ROGUE ONE: THE OTHER 'RESIDENTS' OF JEDHA!

A teeming city of various alien races and a diversity of droid servants, the religious culture world of Jedha certainly attracts a wide variety of travellers, as seen in this great behind the scenes shot from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

'SOLO': THE ROBOTS OF KESSEL!

They've been dutiful, if controlled, servants to the evil Pyke Syndicate servants controlling the Spice Mines of Kessel, but it won't be long before droid revolutionary L3-37 releases her droid companions from bondage and into action as part of a huge slave rebellion, as witnessed in the lively events of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

A fiery L3-37 begins the revolution!

One of the Vandor fighting Gonk droids which we assume was redressed for a later Droid appearance on Kessel. 

EPISODE IX: NEW PALS ON THE BLOCK!

It takes all sorts to fight the tyranny of the First Order, of which the Rebellion's finest BB unit, super-cute and super-resourceful BB-8, joins forces with a new friend in the equally charming D-O to aid the cause of light. A lovely little visual moment from the teaser trailer to EPISODE IX. The environment around them looks like some kind of scrap or salvage area, perhaps similar to Watto's junkyard from EPISODE I?

'STAR WARS' AT 40: DROID FELLOWSHIP!

They had their earlier spat and went separate ways, but now Threepio and Artoo are clearly happy to be reunited, despite being trapped inside a Jawa Sandcrawler and surrounded by various other droids of all shapes and sizes- on their way to destinations unknown, in this classic scene from the original STAR WARS.

In a sequence shot towards the end of principal photography at Elstree, many of the droids both Astro or of humanoid shape, previously used on location or in studio, would appear here. So far unpublished, and within the BFI's Special Collection, are two colour continuity Polaroids taken during 1976 filming by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner, similar to the images presented here but one is taken from a further distance showing tubing and wiring at the front of the set, in front of the cannibilized white droid half of CZ-3. Scene 26 was also to have included an R2 with a brown head amongst the droid pool (though she may have meant/been referencing R5-D4, for the continuity in Tunisia). The other protocol droid Threepio in this scene (looking like they've been lobotomised!), was played by a British background extra named Julie Sharp. The Jawas in this UK filmed interior scene included Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond's two young children, Rusty Goffe, and Jack Purvis, who was the Chief Jawa.

In Skinner's script of January 1st 1976, there is a red ILM underlined marking for the outside Scene 21, of the Sandcrawler moving in the canyon at sunset.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

'STAR WARS IDENTITIES' UK: WHAT TO EXPECT...

The eagerly awaited STAR WARS IDENTITIES exhibition/immersive experience launches at London's O2 Arena in just a few short weeks (from November 18th, 2016 to September 3rd, 2017), and here's a taster of what to visually expect, from when the show previously toured Canada during 2013. The exhibition has since been updated to include THE FORCE AWAKENS.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the images.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: STAR WARS IDENTITIES EXHIBITION

Classic Trilogy fighter pilot helmets.

Jedi and Sith costumes of the Old Republic.

An Imperial armada.

Padme Amidala's en vogue Prequel costuming.

Classic Trilogy icon costumes to savour.

A droid celebration from six films.

Han's chillin' out in Carbonite.

STAR WARS Identities - The Exhibition : extended TV spot - YouTube

Official website: Star Wars Identities The Exhibition – Get to know the characters

Facebook: STAR WARS Identities - The Exhibition | Facebook

Main site and book tickets: STAR WARS Identities | The O2

THE CLONE WARS: THE DROID UNIVERSE!

C-3PO and R2-D2's appearances throughout THE CLONE WARS animated series were always welcome- the duo intriguingly involved in quirky stories that often caught viewers delightfully off guard, but let's also not forget and celebrate the many other interesting, truly diverse and visually marvellous robot/android creations that graced its official five-year run, working both for the good of the Republic and against it, as seen here in this excellent composite shot from LUCASFILM Animation.

NO TIME FOR PROTOCOL! THIRTY YEARS OF 'DROIDS'

If there's one constant in the STAR WARS universe, its the fact that when or wherever they go, our cosmic versions of Laurel and Hardy, C-3PO and R2-D2, will always find trouble, be it opposing renegade droids, fearsome alien warriors, slimy gangsters or encountering chilling bounty hunters, as seen here in this great NELVANA STUDIOS promo art featuring Boba Fett and Sise Fromm, for the hit eighties animated series DROIDS, celebrating its whopping States-side 30th Anniversary today!

As the series has so far not had a full release on official DVD, let's hope someone at DISNEY's paying attention and sees the potential profits...

DELETED SCENES: THE DENIZENS OF MOS EISLEY

Stormtroopers gather at the main entrance road to Mos Eisley. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI Special Collections.

