The guillotine was still in official use in France when Star Wars was released in 1977; the last execution by guillotine occurred in 1977, abolished in 1981.
Notes on verification
French government records confirm Hamida Djandoubi's execution on September 10, 1977 [2026-08-28 re-verified orphan: promoted with 6 independent source(s)] [2026-08-29 audit re-verified: 6 independent source(s)]
Sources
- https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-10/the-guillotine-falls-silent (reverify-primary)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamida_Djandoubi (corroboration)
- https://allthatsinteresting.com/hamida-djandoubi-eugen-weidmann (corroboration)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_France (corroboration)
- https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/human-rights/death-penalty/ (corroboration)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film) (corroboration)
- https://www.euronews.com/2017/09/11/frances-final-guillotine-40-years-since-the-end-of-the-death-penalty (audit-corroboration)
- https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/the-ministry-in-action/action-for-peace-and-respect-for-human-rights/promoting-human-rights/abolition-of-the-death-penalty (audit-corroboration)