A franchise as galactically big as Star Wars attracts a very active fanbase, one which is always hungry for answers and explanations to every unanswered question -- whether trivial or monumental. From the Original to the Sequel trilogy, George Lucas' iconic space opera saga has taken us on some fantastic adventures and left us with mysteries about the world he helped create that we've been trying to unravel for decades. Before the scene was retconned, there was the "who shot first?" debate around the infamous Han and Greedo scene in A New Hope. Similar discussions based on the first three films about Stormtrooper's needing more target practice, whether or not Han Solo is secretly Force-sensitive and why Obi-Wan didn't recognize his old droid pals, R2 and Threepio are also fan favorites.
The release of the first Disney-owned batch of films into an Internet-powered age of fandom has intensified speculative conversations even more. In the wake of The Force Awakens, fans were desperate to uncover the truth about Rey's parentage, with theories ranging from the believable -- Skywalker/Kenobi heritage -- to the fantastic: a gender-swapped Anakin clone or an artificial Force-baby hatched from an egg by Snoke. The identity of the mysterious and (literal) big bad Snoke has been a hot topic, too. For every totally inconceivable Star Wars theory out there, though, there's one that actually turns out to be right on the Republic credits, and even something as ludicrous as Darth Jar Jar can hold weight if it can be backed up by enough canonical evidence.
25 HAN SOLO SACRIFICED HIMSELF
The most shocking moment of The Force Awakens was when Kylo Ren's lightsaber ended his father's life. This act of patricide was supposed to consolidate Kylo's transformation into Snoke's apprentice, but one fan theory argues Kylo failed to do this.
We never actually see who triggered the saber, as both characters are holding it when it activates. But why would Han do something so terrible in front of his own child? It was a heroic but desperate act -- Han sacrificed himself to prevent his son from bearing the weight of the act, and turning fully to the Dark side.
24 QUI-GON JINN IS A BAD JEDI
Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn is considered to be one of The Phantom Menace's saving graces, but was he really that good of a Jedi? Think about it: he consistently fails to sense danger when it's right on top of him and he fails to Jedi mind trick Watto. Watto!
Rather than have a place on the esteemed Jedi Council, he gets shipped off to backwater planets as a glorified bodyguard. Although, considering that he ignores the warnings of literally all of his peers to train a future Darth Vader, you can see why he's so low ranking.
23 UNCLE OWEN AND AUNT BERU WERE STORMTROOPERS
There are numerous theories about why the supposedly "precise" Stormtroopers in the Original trilogy were such bad shots. One of the wildest -- though weirdly plausible -- is that two of them were actually Luke's Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, who swapped themselves with their would-be assassins.
After donning their suits and burning the bodies, the pair set about industrially sabotaging the Empire wherever possible -- including deliberately missing targets. The theory goes on to explain that they don't survive A New Hope, enabling the Empire to succeed more in Episode V.
22 ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN
If Rey really doesn't have any Skywalker blood in her veins, then how was she able to draw Anakin Skywalker's old lightsaber to herself over the pull of Anakin's own grandson? Either Rey is somehow far stronger with the Force than Kylo, or lightsabers are more magical than we realize.
One theory states that the crystal-powered weapons have enough sentience to choose their masters for themselves, and Anakin's saber -- sensing Rey's potential -- chose its new wielder, like the wands in Harry Potter. (As if Kylo hasn't been rejected enough already...)
21 MIDI-CHLORIANS ARE LIVING BEINGS
The existence of Force-receptive Midi-Chlorians revealed in The Phantom Menace annoyed a lot fans who felt a biological grounding went against the mystical concept of an energy field that "binds and penetrates us." It meant Anakin wasn't prophetically "chosen" -- he just won the genetic lottery.
Over the years, fan-made definitions of Midi-Chlorians have been as outlandish as microscopic Force ghosts to as credible as them being a whole organ in Forced-sensitives. George Lucas described them as a "race," so the most likely explanation is that they're the cell-powering organism: mitochondria.
