Summary
Star Warsis a franchise well known for its retcons and plot twists, so these 10 fan theories may not be entirely out of the question.Star Warsmovies and TV showshave spurred on a number of theories over the years, beginning with the original trilogy and continuing to the present day withStar Wars’most recent TV shows. In fact, there have been many popularStar Warsfan theories that have come true, from Rosario Dawson being cast as live-action Ahsoka Tano to Darth Maul not really being dead after all.
However, a number of popular fan theories remain, some of them the most often discussed in the franchise. For many,Star Warshas yet to confirm their legitimacy one way or another. Of the prominent fan theories out there, these 10 would be the absolute best forStar Warsto canonize.
10 Star Wars Moments That Live In My Head Rent Free
As such a storied franchise, Star Wars has plenty of incredible moments, but these are the 10 that are constantly living rent-free inside my mind.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
One of the most popular fan theories regarding theStar Wars: The Clone WarsTV show is that Korkie Kryze, the nephew of Duchess Satine Kryze, is actually the secret love child of Satine and Obi-Wan Kenobi. While this may sound ludicrous at first,The Clone Warsshocked audiences by revealing that Obi-Wan did in fact have romantic feelings for Satine—so much so that he said he would have left the Order if she’d asked. The show drops a number of other hints (likely red herrings) that Korkie is really Obi-Wan’s son.
For one, Korkie truly does look like a perfect blend of Obi-Wan and Satine’s physical features. Arguably, Korkie looks even more like Obi-Wan than he does Satine. Moreover,it makes little sense that Korkie is Satine’s nephew, as Satine’s sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, has no children. Evidently, the sisters have another sibling who was Korkie’s parent, but that character is mysteriously never identified.
This long-running fan theory even created ample discourse around Rey’s parentage in theStar Warssequel trilogy, as some thought Korkie could be the missing link to make Rey a Kenobi. Of course, this proved not to be the case. Sadly, this theory is unlikely to ever come true. Obi-Wan is, in some ways, the opposite of Anakin as a Jedi; revealing Obi-Wan to have a secret son would de-legitimize his character and mirror Anakin’s story too closely. Even so, this would have been an incredible twist.
Mace Windu
Samuel L. Jackson has made it no secret that he believes Mace Windu could have survived his fall inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithand wants to see that storyline confirmed inStar Warscanon. It’s delightful that Samuel L. Jackson wants to return, and the resurrection of Mace Windu would certainly prove interesting. While some may have a bit ofStar Warsmiraculous resurrection fatigue, few actors in the franchise have been so vocal about hoping their dead character isn’t really dead.
Mace Windu’s return would also certainly not be the strangest of them all. Palpatine’s extremely controversial resurrection inStar Wars: The Rise Of Skywalkerwas very loosely addressed in the movie, and Asajj Ventress' return inStar Wars: The Bad Batchhas yet to be explained whatsoever. Even character resurrections that have been somewhat explained, such as Darth Maul’s, wouldn’t make Mace Windu’s return seem odd by comparison.
Padmé Amidala
Another popular fan theory regardingRevenge of the Sithis the possibility thatPadmé may have gained some level of Force sensitivity while she was pregnant with Luke and Leia. Although there’s very little compelling evidence for this, it is notable thatStar Warshasn’t quite addressed what impact (if any) the Force has on pregnancy. Given Padmé was pregnant with two Force-sensitive babies, one of whom is one ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi, it doesn’t seem out of the question that she would have been affected in some way.
This would also be a nice way to give Padmé’s character a bit more substance in the movie. Although she had been a wonderfully dynamic character in the first two prequel trilogy movies, inRevenge of the Sith, she had lost some of her agency. While it may be unlikely, this would be one fascinating twist for the character that could make her trajectory in the movie a bit easier to swallow.
Leia Organa
Interestingly,there is some canon evidence to suggest that Anakin may have chosen Leia’s name, and Padmé may have chosen Luke’s. In theStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithnovelization, written by Matthew Stover, Padmé and Anakin are discussing the baby (as they don’t yet know Padmé is carrying twins), and Anakin reveals that he believes the baby to be a girl. Padmé, instead, is sure the baby is a boy.
Purchase the Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novel
In the end, they were both right. However, this suggests that they may have had conversations about baby names, wherein each of them would have put forth a name based on the gender they believed the baby would be. This would also make the speed with which Padmé names the twins inRevenge of the Sithmake more sense, as she names them as soon as she sees them and does not seem to pause, hesitate, or consider. This would be an especially sweet theory forStar Warsto confirm, as Padmé and Anakin never got to be true parents.
This would be an especially sweet theory forStar Warsto confirm, as Padmé and Anakin never got to be true parents.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The way Padmé diedhas long been controversial inStar Wars, especially because one pervasive theory is that she died of a broken heart. InRevenge of the Sith, the medical droid doesn’t necessarily confirm that; rather, it indicates that, for unknown reasons, they were losing Padmé, who seemed to have lost the will to live. Even if it wasn’t so-called broken heart syndrome, though, Padmé simply losing the will to live—especially because she’d just given birth to her twins—has always been a disappointment.
