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* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: When characters visit a planet, they only go to a single city, outpost, etc. on that planet. Why does everything important in galactic history happen in such comparatively small areas? [[BecauseDestinySaysSo It must be the will of]] TheForce.
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* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: When characters visit a planet, they only go to a single city, outpost, etc. on that planet. Why does everything important in galactic history happen in such comparatively small areas? [[BecauseDestinySaysSo It must be the will of]] TheForce.of the Force]].
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* LetsYouAndHimFight: The bulk of Palpatine's plan. Take advantage of corruption in the Republic to drive the Separatists, leading to war when the Republic rejects their secession. The conflict weakens both sides and leads to war weariness, meaning they'll eventually be primed to accept a strong hand who can put an end to the conflict, especially if he promises an end to corruption as well.
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* LaserBlade: The franchise is the codifier, and its laser-bladed lightsabers are the iconic weapons of the Jedi and the Sith. Lucas sometimes calls them "laser swords" in interviews and in fact uses this term in the original script; this carries to the prequel movies, where child Anakin explicitly calls a lightsaber a "laser sword" when he sees Qui-Gon for the first time and immediately recognizes the latter as a Jedi Knight.
** A lightsaber is composed of a metal hilt that projects a three-foot colored beam of energy that serves as a blade, which can be switched on and off. The energy is provided by a "[[PowerCrystal kyber crystal]]" stored in the hilt. Most Jedi blades are green or blue; other colors, such as purple, orange, yellow or white, are rare but appear on occasion. Sith lightsabers are always blood-red, because they corrupt their crystals with a Dark Side technique called "bleeding". They can cut through virtually any physical substance, even thick metal bulkheads, but bounce off of each other to enable swordfights; a few materials, such as a handful of rare metals or the hides of certain monsters, also resist their blades. George Lucas intended them to make Jedi more like a classic KnightErrant or samurai.
** It's commonly believed even in-universe that only Force-sensitives can wield lightsabers, but this isn't strictly true. Force-sensitive reflexes do greatly help in wielding them safely, without cutting off one's own bodyparts while making rapid complex motions, however.
** Because they are close-range weapons and can be used to block and reflect blaster fire, they are supposed to be seen as defensive weapons, showing that Jedi use force only to protect themselves. This characterization is pretty much abandoned with the Sith of the Dark Side, who use lightsabers just as readily.
** Several characters have their own takes on the lightsaber:
*** Darth Maul has a special hilt that can project a blade from either end. Supplementary materials or looking closely at the hilt reveals it's just two regular sabers attached end-to-end.
*** Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress both use lightsabers with curved hilts in order to allow for more precise movements and flexibility during lightsaber combat in conjunction with the [[FantasticFightingStyle Makashi lightsaber form]], which resembled traditional fencing (which Christopher Lee was a master of).
*** The [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Inquisitors]] use hilts that also project a blade from each end... ''and'' they spin, allowing for flight.
*** The Darksaber, introduced in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', is an ancient Mandalorian lightsaber that, on top of having a unique black blade, is shaped more like an actual saber (flat, pointed blade, handguard, etc.).
*** [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Ezra Bridger]] built a lightsaber with a [[TheParalyzer stun blaster]] incorporated in its hilt. [[spoiler:Until Darth Vader destroyed it.]]
*** Kylo Ren has a lightsaber with two horizontal blades jutting from the hilt, like a crossguard. This design was a necessity due to Kylo Ren only having a cracked kyber crystal, the energy of which became unstable. He displays the ability to [[WeaponizedExhaust jab the crossguards]] into his foes in a BladeLock.
*** In ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', [[spoiler:Rey's Sith doppelganger]] uses a double-bladed lightsaber with a hilt that has a hinge in the middle, allowing the weapon to be more easily concealed. This is actually the third time a lightsaber of this type has been shown, the first being with Pong Krell's pair in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', and the second in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''.
