Like any long-running franchise,Star Warshas notable plot holes and continuity errors, butGeorge Lucasprovided the perfect explanation for all of them. As moreStar Warsmovies, TV shows, books, comics, etc. were released, it was inevitable that there would be some contradictions between stories. SeveralStar Warswriters have added their own retcons to the franchise that attempt to fix or recontextualize plot holes.
The originalStar WarsLegends Expanded Universeeven had aStar Warscanon hierarchy, prioritizing certain stories over others if there were contradictions. However, the current Disney continuity gives every story equal canon status, making blatant errors harder to rectify. Thankfully, there are ways to look atStar Warsthat make plot holes manageable, including an answer from the saga’s creator.
Star Wars Is “From A Certain Point Of View”
A story about something that happened a long time ago
One of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s most important lessons to Luke Skywalker was how everything is"from a certain point of view.“While Darth Vader being Luke’s father is an ingrained part ofStar Warsnow, it was originally a massive retcon that required an explanation in the following movie. When he wasn’t fully moved by Obi-Wan’s justification,Obi-Wan told Luke that"many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”
As much as we’d likeStar Warsto be a perfectly consistent story with no contradictions whatsoever, this is true in-universe and in real life.Our real-world history involves finding as much evidence and first-hand accounts from the past as possible, putting them together to make the most accurate story.Star Warsis likely the same way, a collection of stories from long ago told from various points of view.
Lucas took this idea further by having theStar Warssaga be written in the “Journal of the Whills,” which was written long after the actual story. In canon,everyFrom a Certain Point of Viewanthology ends with comedic stories about the Whills arguing over how theStar Warssaga should be writtenand what details should be included. Lucas also gave another answer to go along with this while working on the prequels.
George Lucas Believed R2-D2 Was The True Narrator Of Star Wars
The Journal of the Whills was written after an interview with R2-D2
Although there are many points of view acrossStar Warsmedia, Lucas believed one perspective mattered most in the movies… R2-D2. According toHow Star Wars Conquered the Universeby Chris Taylor,Lucas shared his ideas about R2-D2 and the Journal of the Whills with animation director Rob Coleman on the set ofStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith:
“The entire story of Star Wars is actually being recounted to the keeper of the Journal of the Whills—remember that?—a hundred years after the events of Return of the Jedi by none other than R2-D2.”
Because R2-D2 is a droid, one whose memory was never erased, this explanation makes sense. If the writer of the Journal of the Whills wanted to make the story as accurate as possible,they would be thrilled to talk to someone who had lived during that time and witnessed many monumental events.While this isn’t confirmed in canon, theStar WarsLegends timeline revealed that R2-D2 was still around at least 134 years afterReturn of the Jedi.
READ HOW STAR WARS CONQUERED THE UNIVERSE
Of course, memory erasure is standard for droids, so having that much information to juggle would likely be difficult for R2-D2. Droids may be more objective than humans, but R2-D2 is still a character with his own point of view, so not everything he told the keeper would be fully accurate.This could explain all theStar Warsmovies' plot holes and oddities, such as R2-D2 being able to fly inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Even The Movies May Not Be Accurate When R2-D2 Is Not Present
He witnessed more than most but wasn’t there for everything
R2-D2 being the saga’s true narrator would also mean the movies are less reliable accounts whenever he’s offscreen. He was present for most ofA New HopeandStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but he was absent from other subplots in the rest of the original and prequel trilogies. As for the Disney movies,R2-D2 spends all ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensin low-power mode, so he wouldn’t be any help for that chapter.
There are also countlessStar Warsstories outside the movies that don’t feature R2-D2.
This isn’t to say the Journal of the Whills isn’t accurate at all without R2-D2, asthere would have been other historical texts and first-hand accounts they could have researched to fill in the gaps. It just shows thatStar Warsis ultimately a story told by fallible authors, both in-universe and in real life.George Lucas' explanation offers an alternate and very fun way to view theStar Warsmovies, explaining every plot hole and continuity error.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
R2-D2
Many view R2-D2 as the true hero of Star Wars, because this redoubtable droid has played a key role in many galactic events. Artoo served as Anakin Skywalker’s Astromech droid during the Clone Wars, and was taken in by the Organa family on Alderaan after the Empire was established. He proved himself a tremendous ally for the Rebel Alliance, and he was the one who found his way to Luke Skywalker with the Death Star plans. Artoo remains active even in the sequel era.
George Lucas
Discover the latest news and filmography for George Lucas, known for Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
