Every movie has a beginning

Quote of today

"Captain."

Qui-Gon Jinn utters the first words in the movie.
The Phantom Menace

Today...
year 1997 did the filming begin for The Phantom Menace
year 2000 did the filming begin for Attack of the Clones
year 2003 was the release in USA of the Star Wars Galaxies, An Empire Divided

The filming of The Phantom Menace took place in the Tunisian desert for the Tatooine scenes. The podrace was filmed in a canyon near Sidi Bouhlel and Oung Jmel. A set was built near Oung Jmel to represent Mos Espa on Tatooine. The Slave Quarters Row was filmed in Ksour's near Tataouine and Ksar Medenine. Small parts were filmed in Royal Caserta Palace in Italy, Whippendell Woods in the United Kingdom. Studio work was mainly done at Leavesden Studios in the United Kingdom.

Above information can be found in the documentary "The Beginning" Making Episode I, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace DVD documentary, [2001], bonus disc". The documentary follows the producton team from five month before the start of filming to the premiere day.
Source is Wookieepedia and Answers.com

Principal photography of Attack of the Clones primarily took place at 20th Century Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia. Location shooting took place in the Tunisian desert, at the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain, in Italy at the Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como, and in the former royal Palace of Caserta. Pick up shots took place in Ealing Studios in United Kingdom.
Exactly where the information come from is not noted at the sources Wookieepedia and Answers.com

Star Wars Galaxies, An Empire Divided, was the original part of this MMORPG.

The younger Hamill

Quote of today

"The boy is here to see Padme."

A Naboo palace guard doing his job.
Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
Nathan Hamill at his 32nd birthday (born 1979)

Nathan Hamill was born in London, England, UK and played a Pod Race Spectator and a Naboo palace guard in The Phantom Menace. But most of all is Nathan Hamill a comic artist and a art producer, read more in his own blog at Blogger, follow him at Twitter and like him at Facebook.

Naboo Palace Guard served as bodyguards for the ruling Monarch of Naboo and their court. The guard outside Queen Amidala's room at Coruscant is Rehtul Minnau.

Yet another Darth Vader, a Imperial General and a foreign Princess

Quote of today

"Alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival"

Darth Vader wants to leave the Cloud City
The Empire Strikes Back

Today we celebrate...
C. Andrew Nelson at his 49th birthday (born 1962)

C. Andrew Nelson was a digital paint and rotoscope artist for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. He is also an actor and has played Darth Vader in an additional scene in The Empire Strikes Back, Special Edition: "I walked across the blue platform for the shot where Vader leaves Cloud City and goes to his shuttle". C. Andrew Nelson is the only actor to have ever officially portrayed both Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker (in different video games).
Read more about him and his work at his own website and see a short interview with him.

Today we remember...
Don Henderson who died 1997
Lykke Nielsen at her birthday (Died 29th Aug 2006)

Don Henderson was born in England, United Kingdom and played General Tagge in A New Hope. He was an active actor all until his dead.

Lykke Nielsen was born in Denmark and did the voice of Leia in the Danish audioplay of "Star Wars".


Darth Vader is a fearsome leader in The Empire.

General Cassio Tagge is an Imperial officer stationed aboard the Death Star. 

Draft scripts of A New Hope often swapped the names of General Tagge and Admiral Motti and maybe that is the reason for that in the end credits for A New Hope, General Tagge is mistakenly named Commander Taggi.

Princess Leia is a rebel leader trying to fight The Empire.

Today...
year 2005 was http://www.starwars.nu/ put down after seven years on the Internet, only the Forum is still alive. www.starwars.nu arranged the Pre Cantina Party every premiere night for the three prequels.

An Admiral and a Royal Pilot

Quote of today

"My Lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be..."

Admiral Ozzel doesn't share the same opinion as Dart Vader
The Empire Strikes Back

Today we celebrate...
Ralph Brown at his 54th birthday (born 1957)

Ralph Brown was born in England, UK and played Ric Olié in The Phantom Menace.

Today we remember...
Michael Sheard at his birthday (born 1938, died 31 August 2005)

Michael Sheard was born in Scotland, UK and played Admiral Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back. His birth name was Donald Marriot Perkins and his stage surname "Sheard" is his mother's maiden name. He is remeberd at starwars.com.