*** At the end of ''[=TRoS=]'', Rey debuts a new yellow-bladed saber that she built from her old staff.
*** Ahsoka Tano [[DualWielding wields two white-bladed sabers]], one of which is a shorter ''shoto''-style. The white blades come from formerly-corrupted kyber crystals that she took from a defeated Inquisitor and then purified.
*** Lightwhips are a variant where the blade is longer than usual and encased in a flexible energy shield, allowing it to be used as, well, a whip instead of a traditional blade. They're noted to be difficult to master properly, but useful in their own way -- in part because, due to their rarity, few people truly know how to respond to their use in combat. They occur in both single- and multi-stranded versions.
** ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' material expands on the lightsabers' in-universe history. The earliest Force traditions used metal blades imbued with the power of the Force, which incidentally caused them to glow a variety of colors. True laser-bladed weapons came along later, derived by modifying projectile laser weapons, but only saw ceremonial use due to being impractical and difficult to make. The first combat lightsabers saw use during the ancient Jedi-Sith schism; this model, later known as the "protosaber", needed a constant energy intake to work and included a long cable connected to a power pack worn on the wielder's belt. The Sith were the first to figure out how to make power cells small enough to incorporate entirely in the saber's hilt; the Jedi adopted this technology after the first Sith-Jedi war.
** Early concept art for the original movies has lightsabers as a much more widespread and mundane weapon -- some concept art shows squads of common stormtroopers wielding them.
** A lightsaber is composed of a metal hilt that projects a three-foot colored beam of energy that serves as a blade, which can be switched on and off. The energy is provided by a "[[PowerCrystal kyber crystal]]" stored in the hilt. Most Jedi blades are green or blue; other colors, such as purple, orange, yellow or white, are rare but appear on occasion. Sith lightsabers are always blood-red, because they corrupt their crystals with a Dark Side technique called "bleeding". They can cut through virtually any physical substance, even thick metal bulkheads, but bounce off of each other to enable swordfights; a few materials, such as a handful of rare metals or the hides of certain monsters, also resist their blades. George Lucas intended them to make Jedi more like a classic KnightErrant or samurai.
** It's commonly believed even in-universe that only Force-sensitives can wield lightsabers, but this isn't strictly true. Force-sensitive reflexes do greatly help in wielding them safely, without cutting off one's own bodyparts while making rapid complex motions, however.
** Because they are close-range weapons and can be used to block and reflect blaster fire, they are supposed to be seen as defensive weapons, showing that Jedi use force only to protect themselves. This characterization is pretty much abandoned with the Sith of the Dark Side, who use lightsabers just as readily.
** Several characters have their own takes on the lightsaber:
*** Darth Maul has a special hilt that can project a blade from either end. Supplementary materials or looking closely at the hilt reveals it's just two regular sabers attached end-to-end.
*** Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress both use lightsabers with curved hilts in order to allow for more precise movements and flexibility during lightsaber combat in conjunction with the [[FantasticFightingStyle Makashi lightsaber form]], which resembled traditional fencing (which Christopher Lee was a master of).
*** The [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Inquisitors]] use hilts that also project a blade from each end... ''and'' they spin, allowing for flight.
*** The Darksaber, introduced in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', is an ancient Mandalorian lightsaber that, on top of having a unique black blade, is shaped more like an actual saber (flat, pointed blade, handguard, etc.).
*** [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Ezra Bridger]] built a lightsaber with a [[TheParalyzer stun blaster]] incorporated in its hilt. [[spoiler:Until Darth Vader destroyed it.]]
*** Kylo Ren has a lightsaber with two horizontal blades jutting from the hilt, like a crossguard. This design was a necessity due to Kylo Ren only having a cracked kyber crystal, the energy of which became unstable. He displays the ability to [[WeaponizedExhaust jab the crossguards]] into his foes in a BladeLock.
