Anthony Daniels—the man behind and inside C-3PO—is one of the most friendly and entertaining personalities of all the Star Wars cast members. He is also a Shakespearean stage actor and does some writing on the side. He is always happy to reprise his role as C-3PO for any cause and will most-likely be one of the very few actors who can claim to appear in every Star Wars film. I recently got the opportunity to chat with Anthony Daniels and asked him a few questions. (Original Posting: May 10, 2000) Read More
Tag: c-3po
The Path of Luke Skywalker
George Lucas has stated in many interviews that the heart of the Star Wars saga revolves around the relationship between a father and a son. He might not have had those roles clearly defined at the onset or writing, as evident in the old drafts of the script, but he eventually got his characters there. The role of the son eventually went to young Luke Skywalker, who went on to embark on his “Hero’s Journey” throughout the original trilogy of films. He starts out as a young boy, is thrown into adventure with a wizard-like mentor, defies the odds, pulls off the unexpected, and becomes a hero. The path was not an easy one, however.
On The Forest Moon
Most of the Star Wars films are known and loved for their action packed, multi-threaded, climactic ending sequences. In Return of the Jedi, there was a large space attack happening above the forest moon of Endor, along with an epic duel between Father and Son with lightsabers and taunting by an evil menace. The battle above Endor was paired with a battle on the surface of the planet that succeeded due to the brave actions of the Rebel Alliance soldiers (and those pesky Ewoks.) Had any one of these battles gone in favor of the Empire, the galaxy might have been a very different place in the following years.
Battle in the Desert
Rescuing Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba was no easy task. It took a well-thought out plan, consisting of many parts and relied on cunning and chance. It all concluded with a battle in the Tatooine desert over a mostly underground creature buried in the sand. The battle and its aftermath give us lots of material to cover.
Inside Jabba’s Palace
Obi-Wan once told Luke that he’d never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley Spaceport. Well, Luke eventually found one when he arrived at Jabba’s Palace. Who knows all the things we didn’t get to see in that loathsome palace? Let’s take a look.
Pain and Sufferring
Star Wars just wouldn’t be Star Wars without people getting hurt, tortured, maimed or disfigured.
Han Solo and the Princess
The developing love story of Princess Leia and Han Solo is a one of the greatest, most tenuous on-screen romances of all time. The Princess and The Pauper. Beauty and the Beast. Prom Queen and the Bad Boy. Call it what you want. It worked. Here are some of their not often seen moments, as well as a few mentions of Han’s other love: The Millennium Falcon.
A City in the Clouds
Looking back, not much good can be said about Cloud City. It may have been beautiful, but it was a city of betrayal, darkness, and loss. Luke nearly lost more than his hand there. Leia and Chewie nearly lost more than Han there. R2-D2 nearly lost more than his counterpart there. Not a fun place to visit.
Echo Base & The Battle of Hoth
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, and proving themselves a force to be reckoned with, the Rebel Alliance found themselves using the ice planet of Hoth as their base of operations. They thought they’d be safe on the near-uninhabitable world. They thought wrong. Between Darth Vader’s intuition and the Empire’s probe droids scouring the galaxy, it was just a matter of time before they were tracked down. The Rebels soon found themselves fighting for their lives and on the run. The scenes that take place on Hoth are quite breathtaking, especially the battle with the walkers. Of course, there are plenty of deleted scenes to be examined as well, most noticeably the ones that deal with the Wampa ice creatures.
Wampa Ice Creatures
In the finished film, we’re treated to just one Wampa ice creature who attacks Luke and takes him home for dinner. Originally there were supposed to be many more Wampas causing trouble for our friends at Echo Base. Much of the sub-plot was ultimately dropped.
The Battle of Yavin
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.
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.
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.
Special Deliveries
Let’s talk about delivering the twins, but more specifically about Luke Skywalker. Padmé delivered Luke (and Leia) on Polis Massa and then Obi-Wan delivered baby Luke to the Lars family on Tatooine.
To Mustafar and Back
Much like Tatooine, Mustafar was a seemingly insignificant planet, yet would be the location of galaxy-defining events. Drenched in deep reds and molten imagery, it provided the rich and hell-like backdrop needed for Anakin’s final fall into darkness. Here are some of the deleted scenes that revolve around this crimson planet.