* * *
In the confusion, Artoo and Threepio are blown slipping and sliding into a power canister, but rushing gas from a broken pipe keeps knocking them over. The battle rages around the two hapless robots.
* * *
An awesome, seven-foot-tall DARK LORD OF THE SITH makes his way into the blinding light of the main passageway. Darth Vader raises his arms and objects that aren't bolted down, including the rebel warriors, are picked up by an invisible force and hurled to the end of the passageway. In the excitement, Artoo and Threepio have fled down a sub-hallway
* * *
A death white wasteland stretches from horizon to horizon. The tremendous heat of two huge twin suns settles on a lone figure, LUKE STARKILLER, a farm-boy with heroic aspirations.
* * *
Artoo stops before the small hatch of an emergency lifepod. He snaps the seal on the main latch and a red warning light begins to flash. The stubby, dwarf-robot works his way into the cramped four-man pod.
THREEPIO: “I’m not getting in there. No more adventures. It’s too dangerous. I’m not that desperate.”
Artoo isn’t happy with Threepio’s stubbornness and he beeps and twangs angrily. A new explosion, this time very close, sends dust and debris through the narrow sub-hallway. Flames Lick at Threepio, and the lanky robot jumps into the lifepod.
* * *
The safety door snaps shut, and with the thunder of exploding Latches, the tiny lifepod ejects from the disabled starfighter. THREEPIO: “That’s funny. The damage doesn’t look as bad from out here. Are you sure this thing is safe?”
* * *
The rebel cries out as the spooky looking Sith Lord begins to twist his arm, creating a gruesome snapping and popping of broken bones.
* * *
A beautiful young girl about sixteen years old huddles in a small alcove as the stormtroopers search through the ship. She is LEIA ORGANA, a rebel princess. The fear in her eyes slowly gives way to anger as the muted crushing sounds of the approaching stormtroopers grow louder. She steps from her hiding place and blasts two troopers with her laser pistol, but she is greatly outnumbered and quickly captured.
* * *
JUNDLAND, or “No Man’s Land,” where the rugged desert mesas meet the foreboding dune sea. The two helpless astro-robots leave the lifepod and clumsily work their way across the desert coastline. Suddenly Artoo makes a sharp right turn and starts off in the direction of the rocky desert mesas. Threepio stops and yells at him. THREEPIO: “Where do you think you’re going?!?”
A stream of electronic noises pours forth from the small robot. THREEPIO: “Well, I’m not going that way. It’s too rocky. This way is much easier. What makes you think there are settlements that way?” Artoo counters with a long whistle. He shoves Artoo and the tiny robot tumbles down a small dune. Threepio starts off in the direction of the vast dune sea as little Artoo struggles to his feet and shakes a metallic claw at his ex-partner. THREEPIO: “… and don’t let me catch you following me, begging for help … because you won’t get it!”
Artoo’s reply is a rather rude sound. He turns and trudges off in the direction of the towering mesas.
* * *
The long ornate pirate starship approached the gray gaseous planet of Alderaan. The ship is not propelled, but simply drifts crab-like toward the planet. As it approaches the surface, huge billowing clouds extend out like menacing tentacles. The peacefulness of this nebulous idyll is broken by the increasing wail of ion engines. Suddenly four sleek spacefighters from the Imperial third fleet burst from the huge cumulus range. The craft are small cylindrical power shells dominated by two huge solar fins. They are flying in a tight formation. Then two bank steeply and head toward the drifting starship.
* * *
PILOT: “No life forms appear on the scanner. Escape pods four, seven, and oh-three have been jettisoned. Life systems are still functioning. It appears to be in good shape … Should we destroy it, or attempt salvage?”
COMMANDER: “We don’t get many visitors. Let’s take a look at it.” The towering white oxide clouds pass, revealing the Imperial city of Alderaan. The magnificent domed and gleaming city is perched, mushroom-like, on a tall spire which disappears deep into the misty surface of the planet. The little procession of Imperial “tie” fighters follows the larger pirate ship toward the city. The Imperial Officer guides the ship toward one of the numerous huge open bays that ring the spectacular city. The pirate starship rests in a huge hangar bay.
THE COMPLETE IVOR BEDDOES STORYBOARDS
Once George Lucas settled in London, England, in early 1976, he hired Ivor Beddoes to storyboard certain sequences from his fourth draft. During this intense period of preproduction, Lucas finished The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the “Journal of the Whills” (Saga I) Star Wars on January 1, 1976. In it, the fate of Ben Kenobi is different from the final film, and Lucas had Beddoes draw up intricate blocking to illustrate Kenobi’s battle with Darth Vader. Excerpts from the fourth draft accompany the storyboards.