*** In ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', [[spoiler:Rey's Sith doppelganger]] uses a double-bladed lightsaber with a hilt that has a hinge in the middle, allowing the weapon to be more easily concealed. This is actually the third time a lightsaber of this type has been shown, the first being with Pong Krell's pair in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', and the second in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''.
*** At the end of ''[=TRoS=]'', Rey debuts a new yellow-bladed saber that she built from her old staff.
*** Ahsoka Tano [[DualWielding wields two white-bladed sabers]], one of which is a shorter ''shoto''-style. The white blades come from formerly-corrupted kyber crystals that she took from a defeated Inquisitor and then purified.
*** Lightwhips are a variant where the blade is longer than usual and encased in a flexible energy shield, allowing it to be used as, well, a whip instead of a traditional blade. They're noted to be difficult to master properly, but useful in their own way -- in part because, due to their rarity, few people truly know how to respond to their use in combat. They occur in both single- and multi-stranded versions.
** ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' material expands on the lightsabers' in-universe history. The earliest Force traditions used metal blades imbued with the power of the Force, which incidentally caused them to glow a variety of colors. True laser-bladed weapons came along later, derived by modifying projectile laser weapons, but only saw ceremonial use due to being impractical and difficult to make. The first combat lightsabers saw use during the ancient Jedi-Sith schism; this model, later known as the "protosaber", needed a constant energy intake to work and included a long cable connected to a power pack worn on the wielder's belt. The Sith were the first to figure out how to make power cells small enough to incorporate entirely in the saber's hilt; the Jedi adopted this technology after the first Sith-Jedi war.
** Early concept art for the original movies has lightsabers as a much more widespread and mundane weapon -- some concept art shows squads of common stormtroopers wielding them.
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!![[Franchise/StarWars Go back to the main franchise page]]
[[StarWars/TropesNumbersToD Tropes Numbers-D]] | [[StarWars/TropesEToH Tropes E-H]] | [[StarWars/TropesFToL Tropes I-L]] | [[StarWars/TropesMToR Tropes M-R]] | [[StarWars/TropesSToZ Tropes S-Z]]
[[folder:I-J]]
%%* IconicLogo
%%* IconOfTheRebellion: The Rebel Alliance's emblem.
* IconicSequelCharacter:
** ''The Empire Strikes Back'' introduced three major characters to the franchise in a flash: Emperor Palpatine (mentioned in the first film but unglimpsed), Master Yoda, and Lando Calrissian. Boba Fett also qualified in the original run until the Special Editions inserted him in ''A New Hope'' as a silent enforcer accompanying Jabba the Hutt.
** ''Return of the Jedi'' introduced Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, the Ewoks. It was also the first glimpse of Jabba the Hutt but as with Boba Fett, special editions inserted him in the first film.
** ''The Phantom Menace'' introduces Qui-Gon Jinn, Darth Maul, Padmé Amidala, Jar-Jar Binks, Mace Windu, Shmi Skywalker, Nute Gunray.
** ''Attack of the Clones'' has Jango Fett and Count Dooku, as well as the Kaminoans.
** ''Revenge of the Sith'' gives us General Grievous, although most of it are returning characters from the earlier prequels and the OT.
** ''The Force Awakens'' has Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe, Rey, Maz Kanata, Phasma, Snoke, Hux, BB-8, Lor San Tekka.
** ''Rogue One'' gives us Jyn and Galen Erso, Director Krennic, Cassian, K-2S0, Chirrut, Baze, Bodhi Rook, Admiral Raddus.
** ''The Last Jedi'' has Admiral Holdo, Paige and Rose Tico, the Thala-Siren.
** ''Solo'' has Qi'ra, Dryden Vos, Tobias Beckett, Enfys Nest, L3-37.
* IconicSequelSong: John Williams' score contains many motifs and themes that are instantly recognizable due to their impact and appeared well after the initial entry in the franchise, but none more so than the "Imperial March," arguably the most famous villain theme in cinema history, which made its first appearance in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', where it had been a sinister brassy triad in ''Film/ANewHope''.
