Welcome to the Ask the Lucasfilm Jedi Council Archives. A feature of Star Wars. Com, no longer active. This is not a complete archive but have salvaged what I can.
January 2004
Q : Will there ever be an Episode II Insider’s Guide?
Steve Sansweet: I assume you’re talking about the great CD-ROMs that LucasArts did for both the classic trilogy (Star Wars: Behind the Magic) and the first prequel (Star Wars: Episode I Insider’s Guide). Both were chock full with exclusive interviews, rare footage, encyclopedia-like coverage, scene guides, still images, trivia, a look at characters, vehicles, the making of the films…and much, much more.
But basically two things have happened. First, the market has clearly moved away from such CD-ROMs; in fact, it had pretty much collapsed just as the Episode I Insider’s Guide was starting to ship. And that’s because the kinds of material that would be included on such CD-ROMs can be better placed on more interactive and updateable websites and richer DVDs — which is exactly what Lucasfilm did for Episode II.
Q : Why does there appear to be statues of horses in the scene where Jar Jar and his people are entering the city after defeating the droid army? Horses were never seen on any of the fantasy planets.
Jocasta Nu: Those are not horses. They are in fact statues of guarlaras, royal riding animals used only by the monarchy. The galaxy contains a number of species similar to the mundane equines you are familiar with. The forest moon of Endor has several such species, including bordoks and gaupas.
Q : Is that you in the tank in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?
Nick Gillard: Good eye. It most certainly is.
Q : What do you think are the chances of MGM’s Star Tours expanding or for Mr. Lucas to build a Star Wars theme park?
Steve Sansweet: As long ago as 1984, Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Co. began exploring the possibilities of theme park attractions based on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies. One early idea was an entire area at Disneyland with seven rides based on those films. Eventually, in 1987, Star Tours opened in Disneyland, and later in Disney parks in Orlando, Tokyo and Paris. Indiana Jones attractions followed. We continue to believe that the Disney environment is an excellent one for attractions based on Lucasfilm movies, and we are always looking at ways to either freshen or, if it makes sense, expand that presence.
Q : Stupid question but what are humans called in the Star Wars universe?
Jocasta Nu: Humans are simply identified as humans — notice when C-3PO remarks that Luke Skywalker is quite clever for a human being, or when Han Solo ironically calls Jabba the Hutt a wonderful human. The Podracer announcers also identify Anakin Skywalker as a human. Your confusion may stem from there not being a homeworld identified in the species name, but that is not uncommon. The species name “Wookiee,” for instance makes no reference to Kashyyyk.
The origins of humanity in this galaxy have been lost to time. There are several worlds that lay claim to the prehistoric birthplace of the human species — and in ancient times, wars were fought over such claims — but the truth remains a mystery. As such, many humans tend to refer to themselves with names that identify particular cultures or homeworld: for example, Corellians and Alderaanians.
Q : I saw your name when I was watching the BBC hit “Red Dwarf.” What was it like and how did Mr. Charles’ skills match to Star Wars?
Nick Gillard: Working on “Red Dwarf” was a lot of fun! I think Mr. Charles would make a good Sith.
Q : I’ve seen Star Wars wall art that is made up of small movie picture frames cut up to make an image. What are these type of pictures called and where can I buy them?
Steve Sansweet: There were two fantastic Star Wars images done by Robert Silvers, the creator of Photomosaics, a technology he invented at the age of 26 while a student at the MIT Media Lab. According to his company’s web site, Silvers’ proprietary software “expertly considers minute details in hundreds of individual images to create a beautiful mosaic arrangement.” A Photomosaic works by arranging hundreds or thousands of tiny photographs that, when viewed from a distance, combine to form a single larger image. In this case, many frames of film from the classic Star Wars trilogy created portraits of Darth Vader and of Yoda. Both are included in Silvers’ first book, “Photomosaics” (Henry Holt & Co., $12 soft cover). The Photomosaics were also printed as posters by Lucasfilm licensee Portal Publications in 1997, and are still available in some poster shops or at online sites.
February 2004
Q : In Episode V, Yoda acts like an idiot when Luke was visiting him. Yoda acted like he has never seen technology before. What happened to him? Did the swamp make him crazy?
Jocasta Nu: Yoda was hiding his identity and testing Luke’s patience and intentions. His behavior before revealing his true name and status as a Jedi Master is an act. You’ll note that once Luke realizes that it is in fact Yoda the Jedi Master, Yoda does not behave in this odd way.
Q : I heard that Natalie Portman is terrified of heights. Did she do the whole pole/nexu/chain thing in Episode II herself?
Nick Gillard: Yes Natalie did stand on the pole. She also jumped from it. I had to show her how to do it and I think I was more frightened than she was.
Q : How many bones have you broken?
Nick Gillard: Not as many as the hearts I have broken.
March 2004
Q : Why is Endor called the “centurian” moon?
Jocasta Nu: Your ears deceive you, young Padawan. The term used is “Sanctuary Moon,” which describes Endor’s role in generating the protective shield around a vulnerable second Death Star.
This Article was Originally posted 2022-06-14 18:58:27.
Patty Maloney is the only member of the Wookiee family still involved with acting [Peter Mayhew has since recounted his role as Chewbacca in Episode III after this interview was conducted]: Mickey Morton, who played Chewbacca’s wife Mallatobuck (a.k.a. Malla), passed away in early 1998. “He was the sweetest man,” remembers make-up effects artist Stan Winston. “He had a good sense of humor” [read more from Stan Winston below]. Paul Gale as Attichitcuk (“Itchy”), Lumpy’s
350-plus-year-old grandfather, has retired from acting. “He was just like being with family,” recalls Patty Maloney. “He was so much fun to work with. Paul had worked for Sid & Marty Kroft. That’s were I first met him. He played Hoo Doo on the road show that we did of Pufnstuf and was in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.”
Maloney has been obsessed with acting since a very young age. “When I was about four years old my mother put me into dancing school and, the minute I walked out onto that floor and looked into the mirror, I went ‘(gasp!) This is it! This is what I want to do!’ I was really, really tiny and I even didn’t know that I was never going to grow any taller, so my dream was that I was going to be a chorus girl on Broadway. I studied dance from then on. That was my life. I would go right from school to dance classes. When the last class was over I went home and slept and got up the next day and did it all over again. I did this five days a week, and on Saturdays I was in dance class all day long. I loved it.”
She has had an extremely fruitful career, having worked on countless ’70s sitcoms and shows such as Charlie’s Angels and the original Love Boat. “When I came to Cailfornia in 1972 with $500 in my pocket, I figured ‘When that’s gone, I’ll return home to Orlando, Florida. I never left because I never stopped working.” Maloney has played many costumed characters besides Lumpy, including McDonald’s Early Bird, Goofy Gopher, and Bonita Bizarre for a travelling Sid & Marty Krofft show, and Piglet on Disney’s Welcome to Pooh Corner. More recently [in 1998], Maloney was in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. “I had a great time in that. It was an episode called ‘The Thaw’. There wasn’t a mask on my face. It was all done with make-up. We were aliens that invaded the crews’ minds.” When she reflects on her career, Maloney cannot single out a favorite project. “I can’t think of anything that I haven’t liked doing.”
FAX: Do you remember auditioning for the role of Lumpy?
MALONEY: Oh, I sure do. I probably auditioned with ten other people, I was the only female that I’m aware of that auditioned for the part. I was surprised, being a female, that I got it but I was thrilled with it. I just loved doing Lumpy.
FAX: What was it like working with the cast of Star Wars?
MALONEY: I thought it was great! It was like icing on a cake to be able to work with those people. Harrison Ford was just the most wonderful person to work with. He was so nice to me. While we were shooting the scene where Han and Chewie arrive at the Wookiee planet, he had a line were he had to say “My he’s grown, hasn’t he?” and he’dsay. “My she’s grown, hasn’t she?” (laughter) And they say, “Cut! Harrison, Lumpy’s a boy,” and he would say, “Oh yeah, that’s right. Let’s do that again.” And in the next take he said “My she’s grown, hasn’t she?” They would go “Cut! Harrison!” He would go “Oh, I know, but I can’t look at her when she doesn’t have this mask on, and think of her as a boy when she gets into this thing.” He was wonderful, and everyone else was great.
We had Ben Burtt, the man who does the sound effects for Star Wars. He came into the dressing room one day and he had me do a tape of my voice, and then he engineered it to all different sounds: high, low, fast, and slow. He sent me a tape that was incredible, just so that I could hear what you could do, engineering voices. He was so fascinated with my voice that he wanted it just for his own.
FAX: How would you describe Lumpy?
MALONEY: Lumpy was like an impish little boy that was rebellious. Very active and curious about everything. If his mother said “Take out the garbage” he would reply “I don’t want to do that now! I’m too busy doing something else.” He loved his grandfather and adored his father, which was obvious when Chewbacca came home. He was just an inquisitive, active, and happy Wookiee. He was not really afraid of the stormtroopers, but a little timid of them when they would get upset with him.
FAX: You obviously had to convey a lot of information with mime, since the first half-hour of the show involved the Wookiees who don’t speak English.
MALONEY: Exactly. Well they had a Wookiee language, and we even went to a class to listen to it on tapes to educate us on what their language was like, and if we heard a particular sound, we knew what it meant to us. But it was basically doing mime. The feelings had to come from the whole body in order to get across sorrow and happiness. It was just a wonderful experience.
A lot of the scenes — such as where I’m at the holographic chess table watching alien acrobats — were done where I couldn’t see any of it. It wasn’t there in front of me at all. The director would say, “They’re swinging up to your right,” and I would look up, or he would say, “They’re finished so you can applaud” and I would clap. It was all done by being spoken to, not by any visual references, which was really interesting to do because it’s hard to do that. When I saw it all put together I went “Whew! That’s amazing!”
FAX: Lumpy, Malla and Itchy’s faces were more expressive than Chewbacca’s. Also, Lumpy’s eyes conveyed a lot of expressions.
MALONEY: Yes. The only part of me that you saw were my eyes, and the area around them was painted black. So the expression that I had to give came out of my eyes. It was a new experience because they had just started doing electronic faces. Stan Winston had made the mask for me. I had wires that went down my arms with little rings on my fingers that I could pull and make the nose twitch, make the lips curl up and smile a little bit and open up the mouth alittle bit so the teeth would show. Chewbacca, on the other hand, was more solid. I don’t think he had that kind of movement in his face. It was really fascinating to do it. When they wanted to do a tight close-up. and I had to use my hands to pick up props or something, Stan Winston would sit behind me and work the strings for me.
There were so many things to be done simultaneously in the close-ups. In the long shots, I had to control the cables myself because he couldn’t follow me around.
FAX: It must have been difficult operating your facial expressions with your hands, and doing body gestures simultaneously.
MALONEY: Yes, but it was just a matter of coordination. I thought of it as a dance routine: you get a rhythm going and you almost count it. I almost felt the music without the music being there.
FAX: What were your favorite sets?
MALONEY: I particularly liked Lumpy’s bedroom, which was supposed to be upstairs. It was like going up into a tree. I loved all the toys that they put in there for Lumpy. The scene that I liked the most was when Lumpy went upstairs and found that the troopers had destroyed his toys and pulled the head off the Bantha and how sad it was that his favorite toy had been destroyed.
FAX: How long did the filming last?
MALONEY: I think it was about ten days. We worked very hard and we worked very long hours. Sometimes we would work until two or three in the morning but we just laughed and had fun. It was hot being in that costume but everybody was so wonderful to work with that I forgot about it. One of the most wonderful things was that when I finished the show they sent me a bonus, which you hardly ever get in this business. They also had a director’s chair delivered to my house with the name Lumpy on one side and my name on the other. Smith-Hemion, the producers, did the Emmy Awards for a long time and they’re a wonderful production company.
Read on for some comments by make-up effects artist Stan Winston…
Stan Winston, Wookiee Make-up
By Ross Plesset
One of the most impressive achievements in The “Star Wars Holiday Special” was the creature make-up. Stan Winston created Chewbacca’s family using leading-edge technology. (Winston was not involved in all of the special effects make-up for the show. According to Miki Herman, Don Post Chewbacca masks were used for the Wookiee crowd scene at the climax. For the recreation of the famous Star Wars cantina, Lucasfilm provided the original masks while Rick Baker and crew provided some new characters).
Several people had input into the Wookiee’s design. Many of their characteristics can be attributed to Ralph McQuarrie. “I drew an old Wookiee getting up out of his chair and several females and children,” he says. Stan Winston and his colleagues also contributed to the designs. Recalls Tom Burman: “I helped [Stan] with some ideas for the hair on the Wookiees’ bodies and my brother Ellis Burman worked with him on the mechanical faces.”
Winston describes his work on the show, which he considers a pivotal point in his career:
“It was quite an opportunity for me. I was able to use a Stuart Freeborn concept, which was very in inspirational to me and my whole career, as a spring board to advance the technology in the direction of where we are today. Stuart had developed the lip articulation for the apes in 2001 and then had created Chewbacca for Star Wars. For the “Holiday Special” they had to have this family of Wookiees and, to my good fortune, Stuart wasn’t available. I had done some lip articulation on The Wiz with the flying monkeys, and this was a chance to take it a step further. The production company sent me the original Chewbacca head so I was able to look at it and see how Stuart had originally done it. I used that as my inspiration to take it to another level, where I could put some expressions into the faces besides having the mouths open and pull back. It allowed me to move into the animatronic face phase of my career.”
This Article was Originally posted 2022-10-10 16:00:31.
Ever wanted to draw Star Wars characters and vehicles just like the professional comic book artists? In this step-by-step series, Star Wars artists and illustrators show you how to draw some of the most beloved characters in the saga.
Creator of the comic Mouse Guard, artist David Petersen explains with these easy-to-follow steps how to draw a tauntaun.
For his drawing, David Petersen used:
a 0.5 mechanical pencil with HB lead
a variety of erasers (white, kneaded, and click)
a SAKURA Pigma Sensei ink pen
Strathmore Bristol
“However, as an artist, you should always find the materials you enjoy and feel most comfortable with,” Petersen says. “You can do just as nice of a drawing with a traditional wooden pencil or a ballpoint pen as you can with expensive art supplies.”
Steps 1-4 are drawn lightly with pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines and details will come at the end.
Step One:
Start with the tauntaun’s spine line. I started with this rough “S” shape so that I know my drawing is going to fit on my paper.
Step Two:
By using rough and simple shapes like these ovals and circles, I can start filling out the body, head and snout of the tauntaun.
Step Three:
Make a line across where the shoulders will be and add little circles for where the shoulder joint will go. Another oval shape gets added for the start tauntaun’s big leg.
Step Four:
Tauntauns have little T-Rex like arms, so starting at the shoulder joint, add lines to show where the arms and hands go. Add the bottom of the leg facing you. Don’t worry about the back leg yet, we will get to that later. Tauntaun legs have a knee joint that bends backward from what we humans have.
Step Five:
Now it’s time to start filling out the body shape. Add the lines for the tauntaun’s outer neck, belly, leg and tail. Don’t forget the little spade shape on the end of the tail.
