Can 42 years really feel so long ago and in such a galaxy far, far away?
A new featurette shows the behind the scenes filming in multiple "Star Wars" episodes. It includes glimpses of beloved actors who passed on (Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca), and other actors still with us who changed from juniors to elders (such as Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker).
It's all in preparation for "The Rise of Skywalker," Episode 9 of the series — an episode that launches into theaters Dec. 20 and is meant to wrap up the main "Star Wars" storyline that began with "A New Hope" 1977. The featurette mixes nostalgia with wonder, as it shows actors reflecting on the legacy of "Star Wars" in clips through the ages. Naturally, the clip features obligatory shots of the Millennium Falcon starship, lightsaber battles and glimpses of actors getting ready for takes on crowded sets.
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There's Alec Guinness, the actor who voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi and died in 2000, speaking in archival footage: "As I see it, this has nothing to do with past, present or future. 'Star Wars' could be in any of these areas."
"It's a big part of what makes these films so important to pass on from generation to generation," adds Harrison Ford in newer footage; he reprised his role as Han Solo as late as 2017, and perhaps he'll make an appearance in 2019 as well.
We also hear from Anthony Daniels, who continues to play the role of C-3PO in the new films after pioneering the role in 1977: "I had my doubts about whether another 'Star Wars' would work, but I now get that phrase, 'Thank you for my childhood,' because it's something that people carry with them now, forever and ever and ever."
Newer actors to the series express their own sense of awe. "I feel honored that I've been allowed to continue the journey," says Daisy Ridley (Rey), who played starring roles in 2015 and 2017 and will reprise the role again in 2019. Adds co-star John Boyega (Finn), "It feels just like I was in a time machine, and I had traveled back to when they first had filmed 'Star Wars.'"
The featurette opens with a charming out-take back when Hamill, Ford and Guinness were filming the first "Star Wars" film on the set of the Millennium Falcon, in 1977.
"It'll take a few minutes for the navi [navigation] computer to calculate the co-ordinates," says Ford, holding the script so far.
"A few minutes?" Hamill sputters at high speed. "Are you kidding, at the rate they're gaining …" He trails off.
Ford jumps in. "Oh, what is it?" Pause. "Do you have to shoot this?" The actors, realizing they've forgotten what to say next, then begin riffing off what they remember of the script, perhaps to try to save the take.
"Traveling through hyperspace is like dusting," Ford begins, then corrects with, "it ain't like dusting crops, kid." He boldly plunges on, probably realizing no matter what his efforts, the take is lost. "Without precise calculations, we fly too close to a store, we bounce into a supermarket, and then, it'll be a hell of a mess."
Ford and Hamill do their best to finish their lines and wrap up the take amid laughter. Guinness, ever the professional, stays stoic throughout, delivers the line "Yeah, sure, I'm taking it very cautiously" perfectly, and exits the scene in his stately Obi-Wan way without breaking character for a moment.
After Guinness leaves the scene, Ford gives a stern look at the camera person. "You," he says in his best space commander voice, first pointing and then breaking into laughter. "Go away with that."
Off-camera, Hamill asks innocently: "Bounce too near a supermarket?" Ford laughs again. End scene.
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Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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