DELETED SCENE: FIND THAT SHIP!

On the bridge of Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer, a group of Imperials of varying ranks, having watched the demise of Captain Needa, now find themselves under the Dark Lord's brutal scrutiny, before being discharged to continue searching for the escaped Millennium Falcon. A deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back. Amongst the background players are British extras Trevor Butterfield and Tom Flood.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: DELETED SCENE: MISTER MOTIVATOR RETURNS!

DELETED SCENE: PROBOT vs WAMPA!

The ice planet Hoth is not only dangerous for its inhospitable weather conditions, but also for the deadly creatures that reside there. For example, the monstrous Wampa species, who prey on and attack from their snow camouflage anything they think they can eat. Unfortunately, one such wild beast becomes easy prey to another type of creature, an Imperial Probe Droid, which finds its icy lair and soon destroys it before moving on in its search for any signs of human Rebel activity.

A storyboard to a deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back that was partially filmed on location in Norway with the Probot prop back in March 1979 (the Wampa likely changed to a rodent). The scene can also be found in the original Donald Glut novelisation of the film, released in 1980.

ACTION HEROES! THE REBEL COMMANDOS OF 'RETURN OF THE JEDI'

Two of the Rebels' finest commandos work alongside the small but indomitable Ewoks of the Endor forests to attack an approaching AT-ST, during the epic battle finale to Return of the Jedi - a great deleted scene image (likely improvised/planned during filming) from the photo collection of ILM veteran Stuart Ziff that was recently put on auction. I think it was a great shame that the shot footage of the Commandos was cut down to the bare minimum in the final film. I would have preferred a bit more screen time rewarded to them rather than the Ewoks during the battle, as they bravely brought cover fire to Han and Leia at the back door to the Imperial bunker. It would have been nice to have had a supporting character role for the Commandos squad leader too, liaising with Han and Leia, or for the specialist group to have had their own scene/s in the forest before rendezvousing with Han and Leia for the bunker conflict.

Enjoy this selection of images featuring the Commandos, primarily from the Redwoods location filming circa May, 1983....

Tracey Eddon, Dickey Beer and an unknown actor with the droids on the newly arrived Endor.

Capturing a Speeder Bike Trooper guarding the Imperial Bunker back door.

One of the seasoned warriors wears the captured Imperial disguise so as to buy time for Han, Leia and the others to infiltrate the bunker.

Close-in shot of several commandos used for marketing and merchandising from 1983 onwards.

It's a trap! Han, Leia, Chewbacca and the commandos (including Larry Holt and Dickey Beer) are caught by the Imperial legion.

Our heroes (including Tracey Eddon) briefly captured by the Imperials.

A great posed capture shot (also featuring Tracy Eddon) used for early magazine pictorial promotion.

A terrific posed shot for the battle at the bunker.

Primarily appearing in the UK filming deleted scene.

Cliff Alliston at the location.

Other extras captured in continuity reference polaroid images during location filming.

Costume continuity image.

DELETED SCENES: THE BIG LEAP!

As the enemy Invisible Hand vessel comes under fierce attack from Republic forces high above Coruscant, our trapped Jedi heroes and the newly rescued Supreme Chancellor Palpatine must traverse dangerous areas inside the vessel whilst continuing their perilous escape attempts, during one of many opening deleted scenes from Episode III.

EPISODE VIII: A PARTY?!

She's been rushing at Force speed to the local shoreline thinking that the decayed Jedi Temple's ongoing servitors, the Caretakers, are in danger from hostile sea pirates, but Rey soon makes an unlikely discovery! A fun deleted moment from The Last Jedi.

DELETED SCENE: A GATHERING OF VILLAINY!

The time of the Emperor's arrival on the new Death Star has come.

Darth Vader's prior work at motivating the building teams of the Death Star II has yielded effective results. Now the Dark Lord gathers with his top Imperial officers for the newly arrived, fearsome Emperor, who is eager to see the space station and test its supreme firepower. 

A well-known deleted scene from Return of the Jedi cut for time and pacing reasons, and sadly one of only a very few sequences filmed showcasing Dave Prowse as Vader...

Imperial officers await Vader by the elevator entrance to the hangar bay as the Emperor makes his arrival.

Vader and Moff Jerjerrod (Michael Pennington) lead the assembled senior officers to the hangar bay.

A Stormtrooper (Gerry Sherard) keeps watch in the corridor.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: PADME AND THE DELEGATION OF 2000 TAKE ACTION!

Padme gets serious in diplomacy with this memorable outfit.

On Coruscant, the Clone Wars continue on despite the defeat of Count Dooku, with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's senatorial powers seemingly undiminished nor scaled back, as he had prior promised he would. Now is the time that a group of war-weary senators, ultimately led by Padme Amidala (garbed in one of her most striking diplomatic outfits), meets with Palpatine, watched by the leader's loyal friend and bodyguard of sorts in Anakin Skywalker, to discuss the future and an end to the galactic warfare. The Delegation of 2000 sadly fails in their task, brushed aside by Palpatine, of which Padme feels frustrated that Anakin is not in her corner on the subject, adding strain to their relationship.

