‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ has a surprising number of small mistakes – from actors bumping into things to props behaving strangely – that weren’t caught during editing. These aren’t complaints about the story itself, but noticeable errors you can spot while watching, like continuity issues or obvious special effects flaws. Once you know what to look for, especially in bright or slow-motion scenes, they’re pretty easy to find. Here are ten of the most well-known mistakes that fans have been noticing for years.

The Stormtrooper Who Smacks His Head on the Doorframe

A funny mistake happens on the Death Star when a stormtrooper bumps his helmet against a closing doorway. It’s a quick moment, but you can see – and even hear – the slight impact and stumble as the troopers walk through. Later versions of the film actually added a sound effect to highlight the blooper, making it even more noticeable. It’s one of the most obvious mistakes left in the movie.

Landspeeder “Hover” Smears and Wheel Shadows

The effect of Luke’s landspeeder floating was created by visually concealing the wheels using a blurry effect added to the film. If you look closely in many scenes, you can see a soft, hazy blur underneath the vehicle as it moves across the desert of Tatooine. Sometimes, faint shadows of the wheels or the lines used to create the effect are still visible. While updates to the film have lessened these visual flaws, remnants of the original technique can still be spotted in some shots.

Cantina Shootout Blaster Timing Oddities

The famous scene between Han Solo and Greedo in the cantina has been changed over time, resulting in some strange moments. Specifically, the way the blaster shots fly and how quickly Han ducks look unnatural in certain versions. If you watch the scene closely, frame by frame, you’ll notice the shots and movements are different depending on which version you’re watching. These small changes create minor inconsistencies in an otherwise well-made scene.

Obi-Wan’s Vanishing Act Leaves Prop Confusion

Okay, let’s talk about that iconic duel between Obi-Wan and Vader. As a viewer, I always noticed something a little…off. When Obi-Wan seemingly vanishes, leaving behind his cloak and lightsaber, things don’t quite line up. If you look closely, the position of the lightsaber hilt actually moves between different camera angles, and sometimes seems to disappear altogether! Plus, the way his cloak is draped changes noticeably as they show the aftermath. It’s a pretty classic example of a continuity error, and it happens right in one of the most important scenes in the whole movie.

Death Star Officer Rank Badges That Don’t Match

Imperial officers’ rank badges, which are rectangular with colored squares, sometimes have inconsistencies. If you watch closely during conference room scenes, you’ll notice the layout of these badges changes between shots. Comparing one shot to the next reveals swapped rows or different numbers of colors, a minor wardrobe mistake that’s noticeable if you pause and examine the details.

English-Language Readouts on a Galaxy Far, Far Away

If you look closely at the Death Star’s controls and panels in the original ‘Star Wars’ film, you’ll sometimes see English letters. Labels and displays actually use familiar characters and even recognizable words on buttons and screens. While later films switched to a made-up script, these early interfaces often look like technology we’d see on Earth. These details are most noticeable when you pause or zoom in on the scenes.

Sandtrooper Pauldron and Gear Switch-Ups in Mos Eisley

As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve noticed a little something at the Mos Eisley checkpoint scene. If you really look closely at the sandtrooper commander, his orange shoulder piece—the pauldron—doesn’t quite match up perfectly from shot to shot. The color seems a little different, and the way his ammo pouches or other gear are positioned on his shoulder subtly changes. When you compare the shots side-by-side, it’s clear these aren’t just because of him moving around – it looks like they swapped things between takes. The way the scene is edited, jumping between different angles, actually makes these little costume changes more noticeable.

The Garbage Compactor’s Bendy Metal Pole

Inside the trash compactor, the heroes try to hold back the crushing walls with a metal pole. However, the pole bends easily, much like it was made of foam – something real metal wouldn’t do. If you watch closely, the pole appears to change shape and how sturdy it is in different shots, revealing it wasn’t actually a solid, heavy piece of metal. After the danger passes, even the way the pole looks seems to shift slightly from one shot to the next.

Lightsaber Color and Blade Artifacts

During Luke’s lightsaber training on the Millennium Falcon, inconsistencies appear in the blade’s color and brightness – it sometimes looks almost white, and other times distinctly blue. A few frames even reveal the physical prop used to create the effect. Similarly, Darth Vader’s lightsaber changes color slightly in different shots of the Death Star, a result of the limitations of the visual effects and filming schedule.

The Chasm Swing’s Pre-Set Cable and Harness Glimpses

If you watch closely during Luke and Leia’s swing across the gap on the Death Star, you can see how the stunt was prepared. Sometimes, you can spot the cables used to support them before the grappling hook even fires. Depending on how the scene looks, you might also notice parts of the harness or rigging. The fast pace of the scene usually covers it up, but the setup is visible if you pay attention.

Did you catch a quick mistake in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’? Share where it happens in the comments so other fans can take a look!

2025-11-18 03:48