Sets/Locations

• "We will see a number of sets and environments returning from the original trilogy." - GB
• There will be quite a few new unheard-of worlds in Episode 3. -PH
• One of the planets could be described as a "mountain" planet, but not overwhelmingly so. -PH
• There will be some montage style shots, where we will see some scenes in fairly quick succession panning out over several worlds, which is why the confirmed number of planets and their design keeps vacillating. -PH
• Most the new planets are brand new ones to the saga. -PH
• Balamak and Bassandro are not Ep3 planets. -PH
• So far, there are 11 planets in Ep3. -PH
• The clone war montage is still in the film. Two planets have been combined. One planet that was cut has been brought back. The total number of planets is always in flux. -PH
• None of the planets seen in the Clone Wars cartoon are among those new planets seen in Ep3. -PH
• "We will be seeing more of Coruscant." - JK
• Due to the Clone Wars, the round Jedi Council room now has visible scuff marks and wear. The chairs of the Jedi Council are marked and torn, being visual cues that things have been chaotic and difficult these past 3 years. - OS
• "Tatooine will tie everything together in Ep3." - RM
• One of the sets is the Trade Federation capital ship where we will see many action-related sequences. - OS
• The largest stage was used for Padm?'s apartment and the Trade Federation cruiser bridge. - OS
• One set is of a hangar bay where we will see the clones. - OS
• One shooting stage was used to create a pillared verandah, the elevator lobby, and the Jedi Temple interior that had that long staircase in it.
• Visually, Ep3 is the most ambitious film yet due to all the number of new planets. - RM
• A new alien planet will feature landing platforms and breezy winds. The architecture of the planet is curved and ribbed and gives the environment an alien feel. The planet will be primarily digitally created since it is unlike any earthly environment where location shooting could help. - OS
• Naboo does not get destroyed in Ep3. -PH
• Geonosis will not be seen in Ep3. -PH
• Kamino will not be seen in Ep3. -PH
• Dantooine will not be seen in Ep3. -PH
• The scenes scheduled for March 2004 are less than a dozen and "aren't any more seismic in their revelations". -OS
• The windy environment in Ep3 is a concept in which Ralph McQuarrie had done previous designs. George decided to re-visit the idea and give it a fresh pass. -RC
• To avoid repetition, the design crew has developed a new look for the outer space locations. - RC
• Most of the Coruscant designs will expand on previously seen locations. There are a few new locations on Coruscant we will see - and one in particular that Ryan thinks is really cool. - RC
• We will see a new location on Naboo. - RC
• There is an entirely new digital environment that will be bigger than anything seen in any Star Wars film and will be very challenging for ILM. - DG
• One of the Original Trilogy locations has sunken crew pits, hand rails, control panels, personal computers, and viewports. Letters on the controls read "DEFLECTOR SHIELDS", "REACTOR STATUS", and "REBEL SCUM DETECTOR", "VADER PROXMITY DETECTOR", "Coast Clear. Goof Off", and "He's behind you. Look busy." - OS
• Scenes include Palpatine's office, the Jedi Temple, Padm?'s apartment and Padm?'s verandah. New angles and changes in Coruscant's skyline necessitate new views of the returning locales. - OS
• There is no Dagobah cave explanation or involvement in Ep3. It served its purpose in Ep5. - PH
• The warehouse district (Sidious' lair) from Ep2 does not return for Ep3. - PH
• There are no cantinas in Ep3. The most social scenes like that were in Ep2. Ep3 does have a bit of that, but nothing like a cantina. - PH
• There is no Sith Temple in Ep3. - PH
• Padm?'s lavish verandah in her Coruscant apartment seen in Ep3 may not have been seen in Ep2, but it was part of the structure, just not in any shots. - PH
• There will be a total of two sets from the classic trilogy. - PH
• It is doubtful we will see power couplings in Ep3. - PH
• Bail Organa's set is about 75 percent real. The panoramic windows and one section of a wall weren't real. - PH
• The Trade Federation cruiser bridge will be the only bridge we see of all the Confederacy ships in the opening space battle. - PH
• A large tree serves as the Wookiee headquarters on Kashyyyk. - JB
