1. Luke Skywalker was almost a girl
A long time ago (January 1975, to be exact) a fledgling screenwriter named George Lucas was working on the second draft of an epic sci-fi space opera he called “Adventures of the Starkiller, Episode One: The Star Wars.”
Of the many, many problems (and one of little-known Star Wars facts) with this clunky script that would eventually become Star Wars: A New Hope, one that seemed easily fixed to Lucas was the serious lack of female characters. So, Lucas did something radical: rewrote his story’s main character, Luke Starkiller, as an 18-year-old girl. At least one concept drawing by artist Ralph McQuarrie exists of this short-lived gender swap, but a few months later, with Lucas’ next draft, Starkiller was a boy again.
Too bad…Star Wars could probably use a few more female voices. (Looking for a movie with a female lead? These movies celebrate strong women.)
RELATED: Hear from Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and Alan Tudyk at the “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” premiere, presented by Disney and LucasFilms, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Dec. 11, 2016
Courtesy: The Associated Press 360
2. Yoda was almost a monkey in a mask
Next time you complain about the goofy CG Yoda from the prequels, consider one of these Star Wars facts: the spiritual center of the Jedi order was almost a real-life monkey in a green mask carrying a cane.
Luckily, there was a monkey expert on set to throw a banana peel in this plan’s tracks. One of the crew who worked with apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey quickly pointed out, “Look, the monkey’s just going to pull off the mask over and over again. It’s never going to work.” The team soon enlisted Muppet master-crafter Jim Henson, who suggested casting Frank Oz (formerly the voice of Miss Piggy) to bring Yoda to life. Love Yoda’s quotes? These are some of our favorite movie quotes of all time.
Bonus Star Wars fact: According to the early “Starkiller” drafts of the movie, Lucas wanted to call Yoda “Buffy.”
3. Han Solo died in the original script
The original ending of Return of The Jedi has Luke assuming Darth Vader’s role as evil Galactic enforcer, and Han Solo dying in his heroic raid on the Death Star. Harrison Ford probably would have been fine with this. Ford was famously snippy about Lucas’ script (“George, you can type this ****, but you can’t say it.”) and in a 2010 interview he waved off his iconic character as “Ham Yoyo,” stating he was officially “done with him.” Time makes fools of us all.
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4. The Emperor was married to King Kong
Well, in a manner of speaking. When Emperor Palpatine first appears as a hologram in The Empire Strikes Back, the person under the black mantle and facial prosthetics is not Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine on screen in Return of The Jedi. It’s not a man at all: the first Emperor we see is actually Elaine Baker, then-wife of Star Wars makeup designer Rick Baker. As Gizmodo points out, Rick Baker once donned the monkey suit in the 1976 King Kong remake, so we can technically say that Emperor Palpatine and King Kong were legally wed. (Just try not to imagine their children.)
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5. The opening text crawl took 3 hours to shoot
The famous floating text that opens A New Hope may have been one of the greatest special effects achievements in the film. As Mental Floss points out, the text was filmed practically “by carefully placing 2-foot-wide die cut yellow letters over a 6-foot-long black paper background with a camera making a slow pass over them to mimic the crawl.” What’s now a default option on filmmaking software took LucasArts three hours to capture.
Bonus Star Wars fact: That “revolutionary” text effect? Flash Gordon did it first.
6. The trash in the Death Star garbage compactor scene was REAL
Apparently, the smell was so bad that Mark Hamill burst a blood vessel from trying to hold his breath, and the camera angle had to be adjusted for the rest of the scene so as not to show his injury. As for Peter Mayhew’s yak-hair Chewbacca suit? It reeked for the rest of production.
Bonus Star Wars fact: At the start of A New Hope, Chewbacca is 200 years old.
7. It took four men to portray one Vader
How do you capture a presence as big as Darth Vader? Cast four men. The on-screen body of Vader is six-foot-five bodybuilder David Prowse; his stunt double for action scenes is professional fencer Bob Anderson; the voice of Vader is the great James Earl Jones; and the de-helmeted face of Vader in Return of The Jedi is Sebastian Shaw.
Love sci-fi movies? Make sure to check out our list of the best time traveling movies you should definitely see.
8. “I am your father” was the best-kept secret in film
Get a load of one of these Star Wars facts: Lucas kept the twist ending of Empire so well guarded, he even wrote fake text in the script to throw the actors off. During filming, David Prowse (whose voice was later dubbed by James Earl Jones reciting the actual line) yelled to Mark Hamill: “Obi-Wan killed your father!” The cast and crew thought this was the real line—only Hamill, who had been told the truth about Vader moments before filming the scene, knew otherwise. If the secret leaked, it would all come back to Luke.
Bonus Star Wars fact: Of course, if you spoke Dutch or German, you’d already know by A New Hope that Darth Vader literally translates to “Darth Father.”
9. It took seven men to portray one Jabba the Hutt
Named by some as the most expensive puppet in the world, the $500,000 Jabba the Hutt model required seven people to bring to life: “Three puppeteers were inside: one controlled the right arm and jaw, another handled the left hand and jaw, tongue, and head movements, and both of them moved the body; a third person was in the tail. Outside, there were one or two people on radio controllers for the eyes, someone under the stage to blow cigar smoke up a tube, and another working bellows for the lungs.”
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Here are some more facts about the most expensive movie props and memorabilia out there.
10. Well, it just took one man to portray R2D2 and an Ewok
In less expensive news (but another one of these rare Star Wars facts), Kenny Baker, the man destined to live inside R2D2, also donned the bear suit to play an Ewok in Return of The Jedi. He plays Paploo—the enterprising Ewok who steals an imperial speeder bike.