Step Six:
The same way we filled out the body in Step 5, we do the same for the arms in Step 6. Three little ball shapes at the bottom of the foot will form the toes. On the head, add two little ovals for the ears, draw in the line for the mouth, and add the horns. The horns are a little tricky, but they are basically shaped like a crescent moon that lost its tip.
Step Seven:
Using circle shapes, make guides for where the nostrils will go (tauntauns have two pair) and where the brow ridges are. There are a lot of steps here about placing where things go. If you jumped right in to drawing features, you might find that one eye is higher than the other is or they are spread too far apart. That is why these simple shapes help you see if the placement is right. If you don’t think you have it right, just give a quick rub of the eraser and try again!
Step Eight:
Add the first set of nostrils and make two almond-shaped circles where the eyes will go. Tauntauns have some little horn bumps that protrude from their skin. I added little nubby shapes where I want mine to go on the forehead and cheek.
Step Nine:
The second set of nostrils gets added under the first set. Start working on details like the ridges on the horns, the fold around the nose and cheeks and the mouth. Add furry lines on the body (something that I’ll do a lot more of when it’s time to ink the drawing.)
Step Ten:
This step is just more of going over the lines you like to bring out the forms of the nose, eyes, hands (three fingers each) and add fur.
Step Eleven:
This is the last pencil step. We finally get that back leg! Because we wouldn’t see much of it, I waited until I had the shape of the front leg all drawn. Work on the eyes by adding lids and pupils. The bottom of a tauntaun’s take is kind of scaly, like the belly of a dragon, and the spade shape at the end of the tail had some similar ridges on it.
Step Twelve:
Using my ink pen, I go over the lines I like to finish the drawing. A lot of the details of my finished artwork is all done in the inking step. I focus on textures: lines that taper together or are all in the same direction for fur. Tauntauns are rather furry, they have to have it to live on ice cold Hoth!
Dots can be added to make snow textures on the ground. Smooth circles can look like falling snow. I find that when I ink it’s fun to make noises like the thing you are drawing. It helps get you to think more about what that think is like, how it moves or would feel like to touch, perhaps even how it would smell — bad on the outside, worse on the inside!
Step Thirteen:
Here is the final inked piece. Normally, I would erase the pencil lines using my softer kneaded eraser, but I left them in to show you that all those silly lines and shapes really went into making this final tauntaun drawing.
Step Fourteen:
You can take this farther and color the drawing with color pencils or markers or watercolors. If you are worried about messing up and ruining your drawing, it’s possible to photocopy the drawing and work on the copy.
Hope you enjoyed our trip to the Hoth zoo. Keep practicing drawing!
This Article was Originally posted 2023-12-08 15:30:42.
Welcome to the golden age of the galaxy! The Republic is expanding to the furthest stars thanks to brave hyperspace scouts, and worlds are thriving under the wise and caring leadership of the Senate. Plus, with the powerful Jedi Order keeping the peace, the citizens of the galaxy feel safe from any danger. But even in the brightest times, shadows can emerge and some threats can’t be predicted.
In “Star Wars – The High Republic: Light of the Jedi,” disaster strikes when a ship is torn apart in hyperspace, sending dangerous shrapnel flying towards a peaceful system. The Jedi quickly respond to the call for help, but the situation proves to be even more challenging than they could have imagined. As destruction rains down upon the alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must rely on their trust in the Force to save billions of lives.
But the hyperspace disaster is just the beginning, as a deadly threat lurks in the darkness beyond the Republic’s borders. This sinister danger is far more dangerous than the Jedi realize, and its secret could strike fear even into their hearts.
Ever wanted to draw Star Wars characters just like the professional comic book artists? In this step-by-step series, Star Wars artists and illustrators show you how to draw some of the most beloved and memorable characters in the saga. So get your pencils and paper ready!
To show you how to draw one of the galaxy’s most-feared bounty hunters — Boba Fett, Star Wars illustrator Joe Corroney explains his easy drawing steps with examples below.
Steps 1-7 are to be drawn lightly with a pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines and details will come at the end.
**Missing**
Step One:
Draw a simple circle with a vertical line down the center and another horizontal line just below the halfway point through the middle of the shape. Use the top or bottom of a small cup to draw your circle if you like since they can be tricky to draw freehand. Remember that these lines are just temporary so if you sketch them lightly they’ll be easy to erase later.
Step Two:
Draw four more connecting lines below the circle to represent the lower shape of Boba’s helmet. You’ll be using the upper half of the circle as part of your final shape.
Step Three:
Using the first two lines you drew as our guides, draw the T-shaped visor for the helmet.
Step Four:
Add these ellipses and curve lines below the visor on both sides to finish giving the helmet its shape. If you mess up it’s okay, just erase your sketch lines and try again!
Step Five:
Now you can draw the side panels and the antenna scope for his helmet at the sides of your circle. You’ll notice this is where our drawing of Boba Fett finally starts to come together.
Step Six:
Now you should start erasing your guide lines and doing some general clean-up on your line work. You can tighten up your drawing by making the lines you want to keep a little darker with your pencil. Begin shading in the visor and other parts of the helmet like the inside curves. This gives your drawing a sense of lighting and makes it feel three dimensional. To add some reflections inside the visor leave some white areas when you shade it or just use your eraser make them.
Step Seven:
Almost there… now we just need to start adding the necessary details to take your art to the next level. Add little arrows above the top-middle of the visor and a well placed dent (or two) in the helmet along with the rectangular markings on the right side. Add more shading and little cracks, scratches and scuffs in the helmet to make it feel used and weathered. This is my favorite part of drawing Boba Fett! Have fun drawing at this stage since it’s the all of the little details that set him apart from other bounty hunters and makes him look so cool to begin with.
Step Eight:
You just drew Boba Fett! Be sure to sign your name on your artwork, hang it on a carbonite block (or your refrigerator even) and proudly display it for your friends and family!
Step Nine:
Once you’ve got Boba down, try your hand at illustrating his bounty hunting dad, Jango Fett. To begin, simply follow Steps One through Six. Now add those same little arrow details along with thin pin stripes across the helmet just above the visor. Jango’s helmet is more polished since it’s not as beat up as Boba’s so instead of adding lots of dents and scratches experiment with different shading on the helmet and reflections in the visor. If you really want to impress your friends make up new markings and details on your helmet to create your own Mandalorian super-commando!
This Article was Originally posted 2022-10-21 15:51:53.
Cast:
James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and pirate trooper
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker and Muk Muk monkey
Anna Graves as Sugi and Rumi
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano and village child
Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka
Greg Baldwin as Casiss, Seripas and Gwarm
Stephen Stanton as Dilanni and pirate scout
Dave Filoni as Embo
Tom Kane as narrator
Full Synopsis:
“Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship.”
Newsreel:
The death toll rises! As the battles intensify, and threaten a growing number of Republic worlds, planets are left to survive on their own. While the Jedi struggle to fight a war
on many fronts, a series of medical stations have been established as a lifeline for those in need, but the facilities are easy prey for Separatist attacks. After losing contact with
the medical station orbiting Felucia,
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are sent to investigate….
ACT I
A Jedi shuttle pops out of hyperspace high above the florid world of Felucia, and immediately stumbles upon an automated vulture droid deployment station. The orbiting holder blossoms, revealing six vulture droids that immediately scramble and pursue the Jedi craft. Aboard, Anakin Skywalker jinks and jukes the vessel to avoid enemy fire, but a lucky blast cripples the shuttle. It plunges through the atmosphere, and its crew is forced to eject. Their spheroid survival capsules bounce through the Felucian wilderness, coming to rest in the thick of the alien jungle.
Avoiding a herd of jungle rancors, the three Jedi set aside their bickering and wander to a nearby spice farming village. It appears abandoned, until a closer look reveals that is valuable nysillin crop is ready to be harvested and all the supplies are still present. Anakin snoops in the barn, finding a rugged starship that seems out of place. Investigating one of the homes, Ahsoka and Anakin find Felucians cowering in the cellar. The Jedi are soon surrounded by heavily armed bounty hunters.
The hunters are lead by a lithe Zabrak female named Sugi, who orders the Jedi to drop their weapons. Accompanying her is the fearsome Embo, a Kyuzo with a heavy bowcaster, a rifle-toting female Frenk named Rumi Paramita, and a silent, armored hulk named Seripas. When Obi-Wan enters, blade extended, it turns into a more even standoff, which is interrupted by the pleas of Casiss, the Felucian village elder.
The Jedi discover that the Felucians have hired these bounty hunters as protection against pirates. The brigands routinely raid the village, demanding tribute. Defenseless, the Felucians have turned to mercenary protection. Cassis hopes with the Jedi bolstering their ranks, they can drive off the pirates for good.
Kenobi’s first priority is securing transport off Felucia and reporting to the Republic the status of the missing Felucian medical station. He fears if the Jedi linger here, they may draw the attention of the Separatists, bringing far more worse trouble down upon the heads of the farmers.
The pirates suddenly arrive and confront the villagers. Obi-Wan and Anakin are surprised to see a familiar face: these are the Weequay pirates they previously faced on Florrum, led by the oily Hondo Ohnaka.
ACT II
Hondo acts all chummy with the Jedi, but he’s here to collect the nysillin. He offers to buy off the bounty hunters if they step aside, but Sugi will not renege on her deal. Kenobi tries to buy transit off Felucia from Hondo, but the Weequay has no interest in Republic credits. He makes his demands clear, ordering Cassis to harvest the crop so he can collect it the next day. The Weequay pirates then leave the village.
Kenobi and the Jedi begin studying the tactical layout of the village, advising the Felucians and their bounty-hunter protectors. One particularly pessimistic farmer, Dilanni, frets that four hunters will not be enough. Anakin realizes the best option is to train the villagers to defend themselves.
The next morning, the Felucians harvest the nysillin and place the bushels in the barn, while Anakin instructs a group of villagers in the use of improvised pole-arms. Ahsoka helps others master the slingshot. It’s a long process — the villagers have much to learn. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Sugi discuss tactics, and the use of the barn as a fallback position.
The well-armored Serapis clears some vegetation, but is suddenly pinned by a falling tree. Ahsoka rushes to his aid to discover that Seripas in truth a tiny, frail alien piloting an armored suit.
ACT III
With practice, the villagers get better. A pirate scout spots this activity. Sugi sees the spy, and dispatches Embo. The hunter destroys the pirate’s speeder bike, avoids enemy fire, and kills the Weequay. Kenobi realizes that when the scout fails to report to Hondo, the pirates will return in force. The farmers get into position while the Jedi activate an energy fence around the village.
Hondo’s pirates show up riding speeder bikes, while Hondo himself is aboard an armored repulsortank. The battle erupts, first as the bikers strafe the village. Embo leaps atop one of the bikes, commandeering it. Felucians riding atop tee-muss beasts charge the bikers, knocking them off their mounts with their polearms. Felucians use their tractors to push over weakened trees atop other bikers.
Serapis’s armored suit is blasted by an incoming pirate, forcing the tiny alien to abandon it. Even still, Serapis leaps atop a speeding bike and batters a Weequay pirate, tripping the bike’s brakes and sending the pirate tumbling away.
From atop the bluff, Hondo opens fire with the repulsortank. The explosive blasts knocks out Embo, the hunters’ most formidable warrior. With heavy fire raining down on them, the Jedi, hunters and villagers retreat to the barn. Anakin Force-leaps atop the bluff and lands on the tank. Hondo holds him off with an electro-staff, while the pirate chief’s monkey lizard distracts the Jedi. Skywalker kicks Hondo off the cliff, but the tenacious Weequay clings to the ledge. The other pirates see their leader in trouble and retreat.
Hondo pleads for help. Anakin pulls Hondo up, but the treacherous Weequay shoves the Jedi into the path of the tank’s heavy cannon. Hondo’s loyal monkey lizard opens fire, forcing Anakin to leap to safety. This gives Hondo the time he needs to escape. His pirate forces pick him up aboard their retreating flying saucer.
With the pirates gone, Casiss thanks the Jedi for their efforts. Anakin deflects the praise, telling the Felucians that they have saved themselves. Sugi offers Kenobi and his companions a ride off Felucia.
Trivia & Details
In the script, some of Embo’s dialogue was presented as English. His first words to Anakin were “You’re outmanned, laserblade.” This prompts Anakin’s reply, “It’s not always about the numbers.”
The episode begins with an unusual title card, specifically mentioning Akira Kurosawa, an influential film director greatly admired by George Lucas. The original Star Wars was very much inspired by the works of Kurosawa, particularly the 1958 movie The Hidden Fortress . Another Clone Wars episode, “Lightsaber Lost,” is a nod to Kurosawa’s work — the 1949 film, Stray Dog. “Bounty Hunters” is the clearest tribute yet to Kurosawa, and his legendary movie The Seven Samurai. Its tale of a beleaguered village hiring mercenaries for protection against brigands has inspired a host of movies — most famously the American remake, The Magnificent Seven, as well as comedies like ¡Three Amigos! and A Bug’s Life. An early storyline in the Star Wars Marvel Comics series in 1978-1979 has a similar story, with Han Solo leading a group of hired guns to protect a village threatened by bandits.
The Aurebesh text on the escape capsule reads: “CAUTION – Explosive Extrusion”
If Sugi’s blaster pistol looks familiar, it’s no accident. It’s the same type of weapon brandished by Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Memorable Quotes
“Why do you even ask for my opinion? We never do things my way.”
“We crashed the ship your way.” — Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
“Well there’s one thing I learned where I grew up: if you want to know what a farmer’s up to, look in the barn.” — Anakin Skywalker
“Don’t look! I’m — I’m having a… a suit malfunction!” — Seripas
“You know what I always say… speak softly, and drive a big tank.” — Hondo Ohnaka
“This effort… is no longer… profitable!” — Hondo Ohnaka, retreating with dignity
This Article was Originally posted 2023-06-17 12:00:10.
Welcome to Colour Me Star Wars. A collection of articles from the archives of *starwars.com no longer directly available, in which there are a variety of PDF Files for you to download, print off and colour in.
Episode No.: 66 (Season 3, Episode 22) Production No.: 318 (Season 3, Episode 18) Original Air Date: April 1, 2011
“A great student is what the teacher hopes to be.”
Written by Bonnie Mark
Directed by Dave Filoni
Cast:
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Sunil Malhotra as Jinx
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker | Clutch
Cam Clarke as O-Mer
Jeff Anderson as Smug
Zach Hanks as Garnac
Dee Bradley Baker as Sochek | Goron
James Arnold Taylor as Lagon | Plo Koon
Richard Green as Lo-Taren | Krix
Tom Kane as the narrator | Yoda
Anna Graves as Sugi
Chewbacca as Himself
Special thanks to Peter Mayhew for being the heart and soul of Chewbacca
Synopsis: As Ahsoka and her youngling allies struggle to evade the Trandoshan hunters, their efforts receive an unexpected boost when a new captive — Chewbacca the Wookiee — arrives. Chewie scrounges parts from a wrecked Trandoshan slave ship, assembling a communicator to send out a distress signal. Help arrives in the towering, shaggy form of Wookiee warriors led by General Tarfful. Freed from captivity, Ahsoka returns to the Jedi Temple and is reunited with Anakin Skywalker.
