May the Fourth: Star Wars Day

It's Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you)!!

So here are 10 bits of trivia about Star Wars for your enjoyment:

1. The word "Jedi" is derived from the Japanese words Jidai Geki meaning "period adventure drama," or, a Japanese soap opera set in the samurai days. George Lucas watched a "Jidai Geki" on TV while in Japan and liked the word.
2. In Italian versions of the film, Darth Vader is called Lord Fener, because "Vader" sounds too similar to the Italian word for "toilet."
3. Sissy Spacek, Farrah Fawcett, Glenn Close, Margot Kidder, Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Cybill Shepherd, Anjelica Huston, Kim Basinger, Kathleen Turner, Debra Winger, Geena Davis and Linda Blair were all considered for the role of Princess Leia. Actors considered for Han Solo included Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Robert Englund, Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta, James Caan, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Burt Reynolds.
4. In the Asteroid scene in Empire Strikes back, one of the asteroids is actually a potato, while another is a shoe, rumoured to have been thrown into the scene by a special effects technician who was annoyed at being asked to re-do the scene yet again.
5. The name of Luke's home planet, Tatooine is derived from a town in Tunisia, which was the location for that world, called Tataouine, which is Berber for "eyes".
6. Star Wars almost started a real war. Tunisia was threatened with military action by Libya when the Libyan government mistook the Jawa sandcrawler for a real military vehicle. The crisis was averted when George Lucas agreed to move it further away from the Libyan border.
7. C-3PO was originally meant to sound like a used-car salesman, but after hearing recordings of the posh English voice, Lucas changed his mind.
8. In the Battle of Hoth, the Echo Base troops were actually Norwegian mountain-rescue skiers. In exchange for participation in the film, Lucasfilm made a donation to the Norwegian Red Cross.
9. The TIE in TIE Fighter stands for Twin Ion Engine.
10. Han Solo's famous line, "I have a bad feeling about this" is repeated throughout the series by a number of other characters: Obi Wan, Anakin, Luke, Leia and C3-PO. Harrison Ford also says it in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.