* IfYouCanReadThis: The prequels do this quite frequently...in an alien alphabet, called Aurebesh. If you transcribe each character for its Roman equivalent, it is just plain English. Some examples make sense in context (such as the screen of Anakin's Naboo Starfighter in ''Phantom Menace'') but most are simply inside jokes made by the creators of the material.
* IllegalReligion: During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi were hunted down and driven to near-extinction by Imperial forces, their religion dwindling from universally recognized to often ridiculed as old superstition. Emperor Palpatine and his right hand Darth Vader were members of the evil Sith order, the ancient enemies of the Jedi.
* ImColdSoCold: Somewhat subverted in the radio play version of the second (or fifth) movie, ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Luke (still played by Creator/MarkHamill) nearly freezes to death in the ice planet Hoth. As Han Solo finds him delirious in the snow, Luke moans about being cold, followed by "Warmer now," which causes a deeply concerned Han to yell "No, Luke, that means you're freezing!"
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: About half the weapons in the movies, but the lightsabers and the Death Stars especially.
* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: Amidala's regal outfits, which are so expensive Obi-Wan suggests bargaining with them to buy parts for her ship's hyperdrive.
* IncestSubtext: Luke and Leia flirting and kissing has traces of this when you find out they're really brother and sister.
* IncompletelyTrained: Many Padawan survivors of Order 66, such as [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Caleb Dume]] and [[VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder Cal Kestis]], had their Jedi training interrupted by the massacre of the Jedi.
* InevitableMutualBetrayal: In the expanded universe, it is strongly implied that Vader was planning to betray Palpatine, and that Palpatine was looking for a sufficiently talented replacement so that he could kill Vader off. For less personal reasons, every sith lord/apprentice pair also fits; Sith apprentices are ''expected'' to kill and supplant their masters, or die trying.
* InexplicableCulturalTies: Many proper names are English or Latin lexical words.
* InexplicablySpeaksFluentAlien: Characters regularly being able to understand Chewbacca, even if they've just met him. No need to have known Chewy for years like Han and Lando.
** Pretty much all characters in the Star Wars franchise. People seem to understand R2-D2's beeps; Han Solo understands Greedo, etc. Defied in ''Film/StarWarsReturnOfTheJedi'', when Jabba uses C-3PO as an interpreter, but this was explained elsewhere (in one of the comics or the novelization of the movie) as a pretense on Jabba's part; he could understand others just fine.
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: The Diathim from the moons of Iego are known as "angels" and Anakin describes them as "the most beautiful creatures in the universe" (relaying stories he'd heard from spacers).
* InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas: Several examples, including the little skittery mouse droid that Chewie growls at and the pit droids in ''The Phantom Menace''.
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: All the stories are set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away". Planet Earth has never even been ''mentioned''.
* InvisibleMeansUndodgeable: The Force, to Muggles at least. Lightsabers and dodging skills can block all sorts of force powers, such as Force Lightning. The moment someone starts a [[PsychicStrangle Force Choke]], though, it's over.
* IronicEcho:
** The scene where Vader has to choose between saving Luke or letting him die is a mirror of the scene with Mace in the Chancellor's office, and the consequences both large and small scale are also identical.
** Also, Anakin killing count Dooku is echoed in Luke's defeat of Darth Vader.
** Severed limbs are a recurring theme, and most of them are symbolic on some level.
* {{Irony}}: The way the creators were able to justify Darth Maul surviving ''The Phantom Menace'' was that Obi-Wan only cut off his legs, hence all vital organs were missed. The iconic shot of the two halves of Darth Maul's body falling apart as he fell down a shaft only existed because George Lucas wanted to make it plain that he hadn't survived the battle. Originally it was left vague as to what killed him, with the impression being that Obi-Wan's cut disemboweled him.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: For both Anakin and Luke.
