EPISODE II: A SPEEDY FAREWELL!

It was a first meeting fraught with uncertainty followed by deep personal tragedy. Now, from their homestead, the Lars Family say goodbye to their departing friends Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, in a deleted scene, sadly one of many linked to the old/new characters of Tatooine, from EPISODE II.

A behind the scenes break in filming.

CLASSIC IMAGE: PRISONER AND ESCORT!

Breaking through Jabba's palace enforcers on Tatooine, the mysterious bounty hunter Boushh arrives at court with his captured prey, the mighty Chewbacca. But how was this possible? And what surprise lays in store for the Hutt slug?

A great atmospheric image from Return of the Jedi. 

'OBI-WAN KENOBI': PARENTAL PROTECTION!

The time that Owen and Beru Lars have dreaded for so long has finally come to realisation, as the dark forces of the Empire arrive at their homestead, ready to take the young orphan Luke Skywalker from their love and protection, during a tense moment from the Obi-Wan Kenobi mini-series final episode. 

With this kind of courage shown in the mini-series, it would be nice to think that Owen and Beru didn't go down without a fight with the later arrival of the Stormtroopers in A New Hope.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE ONE-MAN ARMY!

Above the infamous and dreaded Sarlaac Pit of the Dune Sea, the unstoppable force that is Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker fights on against Jabba's mercenaries, jumping from one sand skiff to another, in a superb aerial shot from the classic action sequence of Return of the Jedi.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DISABLING THE BLOCKADE RUNNER!

The dreaded Star Destroyer Devastator has swiftly caught up with its Rebel Alliance prey over the far-off world of Tatooine, as its heavy weapons array soon outclasses and disables the fast but less well shielded diplomatic marked Blockade Runner and its vital solar fin.

A hit!

The opening scene as brilliantly rendered by Howard Chaykin for the first issue of Marvel's comic adaptation, from 1976.

CLASSIC IMAGE: CAPTURED BY THE JAWAS!

First it was Threepio, now it's Artoo who is soon captured and in the grubby hands of those pesky little collecting critters that are the Jawas, attaching a restraining bolt to it and then sucking it up into the main hold of its massive Sandcrawler vessel. A classic moment from the original Star Wars.

Filming at a small canyon location in Tunisia called Sidi Bouhlel, located in Tozeur, on Tuesday March 30th, 1976, the key sunset scenes involving the Jawas having neutralized Artoo, and their carrying him to their Sandcrawler, would be shot (when the rushes are viewed in London later on in filming, however, the wide establishing footage of the Sandcrawler is discovered to be scratched and the film stock poor - it is decided that this will have to be mostly re-shot States-side in 1977, once extra funds are secured from Fox). 

For the overall Jawa location filming sequences/going into the Sandcrawler scaffold prop for the night shoot, the small in height cast included Kenny Baker's longtime friend/showbusiness partner Jack Purvis (listed on one call sheet as 'Head Jawa'), a French/Tunisian midget (named Mahmoud or Mahjoub?) who had been helping the film crew in the location filming, between three and seven local Tunisian children (according to call sheets), the young son of Giles Instone, manager of the British lorry drivers transporting sets and equipment to Tunisia, and Gary Kurtz’s two daughters Melissa and Tiffany. 

For the scene where Artoo is sucked up the tube into the Sandcrawler, the effect was simply achieved by dropping the empty prop down from the tube and then reversing it in post production.

The Jawas and their new capture prize.

The Jawas at work!

The originally shot footage of Artoo getting his restraining bolt.

The re-filmed restraining bolt sequence at ILM later in post production. ILM staffer/production assistant Penny McCarthy is on her knees in the Jawa robes.

BEHIND THE SCENES: DUNE SEA DROID!

Wednesday 24th March, 1976. Part of a busy day of location principal photography linked to the Dune Sea sequences, filming begins in La Grande Dunes west of the film’s production base, at Nefta, in the eerie yet stunning desert area for the scene where Threepio shuffles by an extinct alien creature's remains - a fiberglass skeleton copy of a Sauropod creature that had originally been constructed for use in the ELSTREE STUDIOS filmed 1975 UK Walt Disney film One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. A large prop, found deep in the Elstree warehouse by set decorator Roger Christian and colleagues, the remains would, ultimately, be abandoned to the desert due to transport practicality problems once filming in Tunisia is completed. Also shot that day is the harried droid's sighting of a far distant Jawa Sandcrawler (achieved via a small matte painting of the horizon obscure vehicle handled by ILM in late 1976).

Unfortunately, as location photography progresses, so too do the worsening weather conditions, as fierce sandstorms soon arrive to hit the area, and specially made goggles are supplied to shield everyone from the terrifying, strapping high velocity winds. Natural elements such as sand would also play a part in the chaos, clogging the film cameras and ruining other important equipment. A planned location site to have incorporated a matte painting, handled by the second unit, would ultimately be abandoned by 5.57 PM due to bad light.

This image is presented here in the original way it was shot, as Threepio waves and cries out to the possible transport atop a distant sand dune.

Norman Reynolds and colleague make adjustments to Threepio's suit as the weather worsens on location.

The original Dinosaur bones on the Elstree parking area, before transport to Tunisia.

The small matte of the Jawa Sandcrawler, we assume by Ralph McQuarrie.

A NEW HORIZON, A NEW HOPE...

A new hope to save the galaxy from the Galactic Empire has been safely delivered by his Jedi protector into the loving arms of the Lars family, at their faraway desert homestead on Tatooine. And now the long wait for the prophesied Balance of the Force begins. The subtly moving finale to EPISODE III, beautifully enhanced by the always-brilliance of composer John Williams.

