AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE REBEL HANGAR - AS SEEN ON SCREEN!

A selection of images showing the immense Rebel hangar set completed within the all-new Star Wars Stage at Elstree, and seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Much second unit work showing pilots and male and female Rebel technicians before and during the later evacuation, plus numerous droids shuttling along, never made the final cut. The hangar was made to look even bigger and different in certain establishing shots by rearrangements of the various Snowspeeders, and full-size and partially built X-wing fighter props, and the use of children in specially made Rebel costumes positioned to make certain parts of the set look even bigger- a trick also used in other blockbuster sci-fi films of the time, like Alien and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Image via Ben Ageros Collection.

The impressive hangar set rearranged as another bay in Echo Base.