Star Wars may have taken place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but it was filmed right here on Earth in the late-1970s. As a result, the folks who put together the series’ iconic props had to get creative when it came to fabricating everything from clothing and weapons, to communications devices and starships.

Since the franchise has been around for over 40 years, there have been plenty of stories about the various props and how they were created. Still, there are plenty that have escaped the attention of more than a few fans — up to and including some of the franchise’s most memorable items.

Whether a prop was reused from another science-fiction franchise or repurposed from something else entirely, there are plenty of Star Wars props that have interesting stories behind their creation. There’s even a Facebook page called «The Parts of Star Wars» devoted to identifying real-world items from the franchise.

This list takes a look at some of the more fascinating origin stories for Star Wars props. Some you may know, while others will likely surprise you.

These 10 items were created here on Earth, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an interesting story behind them….