Stormtroopers Were Supposed to Wield Lightsabers, But George Lucas Changed Mind

Star Wars released in 1977 is considered one of the most significant science fiction films and holds a special place in the hearts of many Star Wars fans. The entire universe of George Lucas began with this fairy tale story inspired by the monomyth. Although few people believed in the success of the epic project, vision of Lucas captivated a large audience.

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George Lucas spent a long time developing the world of "far, far away Galaxy," writing several versions of the script and carefully considering the iconography, individual characters, and their appearance, including costumes and attributes. It took a while before he accepted the final versions of Han Solo, Darth Vader, or Chewbacca. Nevertheless, the characters created for the first Star Wars movie are the ones that have made the biggest impression on the audience and have become ingrained in the consciousness of movie enthusiasts.

Stormtroopers were also among the characters populating Lucas' world. The filmmaker had several ideas about these characters, but some of the concepts seem quite strange from today's perspective. At one point, the American considered the idea of having stormtroopers wield lightsabers - a feature that we now associate with Jedi or their formidable opponents sensitive to the Force. Moreover, Lucas wanted the stormtroopers to have shields. Ralph McQuarrie even created a conceptual sketch depicting this vision:

Insight Editions

You have to agree that the stormtroopers look rather... unusual in this version. Perhaps only Chewbacca dressed in shorts could rival them in the category of weirdness. We all definitely agree that George Lucas made the right choice in abandoning the idea of stormtroopers wielding lightsabers and shields.

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Pamela Jakiel

Pamela Jakiel

Finished film studies, graduate of the Faculty Individual Studies in the Humanities at the Jagiellonian University. Her master's thesis was about new spirituality in contemporary cinema. The editor of the Filmomaniak service since April 2023, supports the lead editor and the boss of all newspeople. She used to write for naEkranie. If she's not watching The Ninth Gate for the hundredth time, then she's reading books by Therese Bohman and Donna Tartt for the first time. She prefers gnosis over dread, dramas over horrors, Jung over Freud. She looks for symbolist paintings in museums. Runs long distances, and does even the longer ones on a gravel. Loves dachshunds.