'ATTACK' AT 20: DEATH OF A SKYWALKER!

A mother and son reunited... if all too briefly.

Following the trail of the elusive Tusken Raider tribe that have kidnapped his mother, Anakin finally discovers their distant location and begins a solo rescue mission. Though successful, their reunion is sadly brief. Overjoyed to see her son after so long, Shmi Skywalker's brief happiness sees her sadly die in her son's eyes, due to the intense injuries inflicted on her by the Tuskens. Sure enough, Anakin's path to the Dark Side is confirmed when he mercilessly seeks revenge on the primitive group, killing all of them with his lightsaber using retaliation, even slaughtering the women and children!

Anakin find the far out Tusken encampment.

The dramatic scene was shot on a small set comprising a small area of sand and with one tent at the Australia FOX Studios in 2000, the backgrounds around the tent being later enhanced by model and matte work for the finished film. 

The Tusken encampment where Shmi has been captured.

Concept art for the encampment by Ed Natividad from 2000.

A look at members of the Tusken Raider nomad community.

One of the Tusken females in a costume reference/publicity image.

Closer look at the mask of a Tusken female.

“There is something about Pernilla August (playing Shmi) that is hard to explain. She has an aura about her and when she walked onto the set, it affected everybody. Hayden loved her. Emotionally, this scene is a big turning point, because this is what sets Anakin off. And I think to have the character of his mother played by Pernilla made it that much more emotional for Hayden.” 

Rick McCallum - Star Wars: Mythmaking book - 2002

Anakin is shocked by what has happened to his mother.

The injured Shmi, tortured as a trophy prize by the Tuskens.

A tender moment between a reunited mother and son.

One final gesture of love from mother to son.

Lucas and Pernilla August on set during this tense, sad and emotional scene's filming.

“My mother (Shmi Skywalker) pretty much dies in my arms and my immediate reaction is to go ballistic. I walk out of town and murder all of the Sand People. There isn’t too much to it. I haven’t seen the film so I don’t now how long it’s played out, but when we shot it it was just me in front of a blue screen pretending there’s Sand People there and killing them. It’s just me with a lightsaber going “Aargh!” to nothing. I have no idea what it looks like but as long as I look like a bad-ass Jedi, then cool.” 

Hayden Christensen - Arena Magazine interview - June 2002

Anakin goes on his murderous rampage.

The killing spree begins, and the balance of the Force is unsettled...

'STAR WARS' AT 45: MARDJI AND THE TUSKENS!

Bob Spiker would ride Mardji the Asian Elephant in his role as a Tusken Raider.

There's an old saying out there that Elephants never forget, and I don't think the late, great female Asian Elephant called Mardji, of California's Marine World Africa USA Amusement Park, would certainly have ever forgotten her iconic role in the original Star Wars, playing a Bantha creature during last-minute additional Tatooine sequences, filmed by George Lucas and a small unit at Death Valley, California in January, 1977, featuring those fearsome desert nomads, the Tusken Raiders (aka Sandpeople), with their unique beasts of burden.

Alan Fernandes, also playing a Tusken.

ILM veteran Doug Beswick with the then 22 year old Mardji.

Carroll Ballard and Lucas prepare for filming.

https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/meet-alan-fernandes-the-tusken-raider/

Mardji with the Bantha 'costume' at Marine World Africa USA.

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: DEATH FROM ABOVE!

The Sandpeople return!

The scourge of the desert, the humans of Tatooine hate and fear the nomadic Sandpeople, and those creatures hate the humans and aliens dwelling there with equal venom, happy to shoot at and disable the pod racing vessels as they continue their speedy pursuits. Behind the scenes, local Tunisians donned all-new Sandpeople costumes and masks dirtied down to showcase their harsh living environment, directed by one of the film's non-primary units.

With the pod racing vessel crashes piling up, it isn't long before those other little rodents of the desert, the Jawas, come out to scavenge what they can get before clean-up droids arrive. The Jawas are in great danger from the Sandpeople, however, who are soon taking pot shots at them from above the canyon, but the potential profit makes their bold efforts worth the risk in this sadly deleted scene.

The Sandpeople coordinate their attacks and victories across the mountainside.

Local Tunisians try and stay out of the heat between takes.

BEHIND THE SCENES: WHO'S THE BOSS?!

If there's one unique creature in the universe other than a Krayt Dragon capable of keeping the Sandpeople in order, then its their creator George Lucas, posing with two of the armed desert nomads of Tatooine behind the scenes at FOX Studios Australia, in 2000, for Episode II.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: BANTHA MAKE-OVER!

Based at the Marine World Africa Zoo in California, the adaptable Mardji the Elephant gets a makeover she surely never expected, costume decorated to become a horned Bantha creature for Sandpeople-related extra scenes needed for post production insertion in the original Star Wars- circa January 1977, filmed at Death Valley, and a small unit by George Lucas. According to producer Gary Kurtz, it would take six weeks for Mardji to become used to wearing the costume. Lucas would enjoy watching the playful Mardi loving the outdoor environment during the eventual filming.

As Mardji appeared in the film- a still linked to the film's international release.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: STUNT MAN CHALLENGE!

