10 Most Traumatic Events In Star Wars
Who knew we were so attached to the Ewoks?
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00:00 The Star Wars saga now spans three trilogies, several side movies, a handful of TV shows,
00:05 and dozens, if not hundreds of novels and books. That's not to mention all the comic books and
00:10 video games that have added their own depth to the universe. We've had every kind of tale in Star
00:15 Wars by this point. The comedy, the romance, the action-adventure, even a zombie story. Yes,
00:19 you heard that right. But if there's one theme that exists throughout all, it's tragedy.
00:24 Betrayals, heartbreak, death and destruction are just common occurrences when you're dealing with
00:28 powerful space wizards duking it out in a struggle of good versus evil. Needless to say,
00:33 Star Wars has been filled with traumatic events. Time and again we've seen our characters go
00:37 through ordeals or witness things that would turn anyone into a quivering wreck. And as an audience,
00:42 we've been left with our own scars. Due to the extensive nature of the Star Wars universe,
00:47 we've narrowed this down just to events that have happened in the movies. Be warned,
00:51 you're about to be triggered. I'm Si for whatculture.com and these are the 10 most
00:55 traumatic events in Star Wars. Number 10 - The Death of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen
01:01 Many of the most tragic events in Star Wars were catalysts for significant events happening
01:05 further down the line. The murder of Luke's guardians led to his decision to leave Tatooine,
01:10 the destruction of the Death Star and the eventual overthrow of the Empire. It's true that Luke
01:15 wanted to join the Rebel Alliance before his family's death, but the event triggered an early
01:19 departure, leading him into the path of Han and Chewie. Meeting the smuggling duo in Mos Eisley
01:24 was so integral to the story that half the offence to follow wouldn't have happened otherwise. For
01:29 one, Leia wouldn't have been saved, leaving the Rebellion without its greatest leader.
01:33 The death of Luke's Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen was certainly traumatic for the character,
01:37 but it kind of got glossed over. Luke looks sad for a moment, but then John Williams comes in
01:42 with his stirring heroes theme, reminding the audience that everything would work out. What's
01:47 more, Luke never grieves for his aunt and uncle, or even mentions them ever again. This guy had a
01:52 weird way of processing trauma. 9. Rhomba trying to wake Nanta
01:57 Star Wars and irritating alien species go together like scum and villainy. In the prequels,
02:01 fans had to sit through the ordeal that was Jar Jar Binks, but long before porgs were even a blip
02:06 on Disney's cash-grabbing radar, Ewoks were introduced into the Star Wars universe. They
02:11 were essentially child-sized teddy bears who liked playing Tarzan and had a thing for cooking and
02:15 eating humans alive. Yep, don't forget, originally they were going to eat Luke and company. No matter
02:21 how you felt about them, the Ewoks played an important role in the final instalment of the
02:24 original trilogy. Untold numbers of them died fighting alongside the rebels during the Battle
02:29 of Endor. It was the death of one in particular that really hit home though. When two Ewok warriors
02:34 are sent flying from a blaster impact, one desperately tries to wake the other, only to
02:39 realise his companion is dead. What makes things worse is that the Rebel Alliance totally manipulated
02:44 these guys into going to war for them. The only reason the Ewoks got on side is because they
02:48 thought C-3PO was a god. When you realise these guys only died in the name of religious fantasism,
02:54 it becomes a little more troubling. Number 8 - The Destruction of Alderaan
02:58 The Empire did some pretty reprehensible shit, but committing planetary genocide was top of the list.
03:04 Not only did they kill every last sentient being living on Alderaan, but they completely incinerated
03:08 all the fauna and flora, leaving nothing but hunks of rock floating through space.
03:13 Being environmentally conscious wasn't on the Empire's agenda for one second. Roughly two
03:17 billion people died in the explosion, including Leia's adoptive parents. The instant deaths of so
03:22 many caused such a disturbance that four sensitive beings like Obi-Wan were physically shaken.
