It’s one of the most famous on-screen blunders in the history of cinema: During one of the Death Star scenes of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, a Stormtrooper can be seen bumping his head against the door as he enters the security control center. Not only is the moment an amusing little Easter egg that still finds frequent circulation in GIF form more than four decades later, but the fact that the actor’s head is covered by a helmet ensures that the incident carries an intriguing element of mystery.
Who was the individual responsible for this legendary mistake? That’s the question that YouTuber Jamie Stangroom seeks to answer in his new documentary The Empire Strikes Door. In a trailer released earlier this month, Stangroom speaks to the likes of Kevin Smith and Noel Gallagher in his quest for the truth, along with an assortment of people claiming to be the man under the helmet.
Every generation has an idiot #theempirestrikesdoor pic.twitter.com/XiHK1ufzTn
— Jamie Stangroom (@jamiestangroom) September 8, 2019
Was it really worth making a whole documentary about such a specific subject? That’s for the fans to decide, but it probably says a lot about the legacy and impact of the original Star Wars trilogy that multiple people are willing to lie on camera over forty years later just to take credit for a mere footnote in the history of the franchise.
You can find out if Stangroom ever manages to solve the mystery of the head-bumping Stormtrooper when The Empire Strikes Door hits the internet on September 25th. After that, this busy year for Star Wars continues with the premiere of The Mandalorian on November 12th, before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20th.
Published: Sep 15, 2019 4:55 PM UTC