My earliest memories revolving around the Star Wars franchise stem from the early 2000s, around the time that those controversial and highly debated prequels were released. My brothers played every available film from the franchise on a continuous loop in our basement rumpus room and I had been gifted my very first lightsaber (which I adorably called my “life-saver”... you know, like the candy?). After catching a few sporadic scenes here and there, I eventually fell in love with the series and did my costume makeup like Pe every chance that I got. And I was not the only one.

Though it can have its problems at times (what fandom doesn’t), the Star Wars fandom is one of the biggest fandoms on this here planet and that is an impressive feat. This fandom has stood the test of time and has spent the better part of the 20th century turning itself into a household name. And with such a long-standing series, fans are bound to develop their own queries, opinions, and theories between the release of the films. And if you know anything about me then you’d know that I love fan theories.

I love seeing fandoms take shreds of information and piece them together until they believe that they have created the perfect puzzle piece to close that plot hole or solve that unanswered question. And in order to these two loves together, I have curated an article dedicated entirely to numerous Star Wars fan theories that have popped up over the past few decades.

Rejected: Are The Jedi's The True Villains?

This theory explains how the Jedi’s are actually the true villains of the series. This is due to the fact that they are attempting to bring balance to the force (I mean, it’s what they based their entire organization on) but their strict laws border on oppression. The film Attack of the Clones goes into detail about how strict and intense the Jedi can be. An example of this being that it is basically illegal for a Jedi to have any romantic entanglements as it was thought to increase the chances of someone turning to the dark side.

Real: Pe Was Being Mind Controlled

With Ewan McGregor right there, fans have tried their darndest to find a single reason why Pe would have ever gone for Anakin. And they have found it: a forced romance. Basically, this theory states that Anakin uses the ways of the force to convince this woman to fall in love with him. And it works….sort of. Rather than simply falling in love with him, she is put into a hazy brainwashed state that her body was trying as hard as it could to fight against. This fight drained her life force entirely in the end.

Real: Leia Was A Shield

Since recent films released into the franchise and added to the canon of the universe confirms that Leia had an element of the force, many fans have begun to theorize that her ability to use the force appeared earlier in the series. There is a theory floating around the interwebs that states that she was the reason why the stormtroopers could never land a single shot. The theory explains that her need to protect everyone manifested in the form of a shield and protected the gang as they escaped and fought for the good side.

Rejected: Jedi Mandated Population Control

This theory states that one of the more intensive acts committed by the Jedi is the fact that they have enacted their own method of population control. There is a theory that states that the Jedi council combs through the children training to their ranks and eliminate any child that shows an affinity or ability to turn towards the dark side (and that Anakin was simply powerful enough to hide this and sneak by). This theory seems to further the idea that the Jedi were truly the real villains all along.

Real: What Caused That Asteroid Field?

There is a theory floating around that says that the asteroid field that the characters flew through were actually not originally asteroids but rather the remnants of a destroyed entity. But no one can seem to agree on what that entity was before the destruction. Some believe that it was the remnants of Alderaan, though the placement does not entirely match up. Others believe that the asteroids were made up of the remaining pieces of the test planet that would eventually lead to the Death Star. Version 1 of the star, so to speak.

Real: Storm Troopers Do Not Have Bad Aim

You know that infamous inside joke that the internet shares based upon the bad aim that the Stormtroopers have due to their inability to land a single shot? Well, this theory which has been circling around the interwebs for some time claims that the main characters were protected by the force that lay deep inside them as it formed a sort of shield. Another theory states that they were purposefully trying not to land any shots in order to capture them in one piece in order to bring them to Vader for a little family reunion.

Rejected: Jar Jar Binks Is A Sith Lord?

To summarize as briefly as possible, this theory states that it was originally intended for Jar Jar to be a sith lord but negative reception changed that plan. This theory is backed up by the fact that Jar Jar is an exceptionally skilled warrior and proficient at combat (while having no reason to be), has an in-depth knowledge of things relating to the dark side that he should be ignorant to, and the odd fact that Palpatine and Jar Jar maintain a friendship into Episode III.

Real: Obi-Wan Lied About Not Knowing R2D2

Okay, so there is simply no way that Obi-Wan did not know/recognize R2D2 and C3PO. Simply no way. He literally spent the entirety of the prequels chumming it out with those two so why does he not recognize them now? The most obvious reason for this was that he was lying. But why lie? There is a fan theory that believes that the reason that Obi-Wan lied was that telling the truth would have revealed too much to Luke far too quickly and that the boy needed to be eased into things.

Real: Ewoks Find Humans Delicious

I mean, yeah? They are bears. But the question is whether or not they eat them because they need to or because they want to. This theory states that the latter is true. This theory is based on the fact that they seem all too eager to grab themselves a snack when the characters land on their planet. It is important to note that humans are not a part of their natural diet. Which leads one to believe that they are a long-awaited treat, like birthday cake, that the Ewoks delight in having the privilege to consume.

Rejected: Vader Could See All Futures

Note: this theory does not take the sequels into consideration. This theory explains that Vader was, more or less, powerless in the long run as he was simply a puppet in the eyes of fate. Once he harnessed the power of the force, he saw all timelines at once, all possible outcomes for each and every single action he (and those around him) could make, and he chose the path of least resistance without alerting the dark side of his intentions. He did what he did, even if he did not want to because he knew that he had to secure the best for his children.