With the arrival of the three-episode series premiere, now streaming on Disney+, the creator/executive producer and cast discuss their revolutionary look at the Rebellion. Kristin Baver
When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted in theaters in 2016, it was lauded as a gritty new installment in the galaxy far, far away, a previously unexplored chapter that took viewers to the brink of the Galactic Civil War raging throughout the original trilogy. With Andor, the new Star Wars series streaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning today, creator and executive producer Tony Gilroy has returned to tell not only the origin story of unlikely hero Cassian Andor (played once again by Diego Luna), but — perhaps more importantly — take fans deep into the sometimes-ugly heart of the brewing rebellion. This previously unexplored perspective on the history of the Rebel Alliance finds Andor in a raw and unflinching portrayal of the personal sacrifices made in the course of challenging the Empire’s rule and the people at work in the trenches on both sides.
The show’s existence owes a debt to the enduring popularity of the Star Wars zeitgeist, Gilroy noted in a recent press conference. “There’s this huge, dedicated Star Wars community that shows up. That’s what gave us the money and the momentum and the ability to make a show that’s this insanely big, this abundant, and this difficult to make.” But he hopes the story of Cassian’s journey from petty criminal to Rebel Intelligence officer daring to steal the Death Star plans will offer a fresh take on the space fantasy as enticing for existing fans as it is for new ones. “There’s nothing cynical about our show. The word we use more every day…is real. We want to make this real. This place is real to us. Our show is designed that this could be your entry point to Star Wars. We’re doing a show that does not require any prior knowledge whatsoever to get involved.”Gilroy recognizes that it’s a risk to pen a Star Wars story with no lightsaber-swinging Jedi Knights — one that feels more akin to the spy thrillers and sweeping dramas on his screenwriting résumé. “Can we bring something that’s so intense emotionally and seems so true and has the smallest domestic dramas and the smallest interpersonal relationships that are dropped down in the midst of the epic tectonic revolutionary historical moments where people have to make huge decisions? Can we attract another audience that’s interested in that as well? Can we marry those two things together?” Gilroy asks. “That’s the gamble. That’s what we’re trying to do.”…
Topher Grace returns to RFR with stories about shooting the season premiere of ABC’s HOME ECONOMICS at Disneyland and STAR WARS: Galaxy’s Edge. Plus, Topher answers the “Yoda Questionnaire” and talks about his STAR WARS fandom.
Be sure to catch Topher in the HOME ECONOMICS season premiere at STAR WARS: Galaxy’s Edge next Wednesday at 9:30 ET/8:30pm CT.
Brought to you by RFR on Patreon!
Official YouTube Video Home for Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron will not be taking flight on December 22, 2023 as previously planned, as the film is no longer on Disney’s official release schedule. While many expected this based on credible rumblings and the fact that it didn’t enter production, it has only now been removed from the release schedule. Here are the details.
Variety broke the news that Disney has opted to remove the film, which had already had its production start indefinitely delayed, from its current release schedule. Given that the film needed to start moving forward, as a major film requires months of pre-production, months to shoot, and months to complete in post-production, it was clear that the film was not making a Christmas 2023 release date. With radio silence on the film for months, it was obvious that the studio was going to put the project on the shelf, at least for a while.
Rogue Squadron was initially described as a tale that would “move the saga into the future era” of the galaxy far, far away when it was formally announced at the end of 2020, with the film set to be first Star Wars film that would hit theaters after The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, at the helm of Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins with a script by Matthew Robinson. However, it was rumored that there were issues not only with the director’s schedule (even though she opted to hand the director’s chair for Cleopatra over to someone else while remaining on as a producer for that film), but various unspecified behind-the-scenes issues with development. It currently appears that Jenkins is focused on her work on a third Wonder Woman movie, meaning that if Rogue Squadron is still a project Lucasfilm is moving forward with, it will either be with another creative team, or we’ll be in for a long wait for Jenkins to return….
Immerse yourself in a galaxy far, far away next year when the fully enhanced ILMxLAB experience comes to PlayStation VR2.
Pull up a stool at Seezelslak’s Cantina and settle in for an unforgettable adventure.Announced at Sony’s State of Play event earlier today, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition will arrive exclusively on PlayStation VR2 in 2023. The newest incarnation of the award-winning VR experience from Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB has been rebuilt for greater immersion using the latest state-of-the-art virtual reality hardware. The high-fidelity visual experience will include headset-based controller tracking, eye tracking, rich 3D audio and haptics built into the PS VR2 Sense controller and headset….
In this exclusive excerpt, learn how the artist worked his way from ILM intern to the art department and beyond. starwars.com Team
Warren Fu has made his mark on the short-form video world, from award-winning commercials to award-winning music videos, with some of his clients including such powerhouses as Adidas, PlayStation, Taco Bell, and Samsung. However, his trailblazing career began in the art department at Industrial Light & Magic on the Star Wars prequels.
