BTS SW Costumes: Concepts and Designs (Note: Image heavy, may contain Ep VII spoilers)

Yes, I understood that he would know the Marine Corpsbloostripesbecause of his extensive military knowledge. They have worn them since the 30s. I don't think that Mollo would haveasigned them as Corellian perse since Luke wears yellow striped pants at the ceremony in ANH.

 

Actually, scratch the "coincidence" part in my last post - Vader in that sketch has a unibrow worthy of Frida Kahlo!



Which probably also explains why Vader is shown with a light mustache in this 1993 Bill Sienkiewicz trading card... somehow.



So why exactly was Norman Reynolds modeling Vader's face on famous female painters and 16-year-old girls with eye deformities? What things about Leia have we not learned that perhaps we should?

 

So red stripes would be Corellian, but gold stripes would stand for some other military decoration, that non-Corellians could also obtain?

 

This is what I'm trying to figure out. According to Wookiepedia, the yellow ones are also Corellian!

 

Who are you going to believe, Wookieepedia or your lying eyes?

In my experience, the people who write up the nitty-gritty of "canon" details like uniform ranks & badges often aren't privy to the original memos of the production design team. (However, this is much more so for SW than it is for Star Trek.)

 

Haha! I know, it's not the best source.

PS. I shared the PowerPoint to you. It was too long to email.

 

I think Luke was borrowing Han's clothes.

 

heidi50

My pleasure, you're most welcome. The one thing that had always bugged me was the sudden jump from ESB general (4 columns) to ESB admiral. Nevertheless, I decided to start attempting to decipher the ANH ranks, first. What I ended up with in my reconstruction effort was a "color wheel" (faintly hinted in the rank overview in post # 170, this was a 4 page study) consisting of 6 blue, 6 orange and 6 red bars (assuming that the number 6 or "666" had a symbolic meaning, the number 6 is obviously also present in the Imperial crest).

Simply put, the rank badges of the 'Military Corps' (and apparently the 'Guard Corps' too, illustrated by Praji) appear to be derived from color wheel segmentations (same applies for Tarkin's badge, and those of 'Yularen' and company). With "commander" somewhat established by Praji and most definitely "general" and "admiral" by Taggi and Motti, the corresponding ESB ranks (and the blank spots) could be derived from these rather easily, and - last but not least - matched the known Alliance ranks rather well.

Of course this was only the overview for the commissioned officers. The previous page had a short overview of the rank badges of the non-commissioned officers, but I ultimately decided to include these in another overview along with the pauldrons of the stormtrooper MP (after Rogue One I have less doubt that's what we have been actually looking at, the Death Troopers appear to have MP functions, too, as these all wear black pauldrons) I forwarded to Lucasfilm ahead of the Special Edition release (lamenting that all new sandtroopers in the new SE scenes only wore black):



Of course, in a film visualization the red of "sergeant" would probably be darker to provide a clearer demarcation to the rank of "corporal".

The one thing here that still constitutes sort of a mystery is the sergeant's rank badge with only three red bars. The book Star Wars Costumes features photos from the costumes that had been on display at various Lucasfilm exhibits, including a black, Imperial uniform (commissioned officer) with that particular rank bar.

The only problem: It was never featured in any of the films! So I can only guess that it's either from an unused ANH scene or a reproduction Lucasfilm's Don Bies made, perhaps based on original John Mollo costume design notes (however I'm under the impression these might have gotten lost).

 

Here's Norman Reynolds' other ROTJ concept drawing of Vader unmasked.



This one too has a connection to a Frida Kahlo portrait, namely Kahlo's 1940 self-portrait gifted to her physician, Dr. Eloesser.



Note the iconography of Kahlo's portrait. She wears an earring in her left ear, shaped like a human hand, and a necklace of painful thorns. These refer to a fungal infection Kahlo developed in her right hand, which Dr. Eloesser cured. Both of these particular symbols are referenced in the Reynolds drawing: as the labels show, Vader is missing his left ear, and the collar on his suit needs to match what was seen in ESB.

Reynolds' second Vader drawing, like his first, is also based in part on a Victorian medical illustration. In this case, the drawing was a picture of a 13-year-old Norwegian girl with leprosy. (This picture is much less gross than the one of a syphilitic 16-year-old, but it's still definitely Not Safe For Work.)

The second Vader sketch and the picture of the leprous teenager have in common certain telltale features: pronounced rings under the left eye, a dark stain on the forehead, and a protruding mole visible in profile on the lower right cheek.

The obvious conclusion: to envision Vader, Reynolds looked at Mexico's most famous female artist, and teenage European girls with pronounced facial deformities caused by disease. Put it that way, and the familial connection between Vader and Leia becomes much more intriguing.







But of course, these sketches for a very gruesome unmasked Vader are a far cry indeed from the films we know.

...Right?

