AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: HOTH DEPARTURE!

Wedge (left) says goodbye as Luke checks his X-wing fighter.

Ready for a swift departure from Hoth and the invading Empire, Luke Skywalker gives his X-wing nose tip a friendly pat (not in the script and presumably improvised by Mark Hamill) whilst his comrade in battle, Wedge Antilles (once more played by Denis Lawson), having said goodbye to his commander, carries equipment to his own ship, in a deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back, filmed on location in Norway. There is mention in the script of Wedge's gunner being present at the location, but if this was the case it was more likely a Norwegian or UK crew member in a background flight suit at the site. Ultimately, this scene was partially re-filmed at Elstree Studios near the end of principal photography on Empire, with changed/additional dialogue between Luke and Artoo

Luke checks out his X-wing and pats it. The craft was literally just the nose cone length cockpit at the location, without the heavy long wings.

From the Empire script Fifth Draft revised 20/2/79.

Scene 210: EXT ICE SLOPE - X WING - HOTH

Luke, Wedge and his gunner trudge onward toward the nose of an X-wing fighter.

LUKE: At least Han got away. Wedge, that looks like yours over there.

WEDGE: Right. Good luck, Luke... see you at the rendezvous.

The Pilots split up. Luke waves. He walks on, and hears a familiar whistle.

LUKE: Artoo, is that you?

Artoo chirps an excited acknowledgement as Luke climbs aboard the spacecraft. Artoo beeps his relief. The roar of the departing X-wing can be heard in the distance.

LUKE: Activate the power and stop worrying... we'll soon be airborne.

Getting ready to film the scene on location.

Hamill awaits his scene cue, as other Rebel pilots (presumably Norwegian or UK crew) can be seen in the background.

Location shot seen in the movie with expanded background by ILM of departing X-wings and escape transport. Note Luke walking towards camera is holding his arm from an unseen injury, we assume from his fall from the Walker.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE REST OF THE 'ROGUE'S!

Wedge Antilles (Denis Lawson) returns to flying as designated Snowspeeder pilot Rogue Three.

Into action against the approaching Imperial Walkers at Echo Station 328 is Commander Luke Skywalker and his small but loyal squadron of Snowspeeders, each double-piloted vehicle of Rogue Flight used to fighting against heavy enemy odds, though this will prove their toughest and most deadly battle yet...

Rogue Leader Luke Skywalker's ill-fated gunner, Dack (John Morton). 

Rogue Two - Zev Senesca (Christopher Malcolm). The character may have had a Walker battle scene/harpoon moment cut from the finished film.

Rogue Three gunner Wes Janson (Ian Liston). 

Rogue Four - pilot Hobbie (Richard Oldfield), whose snowspeeder cockpit scenes were cut from the film, including his kamikaze demise against an AT-AT, though Luke mentions him by name at the beginning of the battle sequence.

Behind the scenes of the Snowspeeder cockpit filming:

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.com/2015/12/behind-scenes-grounded-rogues.html

EPISODE IX: THE ANTILLES LEGACY!

With the character's literary return via the prior published Resistance Reborn novel adventure, fans had a hunch that our favourite former Rogue Squadron X-wing leader Wedge Antilles would make some kind of live-action cameo for The Rise of Skywalker. And, though brief, we weren't disappointed. It was great to see Denis Lawson, having previously turned down a similar kind of cameo offer with EPISODE III in 2005 (happily replaced then by Jeremy Bulloch), make one last (?) return to the saga, iconically manning one of the Millennium Falcon gun turrets during the epic Battle of Exegol.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: THE 'TOKEN SURVIVOR'

One of the Rebel Alliance's youngest hothead pilots, it's no surprise that Wedge Antilles and the recently arrived on Yavin IV Luke Skywalker would become friends so quickly, especially in this dangerous time speeding through the Death Star trench, though a malfunction ultimately proves lucky for Antilles, saving him from certain death at the trigger-happy hands of Darth Vader and his wingmen.

Now known as the second Wedge after prior filming with Colin Higgins, Denis Lawson's voice would ultimately be dubbed in this film by David Ankrum, during later post production completed in the States. Several extra lines of dialogue in and out of the trench between his character and Luke were lost in the final cut, and it was originally in the script that Wedge departed the trench run after Biggs death and not before, informing Luke that his friend has been killed.

https://uk.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=visicom&hsimp=yhs-weathernow&p=denis+lawson+interview+starwars.com&type=9655080_GB_uk

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/behind-scenes-red-flight-at-elstree.html

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/DENIS%20LAWSON

CLASSIC IMAGE: ANTILLES IN COMMAND!

