59 Fun Facts About Revenge of the Sith

In which year was Revenge of the Sith released in cinemas?

It opened in the United States on May 19, three days after its official premiere at a French film festival.

Who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith?

He and Hayden Christensen performed their own lightsaber duel without stunt doubles after months of rehearsal.

Which actor plays Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious?

He had first played the Emperor in Return of the Jedi in 1983, twenty-two years before playing the same character younger.

Which senator, played by Jimmy Smits, takes baby Leia home to Alderaan?

Smits had joined the saga in Attack of the Clones; his character raises Leia as his own daughter.

Which command, issued by Sidious, turns the clone troopers against their Jedi generals?

In later canon the clones obey because of an inhibitor chip; Ahsoka Tano escaped by removing Captain Rex's.

On which volcanic planet do Obi-Wan and Anakin fight their climactic duel?

The lava world was built as a 33-foot miniature model, and 910 artists spent 70,441 man-hours on just 49 seconds of the fight.

Which Sith Lord does Anakin execute aboard Grievous's flagship at Palpatine's urging?

Christopher Lee was 81 when he filmed the beheading, and the ship-bound duel is the last time the two Sith apprentices ever share the screen.

Which Jedi Master does Sidious kill with Force lightning after Anakin cuts off his hand?

Samuel L. Jackson had asked for a purple lightsaber so he could pick himself out in the crowded Geonosis battle of the previous film.

Where does Padmé give birth to Luke and Leia?

The remote asteroid outpost is where Yoda regroups with Obi-Wan and the Alderaan senator after his stalemate with Sidious.

Obi-Wan tracks General Grievous to which sinkhole planet?

Bruce Spence, the Gyro Captain from Mad Max 2, plays its administrator Tion Medon.

How does Obi-Wan finally kill General Grievous?

The Jedi pulls the general's DT-57 pistol to himself with the Force and fires into the organs behind the chestplate, then mutters 'So uncivilized.'

How many lightsabers can General Grievous wield at once?

Each mechanical arm splits in two, and the trophies were taken from Jedi he had killed.

Why did George Lucas ask for General Grievous to have a hacking cough?

The wheeze was Lucas's idea, and the voice actor gave it an Eastern European accent to match.

General Grievous first appeared not in Episode III but in which earlier production?

He debuted in Chapter 20, the finale of Genndy Tartakovsky's second season, to set him up for the film.

Which member of the Star Wars voice cast provides General Grievous's voice?

Wood was Skywalker Sound's supervising sound editor and got the part after submitting an anonymous audition tape.

At which festival did Revenge of the Sith have its official premiere, out of competition?

The May 16, 2005 screening put a Star Wars film on the Croisette three days before its US opening.

Roughly what was the film's production budget?

It returned about $850 million in its first run, and the total climbed past $905 million after later re-releases.

Where in 2005's worldwide box-office rankings did Revenge of the Sith finish?

It was the top film in the United States that year but was edged worldwide by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Revenge of the Sith held the record for the biggest opening day on a Thursday. How much did it take?

Many fans had queued for weeks; the DVD went on to sell 15.1 million copies, second only to The Incredibles that year.

Where were the soundstage scenes of Revenge of the Sith principally filmed?

Principal photography ran there from June 30 to September 17, 2003, with pick-ups later at Shepperton and Elstree in England.

The limestone mountains of Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, were filmed in which country?

The plates were shot around Phuket, and Peter Mayhew returned as Chewbacca to stand in front of them.

How many visual-effects shots does Revenge of the Sith contain, then a world record?

Almost every frame was touched by Industrial Light & Magic; the film runs 140 minutes.

Hayden Christensen bulked up for the role. Roughly how much weight did he put on?

Three months with a Sydney trainer and six meals a day took him from 160 to 185 pounds so he could fill out Vader's armour.

Through which part of the Darth Vader helmet did Hayden Christensen have to look while wearing the suit?

The costume was rebuilt to fit him, complete with shoe lifts and a muscle suit, but the 6-foot actor was still shorter than the original Vader.

Which stunt coordinator, who trained the actors for the duel, appears on screen as the Jedi Cin Drallig?

The name Cin Drallig is his own spelled backwards; he is cut down by Anakin in the Temple in security footage.

George Lucas makes a cameo in Revenge of the Sith as which blue-faced alien?

He is seen outside the opera house; his daughters also appear in small roles in the same sequence.

Which famous director was brought in as a 'guest director' to help previsualise the film's climax?

He worked with the animatics team on the final duel and the Grievous chase, though he took no on-screen credit.

Which actress plays Mon Mothma in Revenge of the Sith, though her only speaking scene was cut?

She finally got her lines seventeen years later, reprising the role in Rogue One and Andor.

A deleted subplot showed Padmé and a group of fellow senators forming which kind of group?

The scenes were the seed of the Rebel Alliance and survive as DVD extras, along with Yoda's arrival on Dagobah.

Which Jedi Master is killed by General Grievous in a deleted scene included on the DVD?

The scene was dropped so she could die in the Temple instead, which was also cut; canon later killed her in the Order 66 attack.

John Williams dropped out of scoring which other 2005 blockbuster so he could write Revenge of the Sith?