 

Here is an interesting announcement from theForce.net title page:

http://www.theforce.net/story/front...The_Power_Of_Costume_Is_Cincinnati_172284.asp

Presenting more than 60 of the finest hand-crafted costumes featured in all seven films in the Star Wars saga, the exhibition uncovers the challenges, the intricate processes and the remarkable artistry of George Lucas, the concept artists and costume designers. The costumes reflect an eclectic mix of cultural, historical and mythical sources that add rich texture to the story. Through nine presentational "chapters" - Introduction: Dressing a Galaxy; Jedi versus Sith: Form, Function and Design; Concept and Design for Royalty and Beyond; Symbolism and Military Power; Outlaws and Outsiders; All Corners of the Galaxy: The Galactic Senate; After the Throne: Padmé's Journey; Darth Vader: Iconic Villain; and Droid™ Design - visitors will explore the creative process from Lucas's vision through concept drawings by artists such as Ralph McQuarrie and Iain McCaig, to the final costume designs of John Mollo and Trisha Biggar, among others.

George Lucas imagined and created a fantastical world filled with dynamic characters who told the timeless story of the hero’s journey. The costumes shaped the identities of these now famous characters, from the menacing black mask of Darth Vader and the gilded suit of C-3PO, to the lavish royal gowns of Queen Amidala.

Featured costumes include:

• Monk-like robes of Jedi masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker
• Intimidating suit and complex breathing apparatus of Darth Vader
• Military-influenced uniforms of the Imperial Stormtrooper, Senate Guard and TIE Fighter Pilot
• Yak hair and mohair costume of Chewbacca
• Intergalactic outfits of Senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Mas Amedda
• Fierce armor of mercenary bounty hunters Jango Fett, Boba Fett and Zam Wesell
• Elaborately detailed gowns of Queen Amidala, Queen Jamillia and their handmaidens
  
  Short videos in Star Wars and the Power of Costume provide a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process and include interviews with artists, designers and actors. The visitor experience will be enhanced by digital interactives featuring sketches, photographs and notes that capture the creative team’s inspiration and vision.
  
  Pulled from the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Star Wars and the Power of Costume is a partnership of the museum, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and Lucasfilm.
• (Interesting, these costumes apparently belong to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and appear not to have been included in the deal between Lucas and Disney)
  
  I assume that the "Senate Guard" costume will be the blue, Roman one we saw in TPM, and not what I believe to be it's last and final variation:
  
  

 

Does this volume sourcing original costumes have any material devoted to Mon Calamari costumes?

 

A thought occurs to me: In SW 1977, Luke wears a white outfit for most of the movie, but in the Rebel ceremony he wears a gold-colored jacket. However, we know Lucas shot alternate takes with Luke in different outfits, both on Tatooine where Luke wears a desert poncho, and in the medal scene where Luke's gold jacket is absent.

In the theatrical cut, Luke goes from being dressed all in white -- a "knight in shining armor" -- to wearing a gold coat, like the distinctive golden mail-coat worn by Siegfried in Germanic mythology. In the unused footage, Luke wold start off wearing a Clint Eastwood-inspired poncho, and end the film wearing a black shirt, a color worn by Old West gunfighters bent on delivering judgment -- or vengeance.

Did Lucas shoot two different versions of Luke's dress because he wanted it to have symbolic significance? Or even foreshadowing?

Consider: in one plot scenario, Luke might end up romantically attached to Leia -- who turns out to be his sister, in an incestuous brother-sister union like that of Siegfried's parents in Wagner's operas. In the other plotline, which I call the "long-form" SW saga, Leia would die tragically, and in later films Luke would fall in love with someone else -- possibly Nellith Skywalker, the lost sister mentioned in Leigh Brackett's ESB draft.

If so, it's very interesting that the gold-jacket version of the medal ceremony was what got the nod in the theatrical cut. Especially since we know Lucas told Leigh Brackett he wanted to pair up Leia and Han romantically as early as late 1977. Did the dynamics among the cast -- especially in the press junkets after the first film's release -- change George's mind about the direction of the plot in ESB?

 

ATMachine wondered

Did Lucas shoot two different versions of Luke's dress because he wanted it to have symbolic significance? Or even foreshadowing?

IMHO, there's a high probability for that. Once you picture Google "Star Wars medal ceremony" you'll come across of two publicity shots taken from the exact same position, one with Hamill wearing the Space: 1999 jacket, and the other one without it.

 

And now for something completely different:



This is Ensign Anastasia Targus of the USS Righteous, from the the 1990s video game Star Trek: Borg. Formerly Lieutenant Anastasia Targus -- that is, until she was captured and tortured by Cardassians, and subsequently discharged from Starfleet due to PTSD issues. She was reinstated at a lower rank at the request of the two officers who rescued her, both old friends from the Academy: Lt. Ralph Furlong and Lt. Coris Sprint.

The Cardassian torturers used neural stimulation as their method of choice: they would artificially induce waves of pleasure until the victim became addicted to it, then withhold the stimulant until they got their desired information. As a result, Targus wears a cybernetic implant in her head, to counteract the lingering cravings for stimulation resulting from her torture. (Side note: that sounds really like a euphemism for something much raunchier.)

Looks like the 1975 idea of giving Princess Leia a cybernetic dataport made its way out there after all... and in a Star Trek game, no less.