* IWillTearYourArmsOff: According to Han, Wookiees have a tendency to do this when they lose at games.
* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: When characters visit a planet, they only go to a single city, outpost, etc. on that planet. Why does everything important in galactic history happen in such comparatively small areas? [[BecauseDestinySaysSo It must be the will of]] TheForce.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: In the original trilogy, Palpatine may have been the BigBad all along, but was barely on screen for most of it and only referred to. All the real emotional investment for Luke was with Vader.
* JacobMarleyWarning: Obi-Wan and Yoda to Luke before leaving to face Vader. Also, Vader himself is this to Luke when he realizes how closely Anakin's history mirrors his own.
* JediMindTrick: TropeNamer. Has [[JediMindTrick/StarWars its own page]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Han Solo starts off as this, where his only goal was to get money to pay off debt to Jabba. However, he undergoes a change of heart to wholeheartedly contributing to the Rebel Alliance.
** Anakin Skywalker starts off as this, being reckless, arrogant and aggressive, but ultimately a good man who tries to do what's right. However, his Jerk side [[TookALevelInJerkass eventually began to take over]], until he underwent a FaceHeelTurn.
* JoinOrDie: In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Vader tells the Emperor that this will be the choice he will give Luke. Vader instead gives Luke a WeCanRuleTogether. In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', The Emperor makes the same offer to Luke.
* JumpPhysics: A common feature of any fight involving the Jedi and/or the Sith. Especially useful since the standard architecture of the Star Wars galaxy features more BottomlessPits and FloatingPlatforms than most video games.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:K-L]]
* KuleshovEffect: Lucas who was heavily inspired by Soviet Cinema and the many retcons and re-edits reinterpreted scenes in earlier films to give it added meaning via RewatchBonus. As noted by one critic:
--> '''[[https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/star-wars-dialogue-v-revision Neil Bahadur:]]''' "Lucas’s re-edits are a remarkable Kuleshovian act on not single shots but [[SerialEscalation three whole films]]: each film’s primary function is altered...''Film/ANewHope'', a wacky adventure movie that is little more than a playground for technology, becomes a family soap opera in microcosm: [[YouAllShareMyStory Vader, Luke and Leia all cross paths and enter conflict all unaware that they are of the same family]]. ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''...takes on an immense pathos within Vader’s character--previously an abstract cipher/image of evil, we now see [[TragicVillain only a sad and pathetic man]] who only wants to see his son."
** The most well known example is the reveal that Vader is Luke's father, when in ''Film/ANewHope'', Obi-Wan Kenobi had told Luke that they were two separate characters, and that Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. Lucas after writing the twist for ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', banked on Creator/AlecGuinness subtle performance where Obi-Wan visibly struggled to talk about Anakin, communicating both warmth and regret, which Guinness probably intended to communicate his character's grief at losing a war buddy, but after the retcon alluded to a deeper revelation, which in the process also made Obi-Wan a more complex character than the kindly MentorArchetype of the first film. It also added new meaning to Obi-Wan and Vader's duel at the Death-Star.
** After Lucas sold the franchise to Disney, the Anthology prequels, ''Film/RogueOne'' and ''Film/{{Solo}}'' also re-frame scenes in ''Film/ANewHope''.
*** At the end of ''Rogue One'', Vader saw Princess Leia's ship detaching from the rebel ship he had boarded and massacred, seeing it enter hyperspace. At the start of ''A New Hope'', when Vader boards her ship, Leia said she's on a diplomatic mission from Alderaan. Before, that scene came off as Leia acting as a spy and presenting a diplomatic cover, and Vader crossing a line in attacking an important politician. Now it comes across as Leia [[RefugeInAudacity brazenly and audaciously]] bluffing at Vader as a way to insult him to buy time for the droids to escape, while Vader's original imperious reply[[note]]"You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!"[[/note]] carries an additional tinge of furious disbelief.