Fourth Draft Storyboards
The two powerful warriors stand motionless for a few moments with laser swords locked in mid-air, creating a low buzzing sound. Threepio looks up and sees Ben emerging from the hallway. THREEPIO: “Where are the others? Oh, oh!”
Threepio ducks out of sight as the seven stormtroopers who were guarding the starship rush past them heading toward Ben and the Sith Knight. When the robot ventures another peek, he spots Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and the princess running out of a tunnel on the other side of the starship and heading toward them.
* * *
Vader takes advantage of Ben’s momentary distraction and brings his mighty laser sword down on the old man. But Ben manages to deflect the blow, swiftly turning around and cutting a safety lock on the blast door. Vader is standing in the access tunnel, while Ben is in the huge hangar, and the heavy blast door slams down between them, trapping Vader in the tunnel.
* * *
Ben instantly turns toward the troops. They stop in their tracks and start to raise their weapons. Before they can fire a shot, a laser bolt explodes in the middle of them, creating havoc. The troops turn around to see Luke and Han firing on them from the ramp of the starship. Threepio and Artoo run up the ramp and disappear inside the ship.
* * *
Luke turns toward Han.
LUKE: “Get the ship started!”
As Han starts up the ramp, Leia grabs the laser pistol out of his hand. Ben charges into the troops, cutting them down as he goes. Luke is forced to stop firing. Several of the troops flee in panic, but the two that remain fire their laser pistols point blank at the old man. Ben deflects the bolt, but it explodes near him, knocking him to the floor. Luke cuts down the remaining troops and rushes to the old Jedi’s side.
* * *
LEIA: “Luke, quickly! There are more coming!”
Luke struggles to help the old man to the ship under the constant fire of the Imperial troops. Luke fires back whenever possible and manages to keep the troops at bay. The princess takes careful aim and hits the safety lock on the blast door, causing it to slam shut, leaving only three troops left in the hangar.
LUKE: “Close the main hatch and get this thing moving!”
SELECTED JOE JOHNSTON STORYBOARDS
During December 1975, George Lucas was writing the end battle of The Star Wars. In the third draft he had described it fairly briefly. His fourth draft would contain all of the details. To accurately illustrate in words the shots and the montage he wanted, Lucas would often refer to the eight-minute-long 16mm film he’d made by videotaping sequences from World War II documentaries and movies. He then worked at Industrial Light & Magic with Joe Johnston, who would draw out storyboards based on the shot descriptions and Lucas’s additional verbal instructions.
What follows are approximately 100 out of 366 of those early end-battle storyboards. They appear here for the first time complete with Richard Edlund’s penciled notes. As directo
r of the special effects photography, Edlund worked closely with Lucas, Johnston, and John Dykstra, as the end-battle storyboards were constantly revised. The notes on the storyboards often refer to December 22 and 29, 1975—apparently the dates of major revisions.
The storyboards are also remarkable in that they show Han Solo’s original pirate ship, which was about to be replaced by the “hamburger” ship, aka the Millennium Falcon. Moreover, this set of boards contains the only visual representation of Luke Starkiller’s two trench runs. In postproduction, the first of his trench runs would be eliminated. Last but not least, Luke’s two wingmen are Biggs and Chewie, who would shortly be replaced by Wedge, when Chewie became the nickname of Chewbacca in the fourth draft. Also included, for the sake of completeness, are boards that were omitted during the review process. The descriptions and dialogue are taken from the fourth draft.
KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS
ALT = Altitude
BD = Board, as in storyboard
BG = Background
C/U, or C.U. = Close-up
D.S. = Death Star
FLOP = To flip over the drawing completely, changing the direction of the shot
FR = Frames (the number of frames equals the length of the shot—24 frames per second)
L – R = Camera moves left to right
POV = Point-of-view
Fourth Draft End-Battle Storyboards
Luke as he tries to spot Blue Leader,
* * *
Vader passes Blue Leader firing a laserbolt that creates a small explosion in one engine.
* * *
An R-2 unit scrambles back to the engine on Blue Leader’s X-wing fighter in an attempt to repair it.
* * *
Luke: “We’ve lost Blue Leader …” [In the control room, Ben urges Luke to trust his feelings.]
* * *
Luke: “Wedge, Biggs, we’re going in. We’ll go in full throttle. That should keep those fighters off us.”
* * *
Biggs: “We seem to have upset them.” Luke: “This is fine. I can see everything.”
* * *
Luke’s X-wing streaks through the trench leading to the exhaust port.