In an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars Insider issue 213, the creative force behind the design for General Grievous tells writer James Floyd how working on the saga was just the first chapter of an incredible journey in visual storytelling, from art assistant to film director….
Watch a series of interviews with filmmaker George Lucas, covering the origins and development of the Star Wars saga. Lucas discusses everything from his original story concept to casting, as well as visual effects and more.
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is the classic documentary chronicling the creation of the original Star Wars trilogy. Narrated by Mark Hamill, it features rare behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and is officially available on YouTube for the first time.
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is the classic documentary chronicling the creation of the original Star Wars trilogy. Narrated by Mark Hamill, it features rare behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and is officially available on YouTube for the first time.
When asked about the directors and crew she gets to work with, Dawson admitted that she couldn’t say much, but confirmed that everybody is “really excited” about everything happening. She noted how everything’s running like “a well-oiled machine” thanks to everything set up by The Mandalorian, praising the team for the “dedication and heart” that’s going into the story:
“Again like, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say any of that stuff. But I do have to say, it feels really really special. Like everyone is really excited about it. Dave [Filoni] has been wanting to tell the story for a while. And everyone’s just really showing up and out. Like a lot of blood, sweat, and tears going into this and it feels like… You know what’s interesting is that, because of Mando, everyone’s really great at making Star Wars, you know? Like… it’s a well-oiled machine in a different kind of way, you know? And there’s a familiarity between all the different departments, which is super interesting, because I’ve only experienced that again on like a Spike Lee joint, or you know a View Askewniverse project, because there’s just such a family kind of element to it. And that’s what it feels like on set, so that’s special. Because, you know, it’s hard what we’re doing and… it’s really coming together really beautifully. There’s a lot of dedication and heart going into it and we know the expectations, so we’re loving it so far. So I can just say we’re enjoying ourselves.”…
In part 7 of From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, George Lucas discusses the characters of a galaxy far, far away.
According to Lucas, actors play a huge role in creating characters for film. “Threepio is just a hunk of plastic,” he says, “and without Tony Daniels in there, it just isn’t anything at all.” Originally, C-3PO was meant to be more of a used-car salesman; Daniels’ fussy-servant interpretation was so good, it forced Lucas to abandon his original idea.
Since Lucas killed off Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first Star Wars film, he had to create a new character for Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back who could train Luke Skywalker — and someone who would be interesting to watch. Enter Yoda: small, alien, and green, with a backwards way of speaking. Lucas was apprehensive, worried Yoda — a puppet voiced and manipulated by Frank Oz — could be a disaster. Thankfully, it turned out much better than that. “When it goes on the screen, it’s magic,” he says.
In Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Lucas introduced yet another set of intriguing characters: Ewoks, a deceptively cute species who had the power to overthrow the Empire.
In From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga part 6, George Lucas discusses the visual speed in Star Wars films and the themes of the saga.
According to Lucas, audiences are more accustomed to fast visuals and able to process imagery better than ever before. This is in part, he says, thanks to the influence of television; one of his experiments with his films is to see how people “digest information rapidly.” As narrator Mark Hamill states, this is evident in the blinding speed of the trench run sequence from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. There’s a lot happening visually, and a lot being conveyed through visual metaphors — reinforcing the meaning of spoken words. When Obi-Wan encourages Luke to use the Force and not rely on his targeting computer, the message is really about the triumph of the human spirit over machines and technology.
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi’s fastest scene was the speeder bike sequence. In this video, ILM’s Dennis Muren and Joe Johnston use miniatures and toys to create animatics — moving storyboards — that would inform the scene’s finished visual effects. The final shots would take another year to complete, requiring Steadicam to create high-speed images, blue-screen work, and compositing. Puppets were used for shots that could not be filmed full-scale, such as rapid pullbacks giving the illusion of a speeder bike moving away from the camera. Lucas feels that speeder bike chase is more realistic than the famous trench run; it’s in a familiar location to viewers and there are trees that you can crash into…
Go behind the scenes to discover how the most terrifying Star Wars villains were brought to the screen in a new collection of in-depth interviews. starwars.com Team
Played by Gwendoline Christie in Star Wars:The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Captain Phasma is the cruel commander of the First Order’s stormtroopers. In an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars: The Galaxy’s Greatest Villains, a special edition of Star Wars: Insider arriving next week, Christie and author Kelly Thompson, who penned Marvel’s Star Wars: Captain Phasma, discuss their love of the stylish chrome-plated soldier.
Christie’s first day on set proved to be phenomenally exciting.
Gwendoline Christie: I walked onto set in the costume. It was a dream come true! I was greeted by such a warm group of people that had been working together for months on this really thrilling project. J.J. [Abrams] and I went through the scene. My heart was racing. I was so overexcited. But nothing prepared me for when I saw the entire set behind me, lit up, and full of characters I recognized from the Star Wars films that I was shown as a little girl.
While Captain Phasma’s chromium armor was clearly a type of stormtrooper costume, it had a style all of its own.