*** In ''A New Hope'', when Han Solo first meets Obi-Wan, he boasts that his ship achieved "the Kessel run in 12 parsecs". The script had indicated that this was Han's SnakeOilSalesman-like boast and exaggeration and that Obi-Wan didn't believe it. Creator/AlecGuinness by means of FacialDialogue indicates his own disbelief (namely a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk). ''Solo'' makes this scene into a literal boast where Han indeed achieves what he originally said he did, and as such the original scene now has Han [[TheCassandra come off as being more dishonest and untrustworthy than he really is]], which ends up alluding to his eventual NeutralNoLonger climactic rescue of Luke.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Star Wars provides the page quote for this trope. Compared to blasters, slugthrowers are easier to maintain, and have the added bonus of doing well against things that would normally deflect a plasma bolt. For example, while blaster shots will get repelled by a lightsaber, bullets will just pass right through.
[[/folder]]
[[StarWars/TropesNumbersToD Tropes Numbers-D]] | [[StarWars/TropesEToH Tropes E-H]] | [[StarWars/TropesFToL Tropes I-L]] | [[StarWars/TropesMToR Tropes M-R]] | [[StarWars/TropesSToZ Tropes S-Z]]
[[folder:I-J]]
%%* IconicLogo
%%* IconOfTheRebellion: The Rebel Alliance's emblem.
* IconicSequelCharacter:
** ''The Empire Strikes Back'' introduced three major characters to the franchise in a flash: Emperor Palpatine (mentioned in the first film but unglimpsed), Master Yoda, and Lando Calrissian. Boba Fett also qualified in the original run until the Special Editions inserted him in ''A New Hope'' as a silent enforcer accompanying Jabba the Hutt.
** ''Return of the Jedi'' introduced Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, the Ewoks. It was also the first glimpse of Jabba the Hutt but as with Boba Fett, special editions inserted him in the first film.
** ''The Phantom Menace'' introduces Qui-Gon Jinn, Darth Maul, Padmé Amidala, Jar-Jar Binks, Mace Windu, Shmi Skywalker, Nute Gunray.
** ''Attack of the Clones'' has Jango Fett and Count Dooku, as well as the Kaminoans.
** ''Revenge of the Sith'' gives us General Grievous, although most of it are returning characters from the earlier prequels and the OT.
** ''The Force Awakens'' has Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe, Rey, Maz Kanata, Phasma, Snoke, Hux, BB-8, Lor San Tekka.
** ''Rogue One'' gives us Jyn and Galen Erso, Director Krennic, Cassian, K-2S0, Chirrut, Baze, Bodhi Rook, Admiral Raddus.
** ''The Last Jedi'' has Admiral Holdo, Paige and Rose Tico, the Thala-Siren.
** ''Solo'' has Qi'ra, Dryden Vos, Tobias Beckett, Enfys Nest, L3-37.
* IconicSequelSong: John Williams' score contains many motifs and themes that are instantly recognizable due to their impact and appeared well after the initial entry in the franchise, but none more so than the "Imperial March," arguably the most famous villain theme in cinema history, which made its first appearance in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', where it had been a sinister brassy triad in ''Film/ANewHope''.
* IfYouCanReadThis: The prequels do this quite frequently...in an alien alphabet, called Aurebesh. If you transcribe each character for its Roman equivalent, it is just plain English. Some examples make sense in context (such as the screen of Anakin's Naboo Starfighter in ''Phantom Menace'') but most are simply inside jokes made by the creators of the material.
* IllegalReligion: During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi were hunted down and driven to near-extinction by Imperial forces, their religion dwindling from universally recognized to often ridiculed as old superstition. Emperor Palpatine and his right hand Darth Vader were members of the evil Sith order, the ancient enemies of the Jedi.
