Franchise films are well-known to reveal spoilers for movies long before their initial release. From character designs to plot details, or name drops to action set pieces, it’s become an annoying tradition to allow toy companies to produce merchandise relevant to the latest film that gives away, perhaps, a little too much. And Star Wars is no exception. With countless figurines, Lego sets, and trading cards attributed to the galaxy-spanning franchise, it’s no surprise that over its 40-year lifespan as the world’s most successful space opera, a few details may have let slip.
What really has to be kept in mind here is that all of these toys were actually approved, both in content and release date. Whether they realized that they were intentionally spoiling these movies or not, we’ll never know, but somebody definitely signed off on them.
Here at TheGamer, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to write and compile a list of the most egregious spoilers given away by toys and merchandise alike. From the original Star Wars (Episode IV for those born after the 80s) to the recent Solo: A Star Wars Story, here’s a list of 25 Star Wars toys that completely spoiled the movies. With more Star Wars movies on the horizon as well, we’re sure that we’ll get more of these spoiler-filled toys in the future. Did we miss any major ones? Let us know in the comments!
25 Guess Who’s Back
After getting over the reveal of Luke at the end of the Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, it would seem over-indulgent to believe that any other Jedi master might be an integral part of the sequel’s plot, especially with it being titled The Last Jedi, and not “Jedis.” However, when this Yoda figurine was announced, it became apparent that Jedi might’ve been used in the plural sense. And since his appearance in last year’s Episode VII, I think it’s safe to say this was a touch on the nose in the spoiler department.
24 Leia Got Guns
Speaking of plot spoilers, have you seen my Slave Leia figurine anywhere? No? Well, maybe that’s due to the no-nonsense queen Leia’s become lately since her days as a feisty princess. Now sporting a sweet blaster in The Last Jedi’s Hasbro toy line, this didn’t only give away her newfound tough attitude, but also that she might be up to a little more than just the nostalgic nods we saw in The Force Awakens.
23 Admiral Who?
Even before the name change to Return of the Jedi, back in the production stages of Episode VI, fans got an early look at a character now cemented in Star Wars legacy: Admiral Ackbar. Shame it didn’t come with a fancy swivel chair to boot. It must have been pretty confusing for fans to look at this, not knowing who the character was yet. Who wants to play with a toy of a character that they don’t actually recognize?
22 Emperor Wrinkles
Now, most of us knew that the Naboo Senator turned Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine, would end up being the villainous Emperor Luke Skywalker faces in Episode VI. But no one expected to have a toy displaying the extent of his powers before the release of Episode III back in 2005. With interchangeable heads and force lightning forks included, Hasbro must’ve thought that everyone and their grandmothers had seen the conclusive part of the original trilogy. But what about the children? That’s what we want to know.
21 Snazzy Coat, Snoke
Less of a plot spoiler and more of a character detail, Hasbro released this fancy figurine of Supreme Leader Snoke sporting a glorious new golden gown as per his inclusion in The Last Jedi. Beautiful as it is, it failed to help him see the betrayal in his apprentice’s eyes, as Kylo Ren ignites his lightsaber through Snoke’s abdomen, the garment getting cut up in the process. This is something that nobody saw coming, especially at the beginning of this new trilogy.
20 Charging Hype, Or Leaking Spoilers?
Duracell led a promotional campaign for the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens back in 2015 which led some to believe that it gave away more about the film than it should have. Starring a young girl in Rey’s famous woven, ragged attire; the girl seemingly captured by First Order Stormtroopers suddenly whips out a lightsaber in the midst of battle, displaying a rather spontaneous knowledge of the force. Sound a bit familiar? Cough it’s Rey cough.
19 Rey’s New Trim
On the topic of Rey and spontaneous character development, many were keen to find out how their favorite new Jedi would turn out after her fight with Kylo Ren near the end of The Force Awakens. And, thankfully, Hasbro shone a light on an aspect that fans cared so deeply about: her hair. With a new Jedi-like simplicity, Rey seems to have gone for a more carefree style of haircut, opting out of the trio of buns she had in Episode VII, instead going for a more loose and wavy style for Episode VIII.