Gwendoline Christie: The costume was absolutely sensational. It was restrictive, but I think it gives us an insight into Captain Phasma. This is a woman who is wearing armor, but her femininity is still displayed. She doesn’t try to hide it; it only empowers her further.
The costume took around 45 minutes to put on. It certainly made me stand up straight. I had a really fantastic pair of boots underneath it all, which I think gives the foundation of Captain Phasma. They were incredibly well-made and very hard-wearing — sensible but stylish.
When I was a teenager, I used to do a lot of Lecoq mime and physical theatre work, and I also did it at my drama school, Drama Centre London. We had a fantastic movement teacher who, with the use of masks, would release the actor. So, I feel as if I can get away with a lot more than when my own dear face is exposed….
Part 5 of From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga picks up in Arizona: the filming location of the Jabba’s sail barge sequence from Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
According to narrator Mark Hamill, the sail barge was the biggest set ever constructed for a movie, measuring 212-feet-long and 80-feet-high. Yet it only appeared on film for a couple of minutes. This is intentional; according to George Lucas, a fatal flaw in science fiction is spending too much time showing off sets and locations. “You don’t have to spend too much film time to create an environment,” he says. “The story is not the settings. The story is the story. It’s the plot.” The scene also represents the Star Wars storytelling style: fast and energetic.
The Star Wars style is accomplished through editing and the speed of movement through the frame. Lucas was always fascinated with speed due to his interest in car racing, which heavily influenced the Star Wars films. This is evident in the space battles of Return of the Jedi, featuring quick glimpses of TIE fighters, the Millennium Falcon, and Rebel ships, as well as the Falcon gunner sequence from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is the classic documentary chronicling the creation of the original Star Wars trilogy. Narrated by Mark Hamill, it features rare behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and is officially available on YouTube for the first time.
In part 3 of From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, narrator Mark Hamill details the creation of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi’s giant, slug-like crime lord: Jabba the Hutt.
The early designs for Jabba didn’t quite hit the mark. According to George Lucas, the first design was too human; the second was too snail-like; the third was just right. Jabba became the most complex puppet ever constructed for a movie. His head neck accommodated two main puppeteers, while other operators were placed elsewhere in his body; the gangster’s eyes and facial muscles were radio-controlled. Stuart Freeborn oversaw the creation of Jabba, who took three months and close to half a million dollars.
Jabba was originally supposed to be in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and a scene was shot featuring a human male standing in for the role — as seen in this video. The creature was to be super-imposed, but the sequence was left unfinished. When it came time to use Jabba in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Lucas took the opportunity to redesign and improve the character.
In part 2 of From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, we learn about the genesis of the Jabba’s Palace sequence and creature creation in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. George Lucas says that he was disappointed with the cantina scene from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. He wanted it to have more exotic creatures, but production problems and a lack of funds prohibited this. Jabba’s Palace — “The monster rally of George’s dreams” as described by narrator Mark Hamill — gave him another chance. It featured more than 80 creatures, including the Max Rebo Band (designed by Phil Tippett), which was more monsters than had ever been assembled for a single movie. They all began life as maquettes, sculpted over and over until the designs were right, and then built into full-scale puppets and masks. Muscles controlling expression were accomplished with either wire cables or air tubes hidden inside the masks, giving aliens like the Gamorrean Guard the ability to emote.
Lucas made frequent visits to the creature shop, and is seen in the documentary advising on how the Sy Snootles puppet could convincingly work for the film. Ultimately, it took three puppeteers — two below, one above — to bring the singer to life.
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is the classic documentary chronicling the creation of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Narrated by Mark Hamill, it features rare behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and is officially available on YouTube for the first time.
In part 1 of From Star Wars to Jedi, Hamill explains the main plot of the saga and the story of Luke Skywalker, a Tatooine farmboy who discovers his Jedi destiny. On his journey across the galaxy, Luke would confront evil in the form of Darth Vader, Sith Lord; learn from Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda; and discover both the dark side and light side within himself. Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and other companions would join Luke — but he would face the ultimate villain, the Emperor, alone. Filming of the original Star Wars began in Tunisia in 1975, with George Lucas serving as writer/director; Irvin Kershner helmed The Empire Strikes Back; and Richard Marquand was behind the camera for Return of the Jedi. As seen in the video, Lucas was heavily involved in all the films, including effects sequences like the Death Star attack and Hamill’s costume fitting from Return of the Jedi. In an interview, Lucas explains that creating the world in A New Hope was a big hurdle. With that done, he was free to tell bigger and better stories with its sequels…
The old actor’s maxim speaks of there being no small parts, and that is very true for Star Wars. The visual tapestry is so dense with meticulously planned detail that even the most briefly glimpsed characters develop a following. Fans venerate characters like IG-88, Snaggletooth, and Aurra Sing even though they don’t have a word of dialogue, or even a full minute of screen time. Their designs are so intriguing that they demand extra attention. Sometimes, this is supplemented through licensed products, like action figures or spin-off fiction, which allow collectors and readers to learn more about said characters.