The Imperial hunt for the fugitive droids carrying the stolen Death Star data tapes intensifies as Mos Eisley is plagued by Stormtroopers, in this classic sequence from STAR WARS shot in the Djerba fishing village as location filming neared its completion in Tunisia circa April 1976. At a checkpoint, Luke and his party are questioned by a squad (their leader played by Anthony Forrest, happily and specially recruited to the location to work with Sir Alec Guinness, quickly retrieved from the hotel's swimming pool!) before the elder Jedi Ben Kenobi uses his powers to free them from their predicament.

Mos Eisley Streets - Star Wars - Ajim. Tunisia - 1976 - YouTube

A Stormtrooper commander (Anthony Forrest, wearing the orange patch) questions our newly arrived heroes. Image: Ann Skinner/ BFI Special Collections.

Two droids that make background appearances in the sequence. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI Special Collections.

Three UK crewmembers have some fun on location.

Outside the Cantina as Luke and Ben make negotiations for a star pilot for their journey to Alderaan, and meet Chewbacca, Threepio and Artoo observe a seedy human (Peter Diamond), later named Garouf Lafoe in the Expanded Universe, heading towards two Stormtroopers...

Part of a deleted scene of the droids outside the Cantina.

Reference image of Anthony Daniels as Threepio at the location. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI Special Collections.

From the Fourth Revised Draft of THE STAR WARS, dated 15/3/76

SCENE ZA50. EXT. MOS EISLEY CANTINA STREET DAY

Threepio paces in front of the cantina as Artoo carries on an electronic conversation with another red R2 unit. 

THREEPIO: What could be taking them so long?

A patron comes out of the cantina and approaches two stormtroopers.

THREEPIO: I don't like the look of this.

Garouf Lafoe (Peter Diamond) confers with Stormtroopers. Note the middle trooper without his helmet band.

From Ann Skinner's continuity notes (handwritten) on Diamond's costume: Peaked cap- googles on hat above peak. Grey plastic of glasses. One flap keeping it up. Off white grey shirt laced up in front and held in place by w/coat and khaki coloured. 

One of the Stormtroopers in this scene does not have the black band marking on his helmet. This is noticeable on one of two continuity Polaroid images that Skinner takes of these two backpacked Stormtroopers (one front full length, the other rear full length) at the street location and in the above image. One of the troopers also bears a long tipped rifle/blaster seen in earlier filming at the abandoned escape pod.

Skinner's hand written info on the scene also highlights another particular human extra whom she thought was worthy of note for his costume: Beige colourless long-sleeved shirt leather with coat open, but loosely held together at waist. Key belt pouches at back. Gun on hip.

Kenny Baker taking a break on location in the Artoo shell, with a Power Droid opposite.

A colour Polaroid at the street location by Skinner additionally shows Artoo and Threepio with a power droid in front of them. In the distance is the cantina with an unknown human standing far right.

A landspeeder travels the road.

Spacecraft wreckage assembled at the location to hide a native building from shot.

A used space ship dealer (presumably played by a local Tunisian extra) beckons people on in this posed image.

On set photographer John Jay captured images of other varied extras and droids in and around the Tunisia location, whilst Skinner's Polaroids additionally show the Cantina and its street empty, plus a wide shot of the ship wreck damage, featuring a round shell droid in front (which had appeared previosuly in the Lars Homestead Jawa droid sale sequence) and a human far left walking rightwards.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI Special Collections.

With thanks to Chris Baker for additional images.

THE CLONE WARS: WELCOME BACK, ARTOO!

Anakin Skywalker welcomes his trusty friend Artoo Detoo back to operational life after his bravery stopping a remote controlled Republic Cruiser packed with explosives, during events from THE CLONE WARS Season Five episode Point of No Return.

Don't forget, Season Five is still available on stunning Blu-ray, and DVD, here:
Amazon.co.uk: clone wars season 5: Film & TV

STAR WARS AT 35: REMEMBERING UK EFFECTS WIZARD JOHN STEARS

British effects genius, the late John Stears.

When one looks back at the birth and launch of the original STAR WARS in 1977, everybody remembers the iconic and incredible technological leap and innovations pioneered by the American team of ILM set into being by a determined George Lucas with John Dykstra inside a garage in a seedy part of Los Angeles. But not everybody remembers the vital contributions made to that landmark film by a small team of equally talented UK effects marvels who would be responsible for the studio and location filming's challenging, equally make-or-break practical effects: things that couldn't be shot on or against blue screen and filled in later, but rather solid items/weapons/props/robots that had to be physically built for the actors to inter-act with: to walk, talk, clash, explode, or emit smoke. On STAR WARS, the pioneering individual responsible for handling the heavy script requirements to be brought to practical reality was the late technician John Stears, a veteran of his craft and one of the most respected talents of his generation, primarily well-known at the time for his prolific and acclaimed work on the early James Bond movies of the early to mid-sixties starring the equally iconic Sean Connery. Stears' singular and impressive work on STAR WARS would see all of his past skills, imagination and experience used to their fullest in late 1975/76 as he and his little army of practical technicians/long-time associates sought to bring the incredible imagination of George Lucas, and the visual renderings of Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnson, John Barry and Colin Cantwell, to life.