A worthy final entry honoring the more respected in recent years Prequel Trilogy, and concluding the diverse entries comprising the Twentieth Anniversary celebrations for Star Wars Aficionado during 2023.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ANAKIN'S JOURNEY BEGINS!

Looking beyond the emotional goodbye of his mother at Mos Espa, young Anakin Skywalker begins his journey to destiny as a Jedi, rushing across the desert alongside Qui-Gon Jinn to their awaiting, nearby Naboo Royal starship. But danger will soon strike...

A classic image of Jake Lloyd as young Anakin Skywalker that was a popular publicity image for EPISODE I. 

'JEDI' AT 40: AT THE PALACE GATES!

"We'd better knock, I suppose..."

Now arrived at Jabba's Palace main shield door entrance, Threepio's attempts to escape their upcoming visitation predicament come to now avail. After communicating with a strange droid communications probe, the two are soon given access to the interior, with the bold Artoo Detoo striding into the unknown first...

Threepio talks Huttese to the palace gate keeper!

The sequence would be filmed around the 12th and 13th January, 1982 at Elstree Studios (of which the set was constructed directly in the middle of Stage 6), supervised and directed by Richard Marquand. Only the remote controlled Artoo would be used during this filming.

The droids on set at Elstree Studios.

Knocking on the door, watched by the crew.

Principal Threepio Costume/Prop Assistant Toby Lofthouse helps Anthony Daniels on set as filming continues, captured in continuity polaroid.

"We'd better go!" Too late for Threepio, the stronghold door is already ascending...

Artoo takes the initiative.

Wide shot enhancement with ILM matte painting. Image via Ben Ageros Collection.

The scene as captured in the MARVEL Comics adaptation of 1983. Art by Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon.

'JEDI' AT 40: TRAVELLING BUDDIES!

Our droid heroes walk the road to Jabba's palace, of which a classic glass painting was supervised on the location filming by Richard Edlund.

On December 11th, 1982, the scene of the droids walking to Jabba's palace was shot at Walkwing Parkway - at a place in Death Valley, California called Twenty Mule Team Canyon, with Anthony Daniels as Threepio for his final filming on Return of the Jedi and the robot controlled Artoo prop. It was directed by George Lucas, and camera photographed by Hiro Narita (who would later go on to do impressive cinematography for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). 

A wary Threepio walks with Artoo.

Working with Artoo, Daniels would recall to Star Wars Insider magazine: "Artoo doesn't do sand and they had earlier found he didn't do rocks. Years later they would find that he didn't do forest floors either. In each case they would carefully lay plywood sheets on the tricky terrain and paint them the appropriate colour; sandy-yellow, browny-grey or greeny-brown. Cunning! Well, you never noticed, did you?" 

At one point during the location filming rehearsal, Lucas bends over next to Threepio pretending to be Artoo and beeps his lines– something which brings great amusement to Daniels. 

Directing the long walk.

Clapperboard image. Though Richard Marquand is credited as director, the sequence was ultimately handled by George Lucas.

Michael Pangrazio's unused landscape painting for the journey to Jabba's palace.

The originally planned matte exterior for Jabba's palace, seen top image in the Marvel Comics adaptation that was replaced- when the new location filming for the revised scene was underway, the art for the adaptation was likely already commenced.

More on the original unused sequence of the droid's arrival at the palace:

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: CLASSIC ART: DESTINATION: JABBA THE HUTT!

'JEDI' AT 40: CAVE PREPARATIONS!

A relatively last-minute addition to the film - though it did also manage to find partial inclusion into James Khan's novelisation published May, 1983 - Return of the Jedi's opening in the post production editing phase included a moody scene where Vader reaches out from his meditation chamber (unused footage filmed for The Empire Strikes Back) on the Death Star II to a shrouded Luke Skywalker, now arrived on Tatooine and residing in a small cave, completing the build of his own unique lightsaber. His efforts are keenly watched by Artoo, whilst Threepio waits outside for order from his master. Though a fine sequence, it was ultimately cut. Instead, the filmmakers decided to make Luke look more mysterious and dangerous with his later cloaked arrival into Jabba's palace - ultimately a much better cinematic entrance for the character and more satisfying for the audience keenly awaiting his arrival at that point in the story.

More on the sequence, originally shot with an ILM crewman lookalike, which made its way onto 2011 Blu-ray, and which would have Mark Hamill's face likely (and cleverly) CGI doctored onto the footage:

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: LUKE AND THE LIGHTSABER: RESTORATION OF A JEDI!

November 22nd, 1982 storyboard for the additional scene filmed at ILM without Mark Hamill.

The cave sequence interior was filmed at ILM at the end of 1982, at a time way beyond the original completed principal photography in London, and supervised specifically by the US crew end of the movie with director Richard Marquand and Lucas. Once the studio material was completed, a small crew travelled to Death Valley, Arizona in December, 1982, to capture exterior location photography of Artoo and Threepio outside Luke's cave and then heading on to their unique journey to Jabba's Palace, replacing the original version of their arrival that was to have been done with an alternate matte painting exterior...

Artoo emerges from the cave (with special instructions from Luke) to meet Threepio as they now journey to Jabba's palace on Tatooine.

Lucas helps the small crew as they get ready to film the sequence.

Lucas and Anthony Daniels for the extra scene filming.

Filming the droids as they begin their journey to Jabba's palace.

Deleted scene of the droids looking down into the valley housing Luke's X-wing and the Millennium Falcon.

January 7th, 1983 storyboard for the extra scene, presumably by Joe Johnston.

Anthony Daniels poses with Death Valley park ranger Rick McIntyre in December, 1982.