Ric Olié is a human male pilot in the Naboo Fighter Corps. He has the honor of flying the Royal starship in the service of the Queen of Naboo.

Admiral Kendal Ozzel is the Imperial Navy officer in command in the beginning of Battle of Hoth. He is telekinetically executed by Darth Vader.

A mother of twins

Quote of today

"Something wonderful has happened. ... (continuing) I'm pregnant."

Padmé tells Anakin that he will become a father.
Revenge of the Sith

Today we celebrate...
Natalie Portman at her 30th birthday (born 1981)

Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel and played Padmé Amidala Naberrie in the Prequel Trilogy. Her birth surname was Hershlag. She left Israel for USA at the age of three. At age eleven, Natalie was discovered in a pizza parlor by an agent for Revlon, who offered her an opportunity to model. She asked to be introduced to acting talent scouts and quickly got an audition for the film Léon. She made her movie debut at the age of twelve.
Read what she thought about her work as Forbidden Love in Attack of the Clones.
If you are a fan of Natalie Portman here are also two fan sites that still get updates: natalieportman.com and Adoring Natalie Portman.

Padmé Admidala Naberrie is the young Queen of Naboo that continue serving as a Senator when her terms ended. She is secretly married to Anakin Skywalker and the mother of Luke and Leia.

In Return of the Jedi, Leia tells Luke that she remembered her real mother:

Luke: Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?
Leia: Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.
Luke: What do you remember?
Leia: Just...images, really. Feelings.
Luke: Tell me.
Leia: She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad.

Since Padmé dies, in Revenge of the Sith, while Leia is a newborn, it is not clear how Leia has these memories. This inconsistency is not yet addressed in the Holocron continuity database kept by Leland Chee at Lucasfilm, but there are a lot of speculations.

A Master and an Moff

Quote of today

"The Emperor's coming here?"

Darth Vader convinces Officer Moff Jerjerrod to double his efforts to having the Death Star II ready in time.
Return of the Jedi

Today we celebrate...
Liam Neeson at his 59th birthday (born 1952)
Michael Pennington at his 68th birthday (born 1943)

Liam Neeson (birth name William John Neeson) was born in Northen Ireland, UK and played Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Before he started his actor career he worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, truck driver, assistant architect and an amateur boxer. Liam Neeson is an Academy Award-nominated Irish actor.

Michael Pennington was born in England, UK and played Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi. He is a British director and actor who, together with director Michael Bogdanov, founded the English Shakespeare Company. It was an English theater company to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level.

Qui-Gon Jinn is a Jedi and the Master to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is a timeless, wise soul with supreme confidence. Qui-Gon Jinn has great powers and humility and is well skilled in the Jedi arts.
Listen to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn talking about the life as a Jedi in The Phantom Menace commercials: One destiny

Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod is the Imperial officer supervising the construction of the second Death Star.

The use of archival footage from Return of the Jedi (1983) in the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back (1997) means that Jerjerrod has a cameo in The Empire Strikes Back. When Vader's shuttle arrives aboard the Executor, it is Jerjerrod waiting to greet him.

An animatic artist

Quote of today

"Clean this droid up the best you can. It deserves our gratitude..."

Queen Amidala('s decoy) ask Padmé to take a closer look on this droid.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
Matthew Ward at his 33rd birthday (born 1977)

Matthew A. Ward was an animatic artist for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
Here are an interview with Matthew Ward for Vado TV.

Pre-visualization supervisor

Quote of today

"No Pod's worth two slaves...not by a long shot.

"Watto estimates the value of slaves.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
David Dozoretz at his 39th birthday (born 1971)

David Dozoretz was born in Arizona, USA and was the pre-visualization supervisor for Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Menace and the Special Edition versions of the Original Trilogy. David Dozoretz studied Film Production at the University of Arizona in Media Arts. The first time CG animatics had been used to pre-visualize an entire sequence was for Mission: Impossible and David Dozoretz was there and thats how David Dozoretz became an Animatics Supervisor.