In command of the fighter fleet about to make their "surprise" attack on the Death Star II, Red Leader Wedge Antilles has survived countless Imperial conflicts and proved himself as one of the Rebel Alliance's finest pilots, with a long afterlife for the character in the ever-changing times of the fictional Expanded Universe.

Image: DISNEY XD.

Fans of Wedge will soon be able to witness a younger version of the character in an upcoming episode of STAR WARS REBELS Season Three, coming to the US DISNEY XD channel from September 24th, 2016 and the UK from October 1st, where we see him in the Imperial Academy, ready with friends to jump ship and join the freedom fighters.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the ROTJ image.

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE GROUNDED ROGUES!

As the hot summer of '79 finally brings out the sun over a previously snow-coated UK, filming of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK continues with another long, long day inside the Snowspeeder cockpit scenes (seen from above in this great behind the scenes angle at Elstree Studios), which have taken a greater time to realise than originally planned due to lighting/blue screen problems and director Irvin Kershner's dedicated perfectionism.

Irvin Kershner and David Tomblin supervise the filming of Mark Hamill in the cockpit.

Pilot assemble. Image: via STAR WARS ARCHIVES website.

With the exception of a seemingly not present Ian Liston (Janson), the above rare image shows our fighter pilot hero actors surrounding the seated Kershner as he goes through the script scenes. L to R: Eugene Lapinsky (who played either Hobbie or Zev's gunner), Denis Lawson (Wedge), John Morton (Dak), Richard Oldfield (Hobbie) and Christopher Malcolm (Zev), plus Mark Hamill (Rogue Leader- Luke Skywalker). The actors would often sit around the set for hours, in some cases days, waiting to film sequences due to the lighting problems.

A veteran of UK-made movie blockbusters at that time (including SUPERMAN II), Lapinsky's scenes for EMPIRE never made the final cut and he wasn't credited. STAR WARS INSIDER has previously contacted his US agent to ask for more info about his work on EMPIRE, but sadly no response has been forthcoming. Lapinksy would later return to the realms of sci-fi, playing one of the mysterious baldy-men "Observers" of the hit J.J. Abrams co-created TV series FRINGE.

Close-up shot of a Snowspeeder interior. 

BEHIND THE SCENES: RED FLIGHT AT ELSTREE

In his cramped cockpit at Elstree Studios, ten to twelve feet of the studio floor, during the height of the soaring 1976 British summer, actor Drewe Henley (still being annoyingly mispelt as "Drewe Hemley" in the original STAR WARS end cast listing as of the 2011 restored Blu-ray!) films his scenes as Red (originally Blue) Leader of the key X-wing squadron attacking the Death Star.

Below are a selection of cockpit images of the fighter pilots taken by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner during that shoot, which were displayed at last year's BFI exhibition and are now back in their Special Collections. Sadly not included in the exhibition but also shot were colour cockpit Polaroids of Jack Klaff as "John D", Robert O'Mahoney as Red Ten, and a pilot specifically marked as Red Twelve, who I cannot confirm was actor John Chapman (who played the character for the background Rebel briefing room scenes) as the image was ultimately too blurred below the helmet. However, when matched with what's seen in the finished film, the unique helmet markings of Red Twelve definitely confirm that this pilot's fiery death was substituted over Red Ten's (O'Mahoney) during the US editing of the trench run sequence in post production.

Red Leader (Drewe Henley). 

Red Two- Wedge (Denis Lawson).

Red Three - Biggs (Garrick Hagon).

Red Six- Porkins (William Hootkins).

Red Twelve's demise (played by Christopher Matthews but for this pyrotechnics scene by stuntman Reg Harding). This footage was instead used for Red Ten's onscreen death during the film's editing.

A shot of Wedge's helmet on the set.

With the droids accompanying the pilots, Skinner's hand-written continuity notes indicate Red Ten had a B/W domed droid, John D's was script-noted as having a "scar" and was a white top droid with R5 head, and Porkins (also referred to in the continuity script as "Piggy") had a white Artoo with taller type head- 2 red stripes around the top. There was also a cream/green-painted Artoo head listed. Skinner's continuity script additionally has Red Twelve's "standing by" confirmation line.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI Special Collections.

