'JEDI' AT 40: DEATH STAR HANGAR ARRIVAL!

Cleared through the security shield protecting the Death Star, the lone Imperial Shuttle carrying its ominous passenger heads into one of the station's busy hangar bays...

The sequence would be an opening tour de force for the matte department, whose talents were put to the fullest (and beyond!) with their work across the many environments seen in Return of the Jedi.

A foreground miniature placed in front of the matte painting.

Shot on the ILM blue screen stage, two Space Stormtroopers at work welding. A last-minute filming addition, they would be blended into the final matte painting approach but were ultimately barely visible on screen only in the film's 1983 theatrical version.

Hangar arrival- again Shuttle model, ILM extras and matte painting combined. Note the painted TIE Bomber bottom middle.

The full matte painting which the model would be inserted onto.

Another matte painting used- showing the suspended TIE Bomber and a space for the Elstree Studios filming of hangar-arriving Imperial delegation.

As seen in the filming

Matte painting genius Frank Ordaz working on the first version of the above painting, one without the TIE Bomber and overhanging droid.

Full length revised version.

'JEDI' AT 40: THE IMPERIAL SHUTTLE!

The sleek Imperial Shuttle carrying its important lone occupant arrives at the Death Star II and one of its primary hangars, whilst a trio of always visually impressive Star Destroyers stand sentinel distant above the forest moon of Endor.

Special image by ILM for publicity/merchandising use.

Model reference images.

Though a barely visible Imperial shuttle was briefly seen in The Empire Strikes Back (a model likely hurriedly put together from various existing Imperial vehicle parts), this new iteration for Return of the Jedi, having more important screen time, proved a great realisation success, and was one of the most popular new model vehicles created for the effects-ambitious movie. Supervisor Ken Ralston particularly liked the Imperial shuttle, noting that "it had nice lines, was fun to light, and photographed well."

Early concept design, The art on the right would later be adapted for use as the Emperor's shuttle in Revenge of the Sith.

Kit-bashing at its finest.

Bill George and colleague at work on the model.

The unpainted version of the model which would impressively boast internal wing mechanics.

Bill George adds more fine detailing to the model.

ILM talent Rob Bailey with the model.

Don Dow is one of the key ILMers overseeing of Imperial shuttle model shooting scenes used by the Empire and, later in the film, the Rebels.

'JEDI' AT 40: UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL!

Above the forest moon of Endor, the ominous construction continues of the second Death Star space station, boasting even more dreaded destructive firepower than the its predecessor. But the pace of such important construction is not proceeding as fast as the Emperor would like in his ongoing need to destroy the small but effective band of Rebel Alliance outlaws plaguing the galaxy. The solution: send the ultimate force for 'increased productivity' to the station. And that can mean only one unique figure, the all-powerful Lord Darth Vader!

A lovely, specially created model composite image establishing angle by ILM for publicity and merchandising of the film during 1983.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: SHUTTLE EVOLUTION!

The striking bat-like fan favourite, the Imperial Shuttle, gets some proper physical examination in this great piece of BW ILM reference photography from 1982, sent to KENNER to aid in construction of their eventual and equally magnificent toy for the Return of the Jedi range.

CLASSIC IMAGE: FLY CASUAL!

Our heroes' stolen shuttle is now approaching the second Death Star and a nearby Imperial convoy. Time to start worrying? Han Solo's maintaining his daring bravura (as always!), but Luke soon senses the presence of Darth Vader. A rare image from a critical scene, during RETURN OF THE JEDI.

CLASSIC ART: THE WALKERS OF ENDOR!

As sunset hits the forest moon of Endor, an Imperial Walker patrol gets "their first catch of the day" - a unique prisoner who has surrendered himself over- in a move ultimately expected by Darth Vader, newly arrived at the nearby shuttle platform, in this lovely art piece by Ralph McQuarrie for RETURN OF THE JEDI.

Out now is the new ABRAMS essential two-volume hardcover covering all of Ralph McQuarrie's incredible contributions to the Classic Trilogy: STAR WARS ART: RALPH McQUARRIE

Celebrating a Master: Inside Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie | StarWars.com

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ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: IMPERIAL SHUTTLE INCOMING...