• "We wanted to have a sort of high-tech Frank Lloyd Wright feel where the Wookiees incorporated the natural environments into their living conditions," says Ryan Church. "George was very specific about not wanting to see the same thing over and over again. We're visiting a lot of planets in Episode III, so when we cut to Kashyyyk really quickly, you have to know where you are." The end result will be a single city on Kashyyyk that straddles several massive trees. Though other published sources have explored the thickest areas of jungle canopy, Episode III's location is on the shore of a tree-lined lagoon, offering greater visual dynamics and story potential. - Ryan Church
• Kashyyyk will be different from Endor in the way that it's a much more heroic, jaw-dropping scale. People's eyes will be popping as they say, "Wow...that's a big tree!" - JB
• With 12 different worlds to explore, the Art Department was challenged to create distinctive architecture and terrain for each planet that would stand out no matter what the time of day was. At one point, color studies of the different environments would blur together if the planets were depicted at dusk. - OS
• The Kashyyyk sequence looks to be one of the film's most memorable and breathtaking action sequences. - OS
• The Kashyyyk scenes take place in bright daylight. - JB
• Jabiim, Handooine, Cardia, Kuat, Balmorra, Foerest, Sluis Van, Khomm, Lur, Columus, Arkania, Skor II, Clak'Dor VII, Yag' Dhul, Seswenna, Lianna, Xagobah, Cerea, Brentaal, Esseles, Gyndine, Atrankus, Teyr, Haruun Kal, Berchest, Virujansi, Grumani, Metalorn, Tepasi, Rendili, Jyvus, or Thyferra are not Episode III planets. - PH
• Tatooine will not be conquered by the new Empire in Episode III. - PH
• Neither Foerest, Handooine nor Rendilo are Episode III planets. - PH
• There are several underground locations in Episode III. - PH
• During the Episode II production, some establishing shots and background plates were taken in Tunisia for use in Episode III. - PH
• The planet dropped into the Insider's HoloNet news article has been placed in the Core region of the galaxy. - PH
• Padm? will give birth to the twins on a brand-new, never-before-seen world. - PH
• Tion Meddon's people are very much involved in some sort of fighting. Their planet is the site of a major battle. - PH
• The "trophy room" location from Insider #76 on page 34 was cut out of the movie, but its name lives on and was applied to a new location in the movie that looks nothing like that environment. It's the same planet whose name was dropped in a past HoloNet news article. - PH
• The current planetarial census is 12, and Pablo doesn't foresee that changing. - PH
• Aside from the Tantive IV and Star Destroyer bridge, there's about 3 more sets that haven't been revealed yet. They'll eventually work their way into Knollvision. - PH
• In the current cut of Episode III, we will get to see the outside and entrance to the Jedi Temple. - PH
• We will not see any type of new secret fortress or castle for Sidious in Episode III. - PH
• When asked if Neimoidia is in Revenge of the Sith, Pablo says, "not exactly...". - PH
• There are no EU planets in EP3. - PH
• Neither Atzerri nor Moorja are Episode III planets. - PH
• All of the new planets have names, although some names and environments have swapped roles. - PH
• The planet Rhen Var is not in Episode III. - PH
• A crowd of Senators congregate on a set called "Senate Building Main Hall." - OS
• As Separatist and Republic cruisers exchange broadsides in the opening space battle, we cut into the Separatist gunnery bay, where huge cannons recoil back into frame, battle droid workers scrambling to keep the hungry weapons loaded. It's like an old pirate movie, with grubby crew men working below decks, maneuvering past the heavy cannons that roll back after each blast. - OS
• One sequence is General Grievous' approach to the planet Utapau. The first shot is the shuttle approaching the planet from orbit, the next is an aerial shot of the shuttle over the landscape. Proceeding that is a shot of the ship coming to rest in a landing bay, Grievous' exit and march across the landing bay, and the final shot of him entering a lift to meet with his Separatist toadies. - OS
• As Aayla marches through the underbrush of a fungus-covered planet, something catches her eye. - OS
• The Jedi Temple now boasts a war room. - OS
• The theater sequence consists of a ballet, held at the opera house, where Palpatine discusses an old play. - OS
