Yavin IV is a small moon orbiting the gas giant Yavin. It’s also where the Rebel Alliance decided to set up camp. Most of the battle preparation scenes took place in the hangar, and briefing room, not counting the few exterior shots. The famous awards ceremony in the throne room closed out the film. The battle itself obviously took place in space, and there were a few changes from script to film. Let’s take a look at some of these differences.
Category: Star Wars: A New Hope
The Death Star
That’s no moon. It’s a space station full of deleted shots. Let’s examine some of the Death Star leftovers. Read More
The Cantina
When I think back to when I saw Star Wars for the first time in a theater in 1977, I often recall that the Cantina scenes contained some of the most memorable imagery. There were all these wonderfully crazy aliens, our introduction to Han Solo and Chewbacca, the over-zealous Greedo, the catchy music with the swinging band, a bar fight resulting in the loss of an arm, and so much more. All the TV shows and news programs aired clips from it constantly. However, even the most memorable scenes fall prey to the film’s mighty editors.
Life on Tatooine
Tatooine was home to Luke Skywalker. His friends lived there. He grew up and was educated there. He worked there. The only family he knew about lived there. While he seemed content, he looked to the stars, longing for adventure. Little did he know that a wise, old man would come into his life soon and things would drastically change.
Biggs Darklighter
Luke’s childhood friend, Biggs Darklighter, was a big influence on him. He was the friend that got away, joined the Academy, and did something with his life. Luke longed to be like his friend. He wanted off the farm and to have his own adventures. The relationship between Biggs and Luke was diminished in the final film, unfortunately. There were casual mentions of Biggs and another friend named Tank. There was a short reunion with Biggs during the battle at the end of the film. That was about the extent of it, though. Biggs’ missing scenes fill in a lot of the blanks in Luke’s backstory.
The Droids You’re Looking For
C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the most beloved characters in popular culture. They are also central to the Star Wars universe. That first line spoken by C-3PO (“Did you hear that?”) started us on a never-ending journey full of action and adventure. This semi-comedic pair never seem to be out of trouble, and someone’s always searching for one or both of them at any given time.