RotJ: The Emperor's Force Caterpillars

One of the biggest running jokes from the OT are the "force caterpillars" in the Emperor's hood from RotJ. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go watch the throneroom scene again and notice the discolored black marks in the Emperor's hood.

As I understand it, those were added in during postproduction to remove/hide features that were used to make the Emperor seemed more alien.

My $20 million question is this: has anyone ever seen pre-caterpillar pics, footage or concept art? And if so, do have any idea where I can find them?

 

Force caterpillars? What the?

George has changed his mind on the Emporer so many times, we go from a clean cut politician to a woman with monkey eyes, to a dirty old man with bugs in his cloak. I guess...

Do you have a picture of what you explain so eloquently?

 

MoffMoff, there is one shot in which the Emperor lifts his head slightly, and the black blob (Force caterpillar! LOL) disappears for an instant.

Underneath it looks like a little crevice in his temple. Weird, sure, but was it necessary to cover up? And why wasn't it fixed for the SE?

The world may never know.

 

Can we post a link please? Anyone?

 

It may not be visible in a screenshot because it's black-on-black. The "caterpillar" was barely visible on the big screen, but on a TV monitor it looks like an animated oil-slick.
Just pop in your copy of ROTJ--original or SE--advance to the scene leading up to the duel, and observe the silliness.

 

I've never noticed these "caterpillars". To me they look like bad CG edits.

 

" ... animated blobs of black added over parts of the Emperor's hood in ROTJ during closeups to cover-up smudges of his makeup that got on the fabric."

2ndQuest, the blob/slug/caterpillar isn't on the Emperor's hood; it's on his face!

The other theory--that it was painted on in post-production to cover up some feature of the make-up that Lucas wasn't happy with--is far more saleable.

 

The version I'd heard was the slugs were drawn in to cover some spots of the light used to give Ian McDiarmid's face that creepy appearance that spilled over onto his cowl.

 

I'm betting this is fixed for the DVD release.


In 2025... *sigh*

 

Well, whatever they are, they drive me nuts, for I have seen them, and can never unlearn what I have learned!

 

Yep, once you notice them, they never, ever fade away. It's horrible. I did a GIS on Palps and couldn't find one picture where they're noticeable. On your TV screen, they're glaring, but in captured pics, they disappear.

 

Yep, it's impossible to not see them now.

 

I wish I hadn't read this thread. I wasn't aware of this. The next time I watch RotJ I will look. It is unavoidable. It is my destiny.

 

Oh Im so glad I haven't looked for them yet,

but its only a matter of time before I watch ROTJ again.... Ive gotta be strong.

 

I've never noticed that. I'll have to keep a lookout for them next time I watch ROTJ...

 

i saw them the other day it won't go away it won't go away

 

I saw 'em for the first time this Sunday when I watched ROTJ.




ATTENTION GEORGE
FIX IT


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Thanks for bringing this up GrandMoffMoff! I have noticed that black blur mark on the side of The Emperor's face for years now!!!

It looks like a early 80's blurring technique. Kinda like the "vaseline" trick they used in A New Hope under Luke's Landspeeder before they fixed it in 97 for The New Editions.

With all the remastering they've been doing it seems they could correct this too! lol. I never knew it was supposed to be some type of space caterpillar -thingies like you said. They really should correct it though for the sake of the overall look of the trilogy remastered editions.

peace!

 

Wasn't there a thread quite a while ago about this, well anyway I have found a pic were the slugs are CLEARLY visible

[image=http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/multimedia/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Images/Classic_Trilogy/Characters/Emperor_Palpatine/Return_of_the_Jedi&image=Emperor3-ROTJ-vcap.jpg&img=16&tt=]

 

How could anyone not notice the slugs?

I'm surprised some people haven't. They're very noticeable.

 

They're hideous, I wish I hadn't noticed them it doesn't take away from the movie for me though.

 

I noticed them on the SW video re-releases in '95, before the Special Editions. I was hoping they'd remove them for the SEs, but no go.

And yes, it really bugs me, too!
It's very distracting.