What's more, Targus's best friends are First Officer Furlong and Security Chief Sprint, two male Starfleet officers who correspond interestingly to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. The player character is Ralph's son, Qaylan Furlong (pronunced "Kaylan"), who is undoubtedly in no way whatsoever related to Keyan Farlander, protagonist of LucasArts' X-Wing game.

Q sends the younger Farlander, er, Furlong back in time with a chance to prevent the destruction of the Righteous at the Battle of Wolf 359. Qaylan takes over the body of Sprint, the Chief of Security, who in the "orthodox" timeline was killed several hours before the battle. Should the player succeed in saving the Righteous, Lt. Sprint nonetheless remains dead: a fitting heroic sacrifice for a Han Solo archetype. And Ralph Furlong gets the chance to meet the son he barely knew in the previous timeline... a plotline that seems very much a Star Wars idea indeed.

 

ATMachine wrote

Looks like the 1975 idea of giving Princess Leia a cybernetic dataport made its way out there after all... and in a Star Trek game, no less.

I beg to differ:



http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lobot

Thus far I can't shake the impression that once Lucas had an idea he liked, he visualized it somehow and maybe not "now" but later.

In the particular case of Lobot I think his original story might have even gone further than that. In the first draft of ESB Lando is a clone refugee who found asylum in Cloud City, and the general vibe I got from that was that originally Bail Antilles and Obi-wan Kenobi helped clone refugees during the original Clone Wars.

Of course, in the final film Lando was apparently no longer a clone but what about his aide? Who with a sane mind would actually allow such implants to be put in his or her brain? Assuming that Lobot was originally supposed to be a clone opens a rather new definition of human slave, IMHO.

I also don't think that his bald headed appearance was a coincidence, notice John Hollis' similarity to Robert Duvall in George Lucas' THX 1138, a world where human beings where artificially created. It looks to me like George Lucas really went here for a rather deliberate allusion, suggesting Lobot to have been a clone.



(Blast it, back in 2002 I hosted a convention where we had Gary Kurtz and John Hollis but forget to ask the two about Lobot's significance)

 

I really like this theory, at least, as a subtle nod to the 'Lando Kadar' concept which may have found its way into the final film (I don't think Lobot in ESB was meant to be a Clone Wars survivor). Looking at the Brackett draft, Lando Kadar isn't a cold, robotic figure (he's very chummy with Han, and charming to everyone else), but there's definitely one scene in there where you could easily picture the dialogue being delivered by a character resembling Lobot (or Robert Duvall as THX-1138):

FYI, 'Eredith' is simply an alias Leia has assumed. If anyone's wondering about the 'guest' Lando refers to - yes, you all know him if you've seen ESB.
And now, reading 'Lando's' dialogue back, I can only hear it in Robert Duvall's voice - think of Tom Hagen talking to Kay Corleone in the Godfather films...

Not surprisingly, I do recall reading (probably in Rinzler's Making of ESB) that the name 'Lobot' referred to his having had his brain removed, i.e. he'd been subjected to a lobotomy. While musing on a few other such issues recently, it occurred to me that Lobot is the direct biological opposite of Darth Vader - he's a being with a robotic/droid brain in a perfectly functioning organic body. I doubt that the character was developed with such a parallel in mind (I prefer this notion of him evolving from how the clone Lando Kadar may have appeared), but it's there.

EDIT: FWIW, one visual parallel between the characters of Lando and Lobot did occur to me, check out the puffy pirate sleeves on Lando in a McQuarrie painting, and Lobot in the film:

 

I actually like that there's no explanation for Lobot's history, no attempt to tie him to the Clone Wars etc. He just is.

 

I'm fascinated by all this Star Wars history that I never knew existed!

 

So I noticed that Ezra in Star Wars Rebels has two scars on his left cheek -- the result of being smacked in the face by a lightsaber during a duel.



This is probably based on an idea considered for ESB after Mark Hamill's car accident: Luke would injure his face (via Wampa attack or starship crash) and end up with visible scars afterward, achieved via makeup. This owes something to the literary James Bond, who had a small scar on his right cheek that he usually hid with makeup when in the field.

However, unlike Ian Fleming's Bond, Ezra has two scars on his left cheek. Their design seems to be modeled on the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, a medieval Polish icon of the Virgin Mary:



The Madonna bears two scars on her right cheek, a memorial to an incident in the 15th century when the icon was severely damaged by the swords of invading Hussites (proto-Protestants).

The transference of this injury from the right to the left cheek probably reflects the gender switch involved originally in giving the Madonna's wound to Luke -- whose mirrored half, his sister Leia, is after all replete with Catholic Marian iconography. The scar's placement stuck around when the injury was transferred to Ezra in Rebels.

 

This is an amazing thread!

 

I love how they keep to the Star Wars tradition of taking inspiration from all corners of Earth's cultural history! It makes the galaxy seem as multifaceted and alive as ever.

Cardassians... Do they look like this?

 

Actually, I found something that might be relevant to this thread recently. Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Milton's Comus include a drawing of the Greek goddess Diana, whose gown is adorned with red trefoil designs. It reminded me how John Mollo's costume sketches for A New Hope used a red trefoil as the symbol of the Rebels.