Once on set the Falcon could be repositioned anywhere in the Star Wars Stage using its air jets. It is a fact that the only time C-3PO ever flew the Millennium Falcon was when Anthony Daniels, who was visiting the set, gave the structure, which weighed over 25 tons by this stage, a slight nudge and sent it into a graceful pirouette. Les Dilley (Art Director) was responsible for the positioning of the set, and the day before the shooting of the Echo Base hangar scene began he placed it according to the instructions he was left. The next day Irvin Kershner (Director) decided he wanted it moved to a new location so the air jets were turned on and the whole spaceship was relocated using just finger tips. The air jets were later used in a quick shot that showed the Millennium Falcon maneuvering inside the Rebel's icy hangar. Much to Norman Reynolds' disappointment the scene was later dropped.
Dagobah replaced Echo Base, and once the swamps of Yoda's adopted planet were broken down the Star Wars Stage was then turned into a belly of a space slug. In order to make up time on the delayed filming schedule the Dagobah set was only partially broken down and the belly of the space slug was set up on the cheap. As John Knolls observed in 365 Days: Creating the Worlds of Star Wars, it was "the least expensive set built for The Empire Strikes Back" and was done by simply covering the walls of the stage in black drapes and the floor with plastic sheeting.
The final scene that saw the full-scale Millennium Falcon being used was set on platform 327 on Bespin's Cloud City. Though this was a relatively straightforward setup that involved laying down sheets of ply to mark where the actors would walk, the hard work was done by a number of compositors who blended in the matte painting and six-foot long miniature that would make up the rest of the shot.
When filming for The Empire Strikes Back was completed in September, 1979 the Falcon was broken down and moved to Elstree's backlot. Due to the set's sheer size not all of the ship could be saved but most of it was kept sealed in an airtight wrapping to protect it from the vagaries of the British climate. There it waited for four long years before production on Revenge of the Jedi brought George Lucas and his team of moviemakers back to Borehamwood.
Principal photography on Episode VI began in January, 1982, and the first shot filmed was the Tatooine sandstorm scene where Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams acted out their reunion after the rescue from Jabba's Palace.
When the Elstree crew rebuilt the Falcon it was a cut-down version of the ship that was used. Due to the decreased visibility caused by the fan-assisted sandstorm only half of the set was used, meaning that the whole scene was filmed on the less auspicious Stage 2 instead of the more favored Star Wars Stage. This was the only appearance of the Millennium Falcon set that was built three years earlier, and was later cut from the theatrical release. All other manifestations of the Millennium Falcon exterior in Return of the Jedi were merely models or matte paintings.
At the end of filming for Return of the Jedi the Millennium Falcon was sold as scrap. Not long before the Jawas cleared away the backlot a young Peter Briggs, screenwriter of Hellboy, spent some time in February, 1982 taking some of the last known images of what was the last ship to be built in Pembroke Dock. Apart from memories and a few photographs, the only pieces that survive are those rescued by Anthony Daniels and now rest in private collections around the world.
Further thanks goes to Norman Reynolds, Brian Johnson, John Evans, Milford Haven Port Authority, the Western Telegraph, Russ Williamson, Brandon Alinger and Jamie Benning for their invaluable help on this article.
For other Millennium Falcon stories, don't forget to check out:
- Millennium Falcon Week Begins StarWars.com gets the ball rolling with an excerpt from the new novel, Star Wars: Millennium Falcon by James Luceno.
- A Millennium of Gaming The history of the Millennium Falcon in video games.
- Millennium Falcon Collectibles The best Falcon toys, puzzles, models and more.
- Learn to Draw the Millennium Falcon Step-by-step instructions on how to draw the classic vessel.
- Draw a Millennium Falcon Battle Scene Tips on how to compose a dynamic space battle starring the Falcon.
- Make a Millennium Falcon Neck Rest Turn an ordinary neck rest into a crafty Star Wars one.
- Secrets of the Millennium Falcon Millennium Falcon week concludes with this behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Ultimate Blueprints.
