Intergalacticon Rochester 2023

Was able to stop by this con this weekend (you can still probably catch it if you're in the area).
https://intergalacticonny.com/
I'm not used to having such a large convention in upstate New York, the amount of Return of the Jedi actors (both from Jabba's palace/sail barge, and Ewoks) was just astounding. Just about everyone was excited to talk to fans and share their personal stories. Despite what the internet tells you, Star Wars fans are some of the most polite people in person. I figure I'll mention some highlights.

Andy Herd and Brian Wheeler both shared a table, which was great to meet both of the ROTJ Jawas at the same place. We talked about their deleted scene of smashing Luke's fingers when he tries to escape the Rancor by jumping up to the ceiling grate. Between having to avoid Mark's fingers with the rubber prop guns and the extremely limited visibility, it wasn't an easy shot. Even in the final film, they each had memorable props; Andy was fanning Jabba, while Brian was holding the dog leash.

Alan Fernandes was notable as the last living Tusken Raider from the original Tunisia shoot. He had some great photos of the filming locations 45 years later, which were nearly untouched. Except the large rock he jumped from in the film was mysteriously missing.

Dickey Beer was one of my first stops (being a massive Fett fan). He was great to talk to, and clearly enjoyed being Boba. Despite Jeremy Bulloch's experiences, he found the suit to be comfortable, but the Gamorrean Guard costume to be extremely hot and cumbersome (a sentiment shared by most of the Ewoks). My question was if he knew who voiced Boba in Return of the Jedi. He said with absolute certainty that it was Jason Wingreen. I even wanted to make the distinction that he wasn't just referring to Empire Strikes Back, and he did indeed confirm.

Paul Weston was generous talking about his time as Nikto. I heard stories of a stuntman breaking his leg in the sarlaac pic, but never knew it was him. The fall itself wasn't that bad, but it was Lando's stuntman falling on top of him that spurred the injury. The pit was padded very thick with foam; the force of the fall would have the stuntmen's legs sink into it while the momentum would thrash the rest of their bodies.

For Simon Williamson, I wanted to talk about the controversy surrounding Max Rebo's anatomy. From the start, Simon knew that Max Rebo was supposed to be playing his keyboard with his feet, and played him as such. He was surprised when the character was misinterpreted by Kenner to give the character more human legs instead (which was the general understanding of the character until a few years back). He was happy to report that Max Rebo will be appearing in a future Marvel Star Wars issue in the proper anatomy.

Finally, special shout-out to Kendra Wall-Dahl was by far the nicest and most engaging actress of the bunch. She was a survivor of the battle of Endor (though her character was played by another actor during the studio shoots for the victory celebration). Her stories really stressed how much physical acting was required for the shoot, and how it could even get dangerous (including a pyrotechnics scare at one point).

I knew the visibility was less than optimal in the Ewok masks, but fogging from condensation would render them nearly blind. This suggestion to Stuart Freeborn's makeup team lead to a simple but effective solution; the masks were later altered with inconspicuous pinholes to create air circulation and stop the fogging.

It's no surprise that she and others had nothing but glowing things to say about the principle cast. Harrison was kind, but focused, but by far everyone was charmed by Mark Hamill's friendly and outgoing demeanor.