BEHIND THE SCENES IMAGE: DAGOBAH DAYS!

Yoda operator Dave Barclay holds onto the Yoda puppet whilst Mark Hamill lifts himself up for some more Jedi training filming as Luke Skywalker, on the misty and murky Dagobah set towards the end of the main studio principal photography for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK at ELSTREE, circa August/September 1979.

CLASSIC ART: McQUARRIE'S DAGOBAH

Here's some intriguing ideas from the master STAR WARS visualist for a far more unusual and alien environment for Yoda (originally known as Minch Yoda in late 1978) on his sanctuary world of Dagobah. The little Jedi's hut/home would basically stay the same for its eventual on-screen appearance (if a little smaller), though I think its time THE CLONE WARS adapted the rest of the environment for one of its alien planet fall episodes-it would look great.

For even more definitive behind the scenes info on the making of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, find out how to get hold of our two popular volumes on the film here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO "EMPIRE" BEHIND THE SCENES COMPANION and here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO DOUBLE ISSUE 11/12-THE MAKING OF "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"

CLASSIC IMAGE: A SPIRITED TEACHER

On the jungle world of Dagobah, the in-exile Jedi Master Yoda begins his training of the boy with no patience, Luke Skywalker.

A triumph of effects, puppetry and acting by the talented Frank Oz, check out this link to a great behind the scenes feature, full of rare images, on the little green Jedi's practical on-set realisation, from the British puppeteer who assisted Oz on EMPIRE (as well as being an important part of Jabba the Hutt in JEDI), Dave Barclay: Dave Barclay

CLASSIC ART: TINY WISDOM!

Here's a fun b/w late 1978 or early 1979 storyboard, possibly by the respected UK artist Ivor Beddoes during the time he worked on storyboarding for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK at ELSTREE with the late director Irvin Kershner, showing a wide-eyed and innocent, dreaming of adventure and excitement Luke Skywalker conferring with an early version of Yoda within his hut home on Dagobah.

With thanks to Ian Trussler for the image.

CLASSIC IMAGE: "EMPIRE"s UNSEEN SEEKER DRONES

An intriguing design of one of the seeker drone balls (similar to the one from STAR WARS) used by Yoda in training Luke Skywalker on Dagobah during THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Sadly, these scenes, in which the Jedi Master would use them against his Padawan in unsuspecting moments, were cut from the script shortly before filming on the ELSTREE Dagobah sets, so as to keep the scenes on the planet tight story-wise, and to further help reduce the already escalating production budget. As far as we're aware, neither of the two seeker drones were ever constructed.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DIRTY DAGOBAH!

At ELSTREE Studios during August/September 1979, the UK production technicians and dressers constantly alter/re-dress the misty and atmospheric bog world set of Dagobah to make it look like a new area of swamp land, as well as dirtying up Luke's X-wing further for the scene where Yoda, watched by his incredulous new Padawan, has used the Force to rescue it from the water. Note the empty Artoo Detoo shell far right which will house Kenny Baker in the scene/s to be filmed. Once the ship has safely touched down, a scene was filmed, but ultimately cut, in which the little droid hoses it down with water and begins cleaning it up.