• In a scene towards the beginning of the film, Mace and Palpatine were originally supposed to meet in an industrial area of Coruscant, before the Chancellor would be shuttled off to a Senate landing platform and greeted by assembled dignitaries. In the new version of this scene, Mace is at the Senate landing platform with the rest of the dignitaries. Mace and Palpatine film a most civil exchange, pleasantries included, although veiled with tension. - OS
• A new sequence has been added to the script, an exchange between Anakin and Mace. This scene was originally set in the Jedi Council, but was transplanted to a new environment, the never-before-seen gunship hangar bay of the Jedi Temple. - OS
• In one scene, Anakin sits in Yoda's quarters, talking about matters pressing heavily upon his shoulders. Yoda's advice is very similar to his original speech to young Anakin in Episode I. Yoda speaks to him about attachment, possession, premonition and mortality. Anakin sits on a big circular chair. Shadows are cast on their faces from the blinds. - OS
• The Jedi younglings filmed a scene in the Jedi Council chambers. - OS
• Location photography that will become various planets seen in Episode III includes an erupting volcano in Italy, strange tree covered peaks jutting from lagoons shot in Thailand and China, and the snow-capped mountains and green valleys of Switzerland. - OS
• On the lava fields of volatile planet, harvesting platforms must somehow withstand the blast furnace-temperatures to allow the wiry natives to gather valuable ores from the molten rivers. - OS
• Inside a control room on an inhospitable world, sinister forces conspire to defeat the Republic. In this room, holographic status imagery floats above surfaces. - OS
• On Episode III's most hostile world, the tough, heat-blasted metal and no-nonsense hard angle design suggest a planet of little comforts. - OS
• The floor of Stage 2 was a pit that was filled with water to represent a fuel-filled generator room aboard the Trade Federation cruiser, and was also used for the dark depths of a grotto on Utapau. - OS
• Background plates have been shot in Switzerland for the idyllic planet of Alderaan, the Organa family's home world. - Insider #77
• Kashyyyk is home to massive, primeval rainforests. - OS
• "[Kashyyyk] is a tropical, but cool planet." - Ryan Church
• The mighty wroshyr trees, as they are referred to in the Expanded Universe, are the most visible form of life on Kashyyyk. Kilometers-tall, the trees have the notable ability of fusing together if their growth paths intersect, forming a stronger, conjoined tree. The limbs in the forest canopy are so thickly intertwined that they form a natural cradle for Wookiee architecture. Entire cities are perched in the wroshyr branches, housing many Wookiees. - OS
• The huge tree on Kashyyyk serves as the main backdrop for important meetings between the Yoda and the holographic Jedi Council. - OS
• At full scale, the Kashyyyk tree is 200 feet wide and almost 800 feet tall just to the canopy. - OS
• Wookiees are extremely talented. The craftsmanship and the level of work that's gone on to create the architectural elements used on this tree are very, very fine. Their woodworking abilities and metal crafting abilities are tremendous. - OS
• Episode III features worlds and environments that simply could not be found by scouting the world for suitable filming locations. - OS
• An environment featuring volcanic fields will be seen at the end of Episode III. - OS
• For Episode III, the miniature requirements will run the gamut from huge landscapes (like the Kashyyyk trees and beaches) to small, quaint environments (say, the Coruscant opera box). - OS
• The besieged world of Utapau is marked by plummeting sinkholes that pockmark its otherwise unremarkable scrub-covered surface. Lining the huge inner rim of these huge cavities are entire cities. - OS
• Though they dwell in enormous holes, the citizens of Utapau aren't primitive troglodytes. It is a sophisticated culture built up over centuries, a hodgepodge of communities and architecture realized by miniatures of varying scales. - OS
• It's been George's desire to have a variety of architecture on Utapau that's all alien-looking, so you know it's definitely not Coruscant. It's much different. Frank Lloyd Wright was a true inspiration for a lot of this architecture. - OS
• A landing platform juts from the inside of a Utapaun sinkhole. - OS