STAR WARS: The Complete Saga auf Blu-ray: Actor Interviews: Ewan McGregor HD - YouTube

CLASSIC IMAGE: SEE YOU AT THE RONDEZVOUS!

The last remaining Rebel pilots, including Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker, prepare to make their escape from Hoth and the newly arrived Imperials, in scenes originally filmed in Norway, circa late March 1979, with Mark Hamill and Denis Lawson in attendance. This image, however, may be part of one extra exterior scene with Luke and Artoo that would later be filmed at Elstree, near the end of principal photography on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, or its a location shot with an expanded background, of which ILM would add the departing Rebel transport.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DEATH STAR SURVIVORS

Carrying an equipment case, Wedge shakes hands goodbye with Luke.

Friends and battle veterans Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles say goodbye, preparing to go their separate ways but eventually re-uniting at a pre-planned and secret Rebel Alliance rendezvous somewhere out in the stars.

Actor Denis Lawson, friends with Mark Hamill from the original 1976 STAR WARS filming at Elstree, specifically flew out to the Finse Norway location with the rest of the cast and crew for this sequence (presumably behind the scenes crew members played other pilots and ground staff also preparing to leave, against the backdrop of a partial X-wing prop, whilst the departing Rebel Transport vehicle would be added on to the scene in EMPIRE's ILM post phase), but the moment of their shaking hands was ultimately cut in favour of another shot- a shame really as its seemed like quite a nice character moment. Regardless of its excision, it's a great image from the no longer existing official site's HYPERSPACE section.

The X-wing nose cone used on location in Norway.

Extras (either locals or from the filming crew) pose as departing pilots at the location.

THE FIRST STAR WARS BLU-RAY FOOTAGE: EWAN AND DENIS!

Check out the first clip from the upcoming STAR WARS Blu-rays exclusively at PLAY.COM. Ewan McGregor talks about his first experience seeing STAR WARS, and his uncle, Denis Lawson as Wedge, on the big screen. Most of the talk is not new, but the inclusion of un-dubbed previously unseen cockpit footage of Lawson against blue screen, with Lucas off camera providing dialogue exchange as Luke, is terrific. Lawson's voice was dubbed over in STAR WARS and EMPIRE's eventual cinema release (on the former by David Ankrum), but was strong enough to be left intact for RETURN OF THE JEDI.

Lawson was always Lucas's original choice to play Wedge, but was unavailable for the original filming at Shepperton in May 1976, for scenes in the Rebel Briefing Room (with Colin Higgins taking the role). When filming of the cockpit scenes was happening at Elstree by July, he had become available to play the role with Higgins departure. The rest is Classic Trilogy history...

Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzDOCN8ZYU

CLASSIC IMAGE: A LITTLE HELP FOR A JEDI

Two technicians make some adjustments to Ewan McGregor's make-up and costume during shooting of EPISODE II at the FOX STUDIOS in Australia in 2000. Note the lady on the right wearing a ribbed dark leather outfit that could be something worn by Darth Vader!

Additionally, here's a little bit of Ewan/ STAR WARS related news from the DAILY MAIL website (17/10/2010):

Ewan McGregor stars alongside his uncle Denis Lawson in his latest movie.

Ewan, 39, plays the head chef of a posh restaurant, while Local Hero star Denis is the owner in Perfect Sense.

‘It was strange sitting together in the make-up trailer,’ recalled Denis at the ITV3 Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards. ‘Ewan would say, ‘‘Morning, Uncle Denis.’’ 'I’ve directed him twice before but we’ve never acted together. It was great and I’m pleased to say he didn’t offer any constructive criticism on my acting.’

RED TWO (AND JAR JAR) STANDING BY...

In a major coup, the upcoming London COLLECTORMANIA event of 27th and 28th November have two great STAR WARS guests attending. The first is popular UK film and TV actor Denis Lawson (who played fighter pilot Wedge Antilles) - his first ever UK signing appearance - and Jar Jar Binks himself - Ahmed Best! Great news for STAR WARS fans young and old.

Interestingly, over the last ten years or so, Lawson had previously been very reluctant to sign STAR WARS autographs, and even told family member Ewan McGregor not to play Obi-Wan in the Prequels!, so it'll be intriguing to see if he does a guest talk about his film/career and what he thinks about the saga these days. As for Ahmed, we're sure he'll be a big hit at the convention, especially with the kids who love Jar Jar.

Check out the COLLECTORMANIA website for more info: http://www.collectormanialondon.com/