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6 Funny Star Wars Movie Names That Almost Happened

Star Wars has a history of using fake names as working and shipping titles. From "Foodles" (for real!) to "Blue Harvest," one is funnier than the next.

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Star Wars Episode Whaaaaat?

When you’ve got a massive media franchise on your hands, there’s often a need to come up with “working titles” so that you can work on the early stages of your film without the public catching on. And to the delight of Star Wars fans and movie buffs in general, many of those working titles for the Star Wars films were pretty darn hilarious. From the obscure intended to throw people off the scent (“Blue Harvest”) to the cheeky invented to troll the fans (“Jar Jar’s Great Adventure”), here are some of our favorite working titles from a galaxy far, far away. And for more Star Wars–themed humor, here are some silly Star Wars jokes to share.

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Star Wars - The Force Awakens
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Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Working Title: Foodles or AVCO

Rumor has it that the secret Star Wars movie name for Star Wars: Episode VII was Foodles, named after a Disney-branded snack. AVCO, on the other hand, became the official working title for the production. This Star Wars movie name may sound a little odd, but it was actually inspired by a Los Angeles cinema—one of only four theaters to use the high-quality THX sound system developed by creator George Lucas when showing the Star Wars movies. It also happens to be the cinema where J.J. Abrams, the film’s director, first saw Star Wars as a boy, according to LA Times.

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Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones
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Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Working Title: Jar Jar’s Great Adventure

Following the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, fans had strong opinions about an orange amphibian character named Jar Jar Binks. While he was intended to be a source of comic relief, Jar Jar ended up becoming one of the most hated characters in the entire enterprise. Moviegoers complained that he was obnoxious and over-the-top, even going so far as to dub Jar Jar Binks one of the most annoying movie characters of all time. Knowing this, the film’s producers took to calling the sequel Jar Jar’s Great Adventure, a sarcastic nod to all of the negative backlash. We bet you didn’t know these mind-blowing facts about Star Wars, either.

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Star Wars Episode IV
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Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Working Title: Adventures of the Starkiller

It is said that creator George Lucas’s original title for his blockbuster film was Adventures of the Starkiller, named after the main character, Luke Starkiller. Over time, that evolved into The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, which eventually became Episode IV: A New Hope. Bonus fact: The French Star Wars movie title is The War of the Stars; in Spanish, it goes by The War of the Galaxies. Don’t miss more movies that have hilarious titles in other countries.

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Star Wars Episode Vi - Return Of The Jedi
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Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Working Title: Blue Harvest

There’s no question that George Lucas is a master of film-making, but few know that he is also a master of deceit. To duck attention from curious fans and journalists, Lucas gave Star Wars: Episode VI a strange working title: Blue Harvest. He marketed the fake film as a horror movie, circling the tagline “horror beyond imagination,” asking crew members to wear Blue Harvest t-shirts, and even creating a letterhead with the name. Needless to say, Star Wars fans were never the wiser.

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"Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
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Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Working Title: Space Bear

No word yet on why Star Wars: Episode VIII was called Space Bear while in production, but the story behind its reveal almost makes up for it. As the story goes, cast member Carrie Fisher accidentally disclosed the working title when she shared a behind-the-scenes photo of her dog sitting in a production chair—with the title Star Wars: Space Bear in the background. The fans, as you can imagine, went crazy.

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Star Wars Episode 1 -The Phantom Menace
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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Shipping Title: The Doll House

By the time Star Wars: Episode I arrived at theaters in 1999, the hype around the saga had reached record levels. Director George Lucas didn’t want any eager fans to leak spoilers, though, so he assigned a secret Star Wars movie name to each film. The Star Wars movie title for The Phantom Menace, for example, was deceptively labeled The Doll House when it was delivered to cinemas. And when Episode II: Attack of the Clones was shipped, they called it Cue Ball. By the way, every true fan should know these Star Wars quotes by heart.

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Brooke Nelson Alexander
Brooke is a tech and consumer products writer covering the latest in digital trends, product reviews, security and privacy, and other news and features for Reader's Digest. She's a two-time Emmy-nominated reporter with nearly 10 years of publishing experience, and her work has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.