The Star Wars universe is one littered with things. Seems like denizens of the Jedi order never learnt the art of decluttering. They are walking collections of assorted futuristic bits and bobs, jangling collections of lightsabers, and blasters, and special boots and robes, and knick-knacks so varied and extensive that you have to wonder whether Finn was wrong. Maybe war isn’t the only thing in the galaxy that makes you rich – maybe it’s selling sundries to interstellar travellers.
Of course, there’s a clear reason for that: George Lucas is a bloody genius when it comes to world building. The Star Wars films are nothing if not extensive, and there’s a reason there exists an entire library of convoluted backstories: Lucas’ original vision, like that of fellow speculative fiction hero J.K. Rowling, is one that fans can utterly immerse themselves in. Just head over to sites like Wookiepedia to understand the breadth and depth of the Star Wars world. Every single item that ever flashed up onscreen; every character to burble or gurgle their way through a background shot – they all have a story.
To that end, here are four of the most insane Star Wars props ever made – trinkets from a galaxy far, far away:
Snowtrooper Helmet
Remember the Snowtroopers, those Empire lackeys who got thoroughly shot to bits on the Battle for Hoth? Maybe you don’t, in which case you’d be forgiven – their costume design never really took off in the way that the Stormtrooper suit did, and they’re hardly the most iconic antagonists in the original three films.
Not, mind you, that means there isn’t something alluringly beautiful about the Snowtrooper Helmet – it has a sleek coolness all of its own. That goes a long way to explaining why, when the prop went on the auction market in mid-2012, fans lost their mind. Who wouldn’t want to own something that goddamn badass?
Princess Leia’s Slave Costume
I’m going to be totally real with you – I’ve always found the fandom’s obsession with Princess Leia’s slave costume, the glorified bikini that she wore while strapped to the universe’s most unappealing worm-like mob boss to be pretty disgusting.
But, that said, you’ve gotta love the sheer legendary status the costume has racked up. It has a lore entirely of its own; a mystique that goes far beyond its relatively brief onscreen time in the film.
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Darth Vader’s Helmet And Breastplate
For an asthmatic bad dad with a temper tantrum, Darth Vader sure does have his fans, doesn’t he? That probably explains why original versions of his iconic helmet have been as hard to track down as a nudist camp on Hoth. They’re beautiful items in and of themselves – not to mention some of the most iconic headgear in the history of American cinema.
So it was a genuine shock when an OG Vader helmet and breastplate popped back up in the year of our lord 2012. The long-lost item, which had spent almost two decades attracting dust in a company store-room, had been sent to a replica company in order to produce a series of costumes that could be worn at the red carpet premier of The Empire Strikes Back.
The company forgot to send the item back, and a staff member – probably some intern who could have made a tiny sum had they been switched on enough to pocket the thing – threw it away in storage, where it sat until its sudden and remarkable re-discovery.
George Lucas’ Panavision Camera
What’s more iconic than a prop from Star Wars? How about the camera actually used to film the movie? Yup, that’s right: Lucas’ own trusty Panavision Camera, used to shoot the only film in the original trilogy Lucas himself directed, A New Hope, is probably the most iconic prop associated with the Star Wars Universe.
How else would one describe such an item – a beautiful, sleek camera in its own right that also so happens to be a part of true movie magic?
