The Star Wars saga is one of the most popular and beloved sci-fi franchises ever, but even the best stories can have the biggest plot holes and continuity errors. George Lucas proved he was a masterful storyteller with the original Star Wars trilogy, which told a compelling narrative that was expertly structured and executed perfectly. Lucas was also fortunate to have other talented writers help him with the screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as he would admit that dialogue was not his strong suit.
However, the saga became more complicated when Lucas returned to write and direct the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which contradicted some of what Lucas had alluded to in the originals. Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012, allowing others to tell cinematic stories in his galaxy far, far away, but these films featured their own problems. The franchise’s constant expansion into other storytelling mediums created even more contractions, resulting in 10 Star Wars plot holes that still plague the saga.
10 Why Didn’t Obi-Wan Use Force Speed To Save Qui-Gon?
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Force speed first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke Skywalker jumped out of a carbon-freezing chamber before Darth Vader could capture him. The beginning of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced a variant of this ability when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi used a burst of Force speed to sprint away from the droidekas attacking them. This incredible ability displays the Jedi’s power, affording them a quick escape from a tight spot.
Obi-Wan couldn’t run fast enough to help his master before the energy shields were turned back on, but this wouldn’t have been a problem if he had remembered using Force speed earlier in the film.
Unfortunately, it also created a plot hole near the end of The Phantom Menace when Obi-Wan was separated from Qui-Gon and Darth Maul. Obi-Wan couldn’t run fast enough to help his master before the energy shields were turned back on, but this wouldn’t have been a problem if he had remembered using Force speed earlier in the film. Perhaps Obi-Wan used too much energy during the fight or thought he had to be careful with his timing, but this problem could have been avoided if he and Qui-Gon had never had Force speed at the start of the movie.
9 When Exactly Was Sifo-Dyas Killed?
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Another plot hole involving Obi-Wan Kenobi can be found in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones during his Kamino investigation. Obi-Wan was shocked to learn that Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had ordered a clone army, while the Kaminoan prime minister was equally surprised that “Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago.” Since Attack of the Clones is set 10 years after Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, this would mean Sifo-Dyas placed the order sometime after the Battle of Naboo.
The only problem is that Obi-Wan contradicted himself later in the film while giving his report to the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan informed Mace Windu and Yoda that the Kaminoans received Master Sifo-Dyas’ order “…almost 10 years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that.” One scene says Sifo-Dyas was killed almost 10 years ago, while the other says he was killed earlier and couldn’t have placed the order. It’s possible that Obi-Wan lied to the Kaminoans, or received a specific date from them offscreen, but there’s no answer onscreen to clarify this contradictory dialogue.
8 Obi-Wan & Anakin Met Their Rivals During The Clone Wars
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith had Anakin Skywalker execute Count Dooku, while Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated General Grievous on Utapau. The film strongly implied that Anakin had not seen Dooku since Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, with Anakin stating “My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count.” Obi-Wan was similarly implied to have never met Grievous during the war, surprised by his abilities as Greivous explained how Dooku trained him.
This implication was later contradicted by Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which regularly paired up these rivals throughout the show. Anakin even fought Dooku more than once in 19 BBY, the year Revenge of the Sith is set, so saying that his powers had doubled since their last meeting no longer makes sense. It’s also illogical that Obi-Wan was surprised by Grievous’ abilities, or that Grievous would state that he was trained in the Jedi arts when Obi-Wan had already fought him throughout the war.
7 Why Does C-3PO Act Like He Doesn’t Know Leia?
Star Wars (aka A New Hope)
While the Star Wars prequels have plenty of plot holes, the franchise’s first continuity error appeared at the beginning of A New Hope. Just before the Empire locked Princess Leia Organa’s ship, the Tantive IV, in a tractor beam, C-3PO told R2-D2 “There’ll be no escape for the princess this time.” This implied that C-3PO had known Leia for a while, especially after the prequels revealed that he had been in her adopted father’s service for almost 20 years.
This makes it surprising that C-3PO has no idea who Leia is when Luke asks about her. The best answer C-3PO can give is that “…she was a passenger on our last voyage. A person of some importance, I believe.” C-3PO could have been programmed to lie to protect Leia’s identity, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t have mentioned his affiliation with the rebellion. While it certainly doesn’t ruin the movie, it would have been easy to fix this error by having C-3PO say “There’ll be no escape this time” or tell Luke who Leia was.
6 Vader Learns He Has A Son (At The Wrong Time)
The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition)
Some Star Wars plot holes were created by the special editions of the original trilogy, including Emperor Palpatine’s first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. In the theatrical version, Palpatine told Darth Vader “We have a new enemy, Luke Skywalker…” and Vader replied, “Yes, my master.” Vader already knew that Luke was his son, so he and Palpatine turned their attention to the threat he posed and whether he could be turned to the dark side.