With Aayla Secura, the process had an interesting twist. She was already an existing heroine, with a built-in audience of comic book readers who understood her origins before she ever made it onto the screen. After seeing artist Jon Foster’s original cover art for issue #33 of the ongoing Star Wars series, Writer/Director George Lucas saw star potential. Aayla Secura, a blue-skinned Padawan, embodied Jedi strength and Twi’lek femininity in an eye-catching combination of beauty and power. It was the perfect ingredient for the action sequence recipe Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic were constructing, layer-by-layer.
Episode II was well into post-production when the decision to add Aayla was made, so the casting and costuming of this particular Jedi happened mostly at ILM. Stepping into Aayla’s droid-kicking boots was Amy Allen, a Production Assistant working at ILM. It was a fortuitous delay in an unrelated film that saw her entrance into Episode II. “I got to do a lot of hands-on work and really get involved with all the shows that were going on at the time,” recounts Allen. “This included A.I., Jurassic Park III, Pearl Harbor, and all the really big shows. I was on Gangs of New York for quite a long time and then it went on hiatus because the movie release date was postponed. That’s how I ended up working on a stage unit for Star Wars, which was a blessing in disguise.”
A graduate from San Francisco State University, Allen studied film and sought work in the Bay Area, landing a job at Industrial Light & Magic. Though her work was primarily behind-the-scenes, her role as Aayla was actually not the first blue Twi’lek Allen performed. “I had been a Twi’lek for the Episode I DVD,” she says. In a modification to The Phantom Menace for the DVD release, Senator Orn Free Taa’s formerly human-filled Senate pod was instead populated with Twi’leks. “George [Lucas] decided, last minute, to replace that shot. So, I was actually a blue Twi’lek probably two months after I started at ILM.”
Allen underwent makeup and a headdress fitting, and was dressed in a Senatorial aide gown designed for Episode II. She was shot against greenscreen, supervised by John Knoll, one of the Visual Effects Supervisors for both Episodes I and II. “I was interested in being in front of the camera, but it’s nothing that I actively pursued,” she admits. “But when an opportunity arises, one must take it!” Little did she expect what was to come.
Building an “Oola Jedi”
When word came down that Lucas wanted Aayla Secura in the arena, it fell to Costume Supervisor Gillian Libbert to determine how best to turn a character of pencil and ink into flesh and blood. “This is a comic book character, which doesn’t have a realistic proportion to the human body,” says Libbert. “That was our first challange.” The Aayla Secura character, as illustrated by artist Jan Duursema, is more dynamically heroic than a typical human extra. Libbert had to determine how much, if any, of that cut, muscular form to emulate in the costume. “Getting the character to look like what George wanted was our primary goal” says Libbert. “He answered a few questions we had related to the character’s body image, but it ended up that he wanted the costume to look like the comic book character and the body to be human-like.”
Libbert began gathering fabrics and materials to construct the outfit for Aayla, who at the time was often just referred to as the “Oola Jedi.” By the time of Episode II, Secura was a full-fledged Jedi Knight, but she definitely doesn’t dress like the other more conservative keepers of peace and justice. Secura’s brief wardrobe shows a fair bit of blue skin, but that didn’t make Libbert’s fabric-gathering job any easier. “What was helpful was since I was in Sydney [during principal photography], I had an idea of what fabrics were available and not used for any other character. There were a lot of incredible fabrics purchased from around the world to choose from.”
Libbert and her crew had a scant two weeks to make an outfit and dress Aayla for Lucas’ approval. Delving into storage, she uncovered several Twi’lek headdresses from Episode I and the Special Edition Trilogy. Pouring through eight huge costume crates of fabric, she collected materials to present. “I brought many different types of fabrics, leathers and trims for George to pick from. He picked the color of the headdress first and then we began dying fabric.”
Throughout the process, Libbert was on the phone to Scotland, keeping in touch with the Episode II Costume Designer, Trisha Biggar. “I would call Trish to get her advice and throughout the construction of the costume, I would send her fabric swatches and photos as the design progressed.”
As the outfit came together, Allen would come in and be fitted. Libbert and her crew would snap pictures of the developing Jedi. This was before Allen was painted the proper shade of blue, so those pictures were sent off to the ILM Art Department to digitally color Allen’s skin, to present Lucas the whole ensemble in context.
“George liked the overall look. We had to change the headdress a couple of times because he wanted a different style. He was very specific in what he wanted, down to the detailing on leather pieces and the way the leather trim was wrapped around the tentacles or lekku. ” explains Libbert.
Assisted by lead seamstress Barbara Hartman-Jenichen and leather craftsman Alan Peterson, Libbert supervised the costume’s development. The final piece-list consisted of the following items:
1 x boots w/ covers
1 x belt w/ tabs
1 x trousers
1 x leather vest
1 x top w/ bra
Trivia hounds take note — even extra scraps of Jar Jar’s leather tunic found its way into Aayla’s outfit.