Stears (far right) and George Lucas film test shots of an early Artoo prototype at Elstree Studios, 1975.

Some of the many varied Artoo shells on location in Tunisia.

One of the Treadwell droids poses for a shot on one of the Death Star sets at Elstree.

The mammoth Jawa Sandcrawler prop/scaffold in the Tunisian desert, whose realization had key input from Stears.

Stears on location at work on the circuitry of one of the three-legged Artoo units.

Stears and colleague make adjustments to the Artoo remote controlled model - a nothing short of miraculous engineering feat for its time - at Elstree Studios.

Regarded by legendary Production Designer Ken Adam as "a brilliant engineer", presumably recommended to Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz by the London offices of 20TH CENTURY FOX (who had also provided them with other UK name talents in the field in 1975), and after the duo's original choice for the project- SPACE: 1999 effects whizz Brian Johnson- was not available, Stears work on such classic Bond films like GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (all possessing varying kinds of impressive and challenging premiere effects work on land, sea, air and even outer space!), alongside a talent for using explosives, of which he was apparently one of the few motion-picture technicians in his home country allowed a license to handle them, easily made him the next best choice in the film-makers eyes to helm THE STAR WARS incredible and ambitious list of on-screen requirements. 

Fully enthused with the new sci-fi project offered to him (especially after seeing Ralph McQuarrie's awe-inspiring production paintings which the effects expert thought would be a bold challenge to realize onscreen), and admiring Lucas's work on both THX-1138 (despite its dark offbeat nature) and AMERICAN GRAFFITI (which he felt was a film more closer to Lucas's own personality), Stears was officially the first British member of the crew to start work on THE STAR WARS at Elstree Studios in late 1975 (alongside uncredited early stages Production Designer Elliot Scott and Set Decorator Roger Christian), developing the kind of prototype technology that was revolutionary back then but now seems common place and taken for granted in today's modern FX world. His first and by far most challenging task was to come up with a practical working Artoo Detoo prop which he ended up building completely from scratch into a three-legged remote controlled unit, whilst the Art Department (notably Roger Christian) additionally worked on the two-legged version eventually housing actor Kenny Baker, and later (in secret, under the request of production designer John Barry) on a filming back-up version of Artoo that could be pulled along on a fishing line and proved useful on location. Both two and three-legged versions of Artoo would be brought to life within what would be a pretty short space of pre-production time. (With additional input from the likes of outside contractors manufacturing the shells and specialised components needed.) From the development of Artoo, further droids of all shapes and sizes would be built, repainted and redressed from time to time to occupy the various landscapes and sets coming to life as part of George Lucas's specially imagined and intriguing "used universe".

Stears (left) and an unknown UK technician partake in various unused filmed lightsaber effects tests.

The final lightsabers used in studio filming of STAR WARS. Rotorized rods with light reflecting tape, the method originally considered 'Top Secret' by Stears back in 1976/77.

Trial and error. The original filmed 'death' of Obi-Wan Kenobi proves unsuccessful on film and would be optical enhanced in post production.

Further innovations to come within the world of Empire and Rebellion involving Stears input with the John Barry's art department would be the lightsabers (of which all kinds of ideas, shapes and sizes for the weapons were developed, devised and tested, before the ultimate look and way of filming them was confirmed and achieved (by way of delicate rods with spinning light reflected taped, later enhanced or replaced by optical animation from US-based artists)), Luke's above ground traversing Landspeeder (one of the practical built craft being constructed in and around the chassis of a Reliant Robin three-wheeler motor car), and the immense Jawa Sandcrawler frontage, transported out for filming in the weather changing realms of Tunisia: a scaffold prop comprising the bulky tracks of numerous scrapped German tanks, alongside working parts and steam jets which, as part of the formidable shape, quickly put the willies up the Algerian army with its presence during the original March/April 1976 location filming.

The full-size X-wing fighter at Shepperton, soon needing to rise into the air!

Stears confers with a colleague by the singular fully built X-wing fighter.

Another large prop, the singular, specially built X-wing fighter, would also need Stears help and service later on that Summer at the huge Shepperton Studios facility, as the technician organised the use of a huge building crane to lift it into the air as a lead-in to the all-important Battle of Yavin seen at the end of the film.

