Interestingly, the final installment in the original Star Wars trilogy might well be the one that avoided errors the best. There are no glaring plot holes in the original, and very few that the prequels retrospectively created.
Even so, there are still plenty to work our way through. In the film that saw the Empire finally defeated and the second Death Star destroyed, we have gathered ten of the biggest errors in continuity.
Luke’s Lips Stop Moving Pretty Often
There are so many examples of the audience being able to hear Luke talk without seeing his lips move that it actually becomes a bit of an issue. Why did they need to overdub so many lines and re-record so many shots?
We see it when he shouts “come on” to Leia without moving his lips and we see it when he is explaining who Leia should kill when they’re on the speeders and his lips are clearly mouthing something else. He isn’t the only character guilty of these either, with Han taking on his share of reshot lines.
Why Is Vader Holding Two Sabers?
There is one brief moment when Vader is looking for Luke in the Throne Room of the Emperor in which Darth Vader is holding both his own red lightsaber, and another switched-off lightsaber in his left hand. There is a deleted scene that shows Luke throw his saber to Vader, explaining why this is present in the film, but no attempt to explain why they didn’t cut this strangely glaring error from the final product. When you notice it for the first time without context, it really is confusing trying to work out where Vader got this extra weapon from.
What About Chewie’s Bounty?
This is more of a plot hole than a continuity error. When Leia sneaks into Jabba’s palace disguised as a bounty hunter, she uses the excuse that she is escorting Chewbacca to Jabba in order to collect a bounty which is on his head. The fact that this allows her to be let in suggests that there actually is a bounty on Chewie’s head.
If that is the case, why is there not more attention on Chewie? Surely he’d have spent much of the series evading capture just as much as Han? When Boba Fett came to collect Han, why wouldn’t he have taken Chewie with him as well and claim two bounties for the price of one?
Luke’s Lightsaber Isn’t Really Anything Like His Fathers’
The Emperor ominously tells Luke that his lightsaber is just like his fathers’. Sure, they’re powerful sticks of colored light that can slice through stuff, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. In fact, Luke’s is green and Vader’s is red, and their handles look nothing alike. Luke’s saber looks much more like Obi Wan’s than it does Anakin’s. Even if the Emperor was talking about Anakin’s old blue Jedi saber, he still isn’t making a whole lot of sense.
Why Doesn’t Luke Know How To Block Force Lightning?
Both the prequel and sequel trilogies show that it is possible to block the use of force lightning. Yoda can do it when Dooku tries it, and Rey ends up being able to block the powerful attack of her grandfather Palpatine. The fact that Yoda trained Luke himself and knew that Luke was ultimately going to face the Emperor (known for his use of lightning) would suggest that he should have definitely prepared him for this. Instead, it ended up almost being his downfall.
Becoming One With The Force Is Inconsistent
When a Jedi becomes one with the force, their body disappears. This is shown for the first time when Obi-Wan passes in episode 4. Yoda then does the same, as does Luke in The Last Jedi. However, there isn’t a lot of consistency with how you achieve the technique. Qui Gon was cremated, and Anakin was destroyed along with the Death Star, yet we know both of these characters were able to return as force ghosts. Also, in the remastered version of the film, Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Anakin in ghost form, completely ruining the entire point of his retribution arc and now looking like he did when he was at his most evil.
Vader Gets Ready For His Own Scene
In their final fight, there must have been a lot of choreography for Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker to get used to. As such, we see Vader preparing for his next scene in the background of one particular shot.
You can actually see Vader wander over to a railing, stick his hand through, and wait for Luke to start chopping at it until it comes off. It seems very strange that they wouldn’t edit out this obviously unintended piece of footage from the final product.
How Does The Commander Know R2 Is There?
When on Endor and the Imperials have captured many of the rebels, C-3PO gives himself up by coming out from behind the bunker. To the Imperials, C-3PO is the only thing there, because R2-D2 is very obviously hidden by the wall of the bunker. Despite this, an Imperial commander shouts to “get those two” despite the fact that he should have any idea of R2’s presence. Perhaps 3PO accidentally gave his position away, or this commander was a secret force user. Probably not.
C-3PO’s Programming Must Have Changed
One of the only glaring plot holes in Return Of The Jedi is C-3PO’s adventures on Endor. He very clearly explains that his programming forbids him from impersonating deities. If 3PO’s portrayal in The Rise Of Skywalker taught us anything, it’s that his programming cannot be overridden by himself. A few minutes after explaining that his programming forbids this action, he starts pretending to be a creepy God that the Ewoks begin to worship. It doesn’t really make any sense, because his programming should make it completely impossible for him to even attempt to do the strange things he ends up doing.
Vader Isn’t There Yet, Luke
There are a lot of powerful things that the force can do. One of them is to look into the minds of people to whom you are close. As such, Luke (and Leia) seem to have some sort of telepathic bond with their father, Darth Vader. When Luke tells Leia that Vader has landed on Endor, it seems that this is his force connections allowing him to see that. The only problem is that Vader hasn’t actually landed yet. In the next scene, we see Vader stepping onto the surface of Endor a couple of minutes later than Luke said, so unless he has future-reading powers to go with his force, then this is a bit of an error.