* ImColdSoCold: Somewhat subverted in the radio play version of the second (or fifth) movie, ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Luke (still played by Creator/MarkHamill) nearly freezes to death in the ice planet Hoth. As Han Solo finds him delirious in the snow, Luke moans about being cold, followed by "Warmer now," which causes a deeply concerned Han to yell "No, Luke, that means you're freezing!"
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: About half the weapons in the movies, but the lightsabers and the Death Stars especially.
* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: Amidala's regal outfits, which are so expensive Obi-Wan suggests bargaining with them to buy parts for her ship's hyperdrive.
* IncestSubtext: Luke and Leia flirting and kissing has traces of this when you find out they're really brother and sister.
* IncompletelyTrained: Many Padawan survivors of Order 66, such as [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Caleb Dume]] and [[VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder Cal Kestis]], had their Jedi training interrupted by the massacre of the Jedi.
* InevitableMutualBetrayal: In the expanded universe, it is strongly implied that Vader was planning to betray Palpatine, and that Palpatine was looking for a sufficiently talented replacement so that he could kill Vader off. For less personal reasons, every sith lord/apprentice pair also fits; Sith apprentices are ''expected'' to kill and supplant their masters, or die trying.
* InexplicableCulturalTies: Many proper names are English or Latin lexical words.
* InexplicablySpeaksFluentAlien: Characters regularly being able to understand Chewbacca, even if they've just met him. No need to have known Chewy for years like Han and Lando.
** Pretty much all characters in the Star Wars franchise. People seem to understand R2-D2's beeps; Han Solo understands Greedo, etc. Defied in ''Film/StarWarsReturnOfTheJedi'', when Jabba uses C-3PO as an interpreter, but this was explained elsewhere (in one of the comics or the novelization of the movie) as a pretense on Jabba's part; he could understand others just fine.
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: The Diathim from the moons of Iego are known as "angels" and Anakin describes them as "the most beautiful creatures in the universe" (relaying stories he'd heard from spacers).
* InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas: Several examples, including the little skittery mouse droid that Chewie growls at and the pit droids in ''The Phantom Menace''.
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: All the stories are set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away". Planet Earth has never even been ''mentioned''.
* InvisibleMeansUndodgeable: The Force, to Muggles at least. Lightsabers and dodging skills can block all sorts of force powers, such as Force Lightning. The moment someone starts a [[PsychicStrangle Force Choke]], though, it's over.
* IronicEcho:
** The scene where Vader has to choose between saving Luke or letting him die is a mirror of the scene with Mace in the Chancellor's office, and the consequences both large and small scale are also identical.
** Also, Anakin killing count Dooku is echoed in Luke's defeat of Darth Vader.
** Severed limbs are a recurring theme, and most of them are symbolic on some level.
* {{Irony}}: The way the creators were able to justify Darth Maul surviving ''The Phantom Menace'' was that Obi-Wan only cut off his legs, hence all vital organs were missed. The iconic shot of the two halves of Darth Maul's body falling apart as he fell down a shaft only existed because George Lucas wanted to make it plain that he hadn't survived the battle. Originally it was left vague as to what killed him, with the impression being that Obi-Wan's cut disemboweled him.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: For both Anakin and Luke.
* IWillTearYourArmsOff: According to Han, Wookiees have a tendency to do this when they lose at games.
* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: When characters visit a planet, they only go to a single city, outpost, etc. on that planet. Why does everything important in galactic history happen in such comparatively small areas? [[BecauseDestinySaysSo It must be the will of]] TheForce.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: In the original trilogy, Palpatine may have been the BigBad all along, but was barely on screen for most of it and only referred to. All the real emotional investment for Luke was with Vader.
* JacobMarleyWarning: Obi-Wan and Yoda to Luke before leaving to face Vader. Also, Vader himself is this to Luke when he realizes how closely Anakin's history mirrors his own.
* JediMindTrick: TropeNamer. Has [[JediMindTrick/StarWars its own page]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Han Solo starts off as this, where his only goal was to get money to pay off debt to Jabba. However, he undergoes a change of heart to wholeheartedly contributing to the Rebel Alliance.
