Death Valley CA, USA

With STAR WARS (since 1981 with the addition Episode IV: A New Hope) one of the most financially successful film series was launched in 1977. To date, 12 feature films, 23 series and three television specials have been released. The franchise is still going strong as no less than seven new films have been announced. Each film begins with the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." but exactly how long ago and in which galaxy is not known.

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Besides shooting at England's Elstree Studios, several locations in Tunisia were chosen for the first film to depict the desert planet Tatooine. On 22 March 1976 in Tunisia production began where filming was to take place for two-and-a-half weeks. Due to technical problems and an unexpected rainstorm, production was delayed and not all the planned shots could be made.

In early 1977, extra funding was released to film the missing scenes in Tikal National Park in Guatemala and in Death Valley and China Lake Acres in California.

Furnace Creek Visitor
Center, Death Valley,
12 July 2023

At the time of filming Death Valley was a National Monument, since 1994 it is a National Park. It is a desert valley with mountains, rocks, salt flats and dunes. Located below sea level, it is one of the hottest places in the world in the summer. At the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, which by the way is airconditioned, is a thermometer outside showing the temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. During our visit it was 'only' 44 °C (111 °F); a few days later the temperature would rise to over 50 °C (122 °F). At the parking lots were signs with warnings not to hike after 10 am, an advice that some people neglected. It should be clear that in the summer visitors should prepare well by bringing enough drinking water and dress according to the extreme weather conditions. At the time of writing this blog post the entire area is closed due to flooding caused by Hurricane Hilary. Up-to-date information can be found on the website of the Death Valley National Park.

The planet Tatooine is introduced when the droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) have landed there in a capsule. They have been sent by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) with a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). They argue which way to go and each droid goes its own way. The scene where R2-D2 moves across the sand was shot at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, an area with dunes named after the trees that grow here, the mesquite. This location is next to a car park so I did not have to walk far to take the photo.

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Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, 12 July 2023

As night falls, R2-D2 finds himself in a rocky area where the droid is taken by Jawa's, the pint-sized inhabitants of Tatooine. These scenes were filmed at Artist's Palette. This area gets its name from the coloured rocks and is easily accessible by car. Note the digitally changed background in the first screenshot.

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Artist's Palette, Death Valley, 12 July 2023

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Artist's Palette, Death Valley, 12 July 2023

Artist's Drive, the road to Artist's Palette, can also be seen briefly when the Jawa's take R2-D2 to their vehicle. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo here. Because of the heat we did not visit two locations in Death Valley also featured in the film, Desolation Canyon and Golden Canyon. We did however visit Dante's View. At this viewpoint, Obi-Wan Kenobi points out the spaceport Mos Eisley to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). In reality, there are no buildings here.

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Dante's View, Death Valley, 12 July 2023

For RETURN OF THE JEDI production returned to Death Valley. The film is Episode VI in the original series and the third film made, after Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Filming began on 11 January and ended on 20 May 1982.

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Once again, filming took place at Elstree Studios in England. According to the end credits, shooting on location was in Buttercup Valley, Death Valley and Smith River, all in California. Several websites report that the Yuma Desert in Arizona is also seen in the film as the planet Tatooine. This desert is adjacent to Buttercup Valley, chances are that filming took place in both states.

The scene filmed in Death Valley lasts less than 30 seconds and, according to the book The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, was made on 11 December 1982, six months after the official filming period.

C-3PO and R2-D2 are on Tatooine on their way to Jabba the Hutt. His palace was digitally added. They walk through Twenty Mule Team Canyon, an unpaved road of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). Its name dates back to the late 19th century when mules were used for mining. It took us a while to find the exact location. The mudstone hills have remained largely the same despite erosion but the road running through the area has changed over the years.