20 PHASMA WILL BE BACK
The last time we saw the formidable Captain Phasma, she was descending into a fiery pit glaring at Finn through a cracked helmet in The Last Jedi. There's a strong chance we won't be seeing her again, but you should never tell a Star Wars fan the odds.
Thanks to the miraculous survival of the formerly bisected Darth Maul, some think Phasma will return for Episode IX, maybe as a vengeful, Terminator-esque cyborg, as Maul did in his mechanical spider leg days. Phasma didn't suffer as much as damage as Maul, so her chances are far better.
19 GUNGUNS ARE HYPNOTOADS
The Hypnotoad was a minor but beloved side character from Futurama who could bewitch people with just a stare. Other than its powerful telekinetic power, it appeared to be just a common toad. But, what if -- in the distant past or future -- a Hypnotoad looked a lot like a Gungun?
They're both amphibious creatures out in space, they both have distinctive red and yellow eyes, and, if you buy into the popular Darth Jar Jar theory that states Jar Jar can psychically manipulate people, it would explain where his powers come from.
18 STARKILLER BASE WAS ENDOR
The theory that Starkiller Base was built on a terraformed Endor makes a lot of sense. The base could easily be moon-sized and Endor also happened to be right next to the second Death Star when it was blown up in Return of the Jedi, making it a prime salvage location for parts.
Given the hand the Ewoks had in the Empire's destruction, it would be irresistible poetic justice for the First Order, not to mention for Kylo Ren, as the site of his idolized grandfather's cremation, which would explain how Kylo got his gloved mits on Vader's charred helmet.
17 LANDO GAVE MAZ ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER
The Last Jedi offered no follow-up to Maz Kanata's promise that she would tell the story of how she came by the galaxy's most famous lightsaber. Now that we know Lando Carlrissian is returning for the next instalment, that story seems like the perfect way to reintroduce him.
One theory on this reckons Lando would have had the opportunity to find the weapon when he returned to Bespin -- the place where Luke lost it -- following the Empire's defeat. With its owner MIA and Leia's location a Resistance secret, he entrusted it to an old friend of his and Han's: Maz.
16 DARTH PLAGUEIS POSSESSED SNOKE
Snoke might well have taken the truth of his identity to his grave in The Last Jedi, sparking unending amounts of speculation from fans. One of the most absurd but oddly believable ideas is that he was, in a a sense, the mysterious Darth Plagueis -- the Sith Lord that Palpatine claimed had mastered death.
If Palpatine was telling the truth, Plagueis could have found a way to pass his consciousness onto living hosts rather than extend the life of his original physical body. Snoke did allude to the fact that he had been biding his time. Perhaps that was far longer than we think.
15 ANAKIN MIND TRICKED PADME
If we believe Jedi prophecies and Midi-Chlorian counts, Anakin was one of the strongest Force-users who ever lived. Strong enough, perhaps, to subtly manipulate Padme Amidala for months into thinking she was in love with him.
It would explain how an intelligent, rationally-minded politician fell for a tantrum-prone teenager who openly admitted that he hated the democratic system she championed and took dozens of innocent lives. Or maybe she just had a thing for blondes and bad boys. Really bad boys.
14 THE "DEVIL" ALIEN IS AN OVERLORD
It seems fitting that a "wretched hive of scum and villainy" would be Satan's chosen watering hole. The demonic-looking alien -- a Devaronian -- that can be briefly seen in the Cantina in A New Hope has been fascinating fans for years, especially as very little was known about him for a long time.
Because of his striking similarity to the alien Overlords from Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, fans have postulated that the two species' could be one and the same. In the novel, Overlords patiently wait to influence humanity. Maybe the Devaronians are playing a similar long-game in Star Wars.
13 KYLO REN LIVES IN DARTH VADER'S CASTLE
Where else would the galaxy's No. 1 Darth Vader fanboy want to shack up than in Vader's own pad? We first saw Mustafar castle in Rogue One and, with its dark spires and volcanic setting, it wouldn't have looked out of place in Lord of the Rings' Mordor.