Rather than a beach, the original script described new prey being dropped off within a canyon.
The Trandoshan slave ship pilot carries a shotgun, a rare example of a projectile weapon in Star Wars seen in the Republic Commando video game.
When Chewbacca says his home world is very close, he’s not kidding. According to the Expanded Universe, Kashyyyk and Trandosha are in the same star system.
The critter that attempts to pounce on the birds (convorees) outside of the youngling camp is a momong, a Trandoshan monkey.
The side of the Halo has a painting of a rather demented looking Tooka doll holding a knife with aurebesh text that reads: “Nice Playing With Ya”
Many of the background Trandoshan characters have interesting sources for their (usually) unspoken names: Gilas is named after the Godzilla Monster, Angilas. Ratter is named after a rattlesnake. Some are named after famous fictional reptiles: Goron is named after the Gorn from Star Trek, Lagon after The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Smug after Smaug, the dragon from The Hobbit. Ramy is named after Mary Franklin, known to Star Wars fans as the editor of Bantha Tracks and a huge fan of Trandoshans.
Among the trophies in the Trandoshan hunting lodge are wampa and Wookiee pelts; stuffed and mounted heads of an Ithorian, a Gungan, a Gran, a Skrilling, a reek, a rancor, a dragonsnake; an ancient Mandalorian Neo-Crusader helmet; teeth that may or may not belong to a Zillo beast, a fully mounted gundark and narglatch; and a suspiciously familiar-looking crystal skull.
And that’s all folks for this incarnation of The Clone Wars Episode Guides. After this, the format changed. I will be doing a couple of Video Galleries covering the Episode Guides up to and including the final season, so expect them very soon.
This Article was Originally posted 2023-07-18 12:00:47.
“Return of the Jedi” print by Olly MossCollectors and fans who’d like to add something a little different to their Star Wars art collection should check out this new series of art prints from Mondo.
Mondo is the Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art boutique, featuring designs from world famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek and Universal Monsters.
These prints are VERY limited in run and are snatched up by collectors quickly, selling out in mere minutes. So if you want to know which prints are on sale and when, follow MondoNews on Twitter!
Here’s the most recent print Original Trilogy Prints by Olly Moss — 24″x36″ screen print. Hand numbered. Printed by D&L Screen Printing. Each has an edition of 400. These prints go on sale Monday, Dec. 20, 2010.
Olly Moss tells Wired:
“It was so intimidating! There is such a wealth of great Star Wars art out there already, from paid professionals and from enthusiastic fans. I suppose my main aim was to make a set of Star Wars posters that were a little different from what people are used to seeing from the franchise, but still retained that essential Star Wars feel. I started by re-watching the original movies with a sketchbook on my lap, and just sort of went from there.”
“Star Wars” print by Olly Moss
“The Empire Strikes Back” print by Olly MossMore Mondo Prints:
“Ten Banthas” by Jay Ryan.
“Sanctuary Moon” by Daniel Danger.
“Han Shot First” by Florian Bertmer.
“A Linch Pin Droid” by Kevin Tong
“A Wretched Hive” by Martin Ansin
“Attack Position” by Rich Kelly
“Luke’s Destiny” by Frank Stockton
“Palace” by Tom Whalen
“Salacious Crumb” by Rhys Cooper
“Bounty Hunters – Wave 1″ by Ken Taylor
“Bounty Hunters – Wave 2″ by Ken Taylor
“Dawn of Tatooine” by Shan Jiang
“Great Warrior” by artist Todd Slater
“Father: Encounter on Dagobah” by artist Tomer Hanuka
This Article was Originally posted 2022-09-19 18:33:22.
Welcome to Colour Me Star Wars. A collection of articles from the archives of *starwars.com no longer directly available, in which there are a variety of PDF Files for you to download, print off and colour in.
Release Date: May 21, 1980 (original); February 21, 1997 (Special Edition)
Synopsis: (3 years after Episode IV) Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces continue to pursue the Rebels. After the Rebellion’s defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces the startling revelation that the evil Vader is in fact his father, Anakin Skywalker.
Opening Crawl:
It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker have established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.
The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….
Awards: Academy Award Winner: Best Sound, Special Achievement in Visual Effects. Academy Award Nominee: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Original Score.
BAFTA Award Winner: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music. BAFTA Nominee: Best Production Design/Art Direction, Best Sound.
Golden Globe Nominee: Best Original Score.
Saturn Award Winner: Best Director, Best Science Fiction Film, Best Special Effects. Saturn Award Nominee: Best Costumes, Best Music, Best Supporting Actor, Best Writing.
Cast
Luke Skywalker
Mark Hamill
Han Solo
Harrison Ford
Princess Leia Organa
Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian
Billy Dee Williams
See Threepio (C-3PO)
Anthony Daniels
Darth Vader
David Prowse
Chewbacca
Peter Mayhew
Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2)
Kenny Baker
Yoda
Frank Oz
Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
Alec Guinness
Boba Fett
Jeremy Bulloch
Lando’s Aide
John Hollis
Chief Ugnaught
Jack Purvis
Snow Creature
Des Webb
Performing Assistant For Yoda
Kathryn Mullen
Voice Of Emperor
Clive Revill
Admiral Piett
Kenneth Colley
General Veers
Julian Glover
Admiral Ozzel
Michael Sheard
Captain Needa
Michael Culver
Imperial Officers
John Dicks
Milton Johns
Mark Jones
Oliver Maguire
General Rieekan
Bruce Boa
Zev (Rogue 2)
Christopher Malcom
Wedge (Rogue 3)
Denis Lawson
Hobbie (Rogue 4)
Richard Oldfield
Dak (Luke’s Gunner)
John Morton
Janson (Wedge’s Gunner)
Ian Liston
Major Derlin
John Ratzenberger
Deck Lieutenant
Jack Mckenzie
Head Controller
Jerry Harte
Rebel Officers
Norman Chancer
Norwich Duff
Ray Hassett
Brigitte Kahn
Burnell Tucker
Crew
Directed By
Irvin Kershner
Produced By
Gary Kurtz
Screenplay By
Leigh Brackett
Lawrence Kasdan
Story By
George Lucas
Executive Producer
George Lucas
Production Designer
Norman Reynolds
Director Of Photography
Peter Suschitzky B.S.C.
Edited By
Paul Hirsch A.C.E.
Special Visual Effects
Brian Johnson
Richard Edlund
Music By
John Williams
Performed By
The London Symphony Orchestra
Original Music Copyright 1980
Fox Fanfare Music Inc. | Bantha Music
Associate Producers
Robert Watts
James Bloom
Design Consultant And Conceptual Artist
Ralph McQuarrie
Art Directors
Leslie Dilley
Harry Lange
Alan Tomkins
Set Decorator
Michael Ford
Construction Manager
Bill Welch
Assistant Art Directors
Michael Lamont
Fred Hole
Sketch Artist
Ivor Beddoes
Draftsmen
Ted Ambrose
Michael Boone
Reg Bream
Steve Cooper
Richard Dawking
Modellers
Fred Evans
Allan Moss
Jan Stevens
Chief Buyer
Edward Rodrigo
Construction Storeman
Dave Middleton
Operating Cameramen
Kelvin Pike
David Garfath
Assistant Cameramen
Maurice Arnold
Chris Tanner
Second Assistant Cameramen
Peter Robinson
Madelyn Most
Dolly Grips
Dennis Lewis
Brian Osborn
Matte Photography Consultant
Stanley Sayer, B.S.C.
Gaffer
Laurie Shane
Rigging Gaffer
John Clark
Lighting Equipment And Crew From Lee Electric
Make-Up And Special Creature Design
Stuart Freeborn
Chief Make-Up Artist
Graham Freeborn
Make-Up Artists
Kay Freeborn
Nick Maley
Chief Hairdresser
Barbara Ritchie
Yoda Fabrication
Wendy Midener
Costume Designer
John Mollo
Wardrobe Supervisor
Tiny Nicholls
Wardrobe Mistress
Eileen Sullivan
Property Master
Frank Bruton
Property Supervisor
Charles Torbett
Property Dressing Supervisor
Joe Dipple
Head Carpenter
George Gunning
Head Plasterer
Bert Rodwell
Head Rigger
Red Lawrence
Sound Design And Supervising
Sound Effects Editor
Ben Burtt
Sound Editors
Richard Burrow
Teresa Eckton
Bonnie Koehler
Production Sound
Peter Sutton
Sound Boom Operator
Don Wortham
Production Maintenance
Ron Butcher
Re-Recording
Bill Varney
Steve Maslow
Gregg Landaker
Music Recording
Eric Tomlinson
Orchestrations
Herbert W. Spencer
Supervising Music Editor
Kenneth Wannberg
Assistant Film Editors
Duwayne Dunham
Phil Sanderson
Barbara Ellis
Steve Starkey
Paul Tomlinson
Dialogue Editors
Curt Schulkey
Leslie Shatz
Joanne D’antonio
Optical Coordinator
Roberta Friedman
Assistant Sound Editors
John Benson
Joanne Cappuccilli
Ken Fischer
Craig Jaeger
Nancy Jencks
Laurel Ladevich
Foley Editors
Robert Rutledge
Scott Hecker
Foley Assistants
Edward M. Steidele
John Roesh
Sound Effects Recording
Randy Thom
Recording Technicians
Gary Summers
Howie
Kevin O’connell
Production Supervisor
Bruce Sharman
Assistant Production Manager
Patricia Carr
Production Coordinator
Miki Herman
First Assistant Director
David Tomblin
Second Assistant Directors
Steve Lanning
Roy Button
Location Manager
Philip Kohler
Continuity
Kay Rawlings
Pamela Mann
Casting
Irene Lamb
Terry Liebling
Bob Edmiston
Assistant To Producer
Bunny Alsup
Assistant To Director
Debbie Shaw
Assistant To Executive Producer
Jane Bay
Production Assistants
Barbara Harley
Nick Laws
Charles Wessler
Stunt Coordinator
Peter Diamond
Stunt Doubles
Bob Anderson
Colin Skeaping
Production Accountant
Ron Phipps
Assistant Accountant
Michael Larkins
Set Cost-Controller
Ken Gordon
Location Accountant
Ron Cook
Still Photographer
George Whitear
Unit Publicist
Alan Arnold
Assistant Publicist
Kirsten Wing
Studio Second Unit
Directors
Harley Cokliss
John Barry
Director Of Photography
Chris Menges
Assistant Director
Dominic Fulford
Second Assistant Director
Andrew Montgomery
Location Second Unit
Director
Peter Macdonald
Director Of Photography
Geoff Glover
Operating Cameraman
Bob Smith
Assistant Cameramen
John Campbell
Mike Brewster
Second Assistant Cameramen
John Keen
Greg Dupre
Dolly Grip
Frank Batt
Production Manager
Svein Johansen
Assistant Directors
Bill Westley
Ola Solum
Production And Mechanical Effects Unit
Mechanical Effects Supervision
Nick Allder
Location Unit Supervisor
Allan Bryce
Senior Effects Technician
Neil Swan
Dave Watkins
Robot Fabrication And Supervision
Andrew Kelly
Ron Hone
Effects Technicians
Phil Knowles
Barry Whitrod
Martin Gant
Brian Eke
Guy Hudson
Dennis Lowe
Effects Engineering
Roger Nicholls
Steve Lloyd
Electrical Engineer
John Hatt
Electronics Consultant
Rob Dickinson
Model Construction
John Pakenham
Effects Assistants
Alan Poole
Digby Milner
Robert McLaren
Effects Secretary
Gill Case
Minature And Optical Effects Unit
Effects DirectorOf Photography
Dennis Muren
Effects Cameramen
Ken Ralston
Jim Veilleux
Camera Operators
Don Dow
Bill Neil
Assistant Cameramen
Selwyn Eddy
Jody Westheimer
Rick Fighter
Clint Palmer
Michael McAlister
Paul Huston
Richard Fish
Chris Anderson
Optical Photography Supervisor
Bruce Nicholson
Optical Printer Operators
David Berry
Kenneth Smith
Donald Clark
Optical Line-Up
Warren Franklin
Mark Vargo
Peter Amundson
Loring Doyle
Thomas Rosseter
Tam Pillsbury
James Lim
Optical Coordinator
Laurie Vermont
Laboratory Technicians
Tim Geideman
Duncan Myers
Ed Jones
Art Director-Visual Effects
Joe Johnston
Assistant Art Director
Nilo Rodis-Jamero
Stop Motion Animation
Jon Berg
Phil Tippett
Stop Motion Technicians
Tom St. Amand
Doug Beswick
Matte Painting Supervisor
Harrison Ellenshaw
Matte Artists
Ralph McQuarrie
Michael Pangrazio
Matte Photography
Neil Krepela
Additional Matte Photography
Michael Lawler
Matte Photography Assistants
Craig Barron
Robert Elswit
Chief Model Maker
Lorne Peterson
Modelshop Foreman
Steve Gawley
Model Makers
Paul Huston
Tom Rudduck
Michael Fulmer
Samuel Zolltheis
Charles Bailey
Ease Owyeung
Scott Marshall
Marc Thorpe
Wesley Seeds
Dave Carson
Rob Gemmel
Pat McClung
Animation And Rotoscope Supervisor
Peter Kuran
Animators
Samuel Comstock
Garry Waller
John Van Vliet
Rick Taylor
Kim Knowlton
Chris Casady
Nina Saxon
Diana Wilson
Visual Effects Editorial Supervisor
Conrad Buff
Effects Editor
Michael Kelly
Assistant Effects Editors
Arthur Repola
Howard Stein
Apprentice Editor
Jon Thaler
Production Administrator
Dick Gallegly
Production Secretary
Patricia Blau
Production Associate
Thomas Brown
Production Accountant
Ray Scalice
Assistant Accountant
Glenn Phillips
Pam Traas
Laura Crockett
Production Assistant
Jenny Oznowicz
Transportation
Robert Martin
Still Photographer
Terry Chostner
Lab Assistant
Roberto McGrath
Electronics Systems Designer
Jerry Jeffress
Systems Programming
Kris Brown
Electronic Engineers
Lhary Meyer
Mike Mackenzie
Gary Leo
Special Project Coordinator
Stuart Ziff
Equipment Engineering Supervisor
Gene Whiteman
Design Engineer
Mike Bolles
Machinists
Udo Pampel
Greg Beaumonte
Draftsman
Ed Tennler
Special Projects
Gary Platek
Supervising Stage Technician
T.E. Moehnke
Stage Technicians
William Beck
Bobby Finley
Leo Loverro
Edward Hirsh
Dick Dova
Ed Breed
Miniature Pyrotechnics
Joseph Viskocil
Dave Pier
Thaine Morris
Optical Printer Component Manufacturer
George Randle Co.
Camera And Movement Design
Jim Beaumonte
Special Optics Designer
David Grafton
Special Optics Fabrication
J.L. Wood Optical Systems
Optical Printer Component Engineering
Fries Engineering
High Speed Camera Movements
Mitchell Camera Corp.
