AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TAUNTAUN MURDER!

Worrying news and a mysterious incident are discovered by Han Solo in the Tauntaun pen.

Han Solo arrives amidst chaos within the Tauntaun pen of Echo Base- one of its loyal animals in a state of near panic whilst another has been found slain under mysterious circumstances, its death analysed by one of the medical droids in a mostly deleted subplot linked to the Wampa infiltration, with scene establishing footage left in the movie not fully explained to generic audiences.

American actor Ray Hassett, previously seen in Superman the Movie and The Spy Who Loved Me, was the primary Rebel talking to Han in the scene as shown in cinemas (his voice dubbed by an unknown actor in post production). British actor Norwich Duff, who'd prior appeared in the sci-fi series Space:1999 filmed in 1976, stands next to Ford in the conversation scene. Listed in the film's credits, Duff may have had a line of dialogue  that was ultimately cut. (Or was possibly heard speaking with an American accent in the background, as a rider going out to 'cover Sector Twelve' in volunteer search for Luke.)

Rebel soldiers and technicians by the fallen Tauntaun as the medical droid attends.

Han gets news about Luke from a Rebel officer (Ray Hassett).

A Tauntaun rider and colleagues.

The medical droid continues its examination of the dead Tauntaun.

Han surveys the fallen Tauntaun.

Han, conferring with two Rebel officers (Norwich Duff, centre, and Ray Hassett) prepares to search for his missing friend.

The Rebel Commander Kenner action figure of 1980, using a heavily cropped-in representative image of Norwich Duff from the scene.

Worsening news of the human kind comes in that Luke Skywalker has not returned from patrol, launching Han and several other Rebel volunteers atop fresh Tauntauns in a race-against-the-night search for their young friend...

Harrison Ford between scenes filming on the set.

Various behind the scenes shots on the set.

The sound technician makes good use of a prop Tauntaun.

Irvin Kershner and Gary Kurtz rehearse the sequence with Ford and other other background cast.