Trivia: In the scene where Darth Vader and the Emperor are looking out onto the unfinished first Death Star, keep an eye out for a young Grand Moff Tarkin (played by Peter Cushing in "Star Wars").
Trivia: General Grievous is permanently coughing when he talks. The cause is revealed in the last episode of the animated Emmy-winning TV series "Clone Wars" (albeit technically no longer canon). In that episode, Grievous kidnaps Palpatine and before leaving, is attacked by Mace Windu, who destroys part of his chest armour, making him cough for the first time.
Trivia: George Lucas makes a cameo appearance during the opera scene. He is the blue faced being, named Baron Papanoida, that you see outside Palpatine's box. It marks Lucas' first and only appearance in any of the Star Wars films; also in that scene is Lucas' daughter Amanda and her boyfriend. Lucas also reportedly provides the sound of General Grievous' coughing.
Trivia: Hayden Christensen wanted to wear the Darth Vader suit in the films, as it had always been a dream of his (revealed in the DVD commentary). Though the filmmakers hesitated, as Christensen was too short, they eventually let him wear the suit onscreen, but Christensen had to look through the mouth-piece of the Darth Vader costume, not the eyes.
Trivia: Anthony Daniels (C3PO) has the last line in this film and the first line in A New Hope.
Trivia: George Lucas purposely made the Darth Vader suit uncomfortable, heavy, and cumbersome. This way, as Hayden Christensen walks around in the armor (especially after first being put into it), his movements seem awkward - after all, Darth Vader isn't used to wearing it yet.
Trivia: The blue-skinned Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura, who can be seen in this film and "Attack of the Clones", was not created by George Lucas. She originated in the Star Wars comic books from Dark Horse. After seeing a cover painting, George Lucas became so impressed that he decided to use her in the movies.
Trivia: Gary Oldman was originally supposed to provide the voice of General Grievous, but he backed out after learning the film was to be made outside of the Screen Actor's Guild, of which he is a member.
Trivia: Exactly six years apart, this film was released on the same day as Episode I. "Star Wars" and "Return of the Jedi" were also released on the same day, six years apart.
Trivia: Rick McCallum's daughter, Mousy, appears as one of the Padawans killed by Darth Vader in the Jedi Temple.
Trivia: Although their characters are mother and son, Mark Hamill and Natalie Portman had never met each other until the 81st Golden Globe Awards in 2024, where Mark Hamill referred to Natalie Portman as "mother."
Trivia: For close-ups, both Luke and Leia were played by Aidan Barton, the son of film editor Roger Barton. A carefully wrapped rubber baby was used for other shots of the twins.
Trivia: Despite receiving prominent billing, Christopher Lee has only 3 minutes of screen time, with only 4 lines.
Chosen answer: Powerful force users seem to have some degree of control over their bodies even after death. In the later series, Luke's wife Mara Jade Skywalker only allows her body to disappear when her killer, and nephew Jacen Solo arrives at her funeral as a clue. Thus it appears that a powerful force user can simply choose if they wish their body to disappear.
Darius Angel