While there's no doubt that Star Wars has become a pop culture icon today, it's equally certain that the franchise has experienced a few missteps, some of them incredibly embarrassing and memorable. So, here's a quick look back at some of the most embarrassing moments in the history of the Star Wars universe.
#10 Chewbacca's grandfather watches adult content in VR.
In the disastrous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, one sequence in particular still haunts fans: the one where Attichitcuk, Chewbacca's grandfather, dons a virtual reality headset to enjoy a show with relatively scabrous. Indeed, once the headset is put on, a disco singer, played by Diahann Carroll, virtually approaches the "venerable" Wookiee and whispers sweet nothings to him, all in a kitsch and embarrassing atmosphere, with the allure of an erotic fantasy.
Moreover, at this moment, Attichitcuk's smile and languid grunts seem to say a lot about the effect the video has on him. Presented in a program that is supposed to be family-friendly, this clumsily suggestive scene is now seen as one of the most embarrassing moments of the franchise. Worse still, it seems to have anticipated the rise of virtual adult content 40 years in advance. Between creative absurdity and total malaise, this disconcerting moment remains etched as an anomaly that fans would prefer to erase from their galactic memory.
#9 Yet another Death Star in The Force Awakens
Taking up, AGAIN (!) once again, the concept of a destructive superweapon like the Death Star in The Force Awakens is without doubt one of the laziest choices of the entire saga. Already criticized in The Return of the Jedi, this rehash seems all the more absurd because it offers absolutely nothing new: same idea, same threat, same destruction by a targeted attack. Its name, "Starkiller", is not enough to mask the blatant recycling. The moment when the rebels present it as "more dangerous because it is bigger" borders on self-parody. Why return to this threadbare idea? Instead of innovating, the film opens directly with a limp, creativity-free rehash, which struggles from the very beginning to justify its existence – except for the need to make profitable the 4 BILLION (!) dollar check dropped so that Disney could afford Lucasfilm.
#8 The Droids animated series (from 1985)
Historical curiosity? Perhaps. Enjoyable review? Absolutely not. Even nostalgia can't save the 1985 animated series Star Wars: Droids. Following the adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2, this attempt to extend the profitability of the original trilogy quickly turns into a disaster. Poorly animated, poorly written, and filled with absurd characters (like Mon Julpa, a clumsy prince and proto-Jar Jar Binks before his time), Droids is rife with awkward scenes. We meet ridiculous Imperial generals, incompetent waiter droids, and even an IG-88 who fancies himself king. The humor, meant to be aimed at children, mostly results in pure moments of awkwardness that will only provoke embarrassed smiles, even from the youngest. The forced romance plot and villains who stupidly self-destruct complete the picture. In a way, the series seems to herald some of the saga's worst future excesses. Droids alone deserves a list of its own most embarrassing moments.
Among the galaxy's most dubious merchandise, the "Jar Jar Binks tongue" lollipop deserves a place in the marketing horror pantheon. In the late 1990s, someone thought it would be a good idea to offer children a Jar Jar head, mouth wide open, revealing a candy tongue to suck on. Yes, a tongue. To suck on. In public. Who validated this concept?
Jar Jar, an already unloved character in The Phantom Menace (and in the saga in general), didn't need this sweet coup de grace to ruin his reputation. This lollipop, sold as a “fun” product, seems more like something out of a collective nightmare of traumatized fans. Even today, we still don’t know which is worse: Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, or trying to understand why someone would sincerely want to lick their sugar tongue until it completely melts.
#6 Leia’s Mary Poppins sequence in The Last Jedi
In the highly contested second installment of the postlogy, The Last Jedi, one of the most talked-about moments in the film remains the scene where Leia, thrown into space, floats back on board thanks to the Force. Obviously, from a narrative point of view, this is already questionable. This power, never prepared for in the previous films, seems to appear out of nowhere, and many fans perceived it as ridiculous, even embarrassing. Yet, on paper, the idea of an unprecedented use of Skywalker powers could have—at a pinch—worked. But it's the visual execution that makes the scene incredibly kitsch. Leia, frozen, arm outstretched, slowly slides through the void of space, like a poorly animated image on Windows Movie Maker. How can a production with such a budget offer such a poorly executed sequence? Today, this passage is nicknamed "Leia's Mary Poppins scene": it's cute... but we'd still prefer to forget it, right?