03:28 Moff Tarkin, the foul-stinking commander of the Death Star, gave the order. He believed ruling
03:33 through fear was the only way to dominate a populace. If you could inflict mass trauma to
03:37 such degree that people were cowered into submission, then you were one step closer
03:41 to ruling the galaxy. He ordered all the Imperial personnel aboard the Death Star to watch the
03:46 destruction of Alderaan to remind them of the Empire's power. This had the effect of dissuading
03:51 those who had been thinking of joining the Rebellion from doing so.
03:54 7. The Loss of Rogue One
03:57 Rogue One was the darkest Star Wars movie we've ever seen. Sure, there was the wise-cracking
04:02 ex-Imperial droid K-2SO, but the overall tone was pretty sinister. It was the first time the
04:08 Rebel Alliance and its offshoots weren't painted merely as heroic freedom fighters.
04:12 It was implied that Saw Gerrera's partisans weren't above committing terrorist-like activities
04:17 to achieve their ends. Even Cassian Andor, the Alliance spy, had done some fairly nefarious
04:22 stuff in his fight against Palpatine's regime. We saw him kill the Alliance informant Tivic
04:28 when he feared he might be captured by the Stormtroopers. Yep, it's a much darker and
04:33 much more nuanced side of Star Wars. Despite seeing the protagonists get up to some
04:37 questionable behaviour, we still sympathised with their struggle. Their fight against the
04:41 Empire was justified, and the fact they were willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice for
04:45 their cause made them tragic heroes. As Rogue One battled to retrieve the Death Star plans,
04:49 it was clear they'd taken on a mission they would never return from. One by one,
04:53 we saw them go down in a blaze of glory, until the last moment when Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor
04:59 were engulfed in a fiery blast from the Death Star.
05:02 6. The Death of Shmi Skywalker
05:05 How old you were when the prequels came out will have affected your Star Wars experience.
05:09 For some, these movies might have been their first introduction to the Skywalker saga.
05:13 If that was the case, then the fall of Anakin to the dark side would have played out like
05:16 an unexpected tragedy. For those that already knew the fate of Anakin, they watched these
05:21 movies with a bitter helplessness. We knew all too well what was in store for young Skywalker.
05:26 He would succumb to fear, hate, anger and finally suffering, ultimately leading him to the dark side
05:32 and adopting the alias of Darth Vader. But regardless of how you watched this play out,
05:37 it was a traumatic experience, not just for Anakin, but for the viewer. Either this was like
05:41 watching your shining hero unexpectedly fall from grace, or it was akin to watching a train wreck
05:46 play out before your eyes. Fans wondered what might trigger Anakin into taking his final step
05:51 on the road to the dark side. When we saw Shmi near death after being bound and tortured by the
05:56 sand people, we knew this was the moment. 5. Anakin underestimating the high ground
06:03 Despite the criticism thrown at the prequels, they still had many redeemable features. Not least,
06:08 Ewan McGregor in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor adopted the cadence and nuances of Alec
06:13 Guinness just enough to make fans appreciate the effort while still making the character his own.
06:18 Although this was the story of Anakin, we sympathise with Obi-Wan just as much, if not more.
06:23 He watched his child pupil become the greatest Jedi in the galaxy before rapidly descending into
06:28 darkness. It was McGregor's acting chops, and the rare bit of good dialogue, that made his showdown
06:34 with Anakin so impactful. Watching the duel in Revenge of the Sith was equal parts exhilarating
06:39 and heartbreaking. The lightsaber battle was one of the best put to screen, but it signified the
06:44 end of the Jedi Order. We watched as Obi-Wan maimed his old friend, even as he espoused his
06:49 love for him. Kenobi's anguish at watching his brother consumed by hatred and flame was almost
06:54 too much to witness. Number 4 - Order 66
06:58 By the time of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order was rampant with hypocrisy and narrow-minded
07:02 conservatism. Even so, seeing them systematically executed during Order 66 was a tough pill to
07:09 swallow. In the days of the Empire, the Jedi had drifted into myth and legend, and the original
07:14 trilogy only hinted at their previous power and prowess. With the prequels, we got to see them at
07:19 the height of their pomp. We knew that ultimately, these films were leading to the downfall of the
07:23 Republic and the rise of the Empire. For that to happen, it was inevitable that the Jedi would come
07:28 to a tragic end. When the moment finally came, though, no amount of foreknowledge could have
07:33 prepared us. Watching Jedi Masters with names that I can't pronounce, like Ki-Adi-Mundi,
07:39 Aayla Secura and Plo Kloon, gunned down by the very clones they had led into battle,
07:44 was a kick to the stomach. What's more, we saw the execution of Padawans and younglings
07:49 as a legion of clones enveloped the Jedi Temple. 3. The Death of Qui-Gon Jinn
07:54 Qui-Gon Jinn was rare in that he was one of the few true Jedi in the entire Star Wars saga.