Patrick Doyle scored the Potter film instead; Williams still managed War of the Worlds and Munich the same year.

What is the title of the choral theme John Williams wrote for the Obi-Wan and Anakin duel?

Lucas asked for a tragic counterpart to Duel of the Fates; released as a UK single, it reached number 25 in June 2005.

Which ensemble recorded the Revenge of the Sith score at Abbey Road in February 2005?

The same orchestra had recorded every Star Wars score since 1977, joined here by the choir London Voices.

Which fan-rumoured working title was among those floated before Lucas confirmed 'Revenge of the Sith'?

The final title nods to Revenge of the Jedi, the original name of Episode VI, which Lucas dropped because a true Jedi could never seek revenge.

Christopher Lee shot all of his Revenge of the Sith scenes in how many days?

He was due at pick-ups for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, so his beheading was scheduled with military precision.

Which future Death Star commander appears briefly in the film, played by Wayne Pygram?

The younger Tarkin stands beside Palpatine and Vader as they watch the Death Star's skeleton being built.

Which Whale Rider star briefly appears as Queen Apailana of Naboo at Padmé's funeral?

She had been Oscar-nominated for Best Actress at 13, the youngest nominee in that category at the time.

Which pair of actors reprise Owen and Beru Lars, who receive baby Luke on Tatooine?

Both returned in the 2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi series, still guarding the boy from a Jedi who camps out nearby.

Which original-trilogy actor cameos as Captain Colton, pilot of the corvette Tantive III?

The man behind Boba Fett's helmet finally showed his face in the saga, on the ship that leads into the Tantive IV of A New Hope.

Which actor plays Commander Cody and every other clone trooper in the film?

As the clones' template Jango Fett, he was the natural choice; Dee Bradley Baker voices them in the animated series instead.

Which author wrote the Revenge of the Sith novelization, widely rated the best of the film tie-ins?

Del Rey published it on April 2, 2005, weeks before the film; it states outright that Darth Plagueis was Palpatine's master, which the film only hints at.

In April 2014 the Revenge of the Sith novel was reclassified under which label?

Everything in the old Expanded Universe was moved out of canon on the same day to clear the decks for the sequel trilogy.

In the Revenge of the Sith video game's alternate ending, what happens if the player wins the final duel as Vader?

The PS2 and Xbox versions by The Collective let Vader seize the galaxy for himself; the game sold over two million copies in the US.

A 3D re-release of Revenge of the Sith was cancelled in January 2013 so Lucasfilm could focus on what?

Only The Phantom Menace got its 3D conversion into cinemas; the Disney takeover a few months earlier had changed the priorities.

In which month of 2025 did Revenge of the Sith return to cinemas for its 20th anniversary?

It opened on the 25th and took $25.5 million domestically that week, pushing its lifetime US gross past $400 million.

What score does Revenge of the Sith hold on Metacritic?

That counts as 'generally favorable', and Rotten Tomatoes rates it 79 percent, the best of the prequels.

Which battalion does Vader lead into the Jedi Temple in the attack later named Operation Knightfall?

The legion became the Emperor's personal stormtroopers, and the name was adopted by the real-world costuming club the 501st Legion.

Which clone captain survived Order 66 because Ahsoka Tano removed his control chip?

Their escape closes The Clone Wars season seven, which was released fifteen years after the film it runs alongside.

Why does the Jedi Council refuse Anakin the rank of Master when Palpatine appoints him to the Council?

The Council then asks him to spy on the Chancellor, which does more to push him toward the dark side than any Sith speech.

As Padmé's funeral takes place on Naboo, what are Palpatine and Vader shown supervising?

The skeletal battle station ties the prequels to A New Hope, and the shot gives Tarkin his first look at his future command.

Which actor was reportedly approached in 2004 to voice Grievous before quitting over union rules?

Matthew Wood, who ran the auditions and won the part anonymously, disputed the story and said the star merely auditioned as a favour.

Which part of Revenge of the Sith was filmed first, back in 2000 during Attack of the Clones?

The bulk of principal photography ran from June 30 to September 17, 2003, with pick-ups at Shepperton and Elstree into 2005.

The first Revenge of the Sith trailer debuted in cinemas in November 2004 with which film?

The same Pixar film later beat Revenge of the Sith to the title of best-selling DVD of 2005.

Which chain's Revenge of the Sith kids' meal toys drew recall calls because of the PG-13 rating?

Officials likened it to McDonald's Happy Meal tie-in with the PG-13 Batman Returns in 1992.

In which California town, George Lucas's hometown, were two charity premieres held on May 13, 2005?

Nine other US cities had hosted charity screenings the day before, ahead of the Cannes premiere on May 16.

Roughly how many DVD copies did Revenge of the Sith sell in 2005, the year's second-best seller?

That generated about $269 million in sales revenue, behind only The Incredibles.

Lucas said the story was written during, and shaped by, which conflict rather than the Iraq War?

Some American conservatives had called for a boycott, reading the film as a swipe at the Bush administration.

Revenge of the Sith received a single Oscar nomination, in which category?

It is the only Star Wars film not nominated for Visual Effects, and the makeup prize went to The Chronicles of Narnia.

Which moment won the Empire Award for Scene of the Year?

The film also took Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film and, for John Williams, Best Music.