Ultra High Speed Camera
Bruce Hill Productions
Color Timer
Ed Lemke
Negative Cutting
Robert Hart
Darrell Hixson
Dolby Consultant
Don Digirolamo
Additional Optical Effects
Van Der Veer Photo Effects
Modern Film Effects
Ray Mercer & Company
Westheimer Company
Lookout Mountain Films
Special Edition Crew
Producer
Rick McCallum
Editor
T.M. Christopher
Sound Designer
Ben Burtt
Re-Recording Mixer
Gary Summers
First Assistant Editor
Samuel Hinckley
Assistant Editor
Robert Marty
Assistant Avid Editors
Mike Jackson
Robin Lee
Sound Editor
Teresa Eckton
Assistant Sound Editor
Lisa Storer
Re-Recordist
Ronald G. Roumas
Digital Mix Technician
Gary A. Rizzo
Archivist
Tim Fox
Optical Supervisors
Phillip Feiner
Chris Bushman
Film Restoration Supervisor
Pete Comandini
Color Timer
Robert J. Raring
Negative Continuity
Ray Sabo
Negative Cutter
Bob Hart
Special Edition Digital Remastering Provided By
Skywalker Sound A Lucas Digital Ltd. Company
Film Restoration Consultant
Leon Briggs
Optical Restoration
Pacific Title
Film Restoration By
Ycm Laboratories
Industrial Light And Magic
Visual Effects Supervisor
Dave Carson
Visual Effects Producer
Tom Kennedy
Computer Graphics Supervisor
Tom Hutchinson
Visual Effects Art Director
George Hull
Visual Effects Editor
Michael McGovern
Color Timing Supervisor
Bruce Vecchitto
Visual Effects Coordinator
Lisa Todd
Digital Effects Artists
Don Butler
Michael Conte
Howard Gersh
Marshall Krasser
Tia Marshall
Stuart Maschwitz
Julie Neary
Ken Nielsen
Eddie Pasquarello
Ricardo Ramos
Tom Rosseter
Lawrence Tan
Paul Theren
Hans Uhlig
Li-Hsein Wei
Ron Woodall
Digital Matte Artists
Ronn Brown
Eric Chauvin
Brian Flora
William Mather
3d Matchmove Artist
James Hagedorn
Digital Paint & Roto Artists
Lisa Drostova
Heidi Zabit
Chief Creature Maker
Howie Weed
Model & Creature Makers
Carol Bauman
Don Bies
Giovanni Donovan
Wendy Morton
Anne Polland
Mark Siegel
Steven Walton
Sabre Group Supervisor
Daniel McNamara
Sabre Artists
Rita Zimmerman
Chad Taylor
Mary McCulloch
Grant Guenin
Caitlin Content
Software Research And Development
David Benson
Jim Hourihan
Zoran Kacic-Alesic
Florian Kainz
Jeff Yost
Digital Scanning Supervisor
Joshua Pines
Digital Scanning Operators
Randall Bean
Michael Ellis
Earl Beyer
Negative Supervisor
Doug Jones
Negative Line-Up
Andrea Biklian
Tim Geideman
Projectionist
Tim Greenwood
Digital Plate Restoration
Melissa Monterrosa
Mike Van Eps
Wendy Hendrickson
Assistant Visual Effects Art Director
Alex Laurant
Assistant Visual Effects Editor
John Bartle
Video Editor
Angela Leaper
Animatic Artist
Jonathan Rothbart
Digital Effects Technical Assistants
Okan Ataman
Peter Chesloff
Joshua Levine
Dawn Matheson
Daniel Shumaker
Digital Effects Resource Assistant
Daniel Brimer
Visual Effects Production Staff
Julie Creighton
Joshua Marks
Video Assistants
Dawn Martin
Wendy Bell
Production Engineering
Ken Beyer
Ken Corvino
Gary Meyer
Aerial Camera System By Wesscam Camera Systems (Europe)
Aerial Cameraman
Ron Goodman
Assistant
Margaret Herron
Helicopter Supplied By Dollar Air Services Limited
Pilot
Mark Wolfe
Cloud Plates Photographed With
Astrovision(c) By Continental Camera Systems Inc.
Snow Vehicles Supplied By
Aktiv Fischer
R2 Bodies Fabricated By
White Horse Toy Company
Special Assistance From
Giltspur Engineering And Compair
Photographed On The Hardengerjekulan Glacier, Finse, Norway
And At Emi – Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, England
Music Recorded At
Anvil Studios, Denham, England
Re-Recording At
Samuel Goldwyn Studios, Los Angeles, California
Special Visual Effects Produced At
Industrial Light And Magic, Marin County, California
This Article was Originally posted 2022-07-25 16:31:59.
The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Season Five – Part 4
As I said in the previous post, the format changed for the Episode Guides, so I have created two Featurettes covering clips and interviews from The Clone Wars – Season 5 so I hope you enjoy them.
Expect the same for the rest of the Seasons and expect Season 6 soon.
The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Season Five – Part 4
This Article was Originally posted 2023-08-03 13:45:17.
Ever wanted to draw Star Wars characters and vehicles just like the professional comic book artists? In this step-by-step series, Star Wars artists and illustrators show you how to draw some of the most beloved characters in the saga.
Star Wars illustrator Nicole Falk explains with these easy-to-follow steps on how to draw a wampa family trimming the tree during the holiday season.
Step One:
Draw lightly with pencil all the basic shapes that make up an adult wampa, a Christmas tree, a little wampa and a misfit C-3PO in the box. Draw ovals, circles, rectangles, and connecting lines. This will help place where the body, arms, head and everything else will go. This is also where you decide the outline for your pose.
Step Two:
Next sketch in the shapes of the wampa, and everyone else on top of your original outline. Draw a rounder, teddy bear-like shape for the wampa. Add in his tusks, same with the little wampa. Make a shapelier Christmas tree. Start to draw in a body shape for the C-3PO in the box, give him a Santa hat and an elf collar! For his arms, since he is a droid, there are some nice easy lines to follow like more straight lines and rectangles.
Step Three:
Here you can start adding in the lines that create a more detailed and 3-D look. For starters, draw in a slightly curved line behind the entire drawing, about 2/3 down on the page. This is to separate your wall from your ground. Now your characters look like they are in an environment, and not just floating in space. For the big wampa, add in his little hair on top and make his tusks bumpier on the edges. Later when we add lines through them it will make sort of a ring pattern on each tusk. Make his body softer by rounding those lines and shaping a body form, add in his chubby fingers. Do these steps to the little wampa as well. The C-3PO in the box will need his face drawn out. Follow the lines to create his eyes, nose and mouth, the extra lines on the side of his head and under his chin to create depth. Make his arms appear more droid like and less human by sectioning them at different points. The body is the shape of a bouncy coil, so just zigzag some lines over the curved lines you had before. The Christmas tree could use some more form to it! Try giving it some more detail on the edges, you can design your tree however you like! Add some presents underneath as well, some in front and some in back.
Step Four:
Here is where you can add in a lot of the detail. On the wampas, add in some hair lines to give them a fuzzier and furrier hairdo and draw in their faces with eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouths. Give them whatever expression you want, the example here shows the big wampa being surprised by how lovely the star he just put on top of the tree looks in all its shining glory! Add in those tusk lines, and make the fingers and toes more detailed. C-3PO needs some eyes and add in some lines to that zigzag body too. This will make C-3PO look like he just popped out of the box. Turn the box into an R2-D2 by adding in some of his details, this is done with just some more rectangles and circles. The Christmas tree can be trimmed now, add in some lights and fun ornaments. Also to make the presents look wrapped draw some ribbon around them going horizontal and vertical on each package and shape. Next draw a wallpaper design. I did a striped background for this piece. And lastly, some shading will help put those characters on the floor better. Since the adult wampa is reaching, one foot is lifted, so the shading shouldn’t touch that raised foot. Same thing for the C-3PO in a box, he just sprung out so he is high in the air so place the shading further away from him. Anything else that is directly on the floor can have shading placed right underneath them, like the presents and the little wampa. Also have him playing with some cool action figures!
**Missing**
Step Five:
Next go over the pencil with some dark pencil or ink. Use a pen, a dark-colored pencil or a fine tip marker. Be careful, stay on those lines, after all your hard work, keep this part clean!
Step Six:
Now you can color your wampa Christmas anyway you want. Use colored pencils, crayons, watercolors or markers. You can even color it on the computer. It’s completely up to you. Don’t forget things that are shaded should always be a little darker, like under the tree and under the presents and wampas. This step I did all the base colors and will add highlights (and fur) in the next step.
Step Seven:
Here I used white pen to make all the wampa fur and add some highlights. I hope you enjoyed my wampa Christmas drawing, have a happy holiday!
This Article was Originally posted 2022-11-02 15:45:58.
If polishing C-3PO’s golden suit sounds like your idea of a dream job, then you have plenty in common with Droid Technician Justin Dix. Fans watching the webcam closely during the filming of Episode III in Sydney, Australia, may have found themselves staring at him as he tirelessly worked on C-3PO’s suit and helped actor Anthony Daniels get into the complicated costume on the set.
“My job on Revenge of the Sith as the Droid Technician was to oversee the aesthetic look of the droids, basically making up new action figures, also looking after the needs of Anthony Daniels on and off screen, which keeps the whole droid crew busy,” Dix explains with a smile.
Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, Dix was a Star Wars fan as a child. “I have always been a fan for as long as I can remember,” Dix says. “Though I never in my wildest imagination thought I would ever work on one of the film. Like all kids, when I first saw Star Wars, I believed this space adventure was real with all the creatures that populated the strange worlds in which these films allowed us to visit.”
Before his work on Revenge of the Sith, he also was part of the crew for Attack of the Clones.
“Actually Episode II was my first feature film I worked on,” Dix admits. “I was offered a job on Lord of the Rings at the same time, but come on, this is Star Wars! Before that I was making independent films for about 10 years.”
In a typical day, fans watching Dix on the webcam could see him polishing or fixing C-3PO’s metal costume, helping Anthony Daniels put on and take off the costume during production and assist Industrial Light & Magic modelmaker Don Bies with the other droids.
As Dix worked on the droids with Bies, Dix also came up with the idea of approaching Lynne Hale (Lucasfilm Director of Publicity) if they could create a contest to let the fans pick a droid design to be featured in Episode III. The Droid Department created a variety of designs. Bies and Dix presented George Lucas with the options, which resulted in four final choices that were put before members of Hyperspace, who chose #4 — the bronze and copper droid that would become Obi-Wan Kenobi’s droid R4-G9.
Speaking of Obi-Wan Kenobi, actor Ewan McGregor was a frequent visitor to the Droid Shop. In fact, webcam fans caught McGregor acting rather mischievous one day in the shop.
“Ewan would often come in and visit the Artoo unit, sometimes by himself and sometimes bringing friends or family,” Dix says. “I think he has a soft spot for the little guy. The day he was captured on the webcam at my desk, we were talking about something, probably the Threepio suit now being gold. I mentioned to him that the webcam was there so he started hamming it up, putting on the Threepio head, making gestures. The scary thing was a few minutes later a picture message came through on my phone. A friend of mine looking at webcam footage in Queensland, grabbed a shot of Ewan and me and sent it straight to my phone. I showed it to Ewan, we all looked at the webcam in shock. Big Brother is watching!”
While Dix was on the Revenge of the Sith set, he became part of history and none other than famed photographer Annie Leibovitz was there to capture the moment.
“I couldn’t believe it when Annie Leibovitz showed up to photograph the entire cast with the new and classic characters together for Vanity Fair,” Dix remembers. “It was so cool to have Annie suggest that the Droid Department jump in for a shot for the article too.”
But not all of Dix’s most memorable moments were related to Revenge of the Sith. In fact, probably the most important event that happened on set for Dix had something to so with the always helpful duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO and a special ring.
“While my girlfriend was visiting me as we were working on the Jedi Temple set, I had Artoo deliver her an engagement ring,” Dix says. “I wrote a little script for Threepio for him to say, ‘Master Justin, Miss Kimberly so good to see you fully functional, Artoo has a gift for you. A gift , what gift?’ The whole thing was filmed by the documentary team, so you never know — it could end up being a webdoc!”
If fans watched the webcam long enough, they may have spotted Dix looking up at the webcam and waving to fans watching across the globe.
“It was really fun having the webcam there,” Dix recalls. “I used to be one of those fans, still am. I know that some fans would watch every little thing just for a clue, out of focus or not, as to what is in store. It was also a great feeling to get to be the one showing the world that C-3PO is going to be gold by pulling the metal out of a case and working on it.”
This Article was Originally posted 2022-09-27 16:35:57.
Prepare to be transported to a galaxy far, far away with the thrilling sequel to Star Wars: The Rising Storm! The light of the Jedi is up against its darkest hour as the vicious raiders, known as the Nihil, once again threaten to bring the golden age of the High Republic to a fiery end.
Despite facing exhaustion and trauma, the High Republic has emerged victorious, thanks to its brave protectors: the Jedi. And at the heart of their triumph stands the awe-inspiring Starlight Beacon – a beacon of hope, culture, and knowledge that illuminates the Outer Rim.
As the Nihil’s relentless attacks force survivors and refugees to seek shelter, the Starlight Beacon and its courageous crew are ready to provide aid and comfort. The Jedi Knights and Padawans stationed there can finally heal from their injuries and mourn their losses.
But, the Nihil’s ultimate goal is still to come to fruition. Marchion Ro, the true mastermind behind their sinister plot, is preparing a daring final attack to snuff out the light of the Jedi once and for all. Will the Jedi be able to withstand this final storm and emerge victorious, or will the darkness finally triumph? The fate of the galaxy rests in their hands.
October 01, 2001 – Ruling the galaxy requires elbowroom, a neatly organized work environment, and a heck of a view. Audiences got a glimpse of Senator Palpatine’s decorative tastes in his crimson-hued apartment in The Phantom Menace. In Attack of the Clones, Palpatine returns ten years later, as Supreme Chancellor, with surroundings that match his elevated political position.
“Doug Chiang asked me to give Palpatine’s headquarters an all-seeing view onto Coruscant,” recalls Concept Artist Jay Shuster, “It was an ideal theme in that it embodied who and what this man is all about.”
“People’s first impressions of the space may range from ‘Hey, this guy’s loaded,’ to ‘Nice view… that view could be corrupting,'” says Shuster. “Both reactions are valid: the design of Palpatine’s headquarters lends him an air of ‘Big Brother- hood’…as in Orwell’s 1984. Where does an ego like Palpatine’s go after he has an office space like this?”
Construction
Upon receiving Shuster’s illustrations, Production Designer Gavin Bocquet and his crew began examining the set in three-dimensions through detailed foam-core and whiteboard models.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on in there,” says Bocquet. This set was almost entirely built, as opposed to some of the other environments that consisted largely of bluescreen. “We basically worked almost 360-degrees. George [Lucas] wanted us to leave maybe 10 percent of the wall out on the right as you come in. That did give us an opportunity to move the camera crane in and out through the gap.”
The set, built in Fox Studios Australia, was finished in about seven weeks. “There were a lot of finishes to be done,” explains Bocquet.