08:00 He had an unorthodox way of doing things, often disagreeing with the Jedi Council and following
08:05 his own instincts. He was aware that their dogmatic approach was causing many to lose a
08:09 true connection with the Force. He was humble, confident, without arrogance and wise enough to
08:15 see Anakin as the chosen one. Liam Neeson portrayed him as a protective and caring parental figure to
08:20 both Obi-Wan and Anakin. He was an instant fan favourite, but of course, he got killed off.
08:27 Although the Phantom Menace had its issues, the death of Qui-Gon was one of the most emotional
08:31 scenes in the entire saga. This was a moment that shaped the young Obi-Wan's future. The dying wish
08:36 of his master was for Anakin to be trained, a promise Obi-Wan tried to keep due to his devotion
08:41 to Qui-Gon, but felt haunted by when Anakin turned to evil. This death no doubt had a marked effect
08:47 on the young Anakin Skywalker also. He'd already gone through the trauma of leaving his mother to
08:52 her enslavement, and now his only other parental figure was dead.
08:55 Number 2 - The Youngling Massacre
08:58 By the time Episode 3 came to a close, it was clear there was no hope of saving Anakin Skywalker
09:03 from his fate. Up until this point, his past misdeeds could at least be explained. His
09:08 slaughter of the Tusken Raiders was a reaction to the torture and death of his mother. Even
09:12 relieving Mace Windu of his hand and causing his death was out of yearning to save Padme,
09:17 and it was clear he regretted the move. When it came to killing helpless younglings, however,
09:21 there was no longer any human emotion driving Anakin's actions. He was merely following the
09:26 will of the dark side. They were helpless children who asked for protection, and for a
09:31 brief moment it looked as though he might help them escape, until his lightsaber ignited. They
09:36 were doomed to death, and Anakin was doomed to darkness. By this point, we'd already watched
09:41 the clones gun down their Jedi commanders, Mace Windu had been brutally killed, and Anakin had
09:46 sworn allegiance to Palpatine. How could it get worse? Child Massacre.
09:51 Number 1 - Luke Drinking Green Milk
09:53 With all the atrocities committed by the Empire and the Sith, including the killing of innocent
09:58 children and the destructions of entire planets, nothing was as traumatic as seeing the one-time
10:03 hope for the galaxy milk an alien sea cow and chug down on its bodily fluids. It's fair to say the
10:09 final trilogy did the dirty when it came to Luke's character arc. Once the most loved figure of the
10:14 movies, he became a bitter old man who resembled little of the character we once knew. What Rian
10:20 Johnson did to Luke was as egregious as what David Benioff and D.B. Weiss did to the entire
10:24 Game of Thrones cast. The notion of subverting expectations was taken for a ride with this one.
10:30 Seeing this character destroyed will leave a mark on long-time Star Wars fans for years to come,
10:35 and the true severity of such trauma has not yet been fully realised. Luke's unsatisfactory death
10:41 aside though, this scene alone would have been troubling regardless of how the story played out.
10:46 Everyone from Rey to the audience and even Mark Hamill himself was blindsided and confused by
10:51 this. We know Luke loved his blue milk back on his homeworld of Tatooine, but this just seemed
10:56 perverse. What did you think of this list? Let us know in the comments below which Star Wars
11:00 moment made you babble like a child the most. I've been Si for What Culture and have a good week.