Originally posted on r.a.sf.sw by: qtm2w@Virginia.EDU ("Quinn T. McCord")

	Looking through my old Starlogs, I ran into Number 31
(February 1980) In it is a fairly humorous hodge-podge of
rumors that the author had heard about The Empire Strikes
Back.  They're hilarious to read!  Since it's always healthy
to re-examine the past, I'll print it here in toto:


	Stalking The Empire Strikes Back with Ear and Typewriter

			By David Houston

	Some of the new things we hear about the new Star Wars
picture, The Empire Strikes Back, are verifiably accurate.  The
original actors are back in their original roles (most of them,
anyways) and there are some new inhabitants of that galaxy far
far away that we will meet when the movie premieres, barring
disaster, on May 17, 1980, in London, and May 18 in the U.S.
and Canada.  John Williams is writing a new music score, and
the new head of special effects is Brian Johnson - who worked
on Alien and Space: 1999.  Originator George Lucas is executive
producer this time; Gary Kurtz is again producer, and Irvin
Kershner, a newcomer to the Star Wars empire, is the director.
	Once a questioner gets past such dry production
details, however, and into more exciting matters, he or she
receives only wry silent smiles from the knowledgeable few in
the Lucasfilm office.  Cite "freedom of the press" and the
smiles turn to gleeful laughter.  Nobody's talking!
	But Hollywood - home of the gossip column - is not
known for its ability to keep secrets.  Rumors are flying; the
air in Los Angeles is positively smoggy with them.
	Herewith set down, for your edification and confusion,
are the rampant and not-so-rampant, consistent and inconsistent
rumors about the content and characters of The Empire Strikes
Back.
	(We presented this compilation to an official in the
Lucasfilm office.  He read it.  His assessment and comments
conclude this article.)
	Take Obi-Wan-Kenobi, for instance.  Did he die or
merely vanish in Star Wars?  A good many people claim to be
sure that Alec Guiness will appear in Empire as Obi Wan; they
say, variously, that:

 Only his disembodied voice will be there.
 He will appear in flashbacks
 He appears as an ephemeral shape that one can faintly see
	through.  He dies yet again and reappears in an even
	more transparent form.

	So many people believe it that it may well be true that
the hinted-at romantic triangle of Luke, Leia, and Han becomes
a serious issue in The Empire Strikes Back, and that it is
settled once and for all:

They say that:

Leia chooses Han Solo.
Leia chooses Luke Skywalker.
Leia runs off with Chewbacca. (At least the Lucasfilm office
	had the kindness to flatly refute *this* possibility.)

	The most disquieting rumor (which was reported in
People Magazine) is that Han Solo is killed in action - leaving
the field clear for Luke.  But then, we've also heard that Mark
Hamill doesn't want to be in Star Wars 3 and so *Luke* gets
killed; or that both Luke and Han die and the saga continues
with either the Princess or one of the new characters in the
lead.
	The Millenium Falcon was constructed full-size for
Empire; it weighs 40 tons, stands 16 feet high and with its
mandible stretches to 80 feet in length.  Rumor has it that the
gigantic ship lifts off under its own power! (Outer space shots
will still use miniatures of the ships.)
	It seems that there are more rumors involving Han Solo
than any of the other characters.  Someone who claims to have
read the "final synopsis" of the script reports this:

	CHEWIE TAKEN PRISONER

	While on the ice planet, Hoth, our intrepid Rebels are
attacked by the Stormtroopers.  Although the Rebels defeat the
troopers, the representatives of the Empire knock Chewie
unconscious and take him away as their prisoner.  Although Leia
insists that Chewie's rescue must wait, that other Rebel
business must take precedence over an attempt, Han defies the
orders and takes off in the Falcon to rescue his friend and
co-pilot.
	Someone else who claims to have read the same "final
synopsis" says no, that it is Han Solo who is taken prisoner,
not Chewbacca!
	And wouldn't this be interesting...
	Near the climax, Han Solo crosses light sabers with
Darth Vader.  Although Han doesn't really know how to use the
weapon, he's doing fairly well when suddenly the light beams
are "fused" together and Han's and Vader's "life forces" are
intermingled.  Luke has a chance to come to the rescue - but if
he kills Vader, might not he kill his friend too?
	One of the new characters in Empire is, reportedly, a
rogue named Lando Calrissian.  It is said, in various circles,
that he is a good guy, and that he is a bad guy.  One
intriguing rumor has it that Calrissian is an old friend of Han
Solo and in fact is the man who sold Han the Millenium Falcon.
Even if that's true, it's as likely that he's a villain as a
hero, considering the ethical fences Han has been known to
straddle.
	Another of the new characters has the evil-smelling
name of Boba Fett.  They say he'll rival Darth Vader for sheer
terrorism.  Apparently, he's a remnant of the old Imperial
Shocktroopers - who once made the Stormtroopers look like
school-crossing guards.  Then others say:
	No, he was never a Shocktrooper; he has merely adopted
their uniform as a symbol of his nefarious purpose.
	(You may actually have seen Boba Fett before; he
appeared with Darth Vader in the Star Wars Holiday Special on
CBS TV last November.)
	Boba Fett wears Wookiee scalps on his shoulder! (Or,
alternatively, dangling from his belt.)
	The most interesting speculation about Boba Fett is
that he's a bounty hunter who will work for whichever side pays
him the most, and he plays both sides when he can get away with
it.
	Here's a rumor within a rumor: Boba Fett will be played
by one actor, and his voice will be overdubbed by another - and
even those in the Lucasfilm office do not know who will be
dubbing the voice!
	That's the method used with Darth Vader, of course: His
body was played by David Prowse and his voice by James Earl
Jones.  Which brings to mind another rumor - that David Prowse
will *not* be playing Vader in the new movie (Once again,
Lucasfilm broke silence to specifically deny this; Prowse *is*
playing Vader.)
	Word has gotten around that the Emperor will make an
appearance in The Empire Strikes Back.  Equally persistent are
the rumors that the will be played by Orson Welles... and by
Christopher Lee.
	One of the special-effects people told us he knew for
sure that neither the Emperor nor Ben Kenobi would be in the
picture - but those fellows at the effects plant are cagey and
are no more to be trusted on such matters than anyone else.