Animatics, also called "Pre-Visualization", is the use of low-end, quickly rendered computer animation to test out a shot or scene before it is actually filmed. It's the next logical extension of the storyboarding process.
For more information about pre-visualization read Animatics: The Moving Storyboards of Episode I.

A sneak preview

Quote of today

".....but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan."

Qui-Gon Jinn want Obi-Wan to keep his concentration here and now
The Phantom Menace

Today...
year 1999 several celebrities converged on Skywalker Ranch to attend a special advance screening of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace put together by MTV and Lucasfilm.

Just like the original

Quote of today

"Mom, you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other."

Anakin wants to Pod race
The Phantom Menace

Today...
at 21:00, year 1999 was a special showing of The Phantom Menace held at Rigoletto in Stockholm, Sweden

On the demand from Star Wars fans Fox Film and the theater Rigoletto invited us to a show where The Phantom Menace was showed in English with no subtext.
Usually, in Sweden foreign films is in original language but with subtext. But Star Wars films has always had the opening crawl translated into Swedish. It was OK back in the 70's and 80's but nowadays we expect the original text.

Mr Antilles

Quote of today

"I'm placing these droids in your care. Treat them well. Clean them up. Have the Protocol Droid's mind wiped."

Bail Organa handle over the care of two droids to Captain Antilles.
Revenge of the Sith

Today we celebrate...
Adrian Dunbar at his 52nd birthday (born 1958)

Adrian Dunbar was born in Northern Ireland, UK and played Bail Organa in deleted scenes in The Phantom Menace. Bail Organa was then recast with Jimmy Smits for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Dunbar's likeness instead became Bail Antilles.

Bail Antilles is the Senator of Alderaan during the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo. Antilles was nominated, along with Senators Palpatine of Naboo and Ainlee Teem of Malastare, to succeed the ousted Chancellor Valorum.

Bail Antilles, Wedge Antilles and Captain Raymus Antilles are not related, Antilles is just a common name in the galaxy far far away. There is no Colton Antilles in the movies. "Captain Antilles" who get strungled by Darth Vader in A New Hope, is the same Captain Antilles that Bail Organa assigns the droids to in Revenge of the Sith.

She dies of broken heart in childbirth

Quote of today

"I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow!"

Padmé meets Darth Vader
Revenge of the Sith

Today we celebrate...
Natalie Portman at her 29th birthday (born 1981)

Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel and played Padmé Amidala Naberrie in the Prequel Trilogy. Her birth surname was Hershlag. She left Israel for USA at the age of three. At age eleven, Natalie was discovered in a pizza parlor by an agent for Revlon, who offered her an opportunity to model. She asked to be introduced to acting talent scouts and quickly got an audition for the film Léon. She made her movie debut at the age of twelve.
Read what she thought about her work as Forbidden Love in Attack of the Clones.
If you are a fan of Natalie Portman here are also two fan sites that still get updates: natalieportman.com and Adoring Natalie Portman.

Padmé Admidala Naberrie is the young Queen of Naboo that continue serving as a Senator when her terms ended. She is secretly married to Anakin Skywalker and the mother of Luke and Leia.

In Return of the Jedi, Leia tells Luke that she remembered her real mother:

Luke: Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?
Leia: Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.
Luke: What do you remember?
Leia: Just...images, really. Feelings.
Luke: Tell me.
Leia: She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad.

Since Padmé dies, in Revenge of the Sith, while Leia is a newborn, it is not clear how Leia has these memories. This inconsistency is not yet addressed in the Holocron continuity database kept by Leland Chee at Lucasfilm, but there are a lot of speculations.

A Jedi Master and an Imperial Officer

Quote of today

"His fate is uncertain, not dangerous. The Council will decide Anakin's future...that should be enough for you."

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn gives Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi an answer about little Anakin.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
Liam Neeson at his 58th birthday (born 1952)
Michael Pennington at his 67th birthday (born 1943)

Liam Neeson was born in Northen Ireland, UK and played Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Before he started his actor career he worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, truck driver, assistant architect and an amateur boxer. Liam Neeson is an Academy Award-nominated Irish actor.