The finished textures and details required even more effort than usual thanks to the incredible resolution of the new digital cameras. “It really does pick up a lot of your middle and background detail. It’s much more unforgiving in certain instances than celluloid is. In the film world, we’re always doing things theatrically, in a way that works for the cameras. But if you’re standing there, it might not look right. With the digital camera, we had to be a more careful since things that were in the middle distance were actually showing up more as scenic work than actual finishes. We had to take our finishes a bit further than we did before.”
Several stylized statues stand as sentinels in Palpatine’s quarters. What started off as tiny elements in Jay Shuster’s drawings were transformed into full pieces by Bocquet’s crew.
“We produced about five or six little maquettes of military figures, inspired by medieval Japanese or Chinese ones in that stately position,” says Bocquet. The assortment of six and 12-inch tall maquettes were brought to George Lucas, who selected two of them.
The finished statues were carved out of polystyrene with plastic coverings, topped with a bronzen paint finish.
There are numerous visual cues in the office revealing the evolution of the galaxy and its politics. During tense meetings of enormous importance, Palpatine sits in a very distinctive looking chair. “If anybody’s got any sort of Star Wars history in their head, they’ll notice that there’s something pretty familiar about it,” says Bocquet.
“I honestly couldn’t say whose suggestion that was,” says Bocquet. “We didn’t have the original chair. We had the drawings from Return of the Jedi, so we had to sculpt and model from that. It was quite difficult, because it was quite a sculpted, funny shape.”
The colors of Palpatine’s quarters are also an evolutionary element. It was Bocquet’s crew that came up with the red colors of Palpatine’s apartment in Episode I; they were originally going to be pastel-hued, much like Bespin’s Cloud City. “Yes, we were quite bullish in Phantom Menace to suggest to George that the room should be that crimson, blood-red color,” says Bocquet. “It was almost meant to be sort of a cocoon womb-like environment for Palpatine in there.”
The colors of Attack of the Clones visually bridges the prequel and original trilogies. “The color scheme in Empire and Jedi were very much in the monotone grays, graphites and blacks. We suggested to George that we should introduce part of that color scheme to this predominantly red environment. If you look at it, you’ll see that it’s sixty percent in the red range, and forty percent in the graphites and silvers. If this set’s required for Episode III, then probably by that time, Palpatine’s environment will move predominatly to the graphites and grays.”
This Article was Originally posted 2022-08-26 13:36:22.
Welcome to the Homing Beacon Archives. The Official Newsletter of Star Wars.Com, no longer available. I have salvaged as much as I can but have only concentrated on the main part of the newsletter and not the peripheral stuff. I have used images where possible. Enjoy this blast from the past!
Thursday, May 27, 2004 Issue #111
The second installment of Star Wars Weekends at Disney-MGM Studios bubbled over with excitement as fans met with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and the man of many Star Wars alien faces, Jerome Blake.
During the “Stars of the Saga – Star Wars Celebrity Talk Show,” Blake entertained audiences with stories of his experiences portraying some of the more unusual characters in the prequels, while Mayhew reminisced about his role as one of the most beloved characters in the original trilogy.
Blake, most noted for his role as the slimy Neimoidian schemer Rune Haako, has also stepped into the shoes of Mas Amedda — the booming voice of order in the Galactic Senate — as well as the shaggy-haired serpentine Jedi MasterOppo Rancisis, Watto’s tall-crested betting partner Graxol Kelvyyn, and alien senators Orn Free Taa and Horox Ryyder.
“I seem to always be playing the dodgy characters,” Blake laughs.
When Blake first auditioned for The Phantom Menace, he and fellow actor Silas Carson were put to work shooting animatics of the submarine scene playing the parts of Qui-Gon (Blake) and Jar Jar (Carson). Even though Liam Neeson and Ahmed Best played the intrepid heroes in the final film, Blake joined Carson in the Star Wars universe depicting half a dozen notable characters.
To the audience’s delight, Blake mentioned that his latest movie project will have him working closely with none other than Star Wars alumnus Warwick Davis (Wicket).
“I’m working on a little movie called Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Blake says over the applause. “Have you heard of it?”
Hitchhiker’s is being shot in the same place Star Wars made famous, Elstree Studios. “When I work there I get the sense that history is creeping out of its very walls,” Blake remarks.
After Blake was asked by a fan to do his impression of Darth Vader by breathing into an empty glass, it was Mayhew’s turn to take center stage.
When asked by a fan which scene was the hardest to play, the towering 7′ 3″ actor explained that acting around bluescreen wasn’t the only obstacle on the set. Director George Lucas asked Mayhew to pretend to play against R2-D2 in a friendly game of holographic chess in the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope.
“He said to just pretend as though I was playing chess,” Mayhew says. “But of course I’d never played chess in my life, not to mention against droids. So I faked it.”
Mayhew also went on to describe what it felt like to meet one of his heroes while he was being fitted for his Wookiee costume last year on the Sydney Episode III set.
“I met Christopher Lee and was completely awestruck,” Mayhew recalls. “When I shook his hand he said, ‘I think you have more screen-time than I do.'”
To the audience’s surprise, right when Mayhew reminded fans that Episode III is scheduled to be released on his birthday of May 19, 2005, his alter ego Chewbacca, accompanied by a few Ewoks, walked on stage with a chocolate birthday cake to celebrate Mayhew’s recent 60th birthday.
“Chocolate is a Wookiee favorite,” Mayhew smiled.
Star Wars Weekends continues this weekend, May 28 – 30, with special guest stars Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Andy Secombe (Watto). In addition to the celebrity talk show, other fun activities keep fans busy during Star Wars Weekends.
These include the Jedi Training Academy, where youngsters train in the art of the lightsaber to face off against Darth Vader or Darth Maul; the Galactic Game Show, where Star Wars trivia mavens compete in a “Who Wants to Be A Millionare”-type setting; roaming costumed characters from the entire saga, including new bounty hunters, clone troopers, and even Mickey Mouse as a Jedi; and the ever-popular Star Tours attraction.
For a complete celebrity list, see this story here. For a look at some of the exclusive merchandise available at Star Wars Weekends
Thursday, June 10, 2004 Issue #112
Space Battle Recipe
Episode III starts with a bang. The starfleets of the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems are locked in a jumbled brawl of lumbering capital ships and swift starfighters, exchanging fire high in the Coruscant atmosphere.
Hundreds upon hundreds of ships are engaged in this high-stakes battle of the Clone Wars, but the audience will only really follow two small snubfighters into the thick of battle. As Obi-Wan and Anakin dive into the heart of the conflict to carry out a most important mission, they’ll be the camera’s guide through the chaos.
Designing the motion of the revealing opening shot fell to Animatics Artist Euisung Lee, but filling the enormous background battle in the entire scene is a group effort. “We had a brainstorming session about possible cool background battle stuff that can happen,” he says. “We have a list of ideas. I don’t know how many of them are actually in the movie, but we had come up withsome modular background action so that we can pop them into place.”
One of Lee’s most intriguing contributions may be missed upon first glance, tucked away as it is in the backdrop of the action. A triangular Jedi cruiser is locked in a deadly embrace with the much larger Trade Federation battleship, occupying the gap between the battleship’s forward arms and pointing its dagger-like nose straight towards the huge central sphere.
“My thought was that maybe the clones were actually boarding the donut ship,” explains Lee. “There’s an opening in the waist of the Jedi ship. The middle sphere is falling apart. The idea is that they took over the whole thing, and the middle sphere is drifting away from the center.”
A dry-erase board hanging in the Animatics Department serves as a recipe list for otherpossible mini-dramas playing in the background of the scene. Note that not all may not be in the final film. This list instead just represents some of the tantalizing possibilities:
Colliding | scraping starships
Sacrifice ship to break through blockade
Diving formation of assault frigates to save cruiser from swarm
Shockwave causing havoc from large explosion of ship
Shockwave bombs across surface of larger ship causing damage
Shockwave bomb on droid fighters
Tractor beams picking up ships to repair | collision
Pockets of intense debris caused by explosion that heroes fly through
Reinforcements dropping out of hyperspace to help less-than-fortunate ship
Launching and docking tri-fighters | clone fighters
EMP bomb causing loss of power to large ships, out-of-control collision
Vulture droids landing on large ships and attacking
Leaking fuel ignited by ship passing
Combined ray attack
For continued coverage of the post-production process, including in-depth examination of this epic battle sequence and others, subscribe to Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club today!
Thursday, June 24, 2004 Issue #113
Report from the Battlefront
The endless storm pelts your armor as you scramble up a rain-slicked ramp. A report from headquarters rings in your helmet — the Confederacy is in danger of taking the Kaminocloning center! If they control this vital command post, it may choke the flow of your reinforcements. A team of droidekas and super battle droids blocks your path, but two platforms away, you see your salvation. An unmanned Jedi starfighter sits unguarded. If you can get to it, it may just tip the balance…
Welcome to Star Wars Battlefront, an action-packed open-ended multiplayer action game that spans the entire Star Wars saga. The game isn’t due out until September, but this past Tuesday, June 22, select members of the electronic gaming press were given a taste of the action to come.
The setting: the woods. Not painstakingly detailed and amazingly rendered foliage, but actual woods in the Presidio in San Francisco. LucasArts transformed one patch of Endor-like forest into a unique gaming event. Stormtroopers and Rebel commandos from local 501st fan detachments were there in full armor and gear, flanking the paths to camo-netted tents that served as gaming stations.
The game supports up to 32 combatants on a battlefield, so to fully experience the potential of Star Wars Battlefront, LucasArts set up a number of LANs and unleashed the press into the firefight. Players could choose from Xbox, PlayStation2 and PC tents, and their stations were each assigned a character name so they could keep track of just who-fragged-who.
Battlefront does away with an overriding story or puzzles for players to solve – it’s raw combat and battlefield adrenaline. Though it can be played as a chaotic free-for-fall, there are definite benefits to teamwork and strategy. Throughout each environment, there are key “command posts” to control, which ultimately determine the number of spawning areas in which new combatants appear. If a warring side — be it Imperial or Rebel, Confederacy or Republic — completely conquers all the command posts on a map, they emerge victorious.
The martial refrains of the Imperial March, the din of blaster fire and roar of explosions filled the chilly San Francisco air as locales such as Rhen Var, Endor, Yavin 4, Hoth and Kamino were opened up for eager combatants to sample. The absolute freedom for soldiers to explore anywhere, and jump into and out of turret emplacements and vehicles was a big hit. These fully textured and detailed vehicles are not just cover or scenery – they are workable battlefield assets, fully controllable armor and air support experienced from a first person perspective.
These vehicles uniquely expand the game experience — they’re not just powered up soldiers. For example, the flight capabilities of the droid and Jedi starfighters on Kamino allow for players to fly below the city surface levels, and enter into combat in the girders beneath.
“If you’ve seen a vehicle in a Star Wars movie, odds are it’s in the game,” says Executive Producer Greg Burrod of Pandemic Studios. There are over 30 different vehicles that appear in Battlefront, one of which specifically underscores how teamwork can make a tactical difference.
“If I jump into a snowspeeder, I’m going to want to take out AT-ATs,” explains Burrod. “Well, from the movies, the best way to do that is to use a tow cable. So, I’m going to need a gunner. Another player will need to jump in, and over my headset, we’ll need to coordinate that attack,” he describes.
Keep checking starwars.com, and especially LucasArts.com for more detailed Star Wars Battlefront coverage and war stories. The game is scheduled for release on September 21 for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. For those wanting a sample, the DVD release of the Star Wars Trilogy will feature an Xbox playable demo of the game.
Thursday, July 08, 2004 Issue #114
Prepare Yourself for Comic-Con
Star Wars fans get ready. It’s going to take some preparation, planning, and maybe a little perspiration to make sure you’re equipped to get the most out of what’s in store for you at this year’s Comic-Con International, coming July 21 – 25, 2004 to the San Diego Convention Center.
Prepare to explore the huge Star Wars Pavilion at the front of Hall D, which will feature a wall-sized screen of exciting Star Wars video footage, plus eighteen Lucasfilm licensees presenting a virtual “street fair” of Star Wars. Many are debuting products or selling Comic-Con exclusive merchandise in the Pavilion. There will be autographs, events, give-aways, and prize drawings throughout the show.
It’s hard to imagine Comic-Con without Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Spectacular, scheduled this year for Saturday, from noon to 2:00 PM in Hall H. Sansweet will share the inside scoop with fans on the coming original trilogy DVD release slated for this September, and the latest on Star Wars: Episode III. The head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm has been known to have a few surprises up his sleeve just for Comic-Con fans, and this year should not be any different.
Thursday night, fans can enjoy the works of promising filmmakers in the #3rd annual Star Wars Fan Film Awards at 8:30 in Room 20. There will be special entertainment by Charlie Ross, performer of the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, too. Come for fun, and come for free popcorn while it lasts, courtesy of Comic-Con International.
Friday is Star Wars Day at Comic-Con, repeating a popular tradition of Star Wars panels and news throughout the day. This year, kids can enjoy special Star Wars activities, contests, and prize drawings just for them during Comic-Con Kids’ Day on Sunday.
Pack a schedule, pack a lunch, and prepare yourself for days of Star Wars fun at San Diego Comic-Con.
Thursday, August 05, 2004 Issue #116
Kashyyyk Revisited
The Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk has the odd distinction of being a world established in detail by George Lucas, but that has only been explored thus far in the expanded universe. During the development of the original Star Wars, Lucas had planned a journey to the Wookiee homeworld but the evolving storyline and budget realities kept the arboreal world from appearing on the big screen.
Nonetheless, Lucas’ detailed notes about Wookiee ecology and culture became the springboard for a number of authors and artists who weren’t limited by fiscal restraints — any planet can be visited in a comic book, for instance, for the same costs. The Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk appeared in the Marvel run, the Star Wars daily newspaper strips, and even on television in “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”
Finally, the Wookiee homeworld will be given the movie treatment in Episode III. “It’s a tropical, but cool planet,” describes Concept Design Supervisor Ryan Church. “The only real directive we got from George is that they live in giant trees.”
In developing the look of Kashyyyk, the Art Department first turned to the much-maligned 1978 television special to see what had come before. “We watched that on a loop about four or five times, avoided suicide, and went back to work,” laughs Church. Though produced on a variety show scale, the Holiday Special’s Wookiee world (then called Kazhyyyk — pronounced, oddly, as ‘Kazook’) did have an establishing shot of a Wookiee domicile rendered as a painting by Ralph McQuarrie. The set built for the show — the inside of Chewbacca’s home — was a mix of flashy sci-fi tech and carved-from-wood naturalism.
“We wanted to have a sort of high-tech Frank Lloyd Wright feel where the Wookiees incorporated the natural environments into their living conditions,” says Church. “George was very specific about not wanting to see the same thing over and over again. We’re visiting a lot of planets in Episode III, so when we cut to Kashyyyk really quickly, you have to know where you are.”
The end result will be a single city on Kashyyyk that straddles several massive trees. Though other published sources have explored the thickest areas of jungle canopy, Episode III’s location is on the shore of a tree-lined lagoon, offering greater visual dynamics and story potential.