Vader chose the hellish locale to evoke Sith culture and build upon the site of Anakin's "demise." It acts as a conduit for dark side energy, so not only is it Kylo's birthright but it would be an ideal refuelling station. It could be the new First Order stronghold in Episode IX.
12 THE ASTEROID FIELD IS A GRAVEYARD
Remember that asteroid field that the Millennium Falcon crew take refuge in during Empire Strikes Back? The one where it turns out they've accidentally taken up residence inside of a massive space worm and narrowly avoid becoming its dinner? What if it's not what it seems?
This theory rests on the fact that asteroids can't typically support life, especially life as complex as a giant, toothy parasite. But if it's not a normal asteroid field, then what is it? How about the remains of a former planet blown up as a Death Star test? It's just more evidence of the Empire's ruthlessness.
11 HUX WILL BETRAY KYLO
There's no love lost between the leader of the Knights of Ren and the First Order High Commander. Hux already tried to destroy Kylo once, after his battle with Rey, and Kylo has no qualms about throwing Hux around like Snoke did.
Hux will likely not take well to what is bound to be an erratic leadership style from the new Supreme Leader, so a mutiny could well be on the cards for Episode IX. Kylo and the Knights of Ren vs. Hux and the First Order vs. Rey and the Resistance would make for an exciting climax, too.
10 THE JEDI CONTROLLED BIRTH RATES
When the Jedi Order was at the height of its powers during the heyday of the Republic it had unprecedented control over the population of Force-sensitives. One way that they were arguably able to do that was through strict rules against marriage and children for Jedi.
It's another ethically murky spot on the Jedi's record. Maybe they were trying to prevent the rise of too many Anakins who could be used against them by the Dark side, or maybe, as one theory states, it was to preserve randomness so that they could more accurately determine the "will" of the Force.
9 ANAKIN DID FULFIL THE PROPHECY
Qui-Gon Jinn was convinced that Anakin Skywalker was the "chosen one" fated to "bring balance to the Force" by the Jedi. The Council weren't so sure and, after Anakin eventually showed his red and black Sith colors, they seemed vindicated in their judgement.
Some fans think that Anakin did do what he was destined to, though, by destroying the oppressive Jedi Order and, in the end, the Sith as well. As Luke came to understand, if the Force is a natural... er, force... that is neither good nor bad, and is not owned by anyone, Anakin restored it to its natural balanced state.
8 THE FORCE IS STRONGER THAN EVER
Continuing on from the idea that Anakin restored balance to the Force, this means that Rey, Kylo and every generation born after Anakin's defeat of the Emperor are tapping into a Force stronger than ever before. This explains why Kylo can casually freeze laser fire mid-air and how Luke could astral project from so far away.
It also explains how Rey became so capable so quickly -- she's tapping into a fully balanced, raw energy that, according to Mace Windu, her Jedi predecessors, had a "diminished" ability to use during the days of the Jedi Order.
7 THE TRADE FEDERATION IS A STAR TREK JOKE
The official inspiration for the Trade Federation that was active during the twilight years of the Galactic Republic was the British East India trading company. However, there's speculation that the Federation is also secretly a big jab at that other popular space franchise, Star Trek.
Not only could the Trade Federation be a reference to the United Federation of Planets, but it's led by aliens called Neimoidians, which sounds a lot like (Leonard) Nimoy-dians. To add even more weight, allegedly, the race's original name was "Shatnerians" in an early version of the script.
6 THE FORCE TOOK PADME'S LIFE
Padme's "broken heart" has never sat well with fans. While it is apparently a medically plausible thing, it was just yet another ludicrous plot point in the already overly melodramatic Prequel trilogy. Some choose to think she simply suffered irrevocable complications during labor.
Other more interesting theories propose the Force was the culprit, or rather, Padme's sensitivity to it while carrying hers and Anakin's children. Padme's life ended either because her link with Anakin was destroyed or because she symbiotically suffered while he was tortuously becoming Darth Vader.