** Anakin Skywalker starts off as this, being reckless, arrogant and aggressive, but ultimately a good man who tries to do what's right. However, his Jerk side [[TookALevelInJerkass eventually began to take over]], until he underwent a FaceHeelTurn.
* JoinOrDie: In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Vader tells the Emperor that this will be the choice he will give Luke. Vader instead gives Luke a WeCanRuleTogether. In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', The Emperor makes the same offer to Luke.
* JumpPhysics: A common feature of any fight involving the Jedi and/or the Sith. Especially useful since the standard architecture of the Star Wars galaxy features more BottomlessPits and FloatingPlatforms than most video games.
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* KuleshovEffect: Lucas who was heavily inspired by Soviet Cinema and the many retcons and re-edits reinterpreted scenes in earlier films to give it added meaning via RewatchBonus. As noted by one critic:
--> '''[[https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/star-wars-dialogue-v-revision Neil Bahadur:]]''' "Lucas’s re-edits are a remarkable Kuleshovian act on not single shots but [[SerialEscalation three whole films]]: each film’s primary function is altered...''Film/ANewHope'', a wacky adventure movie that is little more than a playground for technology, becomes a family soap opera in microcosm: [[YouAllShareMyStory Vader, Luke and Leia all cross paths and enter conflict all unaware that they are of the same family]]. ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''...takes on an immense pathos within Vader’s character--previously an abstract cipher/image of evil, we now see [[TragicVillain only a sad and pathetic man]] who only wants to see his son."
** The most well known example is the reveal that Vader is Luke's father, when in ''Film/ANewHope'', Obi-Wan Kenobi had told Luke that they were two separate characters, and that Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. Lucas after writing the twist for ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', banked on Creator/AlecGuinness subtle performance where Obi-Wan visibly struggled to talk about Anakin, communicating both warmth and regret, which Guinness probably intended to communicate his character's grief at losing a war buddy, but after the retcon alluded to a deeper revelation, which in the process also made Obi-Wan a more complex character than the kindly MentorArchetype of the first film. It also added new meaning to Obi-Wan and Vader's duel at the Death-Star.
** After Lucas sold the franchise to Disney, the Anthology prequels, ''Film/RogueOne'' and ''Film/{{Solo}}'' also re-frame scenes in ''Film/ANewHope''.
*** At the end of ''Rogue One'', Vader saw Princess Leia's ship detaching from the rebel ship he had boarded and massacred, seeing it enter hyperspace. At the start of ''A New Hope'', when Vader boards her ship, Leia said she's on a diplomatic mission from Alderaan. Before, that scene came off as Leia acting as a spy and presenting a diplomatic cover, and Vader crossing a line in attacking an important politician. Now it comes across as Leia [[RefugeInAudacity brazenly and audaciously]] bluffing at Vader as a way to insult him to buy time for the droids to escape, while Vader's original imperious reply[[note]]"You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!"[[/note]] carries an additional tinge of furious disbelief.
*** In ''A New Hope'', when Han Solo first meets Obi-Wan, he boasts that his ship achieved "the Kessel run in 12 parsecs". The script had indicated that this was Han's SnakeOilSalesman-like boast and exaggeration and that Obi-Wan didn't believe it. Creator/AlecGuinness by means of FacialDialogue indicates his own disbelief (namely a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk). ''Solo'' makes this scene into a literal boast where Han indeed achieves what he originally said he did, and as such the original scene now has Han [[TheCassandra come off as being more dishonest and untrustworthy than he really is]], which ends up alluding to his eventual NeutralNoLonger climactic rescue of Luke.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Star Wars provides the page quote for this trope. Compared to blasters, slugthrowers are easier to maintain, and have the added bonus of doing well against things that would normally deflect a plasma bolt. For example, while blaster shots will get repelled by a lightsaber, bullets will just pass right through.
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