When the prequels finally arrived, not everything was as long-time fans imagined, and each film raised more questions. New characters appeared who had never been hinted at, characters who shouldn't have known each other interacted, established aspects of the universe were contradicted, and some things just made no sense. Certain questions were answered as the prequels progressed, and a few were addressed in other media, but many of George Lucas' Star Wars plot holes were never fully resolved.

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15 How Did The Galaxy's Technology Get Worse?

Prequel technology is bigger and flashier

One of the most noticeable differences between Lucas' Star Wars trilogies is the technology, which is much more polished and advanced in the prequels. Not all the technology is radically different in the prequels, but it definitely received an upgrade in key areas, even though the films are set decades before the originals. While the real-world reason is that the prequels were made 20 years later, there are some possible in-universe explanations. The Empire may have prioritized efficiency and mass production over quality, while the Rebellion took what they could get, even if it was outdated.

14 Yoda Wasn't The Jedi Master Who Instructed Obi-Wan

Qui-Gon Jinn was Obi-Wan's master

Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back that Yoda was the Jedi Master who instructed him, but Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace seemed to contradict this. Qui-Gon Jinn was Obi-Wan's master throughout the film, and while Obi-Wan mentioned a lesson he learned from Yoda, there was no other implied history. However, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones revealed that all Jedi younglings receive their basic instruction from Yoda. Even so, some of Obi-Wan's lines in The Empire Strikes Back suggest more history between them as master and apprentice.

13 Why Did Obi-Wan Not R2-D2 & C-3PO?

They went through a lot together

Obi-Wan Kenobi did not seem to R2-D2 or C-3PO in A New Hope despite everything they went through in the prequels. R2-D2 saved Ob-Wan's life several times, Obi-Wan knew him by name in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and C-3PO was present when Obi-Wan left Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar. These seem like events Obi-Wan wouldn't forget, but there's no clear indication that he recognizes either droid. Of course, this could be another thing Obi-Wan kept from Luke, and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series showed that Obi-Wan didn't always think much of droids.

12 Why Didn't Qui-Gon Hire A Smuggler On Tatooine?

It was the same situation as A New Hope

A Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace plot hole that becomes clear when comparing the two trilogies is how much time the Jedi wasted on Tatooine. When Obi-Wan Kenobi needed to get off Tatooine in A New Hope, he hired a smuggler at the Mos Eisley Cantina. However, when Qui-Gon Jinn is in the same situation, he can't think of anything until Anakin Skywalker says he'll race in the Boonta Eve Classic. It feels like Obi-Wan took 32 years to think of hiring a smuggler just so there was an excuse for the Podrace to happen.

11 The Force Has A Biological Component

Yoda stressed the mystical aspect of the Force

While the Force is created by living things, Yoda stressed that it was mystical, not physical. He told Luke Skywalker that the mind was more important than the body and that beings are luminous, "...not this crude matter." In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, however, Qui-Gon Jinn explained the concept of midi-chlorians, microscopic organisms in living cells that allow Jedi to hear the will of the Force. Using science to measure someone's potential and making the Force about biology contradicts Yoda's explanation. Still, Lucas believed that midi-chlorians did not detract from the mystical side of the Force.

10 A Thousand Generations Vs. A Thousand Years

Palpatine's history lesson created a problem

Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker that the Jedi were the guardians of peace in the Old Republic for "...over a thousand generations." A generation is approximately 25 years, so most fans and authors took this literally by making the Jedi and the Republic 25,000 years old. However, Chancellor Palpatine states in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones that the Republic "...has stood for a thousand years..." contradicting A New Hope. The Star Wars Expanded Universe retconned this by having the Galactic Republic reform after the Sith were defeated, leading to 1,000 years of peace.

9 Stormtroopers Were Meant To Be Clones Of Jango Fett

Even though they're clearly not

Stormtroopers appeared to be conscripted soldiers in the original Star Wars trilogy, but the prequels suggested otherwise. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones introduced the Republic's clone army, all made from the DNA of bounty hunter Jango Fett. In the DVD commentary, Lucas said Jango hitting his head while entering his ship was a reference to the stormtrooper who hit his head in A New Hope, suggesting it was a trait inherited from Jango. Of course, having the stormtroopers be clones of Jango Fett makes no sense for a few reasons.

For one, the stormtroopers sound and act nothing like Jango, which seemed to matter somewhat to Lucas. After Boba Fett was revealed as a clone of his father, Jango actor Temuera Morrison redubbed his line for the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back. If all the stormtroopers were clones of Jango, then their voices should have been changed too. Thankfully, Star Wars canon dropped this idea by showing that the clones were gradually phased out of service in favor of conscripted soldiers loyal to the Empire.

8 Obi-Wan Didn't Try To Save Anakin After He Turned

It was Pé who thought as Luke did

When Luke Skywalker begged his father to come with him in Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader was reminded of how "Obi-Wan once thought as you do." However, after Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Pé Amidala saw the good in Anakin and begged him to come with her. Obi-Wan only spoke to Anakin briefly before they fought, and he mostly argued during the fight rather than trying to redeem him. Having Obi-Wan plead with Anakin at least once could have gone a long way in resolving this issue.

7 How Did Leia Her Mother?

Newborn infants don't normally have good memory

After learning Princess Leia Organa was his twin sister, Luke Skywalker asked her about the mother he never knew. Despite having died when she was young, Leia had images and feelings of her mother, but this became confusing after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Pé Amidala died immediately after giving birth to Luke and Leia, so there's no reason Leia should have had any memories. However, some Star Wars comics have shown Leia's ability to sense the history behind certain places and objects through the Force, including a mural of her mother when she visited Naboo.

6 Only Certain Jedi Can Become Force Ghosts

Raises questions about everybody who becomes one

Most Star Wars authors assumed any Jedi could become a Force Ghost when they died, but George Lucas had other ideas. Yoda told Obi-Wan Kenobi that Qui-Gon Jinn had discovered the path to immortality and that he would show him how to communicate with his old master. However, it was never explained how Anakin Skywalker learned to become a Force Ghost when he died. Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader by Ryder Windham tackled this by having Obi-Wan show Anakin the technique before he ed into the Netherworld of the Force.