Servicing the Endor Imperial base is a full time job for the departing and incoming Imperial shuttles, in an intriguing and busy ILM composite image for RETURN OF THE JEDI, featuring matte work by Chris Evans, also showing us an Imperial Walker cameo and the second orbiting Death Star. I'm not sure whether this rare-ish image, possibly photographed by Roberto McGrath, was done at the time of release or after, but its great nonetheless.

CLASSIC IMAGE: STRENGTH AND FIREPOWER!

Putting the final steps of his long-gestating plan to destroy the Rebel Alliance into action, the evil Emperor finally arrives on the secretly completed Death Star II space station amidst much pomp and grandeur, as this ambitious matte/live action composite for the Imperial hangar amply demonstrates during RETURN OF THE JEDI.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: FIGHTER ASSEMBLAGE

Utilizing more matte paintings than the previous films in the Classic Trilogy series, RETURN OF THE JEDI had many standout pieces, but this is one of the finest, courtesy of the ever-talented Michael Pangrazio, showing the interior of the main Mon Calamari Rebel Cruiser berthing numerous fighters (including X and A-Wings, soon to return for THE FORCE AWAKENS) and the Millennium Falcon, blending into bottom corner live-action material previously filmed at Elstree Studios on one of its smaller stages, circa April 1982.

To make the top background of the painting more busy, some additional holes were put in the image incorporating some technicians and pilots at work, whose footage was shot at ILM during post production.

Filming extra material at ILM. 

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL...

An unscheduled and unprepared for guest of the most sinister kind is about to arrive on the so far uncompleted Death Star II. Better get those neck braces ready if I were you, gents...

A classic ILM composite image for RETURN OF THE JEDI that was later given an additional TIE fighter on its left side.

Who doesn't like looking at some heavy duty Imperial technology from time to time, eh?! And apparently more to come in EPISODE VII if Kevin Smith's recent on-set Stormtrooper confirmation is  anything to go by...

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: IMPERIAL TAXI SERVICE!

His attempts to turn Luke over to the Dark Side seemingly failed (for the time being at least), Darth Vader (here played by then ILMer C. Andrew Nelson) and a small entourage make their way back to the Imperial Shuttle, in an extra love-it or hate-it scene added to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITION in 1997 that was designed to show us more visual imagery of Cloud City. Certainly, the loss of James Earl Jones excellently delivered line of anger: "Bring my shuttle!" was a casualty of the re-jigged scene that fans particularly noticed.

Storyboard for new scene insertion.

Later HAN SOLO movie director Chris Miller played one of the required 5'11 escort Stormtroopers, after a ILM casting call of which he was briefly working for the company as a young intern.

ROTJ AT 30: THE BOSS HAS ARRIVED

Darth Vader welcomes the Emperor and his special entourage of evil in one of the massive hangars of Death Star II, which took up the entire STAR WARS Stage at London's Elstree Studios in March/April 1982, and still proved too small to house its confines and shuttle.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: RETURN TO THE EXECUTOR

His personal quest to bring his son Luke Skywalker over to the power of the Dark Side now failed-the boy seemingly having chosen the path of self-sacrifice instead- an angry Darth Vader returns to his Super Star Destroyer, the Executor, within his personal shuttle, and which quickly comes to land within one of its large docking bays. A scene from the THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITION of 1997.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: IMPERIAL MATTE!

One of ILM's distinguished Matte artists during 1982/83 post-production of RETURN OF THE JEDI makes some last minute work to the Death Star docking bay long shot showing the now parked Imperial Shuttle escorting Darth Vader.

BEHIND THE SCENES IMAGE: BIG SET, BIG SHUTTLE!

Here's a great, rarely seen image from 1982's filming of RETURN OF THE JEDI showing the specially built Imperial Shuttle full size prop (minus wings, of course-if built they'd break through the ELSTREE studio roof!), located on the Death Star II hangar set- all put together on the then mammoth STAR WARS STAGE (now demolished and home to a TESCO supermarket!). It was an incredible set at the time (note UK Stunt Co-ordinator Peter Diamond talking to a Stormtrooper extra at the far bottom right corner), and was still considered too small to hold everything required for filming. The shuttle prop would be redressed twice-firstly as a spick and spam, gleaming transport for both Darth Vader and then the Emperor, and then grubbed up and dirty greyed to become the stolen vessel used by Han and his Rebel commando squad to penetrate Imperial defenses above the forest moon of Endor.