AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: INTERGALACTIC FALCON!

Image: Star WarsScreenCaps website.

It's goodbye for now to the Millennium Falcon as its crew head back into what looks like the galactic core, bound for Tatooine in their search for Boba Fett. 

A shot of intergalactic beauty adding to the atmosphere of the emotionally subdued cliff-hanger ending to The Empire Strikes Back. In the fifth draft script, the Rebel fleet was to have been parked near a red star, which lent a unique sunset glow on space and the watching rebel heroes during the final scene of the film. There is debate as to what the phenomenon is that our heroes see outside the Medical Frigate main window. ILM referred to it as a spiral nebula, it's also been referred to as a Galaxy. The online debate continues...

Joe Johnston and Dennis Muren attend to the spiral nebula model, its filming elements comprising flour, over-exposure and a mirror on the ILM stage.

Unused ILM starfield painted image.