In Episode III, Kashyyyk will be at war, and as such, the Art Department needed to develop Wookiee instruments of warfare. “We wanted it to look distinct from what the rest of the cultures in the Star Wars universe use,” says Church. “Feng Zhu did a lot of these technical illustrations, and came up with a very unique aesthetic. I wanted to come up with a type of vehicle that implied that only a Wookiee could handle it. Like they took some kind of technology that’s out there, and they commandeered it and modified it for their own use.”
If you’d like to see a slideshow of over 40 concept art images of Episode III Kashyyyk, be sure to check out this article, available only to Hyperspace subscribers.
Thursday, August 19, 2004 Issue #117
Gary Kurtz: Risks Worth Taking
Though most fans would find it hard to believe, there was a time when Star Wars was a huge gamble. Gary Kurtz, the producer of the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, had to face a world of skeptical studios executives who couldn’t fathom George Lucas’ outer space fantasy ever becoming a crowd-pleaser.
“The atmosphere in the studios was not very partial to sci-fi,” recounts Kurtz. Even the most popular sci-fi film at the time had been a meager success in the eyes of Hollywood executives. “2001 had come out in 1968 and took six years to make its money back,” he says.
But Alan Ladd Jr. at 20th Century Fox had enough faith in Star Wars to greenlight the project. “It was the cheapest film that they had on their slate that year; everything else was more expensive, so even if they didn’t make their money back and just broke even, it would be okay,” says Kurtz.
In the almost three-decades since the debut of Star Wars, the movie landscape has changed so radically that the quieter days of 1977 seem almost alien in comparison.
“In the box office takings nowadays, the opening weekend is the key thing. In the ’70s, the style of release was quite different,” says Kurtz. “Most films were platformed, which means they were tried out in a few cinemas, and then expanded over time. In this case, we were stuck, as Star Wars was one of the first films with Dolby Surround sound and Dolby stereo mix. We only opened in cinemas which had Dolby stereo installed, and cinemas were so reluctant that Fox had to guarantee they would recoup the costs of the installation, and said they were willing to pay for the costs of removing the equipment if cinemas didn’t want to keep it!”
From the initial 32 theaters on May 25, 1977, Star Wars’s release grew to encompass hundreds of theaters, but it was still just a fraction of the number of theaters most big films open nowadays. What contributed to its box office success was months, not weeks of steady business. “It was never in more than 600 cinemas at one time,” says Kurtz, “but it played for a long time; some ran the films for six months! You’d never have that these days. A big film will open in 4,000 cinemas and be gone in three months.”
The dramatic uphill struggle to make Star Wars is extensively documented in Empire of Dreams, the feature-length documentary found on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD that debuts on September 21. Kurtz is one of the dozens of personalities interviewed in the film. In the coming weeks, keep checking starwars.com for a more extensive look at the making of this long-awaited DID set as the countdown continues to September 21.
Thursday, September 02, 2004 Issue #118
Shepperton Flashbacks
From August 23 to September 3, Episode III Set Diarist Pablo Hidalgo is in Shepperton, UK, chronicling the 11 days of additional photography for Revenge of the Sith. Here is a classic-themed bonus entry, exclusive to the Homing Beacon. If you’re not a Hyperspace member, you’ve missed in-depth coverage of Episode III since the very first day of principal photography, including a live webcam capturing images from the filming locations. Don’t miss a single day, join now!
A casual stroll through Shepperton Studios reveals its deep roots in the history of cinema. Structures on the lot such as the Orson Welles Building, the David Lean Building and the Korda Theatre give hints to its storied past. Here, Lean shot some of Lawrence of Arabia, Stanley Kubrick shot parts of 2001 and Dr. Strangelove, John Huston shot some of The African Queen. And here, George Lucas is shooting Star Wars …again.
In May of 1976, Shepperton became the Fourth Moon of Yavin for three days of studio shooting. Though Elstree formed the bulk of the studio shoot for the original A New Hope, the production trekked to Stage H in Shepperton Studios to find the space needed for the Rebel outpost.
“Stage H at the time was the biggest stage in England,” recalls Lucas. “They didn’t have the Bond stage here yet. I built a bigger one later in Elstree for Empire, but that’s all we had back then.”
On Friday, May 14, 1976 — a little more than a year before the movie would come out — Star Wars came to Shepperton. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew were the principal cast members there for the medal ceremony in the Massassi throne room. Joining them were supporting cast members Alex McCrindle (General Dodonna), Angus McInnis (Gold Leader) and Colin Higgins (who appears to have played Wedge in the Rebel briefing scene, though the report lists no character name).
I figured Colin Higgins may be a common name around here, but I had to ask George: “Is this the same Colin Higgins who wrote Harold and Maude?”
“No, that wasn’t him,” George laughs. I’ve brought copies of the Daily Production Progress Reports from those three days of shooting along with me to the re-shoots, to see if they jog any classic Star Wars memories.
An eye-catching detail is the length of the workday. The current Episode III pick-up schedule has days starting at 7:30 am and wrapping at 7:00 pm. In 1976, it’s a different story. On May 14, it’s 8:30 to 5:40. On Tuesday, May 18, it’s 8:30 to 7:35. On Wednesday, it’s 8:30 to 5:30. Furthermore, on Episode III, the first set-up is typically completed within a half-hour of the day’s start. For Episode IV, these three days have set-up times of an hour, an hour and a half, and two hours, fifteen minutes.
How things have changed. “This was the crowd breakdown then?” asks Ewan McGregor, who also examines the progress reports. He looks at what the extras got paid for the Massassi war room sequence.
“Those were the days,” chuckles George. “In those days, you could get a really good dinner for !”
Ewan, who has spent so much time preparing for the fateful duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, took special interest at the May 18, 1976 report. “Look at this: ‘As per Call Sheet, a rehearsal of the Sword Fight between Sir Alec Guinness and Dave Prowse was held, but the venue was EMI Studios this morning, under the supervision of Stunt Arranger Peter Diamond,'” he quotes. “These are amazing.”
Anthony Daniels, who was present at the ’76 Shepperton shoot, recalls that it was George Lucas’ birthday during the first day. He also recalls the assistant director giving him an important piece of advice on an extras-heavy day. “He told me to have lunch a little early. I said I could wait for everyone else, to which he responded: ‘have you ever seen a crowd of extras rush for lunch?'”
Thursday, September 16, 2004 Issue #119
Behind Empire of Dreams
When documentary filmmaker and producer Kevin Burns began tackling the gargantuan task of interviewing over 40 actors, special effects experts, editors, journalists, friends and George Lucas himself for the 2 1/2-hour Star Wars Trilogy DVD documentary Empire of Dreams, he wanted to give fans more than the typical rehashed back story.
“I really cringe when someone says that Empire of Dreams is merely a ‘making of’ documentary,” Burns says. “Even with all the shows (‘Backstory,’ ‘Biography,’ etc.) that I’ve done in the last 10 years through my company at Fox, I really try not to do a typical ‘making of’ documentary. I’m not interested in how many reels of films were shot on Day 13. I’m concerned with the human story behind the making of a film. And what agony and struggle and curve balls people have to deal with in order to go through the process of making a film. That to me is what’s interesting.”
He wasn’t alone in his thinking. One of the main reasons Burns was able to secure hard-to-come by interviews with such heavyweights as Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher had to do with his unique vision behind the documentary.
“Those are the people who have spent 27 years answering the same 40 questions and have been hounded to death about the films,” Burns says. “They weren’t hostile… they were simply weary and wary of being involved in another Star Wars retrospective.” Burns and Hamill had known each other for quite sometime before he was set to interview the actor about his legendary role as Luke Skywalker, however during their friendship, the Force wasn’t exactly a topic of casual conversation.
“We had been friends for 16 years, but in the time I’ve known him we had never sat down and asked him about Star Wars,” Burns admits. “So it was really odd to sit there with my friend for three hours and conduct a huge cathartic kind of therapy session with him. It turned out to be a great interview.”
Another reluctant interview involved an actor who’s character not only spans the original trilogy, but all three prequels as well.
“Anthony Daniels didn’t want to do the interviews until he spoke to me about his concerns,” Burns recalls. “Daniels had said, ‘I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I want to tell you right now – I will not do this interview if I’m asked yet again, ‘What was it like to be C-3PO’ or ‘How did it feel to be in Star Wars?’ So please don’t ask me something so inane. I hope to have a level of discourse at a higher intellectual plane than that.’ And for that I immediately had respect for him.”
A&E will air a special 90-minute version of Empire of Dreams throughout the month, including this Sunday. Check local listings for times. The full 2 1/2-hour version can only be found on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. For more information on Empire of Dreams and the Star Wars Trilogy DVD, visit starwars.com.
Thursday, September 30, 2004 Issue #120
Golden DVD Memories
Though C-3PO seems to have trouble remembering key events fromone generation to the next, actor Anthony Daniels’ recollectionsare far more precise. With the release of the Star WarsTrilogy on DVD, many of those memories have come rushing back,in crystal clarity thanks to unparalleled image and soundquality and recently unearthed archival footage.
“The very first day out in the desert, I thought there wasgoing to be Hollywood-style trailers, and there was aboy-scout tent.” recalls Daniels. “I stood there andput on my underclothes and then had six people attackme with various bits of the costume and two hours later,I was in pain!”
It took two hours to fit Daniels into the very firstThreepio costume, a process that now, by Episode III,has finally been perfected to just a matter of minutes.”Somebody switched on the light and C-3PO’s eyes lit upand then they pulled back the curtains of the tent andI stepped forward into the rising sun,” continuesDaniels. “The sun was just coming up over the dunes,and just hit my costume. Around me, all the crew –Americans, Europeans and the local Tunisian people –just stopped work and gazed. It was his greatest moment,but from then on we had to start filming and was all abit down hill from then on!”
What coaxed Daniels into the uncomfortable golden suitwas the poignant strength of a concept painting byRalph McQuarrie, depicting the lonely droid standingin the sprawling desert. Daniels says he felt akinship with the droid, particularly when it cametime to shoot the desert sequences.
“You have to realize that the cameras were about amile away and Artoo was empty and being pulledalong by someone with awire. The wind was blowing.It was cold. I’m all alone. I can see people at thecamera, and they’re going to wave at me when they’reready. I’m looking around, and there, very, veryclose to me, is a Tunisian desert person — a realone, not someone George had made up. With a facelike a million old leather handbags all sewn together,he was looking at me in this strange way.”
Daniels likens the experience to the classic scene inE.T. The Extra Terrestrial when young DrewBarrymore sees the alien for the first time. “It wasthe same. We both went, ‘AHHH!’ I looked at the cameraand I looked back and he’d gone. He absolutely meltedback into the sands. That was a very bizarre experience.He’s in some village now saying, ‘And then there was theday when I saw the gold god…'”
This Article was Originally posted 2022-06-20 02:52:14.
Episode No.: 59 (Season 3, Episode 15) Production No.: 309 (Season 3, Episode 9) Original Air Date: January 28, 2011
“Balance is found in the one who faces his guilt.”
Written by Christian Taylor
Directed by Steward Lee
Cast:
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Lloyd Sherr as Father
Adrienne Wilkinson as Daughter
Sam Witwer as Son
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
Pernilla August as Shmi
Dee Bradley Baker as Rex
Tom Kane as the narrator
Synopsis: A mysterious force draws Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to a distant planet, and its inhabitants — a family of exceptionally powerful Force-wielders — in an attempt to determine whether Anakin is truly the Chosen One. The patriarch of this family, known only as the Father, has spent ages maintaining the balance between his Daughter, who is strong with the light side of the Force, and his Son, who aligns with the dark. The Father reveals his days are numbered, and he seeks Anakin to take his place as the fulcrum of this balance. A series of tests proves that Anakin is capable of controlling both offspring, as the Father does, but Skywalker refuses to take the Father’s place.
This trilogy of episodes dives into concepts of the Force and ancient Jedi prophecy like never before, and represent an unusually deep exploration direct from George Lucas of some of the saga’s biggest concepts. While there will undoubtedly be questions about how much that is experienced in the Mortis realm can be defined as “real,” the answers will surely depend on your own point of view.
The Mortis monolith seen at the start of the episode is over five kilometers tall, wide and deep.
As the keeper of the balance, the Father quite literally sits at the center of a scale-like statue, with gong-like discs emblazoned with icons representing the daughter (to his right) and the son (to his left). Flanking this are statues of their beast forms: the griffin and the gargoyle.
In addition to notable guest appearances by Liam Neeson and Pernilla August, this episode also stars veterans of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in key roles. Sam Witwer, who played Starkiller, plays the Son, while Adrienne Wilkinson, who played Maris Brood, plays the Daughter.
The Father describes his family as anchorites. Lest anyone think this is a proper term for a species or culture, it isn’t. This uncommon word, never before spoken in Star Wars, an anchorite is someone who has withdrawn from society to become somewhat of a religious hermit. The only term that so far describes the Mortis beings are “Force-wielders”.
Although the Force-wielders are intentionally depicted as vague and mysterious, their animation models nonetheless have the following definitions: The Father is 2.48 meters tall, the Daughter is 2.13 meters tall, and the Son is 2.2 meters. The Daughter’s griffin form stands 2.58 meters tall, while the Son’s gargoyle form is 4.79 meters tall. They both have wingspans over 11 meters.
Slight refrains of John Williams’ Episode I score can be heard during Qui-Gon’s appearance, as well as the Force theme when Obi-Wan speaks of Anakin
The Republic fleet officer seen during the newsreel is not named in the episode. He is Admiral Tenant.
This Article was Originally posted 2023-07-11 12:00:31.
Are you ready to be transported to a galaxy far, far away? Join the adventure with the official novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by none other than J.J. Abrams. This epic blockbuster comes with a bonus: two tie-in short stories, “The Perfect Weapon” by Delilah S. Dawson and “Bait” by Alan Dean Foster.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a world that first captured our hearts over thirty years ago. The Force Awakens brings back beloved characters such as Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing us to exciting new ones.
But don’t be fooled, this adventure is not for the faint of heart. Evil does not easily relent and peace can be fleeting. However, the simple belief in good can empower ordinary individuals to rise up and meet the greatest challenges.
New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster has created a thrilling novel adaptation that goes beyond the movie experience. With additional scenes and insights into the characters’ thoughts, he paints a broader picture of the galaxy.
The Washington Post raves that Foster not only evokes entire onscreen worlds but also gives us glimpses of an even more vast, unseen universe. And Coffee with Kenobi confirms that Foster captures the spirit of the film while presenting additional information that helps answer some of the questions that linger.
So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to experience the thrill of Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization and let the Force awaken within you.
Welcome to Colour Me Star Wars. A collection of articles from the archives of *starwars.com no longer directly available, in which there are a variety of PDF Files for you to download, print off and colour in.
Ever since 1980, when the second issue of an industry magazine called Cinefex gave extensive coverage to the making of The Empire Strikes Back’s special effects, I’ve pretty much been an fx geek. Setting up models against a blue screen — state of the art for the special effects industry in the ’70s and ’80s — the artists at Industrial Light & Magic would create the X-wing run down the Death Star trench, the snowspeeder attack against the AT-ATs, and the speederbike chase through the Endor forest, to name a few. These set-ups would include the models, the pylons propping them up, stage lights, the blue screen, and of course the camera — items that recently became available in an auction staged out of the old ILM facility in San Rafael, California.