For the 2004 DVD release, George Lucas added new dialogue to reflect the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Palpatine’s line was changed to “We have a new enemy, the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker.” While Vader was confused, Palpatine told him to search his feelings and accept the truth. Vader learning he has a son makes no sense in this scene, as he specifically referred to Luke as “Skywalker” earlier in the film. Lucas did this to fix one plot hole but ended up creating another.
5 How Does Leia Remember Her Mother?
Return of the Jedi
The end of the Star Wars prequel trilogy created a plot hole for Return of the Jedi by retconning Leia Organa’s past. When Luke Skywalker asked if she remembered her real mother, Leia could recall enough to know that she was “…very beautiful. Kind… but sad.” Leia’s recollection suggested that her mother raised her for a few years before she died, while Luke was sent to live with Owen and Beru Lars.
However, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith revealed that Leia was being literal when she said her mother died when she was “very young.” Padmé Amidala died immediately after giving birth to Luke and Leia, so there was no reason a newborn infant should have any memory of her mother. Lucas even admitted in behind-the-scenes footage that this contradicted Return of the Jedi but defended his decision because of the emotional impact. Some Star Wars comics have hinted that Leia’s Force abilities allowed her to sense aspects of her mother’s past when she visited Naboo.
4 Han Should Know The Jedi Were Real
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Han Solo was a skeptical man when he met Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, a perfect foil to an experienced Jedi Master like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite all the strange things he had seen during his travels, Han was never convinced that the Force was real, believing its practitioners relied on “tricks and nonsense.” Star Wars: The Force Awakens had Han’s story come full circle by having him fill Obi-Wan’s role, telling Rey and Finn about the nature of the Force he didn’t always believe in.
As powerful as this moment was, one line of dialogue didn’t add up with Han’s past. When Rey excitedly asked if the Jedi were real, Han replied “I used to wonder about that myself. Thought it was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.” While Han was always skeptical about the Force, it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t believe the Jedi existed, as he was 10 years old at the start of the Clone Wars. His home planet of Corellia was a core world that built ships, so he wouldn’t have the excuse of living on a far-off desert planet like Rey.
3 Was Poe Dameron Ever A New Republic Pilot?
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Poe Dameron’s backstory was never fleshed out in the Star Wars sequel trilogy outside a few lines, but it was enough to create plot holes. In the opening battle of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he identified himself as “… Commander Poe Dameron of the Republic fleet,” even though he was with the Resistance and the New Republic fleet had been destroyed. The previously released tie-in books and comics clarified Poe’s history, making him a New Republic pilot recruited by Leia to join the Resistance.
However, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker contradicted Poe’s established backstory when Zorii Bliss revealed that he was a spice runner before he left to join the Resistance. This explanation contradicted the books and left no gap between Poe’s criminal and his time in the Resistance for him to have been a New Republic pilot. Star Wars: Poe Dameron – Free Fall by Alex Segura doubled down on Poe’s backstory by revealing that he fled to the Resistance after seeing a holo-recording of Leia, as he was wanted by the New Republic and the Spice Runners he betrayed.
2 How Did Leia Know Rey Was A Palpatine?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Rey was horrified when Kylo Ren told her that she was the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, the most evil man in the galaxy. After seeing a vision of what she could become and feeling Leia’s death through the Force, Rey fled to Ahch-To and tried to exile herself as Luke Skywalker did. Thankfully, Luke’s Force Ghost talked sense into Rey, but not before revealing that Leia knew that she was a Palpatine.
This may have represented how Rey’s lineage never mattered to Leia, but it doesn’t explain how or when she learned this information. Leia learned Palpatine was alive alongside the rest of the Resistance, and there wouldn’t have been anyone she knew who could tell her. Perhaps Luke learned the truth after becoming a Force Ghost and told Leia himself, but he could have said that to Rey. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only plot hole created during Rey’s brief return to Ahch-To.
1 How Did Luke’s X-Wing Work On Ahch-To?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Although Luke Skywalker convinced Rey to go to Exegol, she knew she had destroyed the only ship that could get her off Ahch-To. Lucky for her, Luke lifted his old X-Wing out of the water in a scene reminiscent of Yoda doing the same in The Empire Strikes Back. Rey then flew the ship through the treacherous path to Exegol and later used it to return to the Resistance when the battle was over.
No matter how the film makes it seem, there is absolutely no way Luke’s X-Wing should have worked. It had been underwater for at least 5 years, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo said that Luke had one of the wings for the door of his hut. If the ship did work, then Luke had no excuse not to show up in person in the previous film. Star Wars will always be one of the greatest sci-fi franchises, but no long-running series is immune to plot holes and continuity errors.
