10 Facts About the 'Star Wars' Universe for May the 4th 'Star Wars' Day is upon us. To celebrate, here are
10 facts you may not have known about the franchise. 1. Orson Welles was almost
Darth Vader, but George Lucas thought
his voice would be too recognizable. 2. Robert Englund, AKA Freddy Krueger, encouraged Mark Hamill to audition for the role of Luke Skywalker. 3. Irvin Kershner initially passed on directing
'The Empire Strikes Back' before being convinced
by George Lucas to take it on. 4. George Lucas originally wanted Jim Henson
to voice Yoda, but he was too busy. 5. Yoda's first name was "Buffy,"
then "Minch Yoda," and finally
just shortened to Yoda. 6. George Lucas refused 20th Century Fox's request of naming 'Return of the Jedi' to 'Revenge of the Jedi' because Jedi's don't seek revenge. 7. It took up to seven puppeteers
to operate Jabba the Hutt. 8. Benicio Del Toro was supposed to play Darth Maul but dropped out after most of his lines were cut. 9. 'Revenge of the Sith' was the first
non-PG-rated 'Star Wars' film, and was
rated PG-13 instead. 10. Natalie Portman says 'Star Wars' almost
ruined her career, but it was saved by late
director Mike Nichols vouching for her.
