Fact: Steps were in place to prevent Star Wars film piracy. Advance posters and trailers were ordered to be returned by a certain date to the studios. Theaters that failed to comply with the directive lost the rights to show the film. The shipped can was labeled “The Doll House”.
Star Trivia
Benicio Del Toro, originally set to play Darth Maul, decided against the role when George Lucas removed most of Maul’s lines. Martial artist, stuntman, and actor Ray Park was selected for the role. Only 3 lines remained for Darth Maul’s part when filming was completed.
Carrie Fisher is the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.
Kyle MacLachlan almost had the role of Qui-Gon Jinn. The part went to Liam Neeson, who also did most of his own stunts in the movie.
Odds and Ends for Props
Three HP Inkjet cartridges are props in the ship’s background during the departure from Tatooine.
Qui-Gon Jinn’s communicator is made from a redecorated Gillette Sensor Razor for Women.
Strange Sound Effects
Many sound effects were provided by common commodities. Battle tanks used by the battle droids created an obnoxious sound while hovering overhead. The source was an electric razor movings around a metal salad bowl. The pitch was digitally lowered to deliver the right affect.
Captain Panaka’s buzzing portable radio owes its source of sound to a 1950’s simulation of a ray pistol.
The pod race scene inspired great crowd reaction, although the sounds are actually a recording of fans at a San Francisco 49ers game. The special effects teams studied crash footage from NASCAR races to make the pod race crashes appear realistic and accurate.