The fitting of the costume was quick compared to a four-hour paint job that Allen had to endure. Lauren Vogt, from the ILM Model Shop, handled Allen’s makeup, applying the blue hue thick enough to cover Allen’s own tattoos. “She’d done the makeup the first time I had done the Twi’lek for the DVD, so she got all the little details like painting my nails and everything,” notes Allen.
Hot Lights & Cover Stories
Another performer’s maxim has to do with never letting the audience see you sweat, but in the case of the painted Allen, swinging a lightsaber under the hot lights of visual effects photography didn’t leave her much choice.
“Since I’m embracing this character so much I decided not to wear deodorant because I think that affects the way the paint is on your body,” Allen recalls. “I just stayed away from any kind of perfume, lotion, or deodorant to help Lauren keep the blue paint on. Gillian was just tweaking the costume a little bit. She had gotten real close to me and she said, ‘Well, Ames, you stink!’ Which was pretty funny, but thank God I’m close to Gillian. She can tell me things like that,” laughs Allen. “Oh yeah, I was stinky.”
The hot lights and tight schedule kept Allen active for four days of shooting. Under the direction of George Lucas and John Knoll, she combated imaginary droid and alien villains, led non-existent clone troopers into the thick of a pretend battle, and wandered the corridors of an unseen Jedi Temple.
“It went really well,” says Allen. “I had no training learning how to use the lightsaber, so I just went in and I was completely winging it.” She proved to be a natural, though the two-week rush in developing Aayla so late in post-production meant the character didn’t have her own unique weapon. “There were some extra lightsabers that were made in Sydney, so we used one of those and even used Ki-Adi-Mundi’s at one point” recalls Libbert.
In December of 2001, when starwars.com posted news of Aayla’s upcoming appearance in Episode II, there was a fair amount of bet-hedging in the announcement. “Since the film is still being edited, it’s impossible to know what — if any — her end screen-time will be,” the story read. Since that time, Aayla ended up in over half-a-dozen shots, from the Geonosian arena, to the Clone War battle, to the Jedi Temple.
Since Allen worked at ILM during the thick of post-production, she didn’t have to wait long to discover her recurring cameos in Episode II. “I kept hearing about it after dailies because everyone would make fun of me,” she laughs. “They would send me an e-mail and say, ‘oh my God, we saw you again, we saw you again.’ It started becoming a joke amongst a lot of friends here, which is good because you become close with people when you work with them so much.”
Seeing her face projected on the screen was just the start. As Episode II news began appearing everywhere, Allen got quite the surprise when she found out Time magazine had run her picture in the Yoda cover-story issue.
“At ILM, I sat with two girls, Jeanie King and Christy Castallano, and they were just freaking out when I walked into the office,” says Allen. “They said, ‘Okay, you are not going to believe this.’ At first, we thought it was just on [Time’s] website, but then I checked my messages and it was someone from the Ranch telling me that I’d better go out and get to the closest newsstand because they’re flying off the racks. That’s when I thought — wait, wait, wait. It’s in the hardcopy of Time? I went completely ballistic!”
From national magazines, to additional comic book appearances, to an upcoming action figure, Aayla’s exposure continued to grow. Allen found herself invited to Celebration II, the largest Star Wars convention ever held. She appeared on a panel entitled “Women Who Kick,” alongside such female Star Wars models and actresses as Femi Taylor (Oola), Nalini Krishan (Barriss Offee), Mary Oyaya (Luminara Unduli), Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing) and Shannon Baksa (Mara Jade).
“I had no idea what to expect,” admits Allen. “I wasn’t sure how well I would be accepted yet, or how many people would know me. But people do their homework. I met more women who were so excited about it. Women and young girls that were really excited that there was a female character and that she was a Jedi.”
Allen also got to meet Aayla’s co-creator, Jan Duursema, at the convention. “We hugged each other right away, and it was like an instant bond that we had,” she says. “I thanked her and told her the whole story how this had happened and she was really excited about it.” It was sort of a meeting of creators at Celebration, as Allen’s parents also met Duursema. “They really liked her and Jan is sending them some original drawings of Aayla as a keepsake. I know my mom will frame it and put it up in the house.”
Still young, Allen considers her stint as Aayla Secura as a stepping-stone to larger things. She plans on attending more conventions, and meeting face-to-face with Star Wars fans, but she is already very appreciative of all that’s transpired. “I’ve made some friends. I keep in touch with Nalini and Michonne at least a few times a week. That was something that was really cool that came out of this — meeting these women and getting to share this experience with them,” she says.
“It’s been surreal, definitely surreal,” concludes Allen. “It’s unbelievable. I would have never in my wildest dreams have imagined that something like this would have happened.”
This video covers the progression of all rebel military ranks and insignias from Star Wars Legends. I talk about the commissioned officer ranks for the Alliance fleet, Sector forces, or Starfighter Corps from Legends source material – starting with the lowest ranks first.
