R2-D2 speeding down the valley
Death Valley is a valley in the U.S. state of California. Located southeast of the Sierra Nevada range in the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert, it comprises much of Death Valley National Park. It has an area of about 3,000 square miles (~7,800 km²).
The valley was filmed for A New Hope scenes. These were mostly pick up shots that were scheduled for Tunisia, but had to be filmed nearer to home because the production went over budget.
A shot at Stovepipe Wells was taken as R2-D2 drives the Dune Sea on the way to Ben Kenobi's hut only to be picked up by Jawas just before he finds Ben. There was a shot filmed at Artist's Palette of R2-D2 as he sped down the Jundland Wastes canyon to try, again, to find Ben Kenobi's hut. A shot at Dante's View was cut together with a shot at Sidi Bouhlel for a scene where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi gaze over Mos Eisley. Mardji the Asian elephant was filmed at Desolation Canyon with a costume to look like a bantha in Jundland Wastes. Numerous shots of Mark Hamill's double in his landspeeder were also taken somewhere in Death Valley as he tries to locate R2-D2. The only shot for Return of the Jedi was filmed in the canyon nicknamed Twenty Mule Team Canyon where R2-D2 and C-3PO go to Jabba's Palace.
Bibliography
"Star Wars Road Trip" — Star Wars Insider 48
"Rebel Rumblings" — Star Wars Insider 49- "Rebel Rumblings" — Star Wars Insider 50
External links
- Road Trip: Tatooine or Bust I by Kolby "Kahunna" Kirk
- Road Trip: Tatooine or Bust II by Kolby "Kahunna" Kirk
- Visiting The Set by Brandon Alinger
- Death Valley on Wikipedia
- UNESCO Biosphere Preserve: Mojave and Colorado Deserts
- Strange moving rocks of the valley (External Link)
