The canon of Star Wars has grown to become among the biggest ever, spanning thousands of years with countless characters, planets, and stories. But that wealth of content naturally means there are plot holes along the way.
Leia claims to have memories of her mother in the original trilogy, even though Padme died in childbirth. Darth Vader had no memory of R2-D2 and C-3PO, despite going into battle with the former and building the latter himself. Even on top of the direct canon flaws, there are some things that just don't make sense - like Luke Skywalker being given the surname of his Sith lord father.
Sure, one could choose to zone in on all these questionable plot holes, many of which stem from the prequels being made after the originals, but it makes for a better viewing experience to just let them slip. Now, Star Wars has fixed one of its widely discussed plot holes, specifically in Attack of the Clones.
Star Wars Retcons Prequel Trilogy Plot Hole
Zam Wesell received a new bio in the upcoming Star Wars: Secrets of the Bounty Hunters book that fixed an Attack of the Clones plot hole.
Clawdite shape-shifter Wesell was the bounty hunter sent to assassinate Padme Amidala - an attempt that was foiled by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, leading to a speeder chase.
The bounty hunter survived the crash and was pursued on foot by Skywalker, but she managed to escape.
Wesell fled to hide inside a Coruscant nightclub where she was caught by the Jedi duo.
Obi-Wan and Anakin took Wesell outside to question her for information regarding who was behind the contract.
However, Wesell was shot dead by Jango Fett just as she was about to give up information.
With Wesell being a shape-shifting changeling, fans have since questioned why she didn't simply change form after escaping Anakin's pursuit in order to hide from the Jedi. Many have up until now believed this to be a significant plot hole within this sequence.
Fans have previously offered their own head-canon explanations for the plot hole, with some suggesting the Jedi would have recognized her clothes anyway, while others pointed out the force may have allowed them to sense her presence regardless of appearance.
As shared on Reddit by u/IllusiveManJr, Wesell's bio in Secrets of the Bounty Hunters confirmed the reasoning for this to be her desire to "strike back against the Jedi who had ruined her job:"
“Wesell survived the resulting speeder crash and managed to briefly escape the Jedi. As a Clawdite, she could have simply changed her face and faded away into the crowd. But for some, revenge is just as rewarding as a pile of credits. Wesell could not resist the chance to strike bad at the Jedi who had ruined her job. I am assuming you have never tried to sneak up on someone who has mastered the Force but let me tell you, it never ends well.”
The Star Wars Wiki offers the real-world explanation for the plot hole, being that the bounty hunter was "not originally conceived as a changeling." Wesell's alien transformation and appearance were "created digitally by superimposing a 'mask'" over the actress' face some time later:
"Wesell was not originally conceived as a changeling or shapeshifting being. Rather, this concept developed well after principal photography for Attack of the Clones had begun. As a result, [Zam Wesell actress Leeanna Walsman] was originally unaware of Wesell’s species type. The transformations and alien appearance were created digitally by superimposing a “mask” over Walsman’s face."
The Ever-Changing Star Wars Canon
The assassination attempt against Padme was always filled with flawed logic; Count Dooku hired Jango Fett to kill the senator, so why would he, being a bounty hunter himself, then hire Zam Wessel? This logic becomes particularly questionable after realizing that Fett traveled from Kamino to Coruscant anyway, as he ultimately ended up killing the contractor he hired.
George Lucas' decision to change Wesell into a shape-shifter after filming is absolutely a strange one. After all, her abilities serve no purpose in the short action sequence she is involved with, and the few times she does transform to her alien appearance have no reasoning behind it.
Still, Star Wars fixing a plot hole that was first noticed at the time of release is always exciting to see. Expanded universe material offers the opportunity to deliver these small nuggets of information that can fix major inconsistencies, which will generally improve the movie in the long term.
The Skywalker Saga, including Attack of the Clones, is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
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