A list of the hands and arms that were cut off people in Star Wars

If you lived a long time ago in a galaxy far far away you could be forgiven for thinking all your people did was run around cutting off each other’s arms. It was the price for getting smart to a Jedi in a bar, the price for trying to arrest a Sith Lord and the price paid for a kid who just wanted to have some time with his busy father…

Here’s a list of all the dismembering we could remember that happened in the Star Wars films, very minor characters such as robots don’t count.

A New Hope 

• Ponda Baba had his limb removed from his body by Obi Wan Kenobi in the Cantina bar after he and his friend Dr. Evazan gave Luke some less than friendly lip. 

The Empire Strikes Back 

• While the Wampa got the goods on Luke in the first round, when Luke left the Wampa's cave, at least he had both arms then... 
• Luke loses his hand to Vader in an duel in which Vader reveals he is Luke's father. Talk about Luke having a really bad day at the Office. 

Return of the Jedi 

• Luke gets shot in his mechanical hand which doesn't count as losing a limb but it's a reminder of the significance - he is very like Vader. 
• Everything however comes full circle when in the climatic duel aboard the Death Star when Luke is just about to fully give into The Dark Side, he cuts off Vader's hand. At which time Luke realises he is a Jedi and he has no wish to be anything but. Turning off his saber, he shows he is in control of his emotions and will not succumb to to the Dark Side. A truly awesome Star Wars moment. 

The Phantom Menace 

• No one had their hand cut off in this movie though Obi Wan did manage to sever Darth Maul in half.... 

Attack of the Clones 

• Obi Wan cuts off Zam Wessell’s lower arm as she starts to attack him in a bar however this is not nearly as interesting as when Count Dooku manages to cut of Anakin's arm this being the first marker for Anakin becoming Darth Vader.

Revenge of the Sith 

• Before Anakin taps into the Dark Side of the force to kill Count Dooku, the Sith Lord in training had both hands removed from his person. 
• Obi-Wan cuts two of General Grievous' hands off. 
• Anakin cuts off Mace Windu’s hand to stop him from finishing of Palpatine. 
• Anakin Skywalker does not have the high ground when Obi Wan remove his biological arm in a classic moment of the entire film series. Obi Wan leaves Anakin for dead, to wit the lava they were just battling over starts to burn Anakin. Queue a rescue from Palpatine but only after Anakin has used his mechanical arm to drag himself away from the flaming lava.