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| The Tonnika Twins (centre) were a memorable part of the original Star Wars Cantina scenes. |
If there was ever a sequence in the original
Star Wars that fans assuredly signify as a space-age western homage, it has to be what took place in the smoky den of inequity that was Mos Eisley's Cantina, where a veritable host of unusual creatures gathered together to share laughs, share anecdotes, make business deals, and get drunk in between watching blaster (or lightsaber) brawls. Adding to the diverse mix were the two 'Space Girls' (as referred to in the call sheets for the mid-April 1976 filming on this busy Elstree Studios soundstage), to be played by classy, and tall, top British models/ supporting artists Angela Staines (green outfitted) and the late Christine Hewett (blue outfitted). They were definitely considered at that time the typical Western 'saloon girls'-type for the film, but handled in a subtle family audience way, with their striking beauty on display for several atmospheric background scene moments only (not all of which made the final cut). Off set, the near all-male UK film crew adult-humorously and cheekily referred to the characters, not the actresses (though they were certainly aware of the attention they were getting), as 'Star Whores'!
Staines recalled on her Facebook page in 2020 that the pipes the two girls smoked at the bar 'probably were Hukah pipes without the herby stuff! I think I can remember blowing bubbles in the coloured liquid in the bottom!"
By the time the Classic Trilogy's events and characters were being exhaustively archived and referenced by Lucasfilm and fans during the 1990's with the era of home media, the girls officially became known as 'The Tonnika Twins', with a reputation firstly as clever con artists then as lethal warriors from The Mistryl Shadow Guard, whilst their original 'occupation' in the Cantina was quietly brushed under the carpet. By 1997 onwards, the saga was now creating more aspiring and influential female characters to attract its momentous and inspired fanbase...
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| Angela Staines and Christine Hewett as the "Space Girls'. Note the subtle referencing to the Saloon girls of the American West with the almost holster belts and the futuristic garter ornamentation worn by Miss Staines. |
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| Contact sheets for the 'Space Girls' costume reference photography. |
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| Reference image linked to the BTS documentation 'naming' of the Mos Eisley duo by the late seventies, as presented on STARWARS.COM. |
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Angela Staines and Christine Hewett go through a scene with an unknown crewman.
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| A deleted scene from an early rough cut assembly, as they confer with a Mosep (Eileen Bellson). |
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| Angela Staines having fun on the backlot. Image: Angela Staines. |
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| Staines and Hewett at Elstree with an unknown crew member-likely Peter Diamond's informant character (middle), Marcus Powell ('Little Flash Gordon', from a deleted Mos Eisley street scene) and Gilda Cohen during April 1976. |
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| 2000's visual production information compiled for STARWARS.COM from original reference materials. |
Both Staines and Hewett were no strangers to playing intriguing alien beauties in sci-fi, having prior been psychedelic-costumed people alongside the iconic Christopher Lee in an excellent episode of the then first-time-aired Gerry and Sylvia Anderson series
Space: 1999, a show which, only the previous year (1975), had already altered the visual destiny of George Lucas's famed smuggling ship, the
Millennium Falcon, due to early visuals of the vessel being too close to that TV show's memorable Eagle Transporters.
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| Hewett (left) and Staines (middle) as they appeared in SPACE: 1999, alongside Barry Morse. Image: ITV Studios. |
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| Christine Hewett signing at Celebration Europe, London, during 2007. Image: FACEBOOK. |
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| Angela Staines at a recent US convention signing event. Image: FACEBOOK. |
Though Christine Hewett would go on to attend SW events and signings up to her sad passing, it would seem that long-term Lucasfilm behind the scenes legal/merchandising disputes may have prevented Angela Staines, now a successful businesswoman in her own right, from becoming as immersed in her convention participations/meeting the fans as she would have liked. Thankfully, things have changed for the better, and Miss Staines has already attended several signing events this past year.
Angela Staines video interviews:
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