ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: "ASTEROIDS!"

One of my favourite ILM effects composite images for the 1980 promotion of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, as a squad of TIE fighters gamely pursues their prey- the Millennium Falcon- through a densely packed asteroid field. These TIE pilots might be experienced and amongst the best in the Empire, but they haven't reckoned on the skills of the smuggling vessel's captain... a certain ex-Imperial pilot himself: Han Solo!

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: DEATH STAR PATROL

A patrol of TIE fighters tear across the equatorial channel of the fearsome Imperial Death Star battle station in this terrific piece of conceptual art by ILM's Joe Johnston from 1977, as seen in the STAR WARS SKETCH BOOK of the time.

Its a great image and you can just imagine Ben Burtt's brutal sound design for the craft as they race by...

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: TO FILM A T.I.E.!

In a small ex-garage in Van Nuys, California, sometime during late 1976/early 1977, where an unsuspecting world outside of it has virtually no idea that STAR WARS is on the way, ILM Visual Effects Technician/icon Richard Edlund makes an adjustment to a TIE fighter model prior to blue screen filming.

CLASSIC IMAGE: TIE COCKPIT

An interesting close-in shot of a TIE fighter cockpit (I'm not sure if it's an original model or a replica). I always loved these Classic Trilogy fighters, and their fearsome battle cry tearing through space, but what I really wanted to have seen more use of in the later films was Darth Vader's own unique prototype ship (imagine if it had been in proper combat against the Millennium Falcon. Now that would have been a battle!), and it rarely appeared in the MARVEL comics, which was a bit of a shame...

CLASSIC ART: "AMAZING STORIES" - "RUNNING THE BELT"

Here's a terrific spaceship art cover for a very hard to get hold of issue of the US published AMAZING STORIES sci-fi anthology tales magazine, issue no 597 (Summer 1999), which featured a special one-off STAR WARS story- RUNNING THE BELT- from EPISODE II adaptor/NEW JEDI ORDER devised writer R.A. Salvatore (who is also interviewed in its pages), and concerning the Solo children in a coming of age story. As well as STAR WARS being a major selling point, its probably even harder to get hold of because of the also unique BABYLON 5 after-series tale specially written for the magazine by it's creator, J. Michael Straczynski.

If anyone has the cover art as a better quality scan could they please send it through so I can update the Blog.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: GOING IN FOR THE KILL!

Above the Death Star planetoids surface, two deadly TIE fighters move speedily to intercept a Rebel X-wing fighter (possibly Luke's, from looking at the Fourth Draft script) in a lovely ILM 1976/77 storyboarded image by artist unknown (presumably Joe Johnston).

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: AN EMPIRE IN FLAMES!

Here's a great shot of a destroyed TIE fighter from the 1982/1983 model filming of the epic space battle for RETURN OF THE JEDI, supervised by ILM's Ken Ralston. I loved the shot so much I thought it might make a great cover for our MAKING OF RETURN OF THE JEDI Anniversary special issue a few years back (its still available in PDF format in our main sites back issues area-our biggest ever issue as well!) - the TIE in flames signifying the death of the mighty Empire - resulting in a few cover ideas that were put up by myself and regular AFICIONADO contributor Chris Baker.

Here they are (and I do still like them!):

Ultimately, however, because the image was just too dark, I decided against it and went with another rare photo of Mark Hamill in prime Jedi action on the Sail Barge instead (from an image kindly provided by another AFICIONADO contributor, Ian Trussler). As a nice curiosity I thought readers might enjoy seeing the above unused images anyway.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DEATH STAR BATTLE STATIONS!

As alarm lights blaze and sirens fill the air within the corridors of the Death Star, elite TIE fighter pilots rush to their ships, ready to engage the attacking Rebel X and Y-wing ships, in this deleted scene from STAR WARS, filmed by Gary Kurtz's second unit at some point in July 1976 at ELSTREE. A partial clip from the deleted footage would later be used in RETURN OF THE JEDI.

I'd have love to have seen a sequence where we see the pilots actually get into their TIE ships and take off. In the film we see Vader and his wing men depart the docking bay, but there's a great moment in the MARVEL comic strip adaptation of the time (above image) where we see Vader actually getting into his ship.

I wonder if that was just writer Roy Thomas/artist Howard Chaykin's visual idea, or whether there was a scripted scene that was possibly filmed? Or perhaps the scene was planned for but unfilmed due to time and money pressures. Perhaps the Blu-ray will solve the many mysteries once and for all...

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE- A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

Lovely 1976/77 reference art by ILM designer/storyboard artist Joe Johnston showing the varying sizes of the STAR WARS spaceships and vehicles in relation to each other. As always with Johnston's work its simple but elegant, very stylized and ultra cool.