Our Favorite Fan Theories

Fan theories are a great way to expand on a universe. They let you see events or characters from a film and a brand new light. Sometimes the theory doesn’t go any deeper than elaborating on a loose plot thread. Other times you get one that shakes the foundation of the franchise to its core. Let’s take a look at five of our favorite theories.

Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber comes from Qui Gon Jinn.

This is quite a plausible theory. While there are no gamebreaking elements to the films, it does make you look at ‘Return of the Jedi’ in a new light.

At the end of ‘Phantom Menace’ we see Darth Maul slain by Kenobi using his fallen masters lightsaber. After the fighting and funeral, it is not hard to imagine Obi-Wan keeping the lightsaber as memory of his fallen friend. He even does this two films later with Anakin.

After surviving order 66, it’s possible that Qui Gon Jinn’s lightsaber went with him to Tatooine. There, the lightsaber would have stayed for years, tucked away in a trunk with whatever else Obi-Wan managed to save from the empire.

That is until Luke lost his fathers lightsaber on cloud city.

In a deleted scene from ‘Return of the Jedi’ we see Luke crafting his own GREEN lightsaber. Up until this point the only lightsabers we have seen had been blue or red. Who do we know that had a green lightsaber that was not being used? Qui Gon.

It is not hard to imagine that after Cloud City and before his rescue mission at Jabba’s palace, Luke swung by Obi-Wan’s old home to gear up. It is there that he would have found Qui Gon’s lightsaber and would have been able to use the Kyber crystal inside of it to make his own, green, lightsaber. Again, this theory doesn’t change anything in the films but rather deepens the lore and connection between two characters generations apart.

‘Footloose’ and ‘Tremors’ take place in the same town, years apart.

This theory has a few holes but is well worth exploring. Imagine for a moment that you live in a small town that has outlawed dancing. You, as a rebellious teen, may think that these laws are just a product of the no-nonsense adults that run the town. However what if these adults were actually trying to protect the town. What if the town elders knew of the potential Graboid threat lurking underneath their feet.

In the 1990 classic ‘Tremors’ it is established that the monsters, the Graboids, can sense vibrations on the surface and are attracted to the sounds. A group of teens dancing and carrying on would have been akin to placing a hot apple pie on the windowsill. Perhaps the Reverend’s son in ‘Footloose’ was killed by one of these monsters. The town elders had everything under control. Sure, they may have looked like a bunch of jerks, but no one was being eaten by subterranean creatures.

Enter Kevin Bacon, the lynchpin of both films.

Here comes this stubborn rebel who convinces the town to dance again, completely unaware of the consequences of his actions. ‘Footloose’ ends and everyone dances the night away and lives happily ever after.

What we do see, in ‘Tremors’ is the aftermath. Kevin Bacon’s character from ‘Footloose’ has unintentionally drawn the Graboids to the town. Now they must deal with the consequences.

No, Kevin Bacon, we will not “Just Dance”. We prefer to live.

Glinda orchestrated the events of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ to gain power.

What a strange coincidence that Dorothy Gale’s house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. Of all the places the house could have come down, and it landed right on top of her, almost as if by magic.

Furthermore, isn’t it just a little strange that the ruby slippers just magically appeared on Dorothy’s feet? And Glinda, knowing full well that Dorothy could use the shoes right then and there to return home, instead sends her on this epic quest to the Emerald City?

This fan theory paints the good witch Glinda in a very different light.

Glinda is creating a power vacuum within Oz. She had orchestrated Dorothy’s rather violent entrance into the world to kill the Witch of the East. All the while knowing full well that this would set Dorothy on a collision course with her sister, the Witch of the West.

The last pawn to fall before Glinda could take control of Oz would have been the Wizard himself. Glinda manipulated Dorothy the entire trip to ensure that she reached the Emerald City. Once there the Wizard was outed almost immediately as a fraud and was forced to flee. At the conclusion of the film we have a very different balance of power within Oz. The Wicked Witches are dead, the wizard has fled and Glinda is free to reign over the land.

Good witch or not, Glinda was pulling strings for control of Oz the entire time.

Sean Connery plays James Bond in Michael Bay’s ‘The Rock’.

Here is a fun one. Similarly to the theory regarding Luke and Qui Gon, this one does not change the story of the film. Rather, it deeps the lore and makes you see certain characters in a different light.

In Michael Bay’s 1996 film ‘The Rock’, we are introduced to John Mason, the only inmate to ever escape Alcatraz. The film explores a bit of Mason’s backstory and how he ended up incarcerated on the prison island. As it turns out, John Mason was a former SAS and MI6 operative. At some point he was caught stealing United States secrets and was imprisoned and disavowed by MI6.

What is also important to point out is that John Mason is played by none other than Sean Connery.

From here, you can connect the dots. John Mason is not the characters real name, but a cover. Mason is actually the international man of mystery himself, 007, James Bond. Not only do the timelines match up, but Mason’s former job as an operative, his skill set and combat training all point towards one thing; John Mason is James Bond. The real villains of ‘The Rock’ are licensing rights.

Josh and Mike were the only real threat in ‘The Blair Witch Project’.

This is a meaty theory and for a more in-depth look at it, we recommend checking out Film Theorist’s video on it.

The Blair Witch introduces us to three young film-makers venturing out into the woods of Maryland for a documentary on the fabled ‘Blair Witch’. As the found footage film progresses we watch the trio become lost and increasingly more desperate as more time passes. The climax of the film ends with Josh going missing and the remaining two, Heather and Mike, attempting to find. Following Josh’s screams for help they come across a creepy house in the woods and make their way to the basement. The final two meet their demise at the hands of the Blair Witch.

Or so we are lead to believe.

When you look at the events of the film, it is actual much easier to believe that the two boys, Mike and Josh, lead Heather into the woods to kill her. Heather witnesses none of the events that occur each night and had even mentioned how she sleeps “Like the Dead”. Mike and Josh are shown consistently leading the hike and taking control away from Heather. Finally, the crux of the film relies on the idea that the movie is “found footage”. Obviously, someone would have made it into the woods, to the cabin and down the basement, and back out again without being killed.

When you breakdown the events of the film, it is actually far easier to believe that what we see in the film is actually the last few days of a victim, being toyed with and terrified, until she is finally killed.

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