Michael Pennington was born in England, UK and played Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi. He is a British director and actor who, together with director Michael Bogdanov, founded the English Shakespeare Company. It was an English theater company to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level.

Qui-Gon Jinn is a Jedi and the Master to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is a timeless, wise soul with supreme confidence. Qui-Gon Jinn has great powers and humility and is well skilled in the Jedi arts.

Listen to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn talking about the life as a Jedi in The Phantom Menace commercials: One destiny

Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod is the Imperial officer supervising the construction of the second Death Star.

The use of archival footage from Return of the Jedi (1983) in the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back (1997) means that Jerjerrod has a cameo in The Empire Strikes Back. When Vader's shuttle arrives aboard the Executor, it is Jerjerrod waiting to greet him.

An animatic artist

Quote of today

"Clean this droid up the best you can. It deserves our gratitude..."

Queen Amidala('s decoy) ask Padmé to take a closer look on this droid.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
Matthew Ward at his 33rd birthday (born 1977)

Matthew A. Ward was an animatic artist for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

Animatic artist and pre-visualization supervisor

Quote of today

"Whenever you gamble, my freind, eventually you'll lose. Bring the parts to the main hanger. I'll come by your shop later so you can release the boy."

Qui-Gon Jinn has given Watto a lesson in gambeling on Pod Races.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
David Dozoretz at his 39th birthday (born 1971)

David Dozoretz was born in Arizona, USA and was the pre-visualization supervisor for Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Menace and the Special Edition versions of the Original Trilogy. David Dozoretz studied Film Production at the University of Arizona in Media Arts. The first time CG animatics had been used to pre-visualize an entire sequence was for Mission: Impossible and David Dozoretz was there and thats how David Dozoretz became an Animatics Supervisor.

Animatics, also called "Pre-Visualization", is the use of low-end, quickly rendered computer animation to test out a shot or scene before it is actually filmed. It's the next logical extension of the storyboarding process.
For more information about pre-visualization read Animatics: The Moving Storyboards of Episode I.

A dark lord and a bounty hunter

Quote of today

"Master Windu! You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the history archives of the Jedi Order. Now it is finished. Surrender - and your lives will be spared."

Count Dooku stops the Super Droids and gives the Jedis an option.
Attack of the Clones

Today we celebrate...
Christopher Lee at his 88th birthday (born 1922)
Michonne Bourriague at her 32nd birthday (born 1978)

Sir Christopher Lee was born in England, UK and played Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. He started acting 1948 and has a major list of films he has starred in. Read more about Sir Christopher Lee at his official website.

Michonne Bourriague was born in Nevada, USA and played Aurra Sing in Attack of the Clones. That small part was one of her first job as model. George Lucas said to her "I'm going to make a star out of you in three seconds."and he did. She spent six hours in the makeup chair and four hours to get it all off.

Count Dooku was a Jedi Master who fell to the dark side of the Force and became a Dark Lord of the Sith, known as Darth Tyranus. A bust of him can be seen in the Jedi Archives library.

Aurra Sing is a bounty hunter seen briefly during the Bounta Eve Pod Race on Tatooine.
The character become so popular that the character was expanded into comics and games.

A powerful Jedi Master, a stormtrooper and two premieres

Quote of today

"That is why you fail."

Yoda answer a disbelieving Luke
The Empire Strikes Back

Today we celebrate...
Frank Oz at his 66th birthday (born 1944)
Colin Michael Kitchens at his 63rd birthday (born 1947)

Frank Oz was born in England, UK and played Yoda. He is a Master Puppeteer and gives Yoda a voice and movement. Frank Oz' birth name is Richard Frank Oznowicz. Read about the Composite Identity of a Jedi Master in A Phantom Menace.

Colin Michael Kitchens was born in California, USA and was an assistant film editor in A New Hope. He also did the voice for a stormtrooper ("Look sir, droids").


Yoda is the small and green ancient Jedi Master. Yoda had trained Padawans for eight centuries and is very powerful in the Force.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and A Phantom Menace is Yoda a puppet. But for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith he is entirely computer-generated. The ILM animators took great efforts to not outdo Frank Oz's puppeteering skills, so they actually toned down the biological realism in their animation. Rather than have true, realistic lip sync and eye blinks, Yoda would instead have more of a "jaw sync" and slower blinks and other imperfections.

