Tony was the robot engineer who created the many R2-D2 units for The Empire Strikes Back. He also worked on other films like Moonraker, Superman II, and Dragonslayer. Tony contacted me many moons ago and told me that if I ever wanted an interview to just ask. So needless to say, I asked and therefore, I received. (Original posting: December 1, 1997) Read More
Tag: r2-d2
Remembering Tony Dyson
I was very saddened to learn that a very old friend of the site, Tony Dyson, has passed away. Tony was the robot engineer who created the many R2-D2 units for The Empire Strikes Back. He also worked on other films like Moonraker, Superman II, and Dragonslayer.
ThinkGeek Product Reviews: Light-Up ChopSabers, R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set, Vader Stress Toy, and Moleskin Notebooks
ThinkGeek.com is a glorious shopping site you’ve probably heard of before. They offer fully-licensed merchandise from geeky franchise favories like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel, Game of Thrones, and of course Star Wars. Once in a while they send me a few items to check out and review on the site and I’m happy to oblige. Today’s bundle includes four items.
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, 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.
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.
Pain and Sufferring
Star Wars just wouldn’t be Star Wars without people getting hurt, tortured, maimed or disfigured.
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.
Dagobah
It may be a slimy mud hole to some, but to Yoda it was home. This swampy, hidden planet was where Yoda fled, and where he later trained the son of a fallen Jedi. Some argue that Luke’s Jedi training was much too fast in the film. Initially, there were more trials for Luke to endure.
Echo Base & The Battle of Hoth
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance found themselves using the ice planet of Hoth as their base of operations. They thought they’d be safe on the nearly 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. Of course, there are plenty of deleted scenes to be discussed.
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 this sub-plot was 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.
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.
Rescuing Palpatine
You have to hand it to Palpatine. Organizing his own capture and rescue to reinforce his cover as a phantom menace to the galaxy was a stroke of pure evil genius. Poor Dooku probably thought so too until he had two lightsabers criss-crossing his neckline. I’m not sure that even Palpatine foresaw what a troublesome rescue it would be, however. What we saw in the finished film was a trimmed down version. Let’s take a look at some of the deleted/altered bits from the opening space battle to the big crash landing.