Bonus Star Wars fact: The word “Ewok” is never mentioned once in the original trilogy (though they do get a credit at the end.)
11. The Ewok’s anthem has a classic rock connection
The final victory song sung by the Ewoks at the end of Jedi was written by the same dude who wrote “Africa”: Joseph Williams, lead singer of Toto and son of legendary composer John Williams. I guess it rains down in Eeeendoooooore…
Bonus Star Wars fact: In other surprising composition news, the new Cantina music featured in The Force Awakens was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda—the creator and star of current Broadway smash hit Hamilton.
These movies have the most rockin’ soundtracks.
12. Other notable noises: bears, walruses, and all the cell doors on Alcatraz
Kids should thank sound designer Ben Burtt for some of the most memorable noises of their childhood. Want to know how he did it? The sound of Darth Vader’s breathing was recorded by putting a microphone inside a scuba tank regulator; Chewbacca’s signature Wookie gargle is a combination of bear, walrus, lion, and badger sounds. The sound of Vader’s pod door closing in Empire is reportedly the sound of a whole block of Alcatraz cell doors slamming shut.
13. George Lucas lost a $40 million bet to Steven Spielberg
Another one of these little-known Star Wars facts? In the late ‘70s, Lucas was working on A New Hope at the same time his buddy Steven Spielberg was working on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Visiting the Close Encounters set one day, Lucas reportedly fell into a panic, Spielberg says:
“He said, ‘Oh my God, your movie is going to be so much more successful than Star Wars! This is gonna be the biggest hit of all time. I can’t believe this set.’ He said, ‘All right, I’ll tell you what. I’ll trade some points with you. I’ll give you 2.5 percent of Star Wars if you give me 2.5 percent of Close Encounters.’ So I said, ‘Sure, I’ll gamble with that.’”
Gamble is right. Star Wars made $775 million at the global box office compared with Close Encounters’ $304 million. Adjusted for inflation, TIME reports, “Spielberg’s edge could come out to as much as $40 million.”
The kicker? Lucas actually made good on his bet. (Doesn’t hurt when you’re a billionaire.)
May the Force be with you.
from Reader's Digest http://ift.tt/2yiD6xR
When you’re leaving for an international trip, a passport is the single most important thing to double check you remembered. After all, it’s your one ticket to get out of the country—and get back in. Passports are powerful, but not all are created equal.
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Juicing is an excellent way to load up on nutrients from fruits and vegetables, but freshly pressed juices are typically loaded with sugar. “This can lead to tooth decay and erosion,” Rusnak says. “If you choose to juice, try to stick to juices made mostly of vegetables, which contain less sugar.” And again, be sure to rinse afterwards.
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Unexplained chronic dry mouth and tooth decay are an often overlooked side-effects of hundreds of medications and supplements, Townsend says. “Often patients will continuously develop cavities or experience worsening oral health conditions all due to restricted salivary flow,” she says. “Saliva is crucial to maintaining oral health by rinsing the teeth and rebalancing pH in the mouth.”
Swollen gums, blood in the saliva, bad breath, changes in bite and lumps and bumps in the mouth are just a few examples of often ignored signs that can elude to a more serious condition, explains Townsend. “Never hesitate to visit a professional and ask questions,” she says. “You could save not only your teeth, but your life!” Are you up on the 
If you’re inconsistent about brushing or flossing, or only brush once a day, you can end up with tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease. “It is also possible to brush too frequently, a practice that can strip the enamel from your teeth,” Townsend says. “Twice per day is adequate, three times if you prefer to brush after lunch.”
It’s no surprise that multiple university studies suggest that as many as 75 percent of Americans experience some level of fear when it comes to dental treatment; around 15 percent suffer such severe dental anxiety that they skip regular annual visits. However, it isn’t in your mouth’s best interest to miss those twice-annual dental appointments. “These serve as a first line of defense to screen for tooth decay, oral infections, gum inflammation, and cancers,” Townsend says. “These are also a time to discuss changes in salivary flow, bite, teeth alignment, pain or sensations, lesions and other common symptoms.
Portable toothbrush holders are a less than tidy way to store your toothbrush. “Bacteria thrive in wet, and particularly warm, environments,” Townsend says. “Storing your brush in a holder immediately after use creates an environment where bacteria thrive, since bristles never dry out between uses. Moreover, wet brushes also have the propensity to grow mold which can make you extremely ill.” Instead, store your toothbrush in a cup away from the toilet, and be sure that the bristles don’t touch those of a family member, since bristle-to-bristle contact can spread bacteria. (Find out just 
This habit—if done occasionally and gently—isn’t so terrible to help dislodge large particles from between the teeth. “But never use a toothpick as a replacement for dental floss,” Townsend says. “If used with too much force, toothpicks ca be extremely damaging to the gums and abrasive to the base of the teeth.” In addition, you run the risk of having pieces break off or risk having a splinter caught between your teeth. Your better bet: Pack a floss pick to gently clean spaces between your teeth.
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Calcium and vitamin D work in tandem to fortify your teeth and prevent bone loss. “Calcium is critical to the formation of your teeth and jaw bone and a deficiency of calcium can put you at risk for both tooth decay and gum disease,” Townsend says. “Vitamin D is instrumental in helping your body absorb calcium, reduces the risk for developing cavities and can also lower the rate of bone resorption. Vitamin D is also an anti-inflammatory which can aid in reducing effects of periodontal disease.” Make sure you