PT George Lucas Select Images: A Look Back

I remember the reax on a Natalie Portman fan site..."oh noez, who hurt our precious little goddess?"

--MissPadme

 

Select Image #9

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The new Queen of Naboo? A Handmaiden? Padme? That's pretty much who we narrowed it down to during speculation. It was assumed at the start of the selects that each image would have some meaning and have some relevance to Episode II. We didn't really find out until much later that this was just an extra. No meaning further than that. We'd catch on eventually but not so soon. Nice costume though, whoever she is.

 

Select Image #10

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Ladies and gentlemen, Jango Fett. We knew he'd look like Boba, but it was still great to actually see him...with a colorful umbrella just singing in the rain. The floor obviously matched the earlier select picture with Obi-Wan and thus the buzz was about the fight the two would have. A Jedi vs a Bounty Hunter.

 

Was this the first glimpse of Kenobi with a beard?

 

We had seen spy photos of Ewan McGregor with a beard and I think one from a distance of him in costume in July, but this I believe was our first official photo. The Star Wars Insider magazine came out not long after with an image or two of Obi-Wan though.




Select Image #11

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Oh did we have fun with this one. A month or two before this, the official site had made an announcement stating that Christopher Lee would be playing a "charismatic separatist." Sounded like a politician to us. Then reports trickled in stating his name would be Count Doku or Dooku.

Then came the domain names which confirmed Count Dooku. But there was also DARTHTYRANUS.net. A new Sith Lord? Sidious has a new apprentice? Who? What does he look like? Is it a man or a woman?

This select image I believe was the next big stop in the connection. Through photo enhancement techniques, people were able to make out that the guy holding the red saber did indeed have a beard/Christopher Lee look to him. Was the new apprentice the 80 year old Christopher Lee?! I guess age really does matter not.

With other reports coming in saying that Doku in Japanese meant poison, a french insider magazine saying that Lee would use a lightsaber, and just the lack of info on anyone cast as a new Sith, it became apparent that fall that Count Dooku was in fact Darth Tyranus. Possibly the biggest news regarding Episode II at the time and certainly fueled the forums with speculation.

 

AOTC rules.

 

This is the first picture also to show off the technology that would become Master Replica's Force-FX Lightsabers.... is it not? This was the first time they had actual lighting reference during a fight.... I think the technique was only used in the scene when Anakin cuts the powercord under Dooku's Solar Sailer and they have a moment of battle lit only by the sabers.

 

Yep. There was some wonderment 11 years ago as to how they took this image.





Two for one special here.


Select Image #12

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The old Lars homestead. It was nice to see it again after 23 years. Since Owen and Beru had been cast, this was expected. We had seen the domain name that said Shmi Lars too and figured she would married to Cliegg Lars, another domain name found. Didn't take a high IQ to figure out Jack Thompson was playing Cliegg based on his official casting description.



Select Image #13

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George Lucas with something being reflected back at us. To this day I'm still not even sure what it was meant to be. A set?

 

Beats me. Kamino landing platform...?

Oh boy, that's a cool pic. And the scene in the movie kicks ass too.

 

Select Image #14

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By now we knew that there would be Bounty Hunters in Episode II, but we didn't know how many. Temuera Morrison was playing Jango Fett. Rumors were still swirling about Aurra Sing. Was this one male or female? Assuming this was a bounty hunter of course. We had the domain name of ZAMWESELL.com but we didn't know it was Leeanna Walsman's character or that this was she. It was a great image for speculation.

 

I remember seeing this image and suddenly getting the feeling that all of the nonsense from TPM was going to be set right with this movie. Epsiode II would be dark!

 

Select Image #15

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Great use of color and lighting in this one. To start off Obi-Wan and Anakin's chat while the Senator sleeps, originally Anakin was to be meditating before Kenobi arrives. This was cut from the film, but at least we got this select image of it. We had no idea where this was when we first saw it.

 

My hat goes off to HookLineAndSinker for this beautiful thread. Many, many thanks.

 

Two for one.



Select Image #16

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect16.jpg]

Very mysterious. Who are they? Obi-Wan on the left, Anakin on the right, and Padme in the center? Nope. Just random extras on the streets of Coruscant. We of course didn't know this at the time. Like I've said, we figured each "select" image had a purpose. This of course also added to the feel that Episode II would be figuratively and literally be a darker film.




Select Image #17

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Daniel Logan who was cast as a "mysterious young boy" is in the rain. Is he Boba Fett? Does he witness this supposed battle between Obi-Wan and Jango? On a side note, Daniel Logan got the part when another actor named Tupoutahi Winitana couldn't make the filming schedule work.

 

Select Image #18

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A new character! Looks female. The gown seems a bit formal though. Is it the new Queen of Naboo? Her hands are green...so maybe not. What about that Madame Jocast Anu or however it's spoken? See, we had the domain names but didn't know who was who or how each name was said at the time. As it turned out of course it's Luminara Unduli. We didn't know she was a she and that she was a Jedi. In fact the domain name we found of her said SENATORLUMINARAUNDULI.com. So a name change did occur. Eventually a star wars insider magazine gave us an image of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee and we matched up the gowns and skin decorations.

 

Select Image #19

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect19.jpg]

Essentially a still from the film, only before ILM touches it up with the Sand crawler. Everyone knew this was Anakin talking to a Jawa who appeared to be giving him directions. It was also neat to see a swoop/speeder bike.



Select Image #20

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This was one of my favorites. A ship traveling through hyperspace but it's a different view than we were used to seeing. The stars become bright blurs and almost purple. However this was axed and essentially we got the refugee ship just normally flying past the screen.

 

I forgot about that last shot, I never knew what it was. Now, with your explanation, it seems obvious, but till now, it had remained a mystery...

 

Select Image #21

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect21.jpg]

Senator Toonbuck Toora. We recognized her from the Episode 1 visual dictionary. But where is she? Certainly not the Senate or the Chancellor's office. Is she part of this Confederacy of Independent Systems we've heard about? Sadly, George essentially cut her from Episode II. He thought she looked like she was sleeping at the meeting. She never had scripted lines though.


Select Image #22

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect22.jpg]

After much speculation, it was determined that this was the Solar Sailor ship Count Dooku uses. Just an early computer graphic of it. Still, gave us plenty to discuss in the fall of 2000. I think we even found a domain name of INTERSTELLARSAILSHIP.com or something.

 

I remember how scrutinized the hyperspace one was. Someone even did a blowup on the ship if I recall and we tried to figure out whose ship it was.

FOUR hours??? Surely there has to be a good movie in there somewhere?

I kid. I kid.
















...there is no good movie in there.

 

I miss Toonbuck Toora.... she got screwed out of all three pictures.

 

Yeah. Poor gal. Hidden somewhere in the TPM Senate, face completely altered during the CIS meeting in AOTC, and because she was cut from the CIS in AOTC she was not required to attend CIS meetings in ROTS. Though she was filmed for the theater scene...but I think she was renamed Brookish Boon? Can't remember.



Select Image #23

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect23.jpg]

Tatooine. Some guy sitting down. Speculation went about and down over who it was. George Lucas? Andy Secombe? Didn't really matter. It's where Watto sits in Episode II.




Select Image #24

[image=http://www.scenebyscene.net/ii/eiiselect24.jpg]

Why hello there. This one came out not long before Christmas in 2002 so we considered it a present from starwars.com. Looked like a still from the Jango/Obi-Wan fight and it certainly got us excited. I actually prefer the green screen background with the rain than the finished product. lol

 

What's with the fedora in #23? Is George auditioning for the part of Indiana Jones' grandpa?