DELETED SCENE: HOMESTEAD TRAGEDY

Devastated by the murder of his adoptive parents, a visibly grief stricken Luke Skywalker makes his way back to his Landspeeder, away from the smouldering wreck of the Lars Homestead, in this deleted moment from the original STAR WARS.

Script Supervisor Ann Skinner would take a so far unpublished colour Polaroid, currently archive preserved in the BFI, from the completion of this scene in March 1976, with George Lucas, half out of frame, walking back to the speeder prop alongside a noticeably upset looking Mark Hamill, now pushing his hair back. Additionally, Skinner would take a colour image of the Landspeeder on its turntable (she'd refer to it as a "speedergoround"), and a close-in shot of the homestead "Igloo" with the charred bodies of Owen and Beru Lars nearby. In the continuity script notes, yellow smoke would be indicated at the site.

The two grisly corpses of Owen and Beru were stock skeletons used and redressed by Set Decorator Roger Christian from the Elstree Studios props facility. At the end of filming, the props weren't wanted back, so they were ultimately left in Tunisia!

Lucas going through the scene with Hamill at the location.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.