Naturally, as an effects junkie and a resident of the Bay Area, this was destined to be a red-letter day.
Large crate from the ILM stage containing blue screen material
Because ILM has gone almost exclusively digital in the last decade or so, it shed off its modeling division a few years ago, with the new owners inheriting much of the old studio supplies that had served ILM for so long. But with the new studio recently disbanding, all the old lights, cameras, editing tables and booms — not to mention tables, desks, and even the contents of their drawers — were going to the auction block. With hundreds of lots available — several of which were literally room-fuls of stuff — there was a lot to scrutinize.
Pouring over scores of photos depicting the tools that created some of the most memorable effects shots in history, I’d marked about ten items of interest, two of which I and a colleague were ultimately able to win. I didn’t get everything I’d hoped to, but was glad to be able to take home a little piece of history in the end.
Below is a selection of some of the more interesting pieces of last week’s auction, at least interesting to those with a bent for analog-era special effects (Note: the photos below are a combination of our on-site photos and those posted by the auction house).
The “Vista Cruiser” motion control head used for Return of the Jedi
Stage lights and stands
An old ILM label affixed to a light stand
ILM stage blocks
A label indicating this piece was once owned by the Maker himselfThe “Nikon-flex” camera used to shoot the mine car chase in Temple of Doom
Large lights marked “ILM”
An editing table allegedly once owned by George LucasDirector’s chair allegedly once used by ex-ILM alum and Mythbuster Adam Savage
A trio of model pylons for shooting against blue screen
This Article was Originally posted 2022-11-04 16:32:17.
The Lucasfilm Archives, justifiably renowned among legions of fans as the final resting place for everything from Darth Vader’s lightsaber to the Holy Grail that just eluded the grasp of Indiana Jones, is much more than just a prop mausoleum. It’s an active private collection where on-going programs of conservation and restoration ensure that precious items that aren’t really made to last, but that have become icons of popular culture, can survive for future generations to enjoy in exhibitions around the world.
And in an age where the “common wisdom’ had it that digital technology would replace the need for most hand-built props and models, the opposite seems to have happened. The Archives has grown larger and more sophisticated in the wake of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace than at any time since it was established shortly after completion of production of Return of the Jedi. “This is truly a unique collection” says Paloma Anoveros, the Collection Manager since October 1996. “Most production companies don’t keep the props, costumes and models that they generate for films. But I think that since Star Wars was a trilogy, the idea of reusing objects made sense. Later it became clear that these were films that were making an impact, and that these objects had an extremely iconographic power in our culture.”
Most Lucasfilm movies are represented in the Archives: The Indiana Jones Trilogy, the Star Wars films, Willow, Tucker, and even American Graffiti.
With the initial success of Star Wars, and the immediate realization that a second film would be made, Industrial Light & Magic kept a number of the props from the first film to see if they could be used again. It did the same thing for The Empire Strikes Back. The production company also sent some of the large pieces back from England for storage in California. But it wasn’t until around the time of the taking of a very famous photo–George Lucas amidst a sea of some of the most famous spacecraft, droids and other props from his trilogy–that Lucas decided it was time to set up a proper Archives.
It was also around that time that some of the earliest exhibitions of Lucasfilm props took place: The World Science Fiction Convention (Los Angeles, 1984), The Star Wars 10th Anniversary Celebration (Los Angeles, 1987) and several Marin County Fairs.
The first Archives was a makeshift rental in an industrial park, but at least it served as a gathering spot for all of the props, costumes, models and artwork. Several years later, the first climate-controlled Archives building was erected. A second structure has been added to accommodate Episode I costumes and props including the massive miniatures such as Theed city and the Mos Espa Arena. Currently, the Archives take up about 50,000 square feet of space.
The Archives also has a film department which houses production elements such as dailies, original sound recordings and continuity reports and audition reels and outtakes. The daily operations of the film archive include providing requested materials to departments such as Production and Publicity, while safeguarding the transition of materials to a cool, dry environment which will keep them protected for years to come.
“A normal museum usually grows steadily,” Anoveros says, “But we grow tremendously in spurts. Last year the collection more than doubled due to Episode I and other collections, so we have to be creative on how to address issues like this.”
Anoveros’s background is in artwork conservation and collections management. On her staff are two full-time model and costume archivists (Danielle Roode and Susan Copley), a film archivist (Sandra Groom), and project personnel like interns from museum studies programs.
Despite her museum and conservation background, Anoveros knows that, first and foremost, she serves an active film production company. “This is very much a collection in use, with props and models that may be needed at any time for production,” she says. “My role is not to prevent use but to minimize damage while things are being used. So I talk to the person who needs something for reference and ask, ‘Do you need the actual object, or would a great photo do?’ Or if it’s for filming, I make sure it’s packed and transported correctly and handled properly to minimize damage.”
For Episode I, the Archives got requests early on from the Art Department for props for reference for continuity purposes. It sent large amounts of material to Leavesden Studios outside of London for use in the actual film–everything from masks and costume to R2-D2 units and Luke Skywalker’s original landspeeder. A little closer to home, ILM borrowed props for blue-screen use or for reference for computer-graphic use. All of it needed to be logged, tracked, packed, shipped, and eventually brought back.
“A very important aspect of what we do is cataloguing the objects” Anoveros says. The Archives is implementing a bar code system because objects move in and out so quickly during filming. Then, if it needs to be sent out it can simply be scanned. Among the challenges faced by Anoveros and her staff is that objects built as film props, for the most part, aren’t built to last.
“We have modern materials and no one knows how they are going to perform long-term,” Anoveros says. “Many of these objects are fragile, and meant to be used under careful supervision in front of blue screen, and it’s a continuous challenge how to preserve them. For example latex, used widely for masks and creatures. There is no treatment for deteriorated latex. We try to provide stable environmental conditions and appropriate support for their preservation. Once latex deteriorates there is no treatment to recover it.”
Currently, the Archives doesn’t perform restoration work on-site, but hires trained professionals when necessary. “Sometimes we get work done at the ILM department where they created the actual object, or we contract it to conservators in the field who are experts in different materials,” Anoveros says. The Archives keeps a priority list based on how important a piece is, whether it might go on display at some point, and whether it will deteriorate further if it isn’t fixed.
“We try to focus on preventative conservation, which is avoiding damage before it happens to objects,” Anoveros says. “We try to keep things in stable environmental conditions by keeping the temperature at a constant 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 50-55% relative humidity. We have implemented a pest management system to prevent pest infestation. And in terms of storing objects, we try to provide the proper support for all objects, like costumes and masks to make sure they don’t sag or stretch and deform.”
The Archives collection is incredibly diverse. “We have models from full size spacecraft to miniatures, and from screen quality to foam-core prototypes,” Anoveros notes. “We have traditional costumes from Imperial officers to incredible Queen Amidala gowns to Gamorrean guards with all the foam layers of ‘fat.’ There are thousands of pieces of concept art and production paintings. There are original matte painting. These are usually done on glass, some are on board and some very large ones on canvas. This section of the collection isn’t likely to grow since matte painting are now done digitally.” The Lucasfilm Archives has multiple copies of some objects. “It’s just the nature of production,” Anoveros says. “For example, look at all of the version of R2-D2. One was worn by Kenny Baker and is considered a costume; one just has the ability to turn its head; another has the ability to drop its third leg. So these all add history to the collection.
One of Anoveros’s most weighty recent responsibilities was proposing what to keep for the Archives from Episode I. “I started first looking at the objects keeping in mind the issues of significance, quality, storage, transportation, and maintenance costs. The few pieces we could not keep-like the really large sets-we documented really well.”
In the last few years, much of the time of the Archives staff has been devoted to organizing public exhibitions of the treasured memorabilia in conjunction with Lucas Licensing Ltd., another unit of Lucasfilm. “Since we are a private collection that does not have the facilities to be able to be open to the public, we try to take part in well-organized public museum exhibitions when possible,” Anoveros says. In the last several years there have been two very popular separate exhibitions in Japan and one in San Francisco. There was even an amazing three-day exhibit at the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in Denver last May.
But the real attention getter was the year-long National Air and Space Museum’s Star Wars: The Magic of Myth, which is currently on a two year tour of U.S. museums organized by SITES. Coming up in April in London is a similarly ambitious exhibition, The Art of Star Wars, at the Barbican Art Centre.
“Currently, the exhibitions have been taking 90% of our time,” Anoveros says. “Of course, that slows down once the exhibit goes up, but when you’re moving 250 objects, that takes a lot of time. We work with the organizing institution in terms of developing exhibit plans and guidelines, and we give suggestions of what we think might work. We think we know our fans and what they expect to see. It’s a continuous dialog to develop the curatorial point of view, and we participate actively with them in selecting the objects.”
High on Anoveros’s agenda is better maximizing her existing space as the calendar pages keep turning. Before too long, she’s going to be getting a telephone call from Episode II Producer Rick McCallum: “Paloma, I’ve got a bunch of stuff for you to take a look at!”
This Article was Originally posted 2022-06-25 13:24:52.
He was Senator Palpatine in The Phantom Menace and the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. Now, in an exclusive Insider interview, Ian McDiarmid talks about bridging the gap as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in Episodes II and III of the Star Wars saga.
When Darth Vader first burst on the scene in 1977, storming into the Rebel Blockade Runner amid smoke, stormtroopers, and blaster fire, it was impossible to think of him as anything but the ultimate villain of Star Wars. It seemed there could be no soul darker, no mind more evil, no heart more cold.
That was before we met the Emperor.
As Darth Vader himself put it, “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.”
Sure enough, in Return of the Jedi, we learned quickly that Vader was but a pawn in his master’s dark game of galactic domination. The Emperor, from the moment he first touched down on Death Star II, made it clear that it was he who was in charge all along. By the end, we saw that Vader could actually be a hero, and that the ultimate villain of the Star Wars saga was a hunched-over old man with piercing yellow eyes, black robes, and a distinctively chilling voice.
To pull off the crucial role of the Emperor (who first appeared briefly as a hologram voiced by Clive Revill in The Empire Strikes Back), George Lucas and Jedi director Richard Marquand turned to Ian McDiarmid, a charismatic British stage actor then in his mid-30s. McDiarmid sunk his teeth into his first major film role, emerging from marathon make-up sessions to create a modern day icon of cinematic evil.
No wonder that 16 years later, Lucas again enlisted McDiarmid to play a young Senator Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, making him one of the few performers from the classic trilogy to reprise his character in the prequels.
Once again drawing on a tremendous reservoir of experience in the theatre, McDiarmid (who in the meantime had also appeared in the Frank Oz-directed comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the Oscar-nominated Restoration) played Palpatine as a smooth charmer who manages to maneuver Chancellor Valorum out of office’ and himself in’ even as his home planet of Naboo is under siege, and all with a smile on his face and a spring in his step.
Naturally, McDiarmid returns for Episode II, luxuriating in his character’s new position as Supreme Chancellor and looking forward to continuing his rise in Episode III. No longer the new kid on the block, McDiarmid is now a Star Wars vet and fan favorite from both the classic and prequel eras.
In between filming Episodes I and II, the Scottish-born actor, an early drama school classmate of Denis Lawson (Wedge), took a role in Tim Burton’s blockbuster Sleepy Hollow (with Star Wars actors Christopher Lee and Ray Park) and continued to focus on running the Almeida Theatre, the thriving and popular North London playhouse where he serves as joint artistic director with Jonathan Kent.
The duo were awarded the Theatrical Achievement of the Year award by London’s Evening Standard in 1998 for their work transforming the once-obscure playhouse into one of the region’s most acclaimed theatres.
McDiarmid was starring at the Almeida as Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest when the Insider caught up with him. The production was the last at the theatre before a 14-month renovation project, during which time the Almeida will continue to produce plays at a converted bus station across town.
The last time we interviewed McDiarmid (Insider #37), Episode I hadn’t come out yet, and we had tons of questions about Return of the Jedi. But this time, the first thing we wanted to talk about was Episode II — even though so much about the story is still top secret.
Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. There is a lot about your work in the prequels that we can’t talk about yet. Why is it necessary to keep so much about Palpatine a mystery?
The principal answer to that, of course, is that he is a man of mystery. That is how he exercises, maintains, and increases his power — by choosing what he’s public about. He’s the great political manipulator of all time.
I found it interesting in Episode I to watch the wheels turning in Senator Palpatine’s mind. We sense he’s up to no good, yet we never see him actually do anything sinister.
Yes, that’s probably the most interesting aspect of the part for me. Palpatine appears to be a hard-working politician — and when you say the word politician, immediately you think about equivocation, which is the nature of the job. But at the same time, I know that underneath all that is an evil soul. The undercurrents are always there in his mind and in his gut.
Everything he does is an act of pure hypocrisy, and that’s interesting to play. I suppose it’s rather like playing Iago. All the characters in the play — including Othello until the end — think that “Honest Iago” is a decent guy doing his job, and he’s quite liked. But at the same time there’s a tremendous evil subconscious in operation.
The Exercise of Power
How do you as an actor convey trustworthiness to the characters around Palpatine while simultaneously signaling to the audience not to trust him?
I suppose that, in a sense, he is hyper-sincere — defensively sincere. He is a supreme actor. He has to be even more convincing than somebody who isn’t behaving in a schizophrenic fashion, so he’s extra charming, or extra professional — and for those who are looking for clues, that’s almost where you can see them. He’s super-sincere.
There’s a moment in one scene of the new film where tears almost appear in his eye. These are crocodile tears, but for all those in the movie, and perhaps watching the movie itself, they’ll see he is apparently moved — and of course, he is. He can just do it. He can, as it were, turn it on. And I suppose for him, it’s also a bit of a turn-on — the pure exercise of power is what he’s all about. That’s the only thing he’s interested in and the only thing that can satisfy him — which makes him completely fascinating to play, because it is an evil soul. He is more evil than the devil. At least Satan fell — he has a history, and it’s one of revenge.
But the Emperor — well, I don’t know all the details, but who does of the Sith? — is an independent agent who just lives for the exercise of power. He doesn’t know what scruples are, let alone have any. The only emotion that manifests itself truly is the one seen just before he meets his end, if that’s what he meets, in Jedi — and then that’s pure anger, when he realizes that he hasn’t succeeded in manipulating young Skywalker. So he has to kill him, and he tries to do that with unadulterated fury.
He has no sorrow about his mistakes, just pure anger?
Just anger. And his great strength is that he’s not fearful, which of course is also young Skywalker’s great strength, and ultimately Vader’s too. It’s understanding both sides of fear — how it’s important not to be fearful in order to not stop yourself from doing things you believe and know to be right. At the same time, it’s on the dark side — terror is what he specializes in. It’s what motivates him and governs his every action — his understanding of the nature of terror. He believes that everybody can be terrorized, or seduced by one thing or another.
But he’s ultimately proven wrong.
Yes, he is, but not until the end of the movie, at the very critical moment — as he succeeded with the father, will he succeed with the son? And he doesn’t, because the father refuses to let him succeed with the son — which is what makes it fascinating.
Did you ever sit down and discuss Palpatine’s backstory with George Lucas?
