One of the highlights for many fans attending Celebration Europe in London last month was witnessing the full set recreation of the Tantive IV Blockade Runner hallway seen in Episodes III and IV. For those who were able to view this attraction first-hand, the experience was downright euphoric.

Weird & Wonderful Ltd., who recreated the Tantive IV interior along with a stunning reconstruction of a Dagobah swamp section for Celebration Europe, spared no expense or detail to bring these classic Star Wars locales to life, from the illuminated ceiling of the Blockade Runner to the winding roots of the Dagobah trees. In the case of the Tantive IV, this was not simply a mockup thrown together for Kodak moments -- this was an actual working set that could be shot from multiple angles, matching so closely to the original Star Wars set that it could virtually double for it in the movie. In fact, that's just what it did.

Fans were invited to dress up in Rebel Trooper uniforms and act out the opening scenes from A New Hope, with the added help of the intrepid stormtrooper costumers of the 501st Legion. And the experience didn't stop there -- other costumers, including Darth Vaders, a C-3PO, and even an R2-D2 provided by the R2 Builders Club, stood in for their filmic counterparts as video cameras rolled, capturing footage that an on-site editor could cut into the original movie as the audience watched. To most who witnessed it, the experience for the audience and fans-turned-Rebels was, well, captivating (pun intended).

(Check out the video which shows just one of the many filmed sequences generated over the course of the convention weekend.)

Jonathan Sands, owner of Weird & Wonderful since 2001, says his company was originally in the business of prop storage. "Weird & Wonderful Ltd is an entertainment production company which began its life as a Prop Hire service to the film and TV industry," he explains. "It has since expanded its services to set building, model making, sculpting and project management for public events."

Originally based in the same Elstree Studios that was home to many Star Wars productions, Weird & Wonderful began a relationship with Lucasfilm when space was needed to store props from the new prequel productions. "We've continued to build on an agreement that was originally created by Lucasfilm in 1998 to store many of the props from Episode I following production, which included set pieces such as the full size N1 Naboo Starfighter amongst others," explains Sands.

"Since then we have been lucky enough to have been involved with much of the theatrical publicity along with various partners for Star Wars," he continues, "including the London premiere of Revenge of the Sith in Leicester Square, the Formula 1 tie-up with Red Bull in Monaco in 2005, Celebration Europe, and now Star Wars: The Exhibition in London County Hall."

For Celebration Europe, discussions began with Lucasfilm's Head of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet in November 2006 to plan a Jedi Training on Dagobah experience and a concept that involved recreating a true-to-life sound stage environment -- an idea which included a live show every hour demonstrating just how the scene might have been put together with real directors, actors and a few members of the audience.

"One of the most iconic moments in Star Wars is on board the Blockade Runner Tantive IV where Darth Vader first makes his appearance," says Sands. "What other scene could we have recreated?"

Working alongside Sansweet and Lucasfilm Archives' Laela French to ensure that the re-building of the Tantive IV set was true and accurate, Weird & Wonderful was provided with continuity photographs of the original set from multiple angles.

"Originally it was discussed that it might have been possible to use much of the archived set [from Episode III]," explains Sands, "but it quickly became apparent that we would have to build it entirely from scratch as [the original set] was all based in the US."

The set took approximately three months to build, not including design and planning. "But this was only half of the project," says Sands, "as we had to also design the live show around it. As we got closer to Celebration Europe, ideas were developed on top of more ideas, which resulted in the live action recreation that we all experienced."

The live action experience included handfuls of fans decked out in Rebel Trooper fatigues, quickly coached to convincingly deal and be dealt invisible laser blasts from an onslaught of costumed stormtroopers. The action was focused around the hallway in which Darth Vader first enters the Blockade Runner...and the Star Wars saga.

"It was a grand plan and one that didn't allow for any error," says Sands. "If executed incorrectly with hardcore fans, it could have gone either way. So focus and creative persistence was necessary."

While the Tantive IV and Dagobah sets are currently crated away until being called upon again, Weird & Wonderful has been keeping busy with an interactive show called The Jedi School at Star Wars: The Exhibition in London. Originally created for the Chessington World of Adventures in 2006, the Jedi School has continually evolved and is performing up to ten live shows a day to" adds Sands. "It's such a joy to see the faces of the audiences when it all comes together, which proves that we are on the right track."

Hopefully, that track will someday lead Weird & Wonderful to the United States for a Tantive IV Experience of our own.

Check out Weird & Wonderful's site to keep up to date on their latest events.