Stormtrooper is the military soldiers loyal to the Emperor.

Today...
year 1977 was the premiere of Star Wars (A New Hope) in USA
year 1983 was the premiere of Return of the Jedi in USA

Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope is the first episode released in the Star Wars saga. It had premiere in USA and the next to see it was Philippines August 23. Sweden had to wait until December 16 the same year.
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi is the last episode in the Star Wars saga. It had premiere in USA and the next to see it was United Kingdom June 2. Sweden had to wait until September 30 the same year.

The Maker and a handmaiden

Quote of today

”Either choice presents a great risk ... to all of us ...”

Queen Amidala has to choose wisely.
The Phantom Menace

Today we celebrate...
George Lucas at his 66th birthday (born 1944)
Sofia Coppola at her 39th birthday (born 1971)

George Walton Lucas Jr. was born in Modesto, Carlifonia, USA. He is the cause of the universe of Star Wars, our hobbie and community. George Lucas is the Writer and Producer of all six Star Wars movies. He was Director for A New Hope and the Prequels, the Editor for the Original Triology and Attack of the Clones, Music producer for Original Triology and he played Baron Papanoida in Revenge of the Sith.

George Lucas was nominated for four Oscars but did not win any of them. Before Star Wars he did the movie THX 1138 and American Grafitti and he is also responsible to Indiana Jones: Raiders of he Lost Ark and a lot of other movies. George Lucas is the founder of Lucasfilm Ltd and in high school his was nicknamed Luke.

George Lucas is also the Founder and Chairman of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, founded back in 1991 as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools.

George Lucas is often shorten to just GL or called "The Maker" in the Star Wars community.

Sofia Carmia Coppola was born in New York, USA. She is the daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, a longtime friend of George Lucas. Sofia Coppola played Saché in The Phantom Menace.

Baron Papanoida is an influential personage in Coruscant affairs. He is seen in the Opera House standing with Senator Chi Eekway. In early incarnation he was planned to be named Baron Notluwiski.

An Exclusive Action Figure was made of George Lucas to Celebration II, May 3-5 2002 in Indianapolis. It's an rebel pilot named Jorg Sacul (Sacul is Lucas spelled backwards).

Jorg Sacul is a rebel pilot, a fearless fighter and renowned for his inner strength and ability to remain calm under fire.

Egroeg Sacul was a customer of the Star Tours travel agency. He was asked to see a Star Tours agent at gate number three before departing on a trip to Endor. The name Egroeg Sacul is George Lucas spelled backwards.

There is no information or speculations if Egroeg and Jorg are relatives.

Saché is one of Queen Amidalas handmaiden. She and Yané are left on Naboo when Amidala and the others went to Coruscant. She was attended at Qui-Gon Jinn’s funeral but absent at the Peace Ceremony. For more information about the handmaiden see The Royal Handmaiden Society.

A top model as handmaiden

Quote of today

"Again you come before us, Your highness."

Nute Gunray greets the Queen.
The Phantom Menace

Did you know...
She is Queen Amidala's youngest handmaiden.

Candice Orwell is an English model in Storm Model agency. She played the handmaiden Yané in the Phantom Menace.

Yané is one of Queen Amidala's five handmaidens during the time of the Battle of Naboo. Yané is left on Naboo when the Queen follows the Jedis to Coruscant.

If you want to know more about the handmaidens look at The Royal Handmaiden Society.

She is not voicless

Quote of today

"Anakin Skywalker to see Padmé, Your Highness."

Rabé announce Anakins arrival
The Phantom Menace

Did you know…
Had the actress for Rabé not fallen in George Lucas' good graces, she would have been yet another voiceless extra.

Karol Cristina da Silva was born in Brazil during 1975 and played Rabé in The Phantom Menace.

Rabé is one of Queen Amidala’s loyal handmaidens. Along with Eirtaé and Sabé she does accompany Queen Amidala to Coruscant and later fight in the battle to free Naboo from the control of the Trade Federation.

If you want to know more about the handmaidens look at The Royal Handmaiden Society.