You’ve heard the phrase “the magic of moviemaking” so many times that you probably never stop to think about it. But the special effects wizards in Light & Magic, now streaming on Disney+, will absolutely convince you that magic is real. From designing and building the cameras used to film Star Wars from scratch, to merging practical and computer special effects, to pioneering digital filmmaking, the impact that Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has had on filmmaking is staggering. Here are 20 things we learned about ILM and Star Wars in this compelling documentary series.
1. ILM was built from the ground up, including the cameras used for Star Wars.
“I realized I was going to have to start a company and put together a whole group of people that would just be specifically for making Star Wars,” said George Lucas in 1979. It started with John Dykstra, who had worked previously in effects for a sci-fi movie, and his network of effects aficionados became some of the first ILM crew. They crafted everything from the ship models to the motion-control camera system used to shoot them in a sweltering warehouse in Van Nuys, California.
2. The original Star Wars effects crew shared a common movie in their origin story: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
The 1958 adventure film by Ray Harryhausen featured mind-blowing stop motion animation. It quickly captured the boyhood imaginations of future ILMers Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, and Ken Ralston. “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad just melted my brain,” says Ralston in Light & Magic.
3. George Lucas envisioned the rebel fleet as hotrods.
The original X-wing, Y-wing, and TIE fighter designs were incredible, but looked clean and manufactured. Lucas asked concept artist Joe Johnston to imagine the ships as pieced-together “hotrods” designed to outrun the stark Imperial fleet. Johnston gave the rebel ships their used, hodge-podge look.
4. Joe Johnston was inspired by dirty dishes when designing the Millennium Falcon.
Johnston was also tasked with redesigning the Falcon when the original design was deemed too similar to another ship on television. Under pressure and mentally blocked, Johnston was sitting in the kitchen when he spotted plates on the counter. He imagined sandwiching two together like hamburger buns to create a saucer-like ship. The Millennium Falcon started to take shape.
5. The first concept for Star Wars was a science fiction serial like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers combined with the effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
After the success of American Graffiti, Lucas turned his attention to an entirely different idea. Mixing the advanced special effects facilitated by Stanley Kubrick and the adventure of classic sci-fi movie serials intrigued him. “That was about all I had,” Lucas recalls in Light & Magic. “I was just searching for a story.”…
Details are a bit fuzzy at this point, but we know Diego Luna got the call from Tony Gilroy explaining the outline at some point in mid-2019, as the actor told Vanity Fair earlier this year, and he was instantly on board. (Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO at the time, had confirmed in late 2018 that Luna would be back in the role, when Schiff was still attached.) The series was reworked from the ground up, and it was originally going to run for five seasons, each one covering one year of Cassian’s life, leading to his introduction in RogueOne. However, after being in production of season 1 for two years, Gilroy realized that he couldn’t possibly do that four more times. He said:
“You just couldn’t possibly physically make five years of the show. I mean, Diego would be, like, 65. I’d be in a nursing home. We were panicked. We can’t sign on to this forever.”
His solution was simple but elegant. Instead of making four more seasons, Gilroy decided to crunch the outline for each season into a three-episode arc and make another twelve episodes that are essentially season 2. He borrowed the idea from the model they had already used for season 1, where each block of three episodes constitutes a singular story arc. Star Wars: The CloneWars fans should already be used to this. He explained it to The Playlist as follows…
Two starwars.com writers debate working for the Ruler of the Beach or the ruler of the Empire.
James Floyd and Mark Newbold
One of the great things about Star Wars is that it inspires endless debates and opinions on a wide array of topics. Best bounty hunter? Most powerful Jedi? Does Salacious Crumb have the best haircut in the saga? In that spirit, starwars.com presents From a Certain Point of View: a series of point-counterpoints on some of the biggest — and most fun — Star Wars issues. In this installment celebrating the LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, two starwars.com writers duel it out over which master to serve: live-action Sheev or LEGO Palpatine.
Sign me up to follow the Galaxy’s Best (LEGO) Emperor, says Mark.
It’s possible to be a believer in liberty and freedom and still have a grudging respect for the long-gestating masterplan of Sheev Palpatine. From Senator of the Mid Rim world of Naboo to the most powerful seat in the cosmos, the scheming, the machinations, the manipulations, the devious brilliance of a plan that was so exacting it had 65 orders before the infamous 66th….it’s easy to admire. Consider the planning, the ability to constantly pivot between publicly leading a Galactic Republic while at the same time orchestrating a Separatist movement from the shadows. The Emperor of the flesh and blood Star Wars saga was an impressive operator, arguably the most tactically astute leader the galaxy has ever seen.
However….I’d stand behind the LEGO incarnation of Sheev Palpatine ahead of the ‘real’ one any day. When Darth Vader gifted his Emperor with a “Galaxy’s Best Emperor” mug? Palpatine — as was often the case — was offended by the implication that in order to be the best Emperor, there had to be other Emperors to compete against. That wasn’t what Vader intended. LEGO Sheev was the one, true Emperor, but in this particular stand-off of LEGO Emperor versus his flesh-and-blood equivalent, the brick does the trick.