A much better theory is thatPalpatine was using the Force to drain Padmé’s life and transfer her life force to Anakin to keep him alive. This would make sense, as Anakin was left very nearly dead on Mustafar after his fight with Obi-Wan; all the technology in the galaxy likely couldn’t have repaired the amount of damage he’d sustained. The Force, however, could. This would also be a much more respectful explanation of Padmé’s death, who surely wouldn’t have abandoned her children by choice.
R2-D2
Although never confirmed inStar Warsmovies and shows,George Lucas evidently considered making R2-D2 the narrator of the entireStar Warssaga. In the bookHow Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise, author Chris Taylor identifies the source of this theory as George Lucas himself, which lends significant credence to the concept. If this were to be confirmed, it would be an incredible update for the character.
Purchase How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise
R2-D2 is one of the most critical characters inStar Wars, although it’s perhaps easy to overlook him because he is a droid. Not only has the little R2 unit been present throughout the Skywalker Saga, but he also fought loyally by the side of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker. It would therefore make perfect sense for him to be the one to narrate at least the three trilogies—after all, he was there for all of it.
Luke Skywalker
BetweenThe Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader cuts off Luke’s hand, andReturn of the Jedi, Luke acquires a brand-new green lightsaber after using his father’s blue one. While a monumental moment in Luke’s Jedi path, Luke finding the Kyber crystal and building the lightsaber shockingly happens off-screen. Perhaps for that reason,Star Warsaudiences have put forth fascinating theories about where Luke could have gotten the crystal and how he put the lightsaber together.
One very popular theory is thatLuke actually used Qui-Gon Jinn’s Kyber crystal for his green lightsaber. Although this is entirely theoretical, it would be a beautiful homage to Obi-Wan’s Jedi Master and a Jedi who had such an influence on Anakin’s life. This would also make sense, as, presumably, Obi-Wan may have kept Qui-Gon’s saber; perhaps Luke knew where to find it.
Lando Calrissian
In the bookStar Wars: Shadow of the Sith, written by Adam Christopher, it is confirmed thatLando Calrissian has a long-lost daughter who was kidnapped. Throughout the book, he devastatingly searches for her, to no avail. Perhaps because this is such a terrible, crushing loose end to leave, manyStar Warsaudiences have sought answers.
Purchase Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith
For this reason, when Jannah was introduced inThe Rise of Skywalkeras an ex-stormtrooper (like Finn) who had been stolen as a child, many hoped she was Lando’s daughter after all. In fact,The Rise of Skywalker’sendingeven nods toward that possibility, with Lando taking a special interest in helping her uncover where she comes from. Sadly, this remains only a theory, but, hopefully,Star Warswill eventually reunite Lando with his daughter, whether that be Jannah or someone else.
2The Sequels Are An Alternate Reality Timeline
Many Believed Newer Star Wars Shows And Movies Would Prove This
The sequel trilogy received significant criticism and backlash, and many consider the trilogy,The Rise of Skywalkerin particular, to be amongStar Wars’worst movies. Because of that, many fans have looked for a way to remove the sequels from the canon. One prominent theory to that end is that the sequel trilogy may take place in an alternate timeline entirely.
In truth,the sequels get a lot more hate than they deserve. Yes,The Rise of Skywalkermade some odd choices, and the trilogy has inconsistencies because the movies changed hands multiple times; however, they certainly don’t deserve outright vitriol. Even so, this theory is an intriguing one. For one,Star Wars’World Between Worldsremains a mystery that could unlock countless possibilities. For another, this explanation would allow for a different (happier) end for the original trilogy’s three heroes, who each had a fairly terrible demise in the sequels.
Moreover, this could explain why major characters such as Ahsoka Tano and Din Djarin, who are so active in the New Republic Era, were entirely absent from the sequels (save when Ahsoka speaks to Rey at the end ofThe Rise of Skywalker). Of course, this is very unlikely to happen.Star Wars’most recent TV shows have in fact done plenty to create continuity with the sequels (The Bad Batchin particular), andRey’s upcomingStar Warsmoviemore than suggests she’s here to stay.
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
One egregious event inThe Rise of Skywalkeris the rapid and underwhelming death of Ben Solo. After turning back to the light side of the Force and giving his life for Rey, Ben Solo dies suddenly and almost immediately vanishes. Worst of all, while Luke and Leia’s Force ghosts make an appearance on Tatooine to watch Rey bury their lightsabers, they do not show up for Ben as he passes on. Like an alternate timeline,the return of Ben Solo (in some capacity) could take place through the World Between Worlds, similar to Anakin’s return inAhsoka.
Sadly, Adam Driver has confirmed multiple times thatStar Warsis moving on without him, making this unlikely. Of course, there could be other ways forStar Warsto confirm that Ben Solo’s spirit lives on in some way without it requiring Adam Driver’s return. While each of these 10 theories has yet to be confirmed, and they may never be, they do represent the very best fan theories throughout theStar Warsfranchise.
