Summary

• The Star Wars franchise has had shocking moments, such as Darth Vader revealing he is Luke's father, which redefined the direction of the franchise.
• Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm led to more shocking twists and turns, better integrating stories into the Star Wars canon.
• Surprises in the franchise include the clones turning on the Jedi and the shocking reveal of "Baby Yoda" in The Mandalorian.

The Star Wars franchise has always targeted a family-friendly audience, but even in doing so, it's still managed to create some massively shocking moments. Some of these have been plot twists, surprise reveals, or general moments that have caught audiences off guard, despite the rich and long history of the franchise. Many twists were shocking initially, but over the course of time, they have been further integrated into the galaxy's history and overall story.
Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 led to a massive expansion of the Star Wars galaxy, including a whole new generation of television shows, movies, and Star Wars books. This has allowed not only for more shocking twists and turns, but also for better integration of those stories into the greater Star Wars canon. So, while things may have been shocking upon their premiere, Star Wars has been doing the work to better integrate those choices into the larger story of the galaxy - and here are 12 of the biggest ones.

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