Anakin watches as Palpatine brushes the Delegation's genuine concerns away.

The Delegation of 2000 has been soundly defeated.

An intriguing deleted sequence that we all wish had been put back into the film, boosting Natalie Portman's role in the film, and especially after so much prior production publicity linked to this sequence had been given to the fans, including the appearance of a Mon Calamari senator. 

Revenge of the Sith at 20: Revisiting the Cut Scenes | StarWars.com

Posed publicity/costume reference images by Keith Hamshere.

Continuity polaroid of Natalie Portman in costume for the deleted Scene 89.

Costume camera test scene.

"The biggest change was that, when I wrote the first draft, I had way too much stuff. It was a longer movie. I had a whole thing about Padme helping to start the Rebellion. Obi-Wan also had a whole piece, and there was more about the Emperor. And R2-D2 and C-3PO had bigger roles. But I realized that, one, I had too much material, and two, it was extraneous. Also, the film - which is the third act - really had to be about Anakin and his fall from grace. Anything that didn't deal with that had to get out. So I cut everything except Anakin's story."

George Lucas - Starlog 337 - August 2005

Portman in her stunning costume for a posed photo shoot with the costume team (including designer Trisha Biggar and Ivo Coveney), for Vanity Fair magazine's coverage of Episode III. Image by Annie Leibovitz.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: A JEDI'S CONCERN...

A concerned Obi-Wan Kenobi in Padme's apartment on Coruscant.

Before being called to leave Coruscant to search for General Grievous on Utapau, Obi-Wan Kenobi makes a morning visit to Senator Amidala at her apartment. The reunion is a warm one at first, but Obi-Wan's concerns for his moody former Padawan are clear - Anakin's personality and feelings are especially clouded, not just by his troubled obligations to the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, but also in his relationship with Padme, a situation of which Obi-Wan is fully aware that the couple are in love and will keep secret, maintaining their friendships. He asks Padme to keep an eye on Anakin and offer support during his important absence.

Ultimately cut for time and pacing reasons in 2004/5, the intriguing character-based scene (shot around July 2003), bizarrely never made it onto any DVD or Blu-ray deleted scene extras (especially strange as Padme actually references the meeting to Anakin in the film). 

Old friends happily reunited.

A page from the filmed but deleted sequence filmed at the FOX Studios, Australia.

Multiple camera filming of the scene.

The Jedi Council contact Kenobi informing him of his urgent mission to Utapau.

EPISODE II: MEETING THE NABERRIES!

Outside Padme's family home, Pooja (Hayley Mooy) and Ryoo Naberrie (Keira Wingate) enjoy the company of R2-D2 in a noted deleted scene from EPISODE II.

Taking a much welcome respite from both the darkness and important political decision-making surrounding her, Padme Amidala lets her true self show when she brings her Jedi protector Anakin Skywalker along with her to a peaceful suburban area of Naboo to meet her parents, sister and her nieces. A charming sequence, ultimately cut for ongoing problematic time and pacing reasons (filmed at the Australian FOX Studios and with location scenes at Lake Como, Italy in 2000), this would have helped further develop Padme's character whilst solidifying her own secret affection for the handsome Anakin, a fact that doesn't go unrecognised by her loving family, nor the potential building danger of her current in-hiding situation...

Arriving at the district house containing Padme's family, on the outskirts of Theed City on Naboo.

Despite their roles being cut, kudos to Prequels casting director Robin Gurland for the choice of fine local Australian talent playing Padme's family. Bar Claudia Karvan's character, the rest of the onscreen family would briefly return for their daughter's onscreen funeral on Naboo, at the end of Revenge of the Sith. 

Padme enjoys a warm reunion with her older sister.

The duo watch as Anakin enters the dining area.

Anakin meets the intrigued Naberrie women.

The playfully inquisitive Sola (Claudia Karvan) soon teases her sister Padme about the handsome young man in her life.

Anakin enjoys the family atmosphere he wishes he could've had as a child, in a lovely moment adding further nuance to his character.

Padme's father Ruwee Naberrie (Graeme Blundell) readies dinners at table.

The meal begins as curiosity about Padme and Anakins's friendship and his protectorate status are asked.

A lovely shot of Natalie Portman from the scene.

Jobal (actress and singer Trisha Noble) is worried when she hears that her daughter's life is in danger, which Padme tries to play down... 

... yet Anakin must ultimately convey the seriousness of the situation to the family to her father.

A seasoned former diplomat, Ruwee confers with Anakin about Padme's situation with Anakin, in a scene filmed on location at a luxury house and its gardens at Lake Como, Italy.

Sola sees Padme's clear affection for her Jedi protector.

A brief moment that appeared in one of Episode II's first trailers.

Natalie Portman has fun being directed on set by George Lucas in 2000.

Natalie Portman's deleted scene wardrobe as Padme.