18 Hermit Luke
Straight off the back of Episode VII, the excitement of seeing Luke Skywalker make his grand return in The Last Jedi seemed almost palpable. The initial reveal of his character at the end of that movie was surprising and confusing; dressed in flowing garments and with a solemn look akin to the suppressive Jedi of old. This figurine only spurred this confusion further and revealed a little too much along the way. His stick and ragged wintery wear suggesting that, perhaps, Luke was not all that he once was, and that maybe his appearance inferred some sort of exile.
17 BB-8 + AT-ST = What?
BB-8, the friendly companion droid that stole people’s hearts back in 2015’s The Force Awakens, now stealing a bipedal mech and blowing apart the insides of General Snoke’s ship?! What is the galaxy coming to? This Lego set not only hints at Finn and Rose’s secret mission to disable the First Order’s tracking system, but it also reveals the destructive nature of BB-8, and its ability to pilot an AT-ST. A surprise moment in the film, or at least, it was meant to be.
16 Anyone For A Mud Bath?
Jumping forward to this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, we have the first reveal of how Han and Chewbacca actually met, and it’s a little dirty, to say the least. Pictured here covered in mud, Hasbro went out of their way to announce this toy set prior to the film’s release, leaving fans wondering if this was indeed the first meeting between interstellar scoundrel, Han Solo, and the walking carpet Wookie we know and love. Probably on a battlefield, if not a war-torn spa house.
15 It Could Be A Decoy
14 I Work Alone?
13 Another Intergalactic Scoundrel? M-M-Maybe
12 Bottoms Up
11 Poe’s New Clothes
10 Top Flumps?
Trading cards are a given in any multi-million dollar franchise, but it’s best when they don’t give away any plot details or story spoilers. Yet, when these Topps trading cards were released months before the release of The Last Jedi, fans couldn’t help but speculate whether the chronological order of the cards was, in fact, the chronological order of sequences in the movie. This came mostly to be true, and thus, those that bought the cards were forever spoiled.
9 Is This Even A Spoiler?
Most fans could tell you that Han Solo flew the famed Kessel run in 14… wait… 12 parsecs. Many could even tell you that a parsec is a measure of distance rather than speed, which makes the assumption rather doubtful. Whatever the case, the Kessel run was well-known amongst fans and many believed that the recent Solo: A Star Wars Story would show how this effort was achieved. What they didn’t know is that this Lego set would give away the inclusion of the Kessel run months before the release of the movie, which of course, it did.
8 Head Over Heels
Count Dooku was introduced in 2002’s midway prequel Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones as Darth Sidious’ newest apprentice. Then, in 2005, he was promptly ended off during the first part of Revenge Of The Sith by Sidious’ next apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Now, this arguably had to happen due to Anakin’s predetermined conversion to Sith in the original trilogy, and having the rule of two still in place, Dooku could hardly linger on. But that didn’t mean his passing had to be spoiled by this figurine, with its special handless and headless function.
7 Return To Work?
Finn… the notorious traitor of the First Order and beloved hero of the rebellion, or so it seems. This toy, displaying Finn in First Order attire, led fans to believe that the once stoic and charming hero would regress back into the life he once led as a First Order stormtrooper, even perhaps getting a promotion as per the fancy new suit. This, indeed, turned out not to be true, but still the toy managed to give away specific character designs and potential plot details regarding The Last Jedi and Finn’s disguise aboard Supreme Leader Snoke’s ship.
6 A Villinous BB-8?
Everyone and their gran has a villainous counterpart in the Star Wars movies. Whether it’s Finn and Captain Phasma, Luke and Darth Vader, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, or Han Solo and Boba Fett. It’s become accustomed for characters to have a villainous nemesis to overcome and enact heroic justice upon when the time comes. What people don’t expect, however, is a villainous counterpart for a droid, which is exactly what we received with BB-9E; a darkly coated version of the BB-8 droid introduced solely as a funny, ‘what if’ situation. And this toy revealed it first!
