'STAR WARS' AT 45: ATTACKING THE DEATH STAR!

Red Squadron's X-wing fighter diversionary attack on the Death Star surface is underway and our bold Rebel pilots, especially newcomer Red Five (Luke Skywalker), soon prove uncompromising in their adept talents for bringing fiery destruction to their chosen targets- deflection towers, heavy armament placements and other critical areas, whilst also proving difficult for the enemy to destroy, evading turbolasers thanks to their crafts' improved speed.

Avoiding the surface heavy cannons.

Zooming over the surface.

Biggs and Porkins' attack on the surface.

Luke Skywalker goes into full-on attack mode!

Prime attack spots made by Red Five.

A surface target area is destroyed by a crashed X-wing fighter in a filmed but unused sequence. The surface model was created by effects talent Mike Minor (best known for his mid seventies work on Star Trek), who worked briefly on the film, and, for reasons not fully known, was ultimately uncredited. The pyrotechnics representing the X-wing were handled by veteran Joe Viskocil.

Unused early composite shot of X-wing speeding across the surface.

A selection of behind the scenes filming images taken at ILM during late 1976/early 1977 at Van Nuys, California....

Superb aerial composition shot of the Death Star surface.

At work on one of the many modular panels.

Various combinations to create a surface likely not seen in the finished movie. 

A panel combination forming the Death Star surface.

ILM coordinator Jim Nelson has fun by the surface panels.

Steve Gawley makes some adjustments to the panels surface configuration.

Another great surface interior image at ILM by Chris Casady.

Simulating the X-wing cockpit viewpoint of a surface attack.

Close-up model filming at ILM.

Preparing the model pyrotechnics on a wall panel surface selection.

Filming the detonation, supervised by Richard Edlund.

Company group shot outside the ILM car park.

Richard Edlund makes some preparations for filming.

A side angle detonation covered by vehicle and camera.

Alternate angle from the ILM car park.

Edlund (on crane) and with colleague detonate an explosion on the outside surface set configuration.

More outside detonations.