The Biggs-Luke Scene At The Beginning of ANH

I keep seeing this scene referred to as a cut scene. The scene involved a discussion between Luke and Biggs prior to Biggs departure from Tatooine. Of course, I was 7 when this movie came out but I have distinct memories of this scene and details that were corroborated by information I've located concerning the "cut scene". I also remember Luke looking up and seeing the battle above Tatooine. The images located here I recall seeing in some version of the movie:

Luke and Biggs

Luke Views Battle

Here's a report from a 1997 con where the footage was apparently viewed by fans:

1997 San Diego Con Report

Am i going crazy? Does anyone else remember seeing the Biggs-Luke scene?

 

I've heard references to these scenes and I've seen the pics from these scenes but I've never seen any live action video.

 

I recall seeing the same thing on tv when I was really young. However, that was a scene that was in the original release and was cut out for the SE. I think that is what happened anyways.

 

Singularity, I once thought as you do.

I too was 7 when the original film came out. Years later, as a teenager in the 80s, I too was certain that I remembered the scenes with Biggs, and of Luke on Tatooine, looking up at the battle with his binoculars. How could I have been so sure I saw these scenes, when clearly the movie--as seen on cable and videotape in the 80s--did not have them? Was I losing my mind, or was there another version of the film that I had somehow been lucky enough to see?

The answer is in reality quite simple. Singlarity, as a young fan in 1977-1980, did you ever happen to own a glossy picture book of the film called The Story of Star Wars? On the cover, R2-D2 and C-3PO stood together; on the back, Darth Vader posed with ignited lightsaber. But more importantly, inside the book, there were photographs from these very scenes--Biggs and Luke--and a text description, including dialogue, of the events.

As a young child, reading this information I incorporated it with my memory of the actual movie, and for years afterward I believed that these scenes were in the original film.

But it just isn't true! Very likely, Singularity, the same or a similar thing happened to you.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.

EDIT: Errant-Venture, that is incorrect. Errant, you might say. The film was never released with this footage in it.

 

I still have that book and, you are right, those images are in the book. Maybe that is creating some sort of impression in my mind that I saw the live action sequences in a movie.

 

Sure, because when you're that young--7 or 8--and especially before the advent of home VCR's by which to "check your facts", such pictures can have a strong influence on your imagination.

 

Odd, I don't ever recall owning that book. But then again, I was 7 in 1990, so I must've experienced something along the same line only in a different era and perhaps through a different means.

 

Yes, Errant-Venture, by 1990 there were a whole new series of books, although I do recall seeing The Story of Star Wars reprinted in soft cover around the time of the SE's.

But in 1977, that was pretty much the definitive book on STAR WARS. That, the novelization, and the 2-disc album with fold-out booklet were the only things we had!

 

Just for the record and because it's so cool, I have copied the report from San Diego in its entirety. Enjoy!

Terri's San Diego Report - 7/19/97

Hi there!

My husband and I just returned from the San Diego Comic Con, and I thought you might like a report on the Sansweet presentation ("Star Wars: A Look Back, And A Look Ahead"). I did my best to absorb it all. I apologize if I leave something out - it was quite an event.

We arrived at about 9:00 A.M. and walked right into the hall where the presentation was to be held at 11:00. To our surprise there was no line at that time and we got seats very near the front. By 10:30, all 3000 seats were nearly full.

Several announcements were made regarding the use of video/still cameras: absolutely no photography of any kind would be allowed, and anyone caught taking stills/video would be immediately removed from the room and any film/tape would be confiscated. Steve Sansweet was introduced to enthusiastic applause, and he proceeded to discuss the phenomenal success of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition in the U.S. and around the world, showing news reports and commentary on the large video monitors.

He went on to show videos of U.S. and foriegn SE tie-in commercials (Taco Bell, etc). He also showed the Saturday Night Live "screen tests", clips from Jay Leno, David Letterman, Rosie O'Donnell, and the MTV Movie Awards (Chewie's Lifetime Achievement Award).

After showing the MTV "screen tests" he showed the actual black-and-white ANH video screen tests (parts of which have been seen on many TV shows, including Entertainment Tonight and Oprah).

