AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: 'THE WATCHER' DISCOVERED!

Luke and Artoo's odd little campfire discussions are interrupted by the presence of a quirky little creature keenly interested, perhaps more keen than he should be, in the the new arrivals to his Dagobah domain. The duo soon consider the being an irritant, especially when it turns its attentions to their food and supplies, but when the stranger then reveals knowing the mysterious 'Yoda', and can take Luke to him, the situation takes a major U-turn for the Jedi-to-be.

Here's a selection of scene images and Frank Oz and his performance team (including Kathryn Mullen and David Barclay) at work, often operating in cramped conditions from underneath the set (and using tiny black and white TV monitors for reference), but nonetheless delivering stunning puppeteering skill sets. Yoda's first scenes to be filmed, including this sequence, began from Monday August 6th, 1979.

The Yoda used here was not the Stuart Freeborn version, which was not ready for filming and had broken down mechanics. Instead, Nick Maley's back-up Yoda, which had different operating mechanics, created after nearly sixty hours work with one of the Freeborn team assistants (Bob Keen), was initiated to remarkable effect. 

"Like we're being watched!"

"I mean you no harm..."

"How you get so big eating food of this kind..."

Superb shot showing just how many people it takes to film a Star Wars scene, especially linked to the complexities of making Yoda a reality. Note the UK puppeteers at work underneath Yoda.

Other little Yoda quirks in this scene would come via the stars and film-makers. Oz, who created his own personal character history/bible for the character, recalls the early introductory scene:“(Irvin Kershner is) the one who suggested fighting Artoo with the cane. Yoda is a wise Zen master, but like any Zen master, he'll smack you if you're wrong.” 

Another great BTS shot- note Kenny Baker in a partial shell R2 suit in the background.

"Take you to him, I will."