May the 4th is National Star Wars Day! To celebrate, we recommend that you re-watch the original trilogy, hug your droids extra tight, and add a few pieces of Star Wars art to your collection!
From movie posters, to photography, to artistic renderings of the Star Wars universe, Star Wars art inspires powerful feelings of nostalgia, as ignites the imagination. Here are a few of our favorite pieces of Star Wars art, along with some trivia!
How Well do You Know Han Solo?
Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford throughout the Star Wars series, is one of the world’s favorite rogue-ish heroes. Even though he’s a character we all know and love, you may not know him as well as you think…
For starters, in George Lucas’ early drafts of the series, Han Solo was drawn up as an alien. Yes, you heard that right! The devilish heartthrob was originally written as a green-skinned creature with gills! Not exactly the scoundrel we all fell in love with. And on that note, Harrison Ford wasn’t George Lucas’ first choice to play the character at all! Christopher Walken and Kurt Russell were higher on Lucas’ list. But in a twist of fate, Harrison Ford was installing a door for Francis Ford Coppola when Lucas struck up a conversation with him. The conversation lead to an audition, which ushered Ford into Star Wars Folklore.
The Droids: Star Wars’ Most Underrated Characters
Star Wars’ most famous droids, R2-D2 and C3PO, are some of the most loyal friends and fighters throughout the series. Let’s dive into the backstory of the droids and give them some of the attention they deserve! Let’s see how you do on this quick quiz:
Q. What is R2-D2’s job?
A. R2-D2 is a mechanic and fighter pilot’s assistant. This is why he’s such a great support to Luke during his flying adventures!
Q. Who built C-3PO?
A. In an interesting plot twist, C-3PO was actually built by Anakin Skywalker as a protocol droid to help his mother. When originally built, 3PO did not have a shiny metallic skin, but had nothing at all covering his mechanical parts!
Q. Is the General Grievous, the commander of the droid army, a droid himself?
A. No! General Grievous is actually a cyborg! He is Kaleesh with a mechanical prostheses.
Last chance…
Q. What sound do mouse droids make when they are frightened?
A. This is an easy one… they squeal! They beep normally, but squeal when they are confused or scared.
Now that you know your droids a little bit better, consider adorning your wall with a beautiful depiction of one of these beloved beings!
The Dark Side of Star Wars Art
It may be dark, but who is to say dark can’t be beautiful? The dark side of Star Wars art can be just as colorful as the Jedis, and the trivia just as interesting.
Did you know that Darth Vader has been portrayed by numerous actors? Though he is a prominent feature of the first six films as well as Rogue One, the man behind the mask has changed over the years. Darth Vader’s relationships are just as numerous! In one of the biggest shocks of the series, we learn that he is the father of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa, as well as the grandfather of Kylo Ren and the secret husband of Padme Amidala. No wonder he is listed as the third greatest movie villain in history by The American Film Institute (right behind Hannibal Lecter and Normal Bates.)
But Vader doesn’t act alone! The armies of the dark side, most famously Stormtroopers, are important characters as well. Originally, Stormtroopers were going to carry light sabers like many of the other series’ villains and heroes. Their weaponry was eventually changed to ray guns. In fact, in the original trilogy, the positioning of the ray gun in the hands of stormtroopers reveals that most of them were actually left-handed! If for no other reason, the stormtroopers deserve their own artistic dedication to remember that 30,984 of them died during the explosion of the Death Star. We’ll never forget you!
The epic series, Star Wars, earned its place in our hearts, and deserves a spot in our homes! Browse more Star Wars art on the site, and find the perfect piece to commemorate this amazing story! And MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!