* * *
The laserbolts streaming past suddenly stop.
* * *
Luke: “Watch yourself. Increase your speed full throttle.”
* * *
Wedge (Chewie): “Coming in … point three.”
* * *
Vader: “Stay with them … They’ll have to slow down before they reach that tower …”
* * *
Luke: “Almost home.”
* * *
Vader: “Take them.”
* * *
Luke: “Wedge, Biggs, split up … it’s the only way we’ll shake them.”
* * *
Luke: “I’m hit … but not bad … Artoo, see what you can do with it.”
* * *
Luke: “I think you’ve got it, Artoo. I think that’s it … just try to lock it down.”
* * *
Luke: “I think we lost those fighters, Artoo. Blue Group, this is Blue Five. Are you clear?”
* * *
Wedge: “I’m up here waiting, boss.”
* * *
Biggs: “Hold on, Luke, I’ll be right there.” [In the war room, Ben urges Luke to trust the Force.]
* * *
Luke: “We’re goin’ in, Biggs, join up … Biggs, are you all right? Biggs? Wedge, do you see him anywhere?”
* * *
Wedge: “Nothing … wait a little longer, he’ll show.”
* * *
Luke: “We can’t wait, we’ve got to go now … I don’t think he made it.” Biggs (radio breaking up): “Hey you guys, what are you waiting for?”
* * *
Biggs: “Don’t ever give up on old Biggs …”
* * *
Luke: “We’re going in.”
* * *
Luke: “Artoo, that stabilizer has broken loose again. I need more control. See if you can’t lock it down.”
* * *
Luke as he thinks about using the targeting device and then rather hesitantly pulls it down in front of his eyes.
* * *
Wedge: “Here we go again.”
* * *
Luke moves it away for a moment and ponders its use. He looks back into the computer targeter.
* * *
Biggs: “Hurry, Luke. They’re coming in much faster this time. We can’t hold them.”
* * *
Luke: “Close it up. You can’t do any more good back there. Artoo, try to increase the power to the rear deflectors.”
* * *
Vader: “I’m on the leader, take the other ones …”
* * *
Wing Man: “Wha …”
* * *
Han: “You’re all clear, Luke. Now blow this turkey and let’s get out of here.”
* * *
Luke: “Glad you were here to see it … now let’s get some distance before the thing blows.”
GEORGE LUCAS EXPANDS HIS UNIVERSE
Star Wars was a huge hit. Lucas had retired. But the ancillary world of his movie was just beginning. Alan Dean Foster had ghostwritten the novelization and was working on a sequel, Marvel was churning out monthly comic books, and numerous merchandising deals were being negotiated, all of which meant that lots of people needed to know more about the cinematic wunderkind. Lucas had plenty of notes for his drafts, but these were words in progress. So, in order to get everyone on the same page, he decided to sit down with Carol Titelman and record his knowledge of the world he had created.
The communication technique he hit upon was similar to role-playing: He assumed a character and responded to questions about his or her background, personality, home planet, and so on. Lucas spoke as C-3PO on July 28, 1977; Leia on August 5, 1977; and as Han Solo on August 11, 1977.
Important Note: The following background stories and ideas, which have been reorganized by subject, were in many cases George Lucas’s first thoughts on what lay beyond the parameters of the first film. Many of these ideas, however, he has since modified to a lesser or greater degree. They are presented here only to provide an idea of how he first began this process in the days immediately following the success of the first film (which, for example, became “Episode IV: A New Hope” only upon its re-release in 1981). These stories are not part of any official continuity.
HAN SOLO: BACKGROUND
“Han is around thirty years old. His parents might have been killed in a space battle with Han as the only survivor. There’s no real record about where the space gypsies found him. They run through the galaxy picking up all sorts of odds and ends. They may have won him in a game. They may have cheated someone out of him and thought they would sell him. He was kind of like a slave. Although the gypsies loved him in their own way, they were also mean to him. They used him for their own ends and he was very unhappy. They would send him out on dangerous missions and they would make him beg in the streets and that sort of thing. They abandoned him to the Wookiees when he was about seven years old; he lived with them for about five years.
“From the time Han was twelve to the time he was fifteen, he was in the Space Academy. That’s where he learned to be a starpilot and he was very, very good—only he was such a hustler that he got caught selling exam answers to the class. He also tried to race one of the professors in a spaceship and crashed it in the process. He didn’t beat the professor, but he was booted out. Then he went around and did a lot of things, finally coming back to the Wookiees and meeting Chewbacca.
The Making of Star Wars (Enhanced Edition) Page 52