He then started talking about the "very special footage" he was about to show: yes, it was the never-before-seen footage of Biggs, Camie, Fixer, and Luke from the beginning of ANH. Koo Stark and Co.!!! He said he begged George Lucas to give it to him for this event and that he was allowed to use it with the understanding that this would be the first and last time it would ever be shown. I was trying so hard to absorb everthing that now I find it hard to describe, but I'll do my best:

Luke looks up into the sky with his macrobinoculars. Reacts. Runs down, steps into a "hole" doorway, squeezes through, enters room where Camie and Fixer are hanging around. It's dimly lit, reminiscent of the Cantina in lighting and texture. He flicks something off of a table next to them and says:

LUKE: "Look alive, guys" (NOTE: DIALOGUE IS APPROXIMATE - THIS IS HOW WE REMEMBER IT).

He discovers Biggs, says:

LUKE: "Biggs! When did you get back?"

They talk for a second

LUKE: "There's a battle going on! Two starships, fighting!"

Luke is excited.

CAMIE: "Take it easy, Wormie".

They run outside. Camie grabs the macrobinocs, takes a few steps into the foreground of the shot, and looks up. Fixer is behind her, more interested in something about Camie's neck than the "battle" in the sky (this was pretty strange). During all of this Biggs tells Luke:

BIGGS: "They're probably just doing a freight transfer".

Camie sort of tosses the binocs back to Luke, who says:

LUKE: "Watch it".

Camie and Fixer exit. Biggs and Luke jump off of the ledge. In the next shot, Luke and Biggs walk toward the camera, each holding what look like Star-Warsy blue beer cans. We're not sure, but Luke seemed a little tipsy as they talk about the Empire and the fleet, etc.

LUKE: "Tell me what it's like".

Biggs says quietly: "I've met some people at the Academy, and when the time is right, when we get near an outlying system we're going to jump ship and join the Rebellion".

LUKE: (LOUDLY) "The Rebellion?!?"

BIGGS: "Hey, not so loud! I can't tell you anything!"

LUKE (stage whisper) "I'll be quiet... see how quiet I am?" He trails off... "You can't even hear me".

Biggs goes on to tell him his plan, and Luke tells him he has to stay on the farm with his uncle.

LUKE: "The Sandpeople have been doing crazy things. They even raided some of the outlying areas around Anchorhead. My uncle needs me."

BIGGS: "Y

 

I think I saw this on the OS, they said they had a special on tv which showed how the movie was made and other stuff. And they showed that deleted scene, it was never put into the movie.

 

I remember reading these scenes in the ANH novelisation and thought they were brilliant. I think they add to Luke's desperation on Tatooine with his best-friend leaving him and seeing the battle above him - I got an immense feeling of poor Luke being trapped, even more so than in the film. I hope Lucas puts such scenes in for the Ulrimate edition should he make one.

 

T'Bone has movie files of the scenes on his site. You should check them out!

http://www.starwarz.com/tbone/cut_scenes/ep4/

 

whoa.. that scene with Luke and Biggs sounds really interesting.. do any of you know why Lucas decided to scrap it?

 

Because it looked bad. You think some of the stuff that's in ANH looks 70's, this takes the cake. Luke is at one point, even wearing a Gilligan hat, and Biggs is dressed one step away from a leisure suit. I don't remember the acting in the scene being very good. And, finally, it doesn't really need to be there.

 

I for one think it's a great scene, as described on T-bone's site and in the above first-hand account of it by "Terri". It shows Luke's desperation to leave the planet; it sets up his sense of adventure; it establishes that young peeople like he and Biggs are keen on joining the Rebellion. Luke's evolution from nerdy goof to stalwart hero is made to appear that much more impressive.
That said, the scene just doesn't fit in with the structural decision made by Lucas: to follow the droids as they "lead" the audience to Luke, who then "leads" us to Kenobi, etc. It's a cinematic choice, which is difficult to argue with since the film obviously works so well without the scenes.

 

Cool Singularity! Thanks for bringing this up! I never remember seeing this scene in theatres or on tv, but I do remember seeing stills of it in either SW Insider or somewhere else.