No, not really. But it’s what I feel to be true about the part — and by and large, I think it’s the same instinct that George has responded to.
But as George says, the fans always know what’s going on because they’ve absorbed the story in all its detail. You can sort of work it out. The story hasn’t changed. It’s a story George set out to tell when he made Episode IV all those years ago, and now he’s just telling it.
Do you know for sure whether you’re doing Episode III?
Yes, I will be doing Episode III, and that is now a fact.
Has he given you a specific idea about how Palpatine will evolve in Episode III?
He’s always said that Episode III will be the darkest. George feels people won’t necessarily like it because of that, but my feeling is the reverse. I think they’ll like it even more, because I think people are fascinated by the whole dark side of the saga. That’s why Vader is so interesting. He’s complicated, as we later find out. It’s that apparently seductive darkness that fascinates people. They want to know more about it. They’re not attracted by evil, but they’re attracted by the nature of it. It’s a very interesting thing to observe.
Why do you think people are so intrigued by evil characters?
I don’t know, but I think it might go back to your initial question — because it’s mysterious. It’s underneath. Milton, when he created Satan in Paradise Lost, which is one of the greatest creations in all of literature, made Satan as evil as Satan should be. But at the same time, Milton found him sympathetic as a soul in torment — his best poetic writing is for that character.
But that’s not the case with the Emperor, which makes it so interesting. He doesn’t have any of those potentially redemptive qualities. He hasn’t fallen. I imagine he’s evil from birth, which is a terrible thing to imagine. He’s not human.
So he has no awareness of how different he is from other people?
No — no conscience, none of these things. He’s untrammeled by humanity, by any feelings of guilt or responsibility or any of these things that bother all of us to a degree. And that’s why, up to a point, he’s entirely able to exercise his will. Of course, he’s immensely clever, too.
When you were shooting Episode II, were you thinking about how you were going to evolve the character from film to film?
I don’t really think about this. I play the lines, in the hope that something will emerge that’ll be interesting and useful to the movie. That’s what you do between action and cut, in these short bursts that are called scenes. But that’s what acting is — it’s about responding to the moment. And then you abandon it to George — but that’s one of the things I like about film. It’s the opposite from the theatre. You surrender your performance for other people to choose bits from, whereas in the theatre, you’re in control of the whole part, every evening, and the director moves to one side. It’s neither better nor worse — they’re just different experiences, and I find them equally fascinating.
A Return in Episode II
How has Palpatine — now the Supreme Chancellor — changed between Episode I and Episode II?
Well, we’re about 10 years on from Episode I, so he’s had a chance to get on with it. Of course, his status has obviously gone up, because his office is better. The power has now manifested itself. His office — through the windows, there will be lots of stuff added later on — was a big set, a real power base.
The costumes, too, have got much more edge to them, I think, than the mere Senator had. So we see the trappings of power. And I’m also slightly aged. In the last film, I had a fairly standard make-up on, but now, they’re starting to crinkle my face.
I’m sure it was still easier than the make-up you were under for Return of the Jedi.
Yes — that was a four-hour job, initially, although we got it down to about two-and-a-half in the end. But this was just a little bit of latex here and there, a little bit of skin-scrunching.
The last time we spoke (Insider #37), we talked a lot about Return of the Jedi. So this time, I’m just wondering, nearly 20 years later, what sticks out most in your mind about your first Star Wars experience?
Actually, I looked at it again the other day, because I was watching the re-issue of the three videos, and I thought, “Oh God, there’s such a young person underneath all that.” I have nothing but happy memories, because, as you know, it just happened out of the blue. I met George and I didn’t know what the part was or what I’d be required to do, because it was very secretive in those days. I just knew that he was called the Emperor, which didn’t sound bad. And I was right. I also remember I liked that chair.
What can you tell us about your latest Star Wars experience on Episode II? I understand you were in the first scene shot.
Well, the script came to us quite late, but I knew I was going to be in the first scenes because of the nature of the scheduling. I wondered if it might be because I was in the first scene shot for Episode I, or if it was coincidence, but indeed I was in the first filmed scene of Episode II.
There I was, with this new but absolutely committed and fantastic Australian crew, on that first day. Of course, everyone was properly nervous. I, at least, knew what it was like to stand on a pod against blue screen because I’d done that in Leavesden [for Episode I]. But I didn’t know what it was like to stand in the Supreme Chancellor’s pod, because that belonged to Terence Stamp in the last movie — so that was new.
We had a whole 12-hour day of filming, two scenes, on me, with a lot of speeches to do. So I had a bit of an opportunity to re-familiarize myself with [the character], in a highly pressured context because it was the first day, with a completely new crew. It was scary, but it was also exciting. Quite often, when the atmosphere is like that, when a lot is demanded of you, you sometimes find you have a little more in yourself than you thought you had. I hope that was true of me on the first day.
You had to rise to that occasion.
Yes — quite literally, because I was so many feet up in the air!
What was the mood like on that first day of shooting Episode II?
Well, it was very good, but I had the supreme advantage of being familiar with the set and knowing George and Rick and most of the team. But like everyone else, I didn’t know the Australian crew, and they of course didn’t know George because he had not long arrived. So they didn’t really know what to expect, and they were, as usual, thinking, “Oh my God, it’s Star Wars,” as everybody does.
But it was a great, practical day, and we got everything done that we needed to do. They work very hard — that’s the way Rick runs it and the way George likes to work, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. You really do pump it out over a short period. The pressure is there all the time. But I like that — I always work better under that kind of pressure.
It seemed like, despite the pressure, everybody on the set was very friendly.
Oh, yes. The atmosphere was great, and it was terrific being in Australia. I’d never been to Australia before. It was a big difference from being down the road in London, but Star Wars and Australia go together very well. There’s something about the whole atmosphere there. The people are terrific — they’re so full of life, and they have a highly developed sense of the absurd, which always helps.
How long were you in Sydney?
I was out for a period of just under a month initially, and then I went back to do another scene a few weeks later. So I was there for about five weeks in all.
You mentioned the script coming in at the last minute for Episode II. How much time did you have with it before you started shooting?
Well, the script was very late indeed. I arrived in Sydney on a Wednesday, and I was given the script when I got off the plane. There wasn’t one available before that. And then we were shooting on Monday. I thought, inevitably, it will be in the Senate, and I’ll have some long speeches, and that was indeed the case.
Does it affect your acting when you don’t have much time to refine your performance?
Everybody likes to get it as soon as possible so they can immerse themselves in it, but I knew the situation. I was staying in a friend’s apartment who wasn’t there, so I had the peace and quiet to work on it over those few days, which is what I did.
Of Acting and Actors
What did you think of the script when you finally got it?
I liked it very much. George had always said that Episode II would be a love story, and it has a real sort of courtly delicacy about it. The whole relationship between Padmé and Anakin is very moving and delicately done, but it’s also quite passionate. It’s a strong relationship and a strong attraction that they have, and that’s present in the script. Episode I was the introduction, the grand overture to the whole project.
Episode II is the big step of the story, when they get together and when Anakin learns. He’s a great and fast learner and has a tremendous instinct. He grows up very quickly, perhaps too quickly.
When you first read the script, was there anything in there where you thought, “Oh, I can’t wait to do this?”
Yes. I could see how the character had developed. He wasn’t seeking a power base — he had one. So there was the whole notion of being able to enjoy that and use that fact to take things further. In the previous film, I had to try and persuade people, but now he’s more at home and more centered, and he has to do less. That doesn’t mean to say that he doesn’t go about things in a persuasive way.
Was there anything unique about shooting Episode II, or was it just business as usual for Star Wars?
It was nice to be able to have more to do with some of the characters — for example, to have a scene with Sam Jackson. And to be in the same movie as Christopher Lee — that’s almost an ambition realized, as far as I’m concerned, because I think he’s one of the two aristocrats of screen menace, along with Peter Cushing. I like to think I’ve picked up a few tips from him over the years. His Dracula — I’m sure he’s sick to death of hearing about it — is one of the great cinematic creations.
He’s a terrific man, charming and amusing and highly sophisticated. I think he’s particularly pleased to be in the movie because Peter Cushing, who was his good friend and working partner for so many years, was in the original Star Wars movie. I think that’s somehow appropriate and quite moving.
What was your first impression of Hayden Christensen, the new Anakin Skywalker?
I watched a rehearsal he had with George and Natalie, and I could see immediately that he is a fine actor. It was also immediately apparent that they had a real acting rapport and chemistry. It was great to see Natalie again, too, because she’s so wise. That’s the word I always think of with Natalie. She’s not very old, but she has a maturity that I really admire.
To me, one of the greatest little moments in the last film was your brief encounter with Anakin — and it was one of the last scenes shot, just a couple months before Episode I was released.
Did you take as much delight in playing that scene as your character took in telling Anakin — that he’d be watching his career “with great interest?”
Yes, the scene with Palpatine and Anakin. I tried not to put too much into that. George said, “Just say it,” and of course, he’s quite right. Knowing what it really means, it takes care of itself. And once again, the character was being charming — a boy had served his planet well, and he was acknowledging it, and that was it.
I think George had originally thought that we shouldn’t meet, and then having seen it all together, he thought that we should recognize each other, but just in a casual way. We filmed that one Saturday morning, very much later, and then I went to do some ADR [additional dialogue recording] work in the afternoon.
Did you notice any difference in George as a director from Episode I to Episode II?
I suppose just an increasing sense of relaxation. I know he initially hadn’t decided that he was going to direct both II and III, but he did say during I that he was really enjoying working with the actors. As far as I’m concerned, it’s entirely preferable, because then you have a direct line, as it were. Also, he doesn’t say very much, and I like that too, because what he does say then is entirely specific. That’s helpful, because the more specific a director can be, the more helpful he is.
You also recently worked with Tim Burton on Sleepy Hollow. What was that like?
It was the same kind of atmosphere. Tim — and George is like this too — would see something that happened, or that you were doing, and go for more of that. So it was a process that was always evolving. It wasn’t as if you were just filming a preconceived storyboard. You did feel that it was happening in the moment, which is when acting is really good. You feel that each take could be something fresh.
Other Projects
Sleepy Hollow brought you back to Leavesden Studios, where you shot The Phantom Menace with much of the same crew. But how was making Sleepy Hollow different from shooting Star Wars?
It was nice to play a character who was completely different from the Emperor. I like to play a character with fear. Poor Dr. Lancaster, he’s always in a state of terror — and he has good reason to be, because they’ve all behaved badly and they’re waiting to be found out. He was corroded by guilt. He couldn’t be farther away from the Emperor, who doesn’t know the word — he knows about corrosion, but he doesn’t know about guilt.
It was also interesting because there were enormous sets in that film. There was a whole forest in Leavesden as opposed to just sections, which we would have had in Star Wars. There was some blue screen, but not much. They built the whole village, which was truly spectacular. It looked very theatrical — I kept thinking, “There are so many plays we could do on this great forest set.” So from that point of view, it was completely different. But in its own way, the production design was as exciting as Star Wars.
Does having the set there in its entirety make a difference when you’re acting?
It doesn’t. They’re terrific to look at, but you’re always filming in small sections anyway. Movies are always done in small nuggets, and everything in front of you is a kind of chaos — it’s machines and people staring, and willing it to be right, and doing their best to make it right. Sets on movies, to me, are always about small contained areas. So it doesn’t matter whether something’s going to be filled in behind you later or whether it’s the actual thing. It’s a tiny corner of order among the chaos, and that’s one of the things I like about movies. Because if the camera moved two inches to one side, you would see how absurd it all was. You just have people standing there scratching their heads or chewing gum.
I hear that your current stage production of The Tempest has nearly movie-level special effects. Is it true you’ve got rain coming down, and you’re kind of destroying the stage and not really worrying about the damage?
Yes, well, we have some renovation work to do on the theatre. Part of the project is we need a new stage and we had to raise the roof. So we thought that this was the perfect play to go out on, because as you know from The Tempest, Ariel should fly, and we thought it would be great if he could not only fly but swim.
So the whole of the stage is a giant water tank. It doesn’t look like that to begin with — it looks as if we just put some water on the stage and built a pond, but we haven’t. We’ve sunk it. There’s a wonderful moment when Ariel actually dives in and swims, and the audience thinks, “Why hasn’t he hit his chin?” We make it look as if it’s very shallow and then he completely disappears. We can almost do it like the movies, but in theatrical terms. We can make people gasp, and I’m happy to say they do.
We’re on until the theatre closes down, and I wish we could do it more. Various people have said, “Why don’t you come and do it here?” And we say, “OK, but you’ve got to take your floor out and put a giant water tank in.” And they go, “Oh, well, maybe not.” It’s a one-opportunity show — unless there are other theatres in a state of partial renovation.
In the last few years, you’ve guided the Almeida to become a major theatrical force in London. How do you decide which projects to take on?
For this tiny theatre in North London, we’ve always tried to re-invent ourselves. Once you do something people seem to like, we think not, “How can we do that again?” but, “How can we do something different?” The happiest sight really is on the final performance of a show. It’s sometimes sad, but as you’re watching the set come out, at the same time you’re watching another new set come in. And it’s that process of always going on to the next thing that I think is the essence of theatre.
Do you ever have time to relax?
Well, I had a few days in Australia. That was quite nice. I had a week between filming and I went to Melbourne, so that was a week. As far as possible, I try and keep Sundays free to do very little, or nothing. But I feel if I had too long to relax, I’d stop. The body would wind down, and I wouldn’t be able to wind it up again. I understand why George can’t wait to get into the editing suite, because although it’s intense, it’s also relaxing, because it’s what you want to do.
Star Wars has been so popular for so long. Do you think it’s something that will remain in people’s minds for years to come?
I think it’s entered the general consciousness. Just listening to kids talk about The Phantom Menace, and seeing them respond, one does feel that, as George has always hoped, this is a myth that will continue and which succeeding generations will take different things from. I’m confident about that. It’s a great story, and that’s always what does it to people. A great story is what we need.
You mentioned kids who were into The Phantom Menace. Since Episode I, are you recognized more on the street than you were before?
I’m happy to say not nearly as much as I thought. Yes, people come up now and again, but I can still go on public transport, which I quite like doing. Most people who do come up to me say, “It can’t be.” To which I say, “I guess you’re right — it can’t, it isn’t.” And they say, “Oh, OK, sorry.” Now, of course, the minute I open my mouth, they recognize the voice. Then they realize, but by that time, I’ve gone onto another tube.
I was once chased through a tube station. They were saying, “You’ve got to stop, you’re the Emperor, you’ve got to stop.” And I managed to run faster than them. They only wanted my autograph — it wasn’t anything sinister. I thought, “This is ridiculous — why didn’t I just stop and give my autograph and move on?” But it had gone too far by then.
So when you’re not running from autograph seekers, or running a theatre, you’re on call for possible Episode II pick-up shooting and looking forward to Episode III?
Yes, if it’s needed, I’ll be very happy to go. And I’m certainly looking forward to Episode III, but that’s a while away. I’m looking forward to what must inevitably happen in Episode III — and let’s say no more than that.
by Scott Chernoff
This Article was Originally posted 2022-09-02 15:23:45.