	WILL THE REAL DARTH...

	Occasionally one hears a little discontent over the
ending of Star Wars; some feel that it would have been more
satisfying if we had seen a direct confrontation between Luke
and the man who killed his father - Darth Vader.  Perhaps it's
just wishful thinking in operation, but it is strongly believed
that Empire concludes with a fierce light saber duel between
Luke and Vader.
	And more than once we've heard that it turns out that
Vader is really Luke's father!  Of course, we've also heard,
>from reliable sources, that Ben Kenobi is really Luke's father,
and, from still other sources that *Ben* killed Luke's father.
	It has also been reported that in Empire we learn
considerably more about most of the continuing characters -
including why Darth Vader wears that mask.  We have also heard
that in one scene we see Vader without the mask!
	Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 have larger roles in Empire
than they had in Star Wars, it is said.
	Admittedly, this next story doesn't sound too likely,
but according to one report:
	Luke and C-3PO are captured by a horrendous alien
(stop-motion animated, the story goes) who dumps them into a
tank-like prison filled with a breathable liquid.  The only way
the alien can be killed (shades of Dracula) is to drive a metal
stake through its heart.  The only metal around, unfortunately,
is C-3PO; and Luke melts the droid down to fabricate the weapon.
	Apparently it *is* true that stop-motion animation will
be used much more extensively in Empire than it was in Star
Wars - where it was used for the holographic creatures in the
chess-like "let the Wookiee win" game.  Phil Tippett and Jon
Berg are reportedly the animators in charge.
	Finally, here is a grab-bag of miscellaneous rumors -
some absurd, some logical, none confirmed or denied:

	The Millenium Falcon falls into a black hole - with
Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and Darth Vader aboard - and travels
through time.
	On a jungle planet, where Luke and Han are seeking
allies against the Empire, the two enlist a race of winged
aliens called the Quarrels.
	There are creatures called the Quarrels, but they are
dolphin-like aquatic mammals.
	The Rebels visit three different planets in Empire, and
there are different races of intelligent creatures on each one.
	The Rebels visit three different planets, but none have
indigenous sentient life.
	Princess Leia is captured by Stormtroopers and
delivered to Darth Vader who, by use of the force, seduces her
into betraying Han.
	The special effects team at Industrial Light and Magic,
near San Francisco, have been working on an experimental
process that uses holography and makes it possible for an image
of the Millenium Falcon to fly off the screen and up the
projection beam.
	In their travels, Luke, Leia, and Han encounter a
female villain, a sort of "Queen of Outer Space" (who will
*not* be played by Zsa Zsa Gabor.)
	Relating vaguely to tha black hole rumor, it is said
that Han Solo and Chewie land on a desert planet where they
meet time travelers from Earth's 13th century who are trying to
fight Stormtroopers off with catapults and crossbows.
	Through the use of the force, Luke persuades Darth
Vader of the error of his ways and convinces him to enlist with
the Rebels against the Empire.
	It's a good six months before the Empire Strikes Back
reaches the movie theatres of the world; and it's safe to
assume that the preceding batch of rumors is only the
beginning.  Star Wars captured the imaginations of millions,
instantly, as no film in history has been able to do; and it
seems almost unfair that so many of us have had to wait so long
to be once again immersed - or hurled into - that romantic and
exciting world.  We can't just twiddle our mental thumbs, and
speculation and rumor-mongering seem better than nothing.

	THE "EMPIRE" RESPONDS
	We asked Craig Miller, a member of the publicity
department at Lucasfilm, Ltd., to look over the above, and to
let us know how we did as researchers.  Well, Craig, what's our
score? - Ed.

	Well, David, that's as interesting a bit of rumor
mongering as I've seen in quite some time.  Seriously, though,
you've done pretty well - better than I had hoped you could
do.  Of course, a fair percentage of the rumors you list are
inaccurate, but there are four or five that are accurate.
Which ones they are will have to be left as an exercise for
your readers - at least until the 21st of May, 1980.
	While you came across a few rumors I hadn't heard
before (a Queen of Outer Space?!?), there were a few your
researchers missed.
	How about: Luke convinces Han to accept the teachings
of the Jedi, initiates him into the ways of the Force and from
that point on they learn and grow together.
	Or: The Millenium Falcon passes through a time warp,
and Luke, Han, and Chewbacca end up fighting in the Clone Wars,
side by side with Luke's father and Obi Wan Kenobi.
	One fan magazine reported that the Empire had invented
a spy satellite that they use to seek out Rebel bases, while
another reported that the Rebellion was using them to eavesdrop
on Imperial communications.
	One columnist for a Hollywood trade paper reported that
Mick Jagger would be doing the score for The Empire Strikes
Back, while another announced that Steven Spielberg would be
directing the third film in the Star Wars saga.
	I think my current favorite concerns Princess Leia's
father.  Of royal heritage, he is the nephew of the Emperor,
and, rather than leading the Rebellion, he is actually a double
agent.  Forewarned of the Death Star's attack on Alderaan, he
escaped and now sits in the Emperor's court, advising him.
	Of course, as with your set of rumors, I can't tell you
which of these are accurate.  I'm afraid you'll just have to
wait.  But don't worry, it'll be worth the wait.

					Craig Miller
					Lucasfilm, Ltd.

