CLASSIC IMAGE: THE IMPERIAL DEATH FLEET GATHERS...

The first conceptual art version of the immense Super Star Destroyer Executor, centre amidst a convoy of other ancillary Imperial ships, is well captured in ominous storyboard art by Joe Johnston for The Empire Strikes Back.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE EXECUTOR AWAITS!

With the Hyperdrive once more seemingly inoperative, the TIE fighter attacked Millennium Falcon is being deliberately herded towards the immense frame of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, and the clutches of Darth Vader, as seen in this great ILM storyboard.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: 'EXECUTOR' VS ASTEROIDS!

The immense underbelly of the Super Star Destroyer Executor is filmed at ILM on 20th August, 1979, for an ultimately unused scene of its making a path through, and out of, the dense asteroid field, in order for Darth Vader to make a clear transmission to The Emperor. An alternate wide angle side shot of the craft would ultimately be used in the final cut.

Storyboard for the ultimately unused scene, which saw the Death Fleet hit by asteroids, and a smaller ship exploding from an impact.

Shot of the Executor leaving the field, as seen in the movie.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: "SET YOUR COURSE FOR THE HOTH SYSTEM"!

Darth Vader returns, searching for Luke Skywalker and his hidden Rebel Alliance fraction.

Darth Vader's determination that the Imperial Probe Droid dispersion will find the Rebels has paid off, with footage from the sixth planet in the barren, uncharted Hoth system revealing footage of a power generator and a Snowspeeder. Despite the concerns of the incompetent Admiral Ozzel, the Imperial Death Fleet is soon on its way there, ready for cold weather warfare!

The Super Star Destroyer bridge expanded with reverse footage/spilt screen and a matte painting.

Vader looks at the Hoth probe droid footage with Captain Piett (Kenneth Colley).

Admiral Ozzel (Michael Sheard) and General Veers (Julian Glover) arrive on the bridge.

The foolish Admiral Ozzel, so well played by sci-fi film/TV fan favourite Michael Sheard.

The nervous officers watch the departing Vader from the bridge.

A kiss for a Dark Lord!

Dave Prowse in partial costume for a rehearsal with Kershner.

General views of the Star Destroyer bridge set, which used existing, in-UK storage pieces of set from the Death Star of the original Star Wars (notably the hangar control room), was expanded in size during production and post production with matte shots and reversing the pit section from left to right. Once again, futuristic UK set decorator/artist Harry Lange was at work creating the numerous control panels and keeping the visual continuity previously established.

Constructing the side alcove are of the bridge set at Elstree.

Back view of the Bridge set and main corridor/holographic chamber

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE IMPERIAL DEATH FLEET!

The Death Star may have been destroyed but the Empire's technological might in war remains unstoppable, especially as the hunt for the Rebel Alliance intensifies. Having escaped the Battle of Yavin in his damaged TIE fighter, Darth Vader leads the new search and destroy mission, as well as his own personal agenda, commanding the mighty Super Star Destroyer, the Executor.

Concept art for the new Super Star Destroyer.

Originally, there was to have been no Super Star Destroyer for Vader in The Empire Strikes Back- he was to have commanded an ordinary Star Destroyer, but this notion was soon changed in the pre-production phase when ILM's Model Shop, led by Lorne Peterson, told George Lucas that a new and impressive craft could be created without going over budget.

Some behind the shots of the model-making...

Lorne Peterson at work.

Don Dow beside the impressive miniature.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A DARK LORD OBSESSED...

He'd been the second villain, very much the strong arm to the evil Governor Tarkin, for most of the original Star Wars, but not so with the return of the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the then eagerly-awaited The Empire Strikes Back, and an epic tale that would feature the world's favourite super-villain in a more darkly complex, darkly thoughtful and monstrously dangerous way than we'd seen before. Vader was not previously happy with the destruction of the Death Star, nor thrilled by having his prototype TIE fighter damaged and spinning out into deep space by a surprise appearance from the Millennum Falcon. Both the hunt for Luke Skywalker, destroyer of the Death Star, of whom the Force is very strong within him, and the capture of his unique friends, being the obsessive focal point to Vader's psyche within the important first sequel's plotting...

Terrific 1980 art by Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon of Vader, later to adorn a memorable full colour cover to the UK's Star Wars Weekly comic, from Marvel.

EPISODE VII: A LEGEND RETURNS....

She may have some rust here and there, and some interlopers have put some undesirable linkages and components to restrict her operating systems over the years, but when the Millennium Falcon takes flight once more, its a beautiful thing, proving her worth to new flyers Rey and Finn in maneuvering from TIE Fighter pursuit across the skies and deserts of Jakku, in this great composite image for THE FORCE AWAKENS...

EPISODE VII: A STEALTHY CAPTAIN!

Having detected unusual behaviour from First Order Stormtrooper FN-2187 during his prior actions on Jakku, the statuesque and totally intimidating Captain Phasma is determined to find out what's going on, slowly going up the steps of the newly docked transport towards him, in this unseen moment from THE FORCE AWAKENS.

Phasma is stealthily monitoring FN-2187.

On the set, Gwendoline Christie as Phasma with costume designer Michael Kaplan.

Michael Kogge's Young Readers adaptation of the film establishes that Phasma is annoyed that one of her soldiers, particularly Finn, has gone rogue, and is determined to get some kind of personal retribution- an element in the screenplay that was watered down by the time of filming.

CLASSIC IMAGE: TO TALK TO THE EMPEROR...

With his Imperial fleet's search of the dangerous Hoth system asteroid belt- for the missing Millennium Falcon- continuing, Darth Vader is forced to take a pause in his personal mission to receive a transmission from his master, the Emperor, in another classic scene from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

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: A DESTINY TO FULFILL...

In an evocative ILM EMPIRE storyboard-artist sadly unknown (possibly Joe Johnston?)- Darth Vader, having lost Luke Skywalker and the Millennium Falcon, contemplates the future from an observation window on the bridge of his Super Star Destroyer: the Executor.

A perfect moment beautifully realized on screen in May 1980.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: THE REBEL CRUSHER!

The huge frame of Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer, The Executor, moves through space intent on finding and destroying the Rebel Alliance once and for all. I don't recall this exact shot appearing in either THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or RETURN OF THE JEDI, so I'm assuming it's a specially composed ILM image, probably by stalwart Terry Chostner, who did a lot of that type of inventive photography for the Classic Trilogy...