Star Wars has an unfortunate habit of revealing spoilers in merchandise and marketing and here are five of the most egregious examples.
A recent merchandise release has seemingly leaked the appearance of Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Ahsoka series on Disney+. It’s pretty big news to have a major character’s return revealed in such a way but, in fact, Star Wars has actually been spoiling itself with merch and marketing for decades.
5. Destruction of the Death Star II
The destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi is a pivotal moment in the film as it signals the seemingly final defeat of the Empire.
However, the trailers and TV spots for the film inadvertently revealed the fate of the battle station as they showed the Death Star’s core explode and Lando’s signature “yeehaw” as he and the rebels fly into the inner workings of the superweapon.
4. Han Solo frozen in carbonite
Aside from the iconic “I am your father moment,” The Empire Strikes Back is arguably best remembered for the heart-wrenching scene where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite.
Incredibly, trading cards for the film made by Topps spoiled this memorable moment before The Empire Strikes Back had even his cinemas.
3. Padmé’s ‘secret’ identity
The revelation that Padmé Amidala is, in fact, the Queen of Naboo is a pivotal moment in 1999’s The Phantom Menace as it proves to be the catalyst in cementing the alliance between the Naboo and the swamp-dwelling Gungans.
While the film attempts to convince viewers that Padmé is little more than a handmaiden, some Star Wars toys released in the mass of merchandise ahead of the film proved to be spoilers for her real identity as the queen.
2. The entire plot of Revenge of the Sith
You could argue that thanks to the original trilogy, we already knew what was going to happen in Revenge of the Sith before it exploded onto our screens in 2005 – unless you decided to first watch Star Wars in episode order.
However, the film’s trailers did their best to spoil the entire plot of the film including story beats such as Anakin’s fall to the dark side and his transformation into Darth Vader, the revelation that Chancellor Palpatine was Darth Sidious and the duels between Anakin and Obi-Wan as well as Yoda and Sidious. Heck, the trailer even spoiled the film’s Chewbacca cameo.
On top of that, the video game tie-in for Revenge of the Sith, which was released several weeks before the film, also spoiled the entire plot, pretty much scene by scene.
Incredibly, Revenge of the Sith still held up as the best of the prequel trilogy despite being gratuitously spoiled beforehand as the film is more about the journey than the actual destination.
1. Qui-Gon’s death
One of the most famous Star Wars spoilers that was revealed by a piece of tie-in media was Qui-Gon Jinn’s death which was teased by the film’s soundtrack.
John Williams’ incredible score for the first Star Wars prequel featured a track titled Qui-Gon’s Noble End, revealing that Liam Neeson’s Jedi Master was doomed to bite the dust before the film even came out.
If that wasn’t enough to confirm Qui-Gon’s demise, the next track on the soundtrack – High Council Meeting and Qui Gon’s Funeral – certainly was.
- REQUIRED VIEWING: 18 Star Wars Rebels episodes you need to watch before Ahsoka
Ahsoka is scheduled to arrive on Disney+ with its first two episodes on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
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