Let’s look at some of the reasons for his obvious superiority:…
From Ad Art to Episode II – An Interview with Marc Gabbana
January 15, 2001 – When concept illustrator Marc Gabbana signed on for Episode II, he knew that a lot of people would potentially see his artwork. Little did he realize that his tight black and white marker illustrations would be the first piece of Episode II concept art to be seen by the public when it appeared on The Official Star Wars Website’s Episode II section.
“It’s so funny,” says Gabbana. “I followed some of the discussions on the net of people trying to figure out what it was. The big news that day was that Hayden Christensen was cast. People were talking about that. Then someone said, ‘Enough about that… what are those things on the Episode II web page?’ The speculation around anything Star Wars related is phenomenal.”
Even Gabbana had to look closely to identify some of the cryptic images incorporated into the page design. “When I saw the site for the first time, I had to do a double-take. I didn’t recognize it at first, because I had done those drawings months before. It was one of the early concepts, too.”
Though Gabbana remains tight-lipped about what exactly is shown in the website illustration, he did find the numerous theories about it amusing. “One guy wrote online that it’s probably some piece of throw-away art that they’re just giving us to throw us off. Another guy was the funniest. He said, ‘no, I know what it is.’ A friend of his friend’s dad whose son was in Vietnam with another friend now works at ILM or something, and they told him what it is. It’s amusing. These guys talk with absolute authority.”
Gabbana came in on the tail end of Episode I’s production, providing storyboard and production art. “I didn’t have much to do as far as concepts go, because everything was already designed. But on Episode II, I got in from the inception, and my responsibilities are far greater. I got to design many more things, which is good.”
Gabbana, whose background includes a lot of advertising art, finds concept illustration liberating. “It teaches you to be a lot more spontaneous, and if an idea sparks another, you just do another drawing. Production paintings are really the icing on the cake after all the design had been done. Star Wars designs have always been so strong and so distinct, that you don’t need to go through generations and generations of ideas before you hit it the final one.”
“Marc is a great talent, because he excels in the same way that Jay Shuster and Ed Natividad do,” says Design Director Doug Chiang. “He’s naturally a really wonderful artist, and he can draw all manner of shapes and environments. The underlying strength of the Art Department is that they all have a natural ability to draw, and an instinct for their subject matter, be it creatures or mechanical shapes or environments. It’s something you can’t really teach in some ways. You have to see it in your portfolio.”
Gabbana describes a strong level of trust between himself and Chiang, as well as the rest of the Art Department. This is quite important since, unlike most of the department, Gabbana does not work out of Skywalker Ranch. Instead, he works in a studio out of his house in his native Canada and telecommutes to the Lucasfilm headquarters.
“I’m in Windsor, Ontario, right across the river from Detroit,” says Gabbana. “It wouldn’t make sense for me to move out there. I’ve got my girlfriend here. I’ve got my life here.”
With courier services and e-mail, Gabbana kept in constant touch with Chiang and his fellow illustrators at the Ranch. “It’s very collaborative. I would send some drawings to Doug and then he would make certain revisions verbally. I would just send him a new batch, and go off on a tangent that I perhaps would not have thought of,” he says.
“I think Doug appreciates it too because I’m not influenced by what the other artists are doing in house,” adds Gabbana. “That’s kind of a mixed blessing too, because sometimes I want to see what’s going on. Doug e-mails me the relevant images for given scenes, but I’m not able to see what Jay or Ed are doing day-to-day. But that’s okay; I think this way I’m able to send fresh ideas, and not have it influenced by anybody in house.”
Before his illustration career took off, Gabbana studied architecture, a field his father wanted him to follow. “After a year I decided it wasn’t quite for me, so I transferred,” he says. He notes, with irony, that the training still applies. “I’m now a Star Wars architect. I’m very happy with that.”
Gabbana next studied illustration at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. “That’s where everybody went,” he says with a smile — both Natividad and Chiang studied there as well. After graduation in 1990, he stayed in Windsor to launch a career in advertising. “I did freelance work for a bunch of companies in the States and always kept up my own portfolio. The movie industry was something I’ve always wanted to do.”
In 1995, Gabbana met Doug Chiang at ILM, and showed him his portfolio. “Later, I heard of an opening on Episode I, so I just called him up and got hired direct on the spot,” says the artist.
“Everyone who works in the Art Department has it: a spark that went off when they were kids, ” says Gabbana. “That’s what happened to me when I was 11, in 1977, when Star Wars came out. What impressed me the most was Ralph McQuarrie’s work. The fact that you could make these fancy fantasy paintings, and someone pays you for it. I thought, Wow… this could be a job?”
A fateful freelance assignment brought Gabbana in touch with his inspiration. “Ralph McQuarrie was doing some freelance work for Galoob Toys, and so was I at the time. The Galoob art director got me in contact with him and introduced me to him. We struck up a friendship. It was great.”
