s intent is clear. Even if Luke did not move ahead with his plan, he still intended for a time to murder his nephew.

This is quite a thought, given that Ben was the son of Leia and Han.

#5 The Outer Rim is a Third World

The Outer Rim in Star Wars were territories with “diverse worlds” and “primitive, frontier planets.” These planets were treated as Third World countries.

As a lawless region, the Outer Rim existed outside of government control and was left to deteriorate. Residents there did not benefit from the resources on their planet and did not receive any help from the Republic or Empire.

We do not hear much about why these areas were just left to criminal gangs. Some contend that the real conflict in Star Wars is between the Inner and Outer regions.

#4 Rebels Do Whatever is Necessary

The series Andor revealed that the Rebels can be morally ambiguous. The show plays with moral dilemmas and crosses over them, as when Cassian Andor killed a Rebel to protect himself.

Andor helped disclose what must have been widespread in the Rebellion, a willingness to sacrifice people for the sake of a cause. Isn’t that what the Empire does?

#3 The Jedi Suppress Their Emotions

To stay clear of the Dark Side, the Jedi are expected to stay away from emotions. Passion can lead down the wrong path. As Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker, “Bury your feelings deep down.”

So, the Jedi have to suppress their emotions to stay on track. Some have commented how the Sith Code, with its emotional content, is better than the Jedi one.

#2 The Sith Have More Advantages

Although the Jedi try to steer clear of the Dark Side, the Sith have more advantages than the Jedi. They get powers like Force lightning and Force choke while getting to express their anger, passion, and personal freedom.

The Sith live an exalted life at the top of the Empire. Star Wars had to make the evil stand out to conceal their place above the Jedi.

#1 Star Wars is Filled with Scary Characters

Despite the emphasis on heroes and Jedi, Star Wars contains an abundant amount of scary characters. Darth Sidious may come to mind first, but many others like Asajj Ventress, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Nightsisters make this a galaxy of dark, twisted characters.

The Nightsisters, for example, use the Force in mystical, witch-like ways that amplify the dark dimensions of Star Wars.

This is not a universe for the timid and veers away from the idea of this franchise being for children.