Tag: leia

Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire: The Movie-Without-the-Movie Extravaganza of 1996

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In 2015, I conducted a series of interviews with some of the people who worked on the Shadows of the Empire project concocted by Lucasfilm back in 1996. I loved the project, warts and all, from the moment it was released so it was a joy to conduct these interviews and gain multiple inside perspectives on what it was like to create such an expansive project. The essay was written for the Expanded Universe anthology called A More Civilized Age: Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe (2016) from my friends Rich Handley and Joe Berenato. I’ve decided to reprint the essay here on my site because I feel it sheds some more light on the nearly 30-year-old project and ended up revealing a few facts that were previously unknown to me about the inner workings of Lucasfilm at the time.

I’ve slightly edited this essay for the Internet by removing footnotes and changing them to links, and other small things like that. All quotes, unless otherwise indicated, are from my interviews. For more fun, head over to Facebook and like my Shadows of the Empire fan page.

I hope you enjoy the essay.

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The Empire Strikes Back – First Draft by Leigh Brackett

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Download: Star Wars Sequel by Leigh Brackett

The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and even as a 10-year-old, I remember reading about an early version of the script written by a Sci-Fi author and screenwriter named Leigh Brackett. She turned in a first draft and passed away from Cancer in 1978. This draft was based on a story outline from George Lucas.

From there, as the story goes, Lucas tried his hand at a draft or two but then turned those drafts over to Lawrence Kasdan who ultimately penned the script, although Brackett was still credited. It’s unclear as to the reason why, but it’s assumed that this was a professional courtesy since not many people really knew if any of her work ended up in the final version.  Many interviews with Lucas and others who had seen the draft implied that it beared very little resemblance.

For years, this elusive draft seemed like a “holy grail” of sorts to Star Wars aficionados. In 2010, however, I was shown a scanned version of what appeared to be this draft by Brackett. It came complete with handwritten notes, crossed out words, and matched up with just about every description of the actual thing you could think of. If it was a forgery, it was an elaborate one.

At Starwarz.com, I also host a site called Starkiller. This small group of people specialize in Star Wars scripts. Being that I’m a member, we posted the script online and it’s the most popular download on the site.

At first read, you do get the distinct impression that it’s very different, but it’s mostly the dialogue. Many of the concepts and scenes are still intact.

SOME noticeable differences include:

  • Han is never frozen and there are no bounty hunters like Boba Fett
  • Lando has a different last name (Kadar) and a lady friend
  • Planet names are different or changed around
  • Yoda is called “Minch”
  • Han is sent on a “mission” to speak to his powerful Step-father (which is supposed to be part of the next film)

and the biggest one of all…

  • Darth Vader and Luke’s Father are TWO DIFFERENT characters

Luke’s father, simply referred to as SKYWALKER in the script, shows up in ghost form along with Ben while Luke is being trained. What’s more is he also tells Luke about his sister – who is not Leia. Her name is Nellith. Luke takes the oath of the Jedi along with his Father, Ben and Minch (Yoda).

It’s clear that Lucas wasn’t sure on the direction he was going with the whole Anakin/Vader story yet. It makes you think about Lucas’ explanation of how the whole saga was always supposed to be about Anakin Skywalker. When Empire was being made, it seems he had no idea about this. Nor did he know that Leia would be Luke’s sister, which explains his non-reluctance to having them romantically linked in the film. Was he shooting from the hip then, and is he now rewriting history?

Other than that, you’ll see that the general framework and outline from Lucas is pretty much there. Not much of Brackett’s dialogue remained but some of her spirit did.

For fans, this is a great find and a great read so I’m happy to be able to share it here as well as over at the Starkiller site.

Enjoy reading it and please leave some comments.

Download: Star Wars Sequel by Leigh Brackett

 

The Path of Luke Skywalker

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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, as evident in the old drafts of the script, but he eventually got the characters there. The role of the son went to young Luke Skywalker, who went on to embark on his “Hero’s Journey” throughout the original trilogy of films. The path was not an easy one.

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On The Forest Moon

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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, complete with 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.

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Han Solo and the Princess

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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.

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A City in the Clouds

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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.

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The Battle of Yavin

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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.

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Leia’s Torture

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There has been a long standing rumor about a scene in Episode IV  where Leia was hung upside-down by Darth Vader and extensively tortured while being held prisoner in the Death Star detention block.

Ryan Silva helped with the debunking of this old rumor. Here is the entry from the “Debunk” section of his old Lost Scenes web-site:

A friend of mine was just telling me about the Leia-Vader torture scene. She said that she was reading an interview with Carrie Fisher, and in the article she described the scene as the most awful day of filming on the set. She described the scene in very much the same way it was portrayed in the [NPR] radio drama. She described being hung upside down while they filmed her being tortured until she eventually passed out. She then noted how pissed she was when she saw that it had been cut from the movie.

From ROLLING STONE, issue no. 322, July 24th, 1980: p. 35. Carrie Fisher Interview:

“…Fisher laments the fact that several exotic scenes never made it into either film. ‘In the original script, I was captured, and when Mark and Harrison found me, I was hanging upside down with yellow eyes, like in THE EXORCIST. They shoulda just gotten Linda Blair for it. Some form of radar torture was done to me and I was in a beam, bruised and beaten up, suspended in midair. The reason it was cut from the film was because I was unconscious and the Wookie[e] would have had to carry me for, like, the next fifteen minutes. But I loved the idea of having yellow eyes and being beaten and carried.'”

The torture scene Carrie Fisher remembers reading about WAS NOT FILMED. That scene is part of the 3rd Draft by Lucas. She hangs upside down with yellow eyes, and Chewbacca must carry her for about 10 scenes onwards. Of course, this scene is NOT in the shooting script, the 4th Draft.

 

Bail Organa: Intergalactic Man of Mystery

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Note: This editorial was written before the release of Episode III.

The name Bail Organa has been floating around in Star Wars lore since the saga’s inception. The name and the character went through many iterations until Episode II when Jimmy Smits appeared on screen, ending the mystery of what Bail would look like and what he would do in the prequel era. The character still retained an air of mystery about him, however.

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