The links between Kent and a galaxy far, far away may not be immediately apparent, but if you look closely enough there are plenty of links between the county and the movie world's most lucrative franchise.

Granted, we're not suggesting Tatooine was based on Dungeness, or Naboo on Tunbridge Wells, but some of the connections the county has with Star Wars may just make you believe in the Force. Ahem.

From Darth Vader's henchmen to his blood relatives, the county has had a long connection to the space saga.

So as crowds continue to flock to the final episode in the original saga, The Rise of Skywalker, here are just a few...

Grand Moff Tarkin

If ever there was a character so diametrically opposed to the actor who portrays him, it was surely on display in the original 1977 Star Wars.

Peter Cushing, who lived for many years in a seafront home in Whitstable (he now has both his favourite seating position along the promenade named after him (Cushing's View) and the town's Wetherspoon pub) was cast as Grand Moff Tarkin.

An officer who could command Darth Vader, he was the chap in charge of the Death Star with an itchy trigger finger.

And it was to he that Princess Leia was brought to after her arrest.

A nasty piece of work among the Imperials (which is up against some pretty stiff competition), the actor was, on the other hand, one of Britain's most cherished, and best-loved, with few people having a bad word to say about him.

Famously, when Cushing was filming the scenes in which he torments Leia he found the boots the costume department had given him too uncomfortable - so instead he swapped them for slippers, with director George Lucas having to ensure his feet weren't caught on camera.

Bizarrely, some 22 years after his death, Cushing returned to the role in Star Wars spin-off prequel, Rogue One, with some clever computer work recreating him.

Just for the anoraks among you, he was also best chums with Christopher Lee, from their days filming Hammer horror movies. Lee would go on to play (yet another) baddie in two of the Star Wars prequels as Count Dooku.

The Force Awakens

Star Wars and Bluewater? No, it's not just because there's a cinema there which has shown the films; this list may be a little tenuous at times, but it's not that bad.

Which isn't to say, of course, that Bluewater has actually appeared in the movies (OK, it is a bit tenuous).

However, when Disney splashed the cash and bought the rights to the Star Wars movies from creator George Lucas in 2012, it was swiftly announced that the original cast would be reunited for what would become the Force Awakens.

As crews were sent out around the world to track down locations, one team paid a trip to Bluewater - and not just to go round the shops.

Instead, the quarry was being considered for a potential scene in the movie - a scouting mission subsequently confirmed by the Kent Film Office.

Perhaps it was being considered for the little known about 'Han Solo goes shopping for curtains for the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca' scene that ended on the cutting room floor.

Darth Vader

While we don't often get a glimpse of Darth Vader's body under that black outfit he wore, we shall assume that he kept himself in shape.

Which given the actor who portrayed him in the original trilogy, David Prowse, once owned his own health club in London and was a renowned body builder, would probably be an accurate guess.

Now David - who lent only his body to the role, the voice was actor James Earl Jones - allowed his brother, Bob, to manage the club.

And after years there, Bob Prowse set up his own health club in Maidstone which continues to operate to this day - the Bob Prowse Health Club, in case you were wondering.

Which means you can work out at the gym created by Luke Skywalker's uncle.

Admiral Piett

Now, granted, we're getting to characters about whom only the Star Wars geeks have much recollection of, but Darth Vader's underling Admiral Piett is worthy of mention here.

Not only did the character not find himself throttled by Vader's use of the Force during the Empire Strikes Back, he even managed to make it to the subsequent movie, Return of the Jedi (although, granted, he did meet his doom when his Star Destroyer crashed).

Actor Kenneth Colley, who lives in Herne Bay, was the man hired for the role. Legend has it the film's director Irvin Kershner described the role to him as "someone who would frighten Adolf Hitler".

Now 82, Colley has toured the sci-fi convention circuit off the back of his role in the two movies.

However, his film glory doesn't end there because he had an even smaller role in another classic - this time performing at the opposite end of the spectrum. Because he had a fleeting role as Jesus in Monty Python's classic Life of Brian. So he can say he really was the messiah, and went on to become a very naughty boy.

Supporting cast

Granted, we couldn't find any history of the likes of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill or the late Carrie Fisher filming in Kent at any stage in their long careers, but plenty of other Star Wars actors have.

Alec Guinness, for example, who was Obi Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy (a role he was embarrassed by) filmed 1949’s Kind Hearts and Coronets in the county, appearing in scenes filmed at the Cock Inn pub in Boughton Monchelsea, just outside Maidstone.

The young Obi Wan of the prequel movies, Ewan McGregor, meanwhile, swapped thoughts of Yoda for Winnie the Pooh when he filmed in Dover three years ago for the Disney movie Christopher Robin.

And keeping with those pesky prequels, Natalie Portman shot scenes for 2008's The Other Boleyn Girl in Penshurst Place, near Tonbridge, Knole in Sevenoaks and Dover Castle.

She appeared in all three of the films - the Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith - playing the mum of both Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, Padmé Amidala.

Richard E Grant, who stars in the latest instalment, Rise of Skywalker, filmed scenes at Tenterden and Leeds Castle for his show in 2016 looking at the Ealing comedies.

Chatham Historic Dockyard provided the back-drop for scenes in recent movie The Aeronauts - a flick which featured Felicity Jones. She was the lead character in the well-received Star Wars' spin-off Rogue One.

And, finally, Ade Edmondson may be better known as playing punk Vyvyan in classic comedy The Young Ones and alongside long-time collaborator Rik Mayall in Bottom, but he is very much looking to be better known as a serious actor these days.

He appeared briefly as an Imperial officer in The Last Jedi, where, we can only assume, he didn't have much chance to put the skills he learned in 2009 when he made a rare performance in panto as Captain Hook in Peter Pan, staged by the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

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