AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: SWAMP SPLASH DOWN!

Disappointed with his landing skills, Luke looks out to examine his unusual new surroundings on Dagobah.

 Now free of the Rebel base hangar, an Asteroid cave and a Bespin landing platform, the ever-busy Star Wars Stage was miraculously transformed into this incredibly alien vista. The opening scenes were actually filed in reverse, with the landing scenes near the end of filming, as the set was not originally ready to house the water tank. It got so dirty and slippery to traverse that people often nearly fell in, with production design team member Les Dilley actually coming a cropper.

The Dagobah swamp set takes shape at Elstree Studios' Star Wars Stage.

"All of the scenes on Dagobah were difficult. We needed the water to be three-and-a-half to four-feet deep- and it had to be controlled under the set. We had a bunch of frogmen underneath the water who had to pull Luke's ship down. It was so large that once it was taken off its hinges and sunk it had to be brought right back up for the next take. Thankfully, the water was so muddy you could never see anyone underneath it, but people were always lying down there. I remember being asked at the beginning of the sequence if it was a good idea to clean the water and I told them to keep it dirty because otherwise it would be impossible to hide anything."

Irvin Kershner - STAR WARS Insider magazine interview - 2010

The X-wing would be propped up in the water tank by unseen scaffolding.

Note the Dragonsnake creature prop in the swamp water that will be operated under its shell by on-set divers.

The Kenny Baker-less Artoo shell would be pulled into the water by unseen piano wire attached to one of its foot stumps.

Mark goes for a swim!

With UK on set diver Joe Gibson.

Technicians help Kenny Baker, now in the Artoo shell, for close-up scenes.

Kenny Baker in the Artoo shell, alongside Joe Gibson.

The Artoo 'periscope' is constantly in and out of the water.

An on-set diver with the Artoo shell, of which he is spray-applying more dirt and grime to it.