• As Obi-Wan Kenobi tracks down General Grievous on Utapau, he confronts the droid general and his IG 100 MagnaGuards on the Tenth Level of a massive sinkhole city. The environment and the combatants will be realized through miniature and digital effects -- on set, Ewan McGregor had to fight against members of the Stunt Department dressed in blue and green while off-set dialogue reader Duncan Young provided Grievous' snarling dialogue. - OS
• It's the location of legend -- the volcanic backdrop of the epic duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. For over 20 years, fans of the saga have had only the briefest and vaguest of descriptions of this setting -- calderas filled with deadly molten lava, waiting to sear Anakin's flesh and strip away his last vestiges of humanity. - OS
• The double-planet of Mustafar is a young, volatile world with a hellish landscape covered by volcanoes, lava flows and jagged obsidian mountains. This landscape will largely be realized by miniature environments. Digital matte paintings, plate photography of actual erupting volcanoes, and digital soot, ash and heat distortion will embellish the scenes. - OS
• "[Mustafar] is supposed to be a very aggressive and really gnarly environment." - BG
• On Mustafar, a sprawling industrial complex harvests and processes lava for its rich mineral content. - OS
• On Mustafar, up where the industrial complex sits, there's an architectural structure with lava flowing through a dam, as well as splitting off into all these little fingers of lava and standing pools. - OS
• The lava on Mustafar will have a variety of different colors indicating different temperatures. - OS
• On Mustafar, the industrial complex perched on the side of a craggy mountain will be digital. - OS
• On the fiery young world of Mustafar, a heat-blasted industrial facility serves as the backdrop for an epic duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. The grueling battle progresses throughout the structure, from expansive platforms to claustrophobic corridors destined to be scarred and pitted by the whirling blades of light. - OS
• In scene 113, Bail Organa lands on the landing platform extending from the Jedi Temple's spires to find a disturbing turn of events. Clone Commander Appo reports to him a surprising development within the ranks of the Jedi order. - OS
• On the twilight plains of Saleucami, in the stretching shadows of monumental bulbous plantlife, Stass Allie rockets ahead of her clone trooper wingmen aboard a BARC speeder, a sleek speeder bike with a frame more robust than the slimmer versions seen in Return of the Jedi. She looks around as she patrols the landscape. She is flying around, still aware of potential trouble. - OS
• There's a big battle on Saleucami, but it's over for now. - JK
• The holographic specter of Darth Sidious makes contact with Separatist masterminds on the hellish world of Mustafar. - OS
• Mustafar is a pretty essential---if not major---location within Revenge of the Sith. - Insider #80
• Anakin and Obi-Wan's Jedi starfighters lead the charge against massed Separatist forces in the skies high above Coruscant. - Insider #80
• In the main Senate hallway, obscured by a pillar, Padm? Amidala shares a tender moment with her secret husband, Anakin Skywalker. - Insider #80
• Anakin has learned much since his last battle with Separatist leader Count Dooku, as a fight aboard the Trade Federation cruiser shows. - Insider #80
• Part of a Trade Federation cruiser makes an emergency crash landing on Coruscant with fire ships hovering nearby in an attempt to douse the flames. - Insider #80
• Anakin and Obi-Wan make quick work of a squadron of battle droids in the hangar bay of a Trade Federation cruiser. - Insider #80
• Yoda has had enough. The diminutive Jedi Master strides into Chancellor Palpatine's outer office, ignoring the Emperor's "Royal" Guards, to confront Palpatine. - Insider #80
• Anakin and Obi-Wan say their goodbyes in Scene 72, which takes place on a Clone Landing Platform. The background is filled out with a massive staging area and an immense Republic Star Destroyer. - OS
• In the fiery chaos of Mustafar, Anakin runs along a length of crumbing architecture, balancing and running uphill as the floor drops from beneath him, culminating in a foolhardy leap when he reaches the peak of the incline. - OS
• There are twelve planets in Episode III, including four quick "Clone Wars"-type planets. - PH