The tremendous explosion concocted by Stears for the action-packed opening of STAR WARS!

Beyond droids and speeders, Stears would further lend his skills to the films many impressive laser battle pyrotechnics and was most noteworthily responsible for the epic blast that launched the Imperial Stormtroopers into the Rebel Blockade Runner at its start-an explosion so big and loud, though mis-timed apparently, spectators recalled it shook and almost demolished the lime green corridor set around them (as well as almost ending Stears life and career indefinitely!), and would be well remembered by the actors and stuntmen playing friend and foe. Just watch the final film and see for yourself how big that on-screen blast actually is: the debris that shoots past the camera and the shock on the Rebel soldiers faces as it goes off. No fear acting required - this was the real thing! (Only a few months earlier, Stears had also almost destroyed the Death Star cell bay elevator entrance too, due to a similar mixture of explosives, though ultimately blaming the set creators for making the set from weak materials!)

Stears accepts his 1978 Academy Award for STAR WARS, alongside the US effects team headed by John Dykstra (far right).

For the behind the scenes crew making STAR WARS, and especially George Lucas, problems and delays from the practical special effects became irksome (most notably with the often out of control droids wandering on and off whilst also crashing into things, due to radio control problems), alongside some practical failures that had to have solutions realised in costly post production (like the ultimate disappearance of Ben Kenobi into the Force after his duel with Darth Vader), with Stears taking the brunt, but nonetheless the final on-screen results achieved by all concerned proved worthy of the toil and trouble, of which the UK veteran would join his American counterparts in winning a well-deserved Academy Award for the films ultimately incredible and audience acclaimed effects in 1978. (His only pity, he recalled at the time, being that his entire dedicated crew working at Elstree couldn't equally have been given the awards/recognition they deserved.) Stears would later be disappointed that American effects supervisor Dykstra would claim sole credit for the onscreen realisation of the lightsaber for the original movie (the US rotoscope animation work having enhanced the UK shot blade work in post production).

John Stears' special trade paper 'Thank You' to his UK crew and team mates who had worked on the original Star Wars' practical effects.

The next big-league project on the cards for Stears in 1978 was to have been the sci-fi horror classic, Alien. Enjoying the early script and personally finding it superior to Star Wars, he was excited at working on the film's model and practical studio work, yet the project ultimately went to his UK rival Brian Johnson (with Nick Allder), presumably due to internal politics at the studio/ behind the scenes, or due to director Ridley Scott, a tough man to work with, wanting to pick his own team/s.

Despite the loss of Alien, Stears at least had the next film in The Adventures of Luke Skywalker-then only known as STAR WARS II- to look forward to. Having believed he had developed a prior good rapport with Lucas (often sharing a car to the studios with the director and exchanging many conversations) Stears was hoping to be ready for more pre-production time for II to do an even bigger and better job for the first sequel. Surprisingly, there was more personal disappointment to come- the veteran was not selected as part of the original core team returning to work on the film series, either: the producers instead relying on the aforementioned UK (and US co-partner) practical effects supervision of the now available, and equally talented, Brian Johnson. (Perhaps Johnson was seen as someone whom Lucas/Kurtz may have felt was a younger and more hip kinsman to them, rather than Stears, who, post his duties on the original Star Wars, could have been seen as being too 'old school', perhaps too much of the elitist guard of homegrown British filmmakers who had caused so much behind the scenes ire to Lucas/Kurtz back in 1976?).

Despite some mild and brief behind the scenes friction between Stears and Johnson linked to the 1979 upcoming production of the new film (soon titled THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK), regarding the remote controlled Artoo design and re-development/improvements, the former, with his further Oscar clout from the original Star Wars under his belt, eventually made his way States-side to resume a continued, noteworthy effects career (including working on such cults hits as THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (as Second Unit Director and Effects Supervisor for the lengthy three-part mini-series filmed on location likely around the same time as EMPIRE was in production) and Sean Connery's HIGH NOON in space, OUTLAND). Later into the early nineties he worked on another big league sci-fi saga, the pilot episode of the BABYLON 5 TV series: The Gathering, before his sad passing at the young age of 64 in 1999.

John Stears: 1934 - 1999

His contributions to the original saga continuing to resonate with audiences of all ages in this 35th Anniversary of the original STAR WARS, the name, work and legacy of John Stears lives on within the magic of movies...

For more detailed information on John Stears work on the original STAR WARS, check out the AFICIONADO special issue dedicated to THE  MAKING OF STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, here:
STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE SPECIAL: THE MAKING OF STAR WARS (1977)

With thanks to Chris Baker for selected stills.

Rare John Stears behind the scenes feature from 1977: 

Star Wars Special Production and Mechanical Effects | Modern Mechanix