Of his work and designs, Gabbana is eagerly awaiting the return of Coruscant on the big screen in 2002. “I did a lot of those big scenes. Hopefully I’ll be able to design some of the matte paintings. Even though I won’t personally be doing the finished matte painting myself, at least I’d like to get a chance to do some really tight color comps.”
The subjects of the new Light & Magic documentary, now streaming on Disney+, pull back the curtain on the camaraderie and innovations that helped shape modern film history. Kristin Baver
For nearly 50 years, Industrial Light & Magic has been a proving ground for imaginative storytelling, bringing together like-minded individuals from a variety of disciplines to innovate the art of visual effects in filmmaking.
In its infancy, ILM was a place for creating the impossible, where ingenuity was rewarded with results, critical acclaim, and box-office hits that would inspire the next generation of creators. “It is something that could never happen again,” director and visual effects artist Joe Johnston tells starwars.com, “All these different elements came together — some of which had to be created on the spot! They didn’t exist, like the motion control. And there were these people, many of whom hadn’t worked in film before, but they had a specific skill and a talent to do one thing. It was just something that came together at that moment in time that could never be repeated again. And you know, we were all lucky to have been a part of it.
”For every success, there was always a new problem to tackle in the evolution of the medium, and the pioneers at the heart of ILM’s accomplishments never rested on their laurels. “I just stay curious and when I finish a show, I try to look at the work I had done as obsolete,” adds Dennis Muren, a longtime visual effects supervisor, and now consulting creative director at ILM. “I’m serious about that. It doesn’t mean you don’t like it. But, is there another place that could have gone that would satisfy me more and maybe the audience would like and the director might be surprised by it? It’s searching all the time and being curious.”
To celebrate the release of Light & Magic, the new Disney+ documentary series directed by Lawrence Kasdan tracing the story of ILM from its genesis on the first Star Wars film to its latest advancements with ILM’s StageCraft technology, we visited Skywalker Ranch to meet with some of the brilliant minds who helped turn ILM and Skywalker Sound into what they are today…
Check out some of the best in-jokes, references, and secret stuff hidden within the new Disney+ Original special.
Dan Brooks
Beaches and LEGO bricks — what could be better for a summertime adventure? LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation has arrived on Disney+, telling an all-new tale in which Finn and friends take a trip on the luxurious Halcyon starcruiser for a long-overdue break. As the journey begins, Finn becomes separated from the group and encounters the Force ghosts of three legends of the galaxy far, far away: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Leia Organa. Their stories of summer teach Finn a valuable lesson, but these yarns also feature something else: enough Easter eggs to fill a spacecruiser! As such, starwars.com scoured LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation — and even consulted with Lucasfilm’s Leland Chee, one of the creatives behind the original special, as well as writer/executive producer David Shayne — to uncover as many in-jokes, story connections, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references as possible. Here are 20 of our favorites…
Loth-cats, porgs, and more await aboard the Disney Wish. Jenn Fujikawa
A Loth-cat dozes in the corner, its body gently moving with every breath, while a wide-eyed porg beckons you over with its soft coos, all while Chewbacca fiddles with buttons across the room. This isn’t a scene from a movie; it’s a real life experience for kids at Star Wars: Cargo Bay on the Disney Wish — which starwars.com recently explored on the cruise ship’s christening voyage.
In Disney’s Oceaneer Club, kids ages three to 12 will get to experience Star Wars like never before by becoming animal handlers in Star Wars: Creature Challenge. They’ll get to feed and care for creatures from across the galaxy using augmented reality-enabled datapads to track and study each specimen. A simple scan on each creature’s tag will give them information and set them on a series of special assignments. As with all missions, challenges arise and Rey and Chewbacca will make an appearance to assist, channel the Force, and even rescue the ship from destruction.Walking into the space is like being on a ship within a ship. The low ceilings provide a cozy feel, just the right height for younglings but spacious enough for adults. The dark room is punched with brightly lit buttons, and wall panels become beacons for interactivity, each knob and switch begging to be pushed and pulled as if you’re on a working vessel…
Join us for a very special LIVE Rebel Force Radio. Jimmy Mac is in Petaluma, CA, at Rancho Obi-Wan as we sit down for an extended interview with legendary fan ambassador and Guinness record holder for the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia Steve Sansweet.
Steve will showcase some of our favorite items in his collection while also taking your calls. Plus, 100% of all super chats will go to Ranch Obi-Wan. If super chats aren’t your thing, please consider making a donation at the link below.
Hey Star Wars fans. Apologies for the delay tonight but we are having issues with the internet in a Ohio and cannot connect with Jason so we are postponing tonight’s show from Rancho Obi-Wan to tomorrow – Wednesday August 3 at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific on the RFR YouTube Channel. We’ll be taking your calls and talking Star Wars with Steve…Please join us!
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