It is a scene that is definitley played out in the SW Radio Drama Series they did on NPR.
Also Dark Horse Comics sheds light on that whole scene in this latest Biggs Comic which is superbly done! I highly recommend all serious SW Fans to get it!

Biggs and Luke's Talks were really deep man! They got into his future, both of their futures really. Luke's commitment to his family, Biggs' take on Uncle Owen's attitude towards Luke, Owen's expectations of Luke and more. It really is insightful stuff. Luke following his dream and believing in his heart what he should do.

The acting between Mark Hamill and the actor who portrayed Biggs in the radio drama is great stuff man! Whooooohoooo! Yeah! It's stuff anybody can relate to. Home, family, dreams, goals, personal feelings etc.

Maybe GL will incorporate it into the delux package in 2007!!! Don't forget the sandstorm scene in Empire!!!

 

Here is a fairly comprehensive rundown of many of the cut scenes from ANH. There is even screenplay content of some of the cut scenes. I do not know how authentic the screenplay content is but the images are clearly legitimate. Warning: Spoilers for those wanting the Star Wars DVD to be a surprise!

ANH Cut Scenes Information

 

I'm glad these scenes were cut. The plot of the 1977 Star Wars film flies as straight and true as an arrow. These scenes would compromise the purity of movement in the film.

Also, I don't think the scenes work in and of themselves. They're like "American Graffiti in space".

 

I think I saw this scene in "SW: Behind the Magic!!"

 

People seem to have a collective memory of these scenes appearing in the original release of A New Hope, but it never happened. I think there were some early promo shots from these scenes which is where people remember them from, but they've never appeared in the film. The scenes as they exist today are rough edits without the benefit of sound mastering or visual effects. I have them on CD-ROM on the "Behind the Magic" CD set (why did they stop making these after Episode I? They were awesome!)

I'm still hoping they show up in the rumored Archive Edition, but while they further develope the character of Luke Skywalker, they would further slow down an already slow spot in the film.

 

Those scenes were in the SW radio adaptation that came out on National Public Radio and helped explain a lot of Luke's frustration with his existence on Tatooine. Pictures and text of the scene were also included in the novelization and in the Star Wars Storybook adaptation of the movie that I got when I was 7 in 1977. That might be why people remember it being in the film, but as far as I know, Lucas cut the scenes out after a few screenings, but before SW was widely released.

In one of Lucas' biographies, it says that a Fox executive saw the Biggs scenes and commented that the film was going to be just like American Grafitti. I can't recall if Lucas decided to cut it for that reason, or for time constraints, but I would have liked to have seen the scenes restored for the SE version of ANH. It makes more sense to have it in than the Jabba scene because there are references to Biggs later in the film and it would help with the flow of the film. But they're Lucas' baby, and I doubt that we will see them when the OT come out on DVD.

 

Don't give up hope you guys, I'm sure Lucas will put the scenes on DVD when they eventually come out. I mean it would be so evil if he didn't. I'm also sure he'll want to address the fans who don't know about the scenes to know. If I wouldn't have came to the Original Trilogy forum than I wouldn't have know either.

 

My cousin, who was 17 when the first movie came out, swears to this day that he saw the Biggs scenes at a screening in Chicago. This wasn't a case of stills-confused-with-the-movie, he says. I don't know what to think--if only some original reels of the scenes would surface.

The only thing I can think is that Lucas originally cut the movie with the Biggs scenes for pre-release screenings, but took them out before the general release--and now he's embrassed by the scenes and won't let them be released. So he denies that they were even in there, to keep fans from asking for them--he could always claim they'd been destroyed or were never properly cut, what-have-you.

 

These scenes appeared in the Marvel Comic adaption as well as the spin off novel (that allegedly appeared before the movie!)

Over time people have combined that, along with the footage's appearance in at least one "Making of..", to be that it was originally in the film.

Myself, much as I love the concept of it returning, the acting and the fact that the start of ANH runs very very very long and SLOOOW means that it's probably best it stays out.

 

There's also a deleted scene in ROTJ in which Moff Jerjerrod gets zapped with a force pike by one of the emperor's red guards for entering the emperor's chamber aboard the death star without permission.A still picture of this scene can be found in the book "Star Wars-the action figure archive".