Wednesday 22 February 2023

'STAR WARS' AT 45: DEATH STAR ATTACKED!

Darth Vader confers with an Imperial officer (actor/stuntman Andy Bradford) about the X-wings attack.

Thirty rebels ships, so small and so fast at evading the Death Star's turbo lasers, are causing disruption and damage to the battle station, of which Lord Darth Vader initiates ship-to-ship combat. As alarm sirens blare, TIE fighter pilots scramble to their launch stations amidst the explosions and chaos around them.

Shot towards the near end of Star Wars filming at Elstree studios in the Summer of 1976, some unused footage of the pilots rushing the corridors would ultimately end up appearing in Return of the Jedi.


Alternate unused footage of Vader and TIE pilots rushing to their ships. B/W images from the Ben Ageros Collection.






Other action shots of interior explosions and chaos...


Explosions rattle key parts of the station.






More damage as Imperial officers recover from the fighter assault.

A rotating laser cannon station soon overloads and detonates. 





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