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Episode
IV: A New Hope
commentary
commentary
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1 - EXT. SPACE Roy Thomas, scripter/editor of the Marvel Comics adaptation of the film, was present for an early screening which took place around Feb. '77. In a Starlog interview (issue #120) he stated: "...this was not the crawl with which moviegoers are now familiar, nor was there any "Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away" lead-in. Rather, the crawl consisted of a totally different copy telling the movie's backstory. (If you want to know what it said, all you have to do is pick up a back issue of Marvel's Star Wars #1, since the caption there was taken from that original crawl.)" 1 The comic book text is as shown here, except that the last two paragraphs are in reversed-order. It is not known which order the film actually used or whether the scroll had the same appearance as the films currently use. Go to Unused Footage ... 27 - INT. LARS HOMESTEAD - GARAGE AREA - LATE AFTERNOON Like many of even the smallest elements in the Star Wars universe, the T-16 "Skyhopper" (mentioned by Luke in the rebel briefing on Yavin IV) had a bit of a backstory. Joe Johnston, Effects Illustration and Design:
"We get a brief glimpse of the Skyhopper in Luke's garage [seen through the doorway]. Since it is partially obscured by a wall, this sketch is the first time many will see the total design. (Those who are very observant may have noted the model of the plane Luke toyed with in this scene.) It was intended to be a low-orbital spacecraft used by Luke to chase womp rats on his home planet, Tatooine. Full usage of this vehicle was made impossible by the mounting costs of the film. "If such a plane were sitting in Luke's garage, why didn't he use it, instead of the landspeeder, when searching for his missing 'droid, R2-D2? Because it was in the garage being overhauled at the time." 3 The need to repair the craft was to have been illustrated on-screen, as this unused script excerpt shows:
In another unused moment, Luke explains to his friend Biggs that he damaged the vehicle while racing with his friends in the desert. Go to Unused Footage ... 107 - INT. DEATH STAR - HALLWAY David West Reynolds: "...unscripted on-set gags ... turned out to be too broad for the serious tone Star Wars eventually developed. In one of these moments, after their escape from the trash compactor, our group of heroes appears in several deleted shots making their way through the Death Star corridors. Whenever Imperial officers pass by the obviously-escaped group of armed Rebels, Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie act absurdly nonchalant, casually cradling their blaster rifles and practically whistling to look innocent." 4 Go to Unused Footage ... Sources: 1 - "How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love 'Star Wars' (Within Limits), by Roy Thomas. Starlog #120, July 1987. 2 - Behind the Magic: The Insider's Guide to Star Wars, CD-ROM, LucasArts Entertainment Co., LLC 3 - The Star Wars Sketchbook by Joe Johnston. New York: Ballantine Books, 1977. 4 - "The Evolution of Star Wars" by Dr. David West Reynolds, The Star Wars Insider, Issue #41 |