#5 The... long... silences... to... lengthen... the... episodes... of Star Wars series
Whether they are excellent (The Mandalorian), mediocre (The Acolyte), or simply "okay" (Ahsoka), all the Star Wars series on Disney+ suffer from the same irritating illness: endless silences between each line. Worse still, some scenes dare to pause between two words in the same sentence. This is not subtle acting, it is gap filling. When this trick is repeated in every series, every episode, every dialogue... we quickly understand that it is not an artistic choice, but a crude strategy to artificially lengthen episodes that are often hollow, or which, at least, would gain in narrative effectiveness if they were reduced by half. The height of absurdity is reached with Ahsoka, where the dialogue scenes seem stretched to the point of wearing out the patience of even the most loyal fan. This content clearly doesn't slow down the pace to create tension: it does it to extend your time on the platform and improve their statistics. And beyond being blatant, it's deeply annoying.
#4 The "romantic" sequences of Attack of the Clones
Among the most awkward moments in the prequels, the flirting scenes between Anakin and Padmé in Attack of the Clones stand out. What begins as a vaguely sisterly—even touching—relationship in The Phantom Menace turns, ten years later, into a frankly disturbing obsession. Anakin, now a young adult, spends his time staring at Padmé like a hungry predator, delivers a lurid tirade about sand—which has become cult for the worst reasons—and confides in her his attraction to dictatorship. Romantic? Not really. Their romance, supposed to be tragic and passionate, feels mostly forced, awkward, and the chemistry between Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen isn't exactly evident. Their secret marriage makes no sense: if you want a discreet relationship, avoid going through an official ceremony in front of two droids equipped with hard drives that are probably subject to the authority of the Republic. We understand that it ends badly... but did every scene have to be so cringe-worthy?
#3 The existence of Emperor Palpatine's sexual activities
Among all the very embarrassing twists in the postlogy, discovering that Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter remains a piece of information that, for many fans, triggered a shock followed by a deep unease: it implies that the Emperor had a sex life. Sure, George Lucas himself had planned to explore the Sith Lord's love life in a series that was ultimately canceled, but the idea is still strange. Fortunately (or not), the novels quickly clarified that Rey was born to a failed clone of Palpatine—a powerless "son" allowed to live on to potentially pass on Sith DNA. But even with that plot twist, the idea of this clone having a conversation with Rey's mother is still hilarious: "So, here goes... I'm a failed experiment in a zombie dictator." Charming. The most hilarious conclusion on this subject comes from Ian McDiarmid, who plays Palpatine, who brings up the question in an interview, confirming that yes, the Emperor "does that," while begging that we not think about it too hard.
#2 Han Solo gyrating to Jason Derulo
In the long list of embarrassing moments from the galaxy far, far away, seeing Han Solo gyrating like a teenager imitating rough choreography on TikTok via the game Kinect Star Wars is undoubtedly the point of no return. Conceived by minds visibly under the influence of the dark side, the 2012 game offered a “Galactic Dance Off” mode where our favorite smuggler fidgeted to a parody of Ridin’ Solo, in the very room where he had been frozen in carbonite.
The most disconcerting thing is that this sequence benefited from very special care: a song parodied with care, calibrated gameplay… nothing was left to chance — except good taste. It should be remembered, however, that this game was not intended as a parody. Moreover, the primary argument was rather: “Come and physically experience the events of the saga.” » In fact, I'm not sure that anyone, fan or not, thought: "Hey, I'd love to do a little choreography to Jason Derulo between two lightsaber fights and a trip into hyperspace.
#1 The romantic intrigue between Leia and Luke
Even though we know that Luke and Leia weren't originally meant to be siblings, that doesn't completely excuse the kissing scene in The Empire Strikes Back. Intended as a way to make Han Solo jealous, this sequence is now one of the most awkward moments in the saga, especially after the reveal of their familial connection in Return of the Jedi. Fortunately, most viewers are unaware that this already awkward plotline was extended into the Expanded Universe comics. Between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Luke and Leia share several more kisses—and even nearly end up in the same bed, before being interrupted by a droid! In retrospect, it's downright embarrassing. Even Mark Hamill admitted that this twist was "traumatic." It's better to laugh about it and, above all, try to forget.
And if pop culture disasters amuse you, you can also discover our Batman: 6 embarrassing moments we'd like to forget or Star Wars: George Lucas's 10 biggest mistakes
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