Peter Diamond on location in Tunisia.

Right from the film's opening frames, the original Star Wars would be an action-packed adventure indeed. Bringing that adrenaline charged spectacle to life, from the corridors Rebel Blockade Runner to those of the labyrinth-esque Death Star, its incredible to believe that during the five month filming that there were really only three regular stuntman working on the film at Elstree Studios. A British film and TV veteran of the stunt world, Peter Diamond would be the tried and tested Stunt coordinator and lead stuntman for George Lucas's opus, performing many memorable scenes in the film within a variety of character guises- at first, he was the only stuntman out in Tunisia in March 1976, playing the Sandperson that attacks Luke Skywalker, though he would be joined a month later in London by colleagues Colin Skeaping and Reg Harding, a combined presence soon affectionately known on set as 'The Three Stooges'. The trio can be best seen as themselves primarily in the Death Star prison area battle scene, where they play Imperial troopers gunned down by Luke, Han and Chewie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH__gUwm-j0

Diamond rehearsing his scene with Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels.

Most importantly, however, it was Diamond that choreographed and oversaw the very first lightsaber duel for the saga- between Sir Alec Guinness's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Dave Prowse's Darth Vader, setting the duelling standard and use of the unique ancient weapons that continues to this day.

Diamond as the Stormtrooper that falls down the chasm shaft.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: WHEN SANDPEOPLE ATTACK!

Artoo has finally been found and his Tatooine walkabout temporarily ceased, but Luke Skywalker's curiosity about some nearby nomadic Sandpeople gets the worst of him, as the creatures make a vicious surprise attack on both Luke and a shocked Threepio- a scene well depicted on the cover of the second issue of the UK's STAR WARS WEEKLY comic, from February 1978.

Episode Nothing: Star Wars in the 1970s: Looking back at Star Wars Weekly – issue 2

'STAR WARS' AT 40: A GALAXY OF CHARACTERS!

Welcome to 2017, and the start of STAR WARS AFICIONADO's 365 days celebrating the incredible, iconic, as superb as ever original STAR WARS (now STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE), as it reaches its amazing 40th Anniversary Year! A life without the saga is truly impossible to think about, especially now that its hardwired into the world's collective pop culture consciousness, so come with us and enjoy the days ahead...

First out of the gate are these two great pieces of unused poster art for a Coca Cola promotion, by Jerome Tarplay, circa 1978.

BEHIND THE SCENES: DANGERS OF THE JUNDLAND WASTES

Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels by the Landspeeder prop, which is held up by a small scaffold.

AFICIONADO's in-depth coverage of STAR WARS 1977 original Script Supervisor Ann Skinner's original continuity Polaroids and information notes continues with the classic scene where Luke and the droids are attacked in the Jundland Wastes by the Sandpeople (aka Tusken Raiders), originally filmed in Tunisia during late March 1976.

Anthony Waye rehearses the scene with presumably local extras, and stuntman Peter Diamond, in costume as Sandpeople.

Ann Sknner's continuity shot of Mark Hamill from the second take of the scene.

Another continuity image linked to the third and fourth take.

One image sadly not revealed at the excellent 2014 Skinner gallery at the BFI, though it resides in their Special Collections vault, is a superb angle showing Peter Diamond as Luke's Sandperson enemy raising his lethal gaderffii stick in attack, as Mark Hamill is far left of shot almost out of camera. Below to the right of the image is a large pillow, mattresses and board for safety, where Miss Skinner's unique camera angle positioning also reveals a mosque-like building atop one of the distant mountains, located in what is now known in fan circles as "STAR WARS Canyon". Another unseen three-quarter vertical length image of Threepio (centre of image) sans missing arm, with Luke and Ben on either side (their faces half cut-off in shot framing), also resides in the collection.

Continuity shot of Hamill and Guinness with Anthony Daniels as C-3PO for a brief deleted scene.

Ann Skinner's early 1976 character notes for the Sandpeople, based on a pre-shooting script:

"SANDPEOPLE: Tusken Raiders. Speak coarse barbaric language which is not understood. Ride on BANTHAS in single file.... Monstrous bear-like creatures as large as elephants with huge red eyes, tremendous looped horns and long furry dinosaur-like tailes."

Ann Skinner's earliest pre-filming typed character notes for Ben Kenobi: ""Sorcerer", Old Man, Was a Jedi Knight, FORCE still strong in him (an energy field which gives him power), Scruffy beard, Limp." 

Kenobi's arrival in disturbing the Sandpeople is recorded in Skinner's handwritten notes, specifically the continuity of his seen-for-the-first-time costume:

"Brown cloak over high-neck brown shirt, beige dress under it and wrapped over. Dark belt around waist and lightsaber on left side. Hair untidy. No gloves, heavy brown boots with thick black soles. Hands clasped under sleeves monk-style on walk towards."

Getting ready to film Sir Alec's first scene. Image: LUCASFILM, via Chris Baker.

Note the intriguing real-life paintings carved on the rocks behind the landspeeder.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI

The mosque/building on the hill, as seen from the Jawa Sandcrawler side of the canyon.

Unions, eccentrics and alcohol: the Brits who built Star Wars