When Imperial forces discovered an incursion on the first Death Star, the Empire learned that a security control center overlooking Docking Bay 327 had strangely been locked. This stormtrooper was among a squad that had been dispatched to investigate. The squad's leader was eventually able to open the door, but as the group barged in, the head-bumping stormtrooper did not account for his height and the low clearance that the entrance presented.[2] As a result of his helmet's poor field of vision,[3] the stormtrooper knocked his head on the door, slowing his advance. Two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, were discovered in the room[2] alongside the bodies of a gantry officer and his aide, but they were thought to be Imperial property. The stormtroopers then left the room, directed by the droids to the prison level to chase after the "madmen" who had attacked the officer. A short time later, the Battle of Yavin occurred, during which the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched an attack on the Death Star over the Yavin system, and successfully destroyed the battlestation.[2]
The head-bumping stormtrooper first appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, (1977). The actor playing the trooper inadvertently bumped his head on a door frame while entering his scene.
One of the most visible gaffes from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the "head-bumping stormtrooper" mistake has been highlighted by Lucas years after the initial release of the film. In 2002's Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, George Lucas paid homage to the scene by having Jango Fett bump his head on the low clearance door of the Slave I.[3] In the 2004 re-release of the original trilogy, the "head-bumping stormtrooper" bump was enhanced with an obvious sound effect.
[4] Although Lucas implies this stormtrooper was a clone of Jango Fett,[1] the stormtrooper did not share Fett's voice or accent when speaking.[2]
↑ 3.03.1In the commentary for the Attack of the Clones DVD, George Lucas states that Jango Fett knocked his head on the door of the Slave I, because he couldn't see properly out of the helmet, as a homage to the gaffe from A New Hope.