Hey, all!
So the Millennium Falcon's full-sized dashboard has a bunch of details on the front of the console that, frankly, don't make a heck of a lot of sense. Why have a load of lights and things there? You can't really see them if you're sitting in the pilot and copilot seats. All they'd do is create annoying reflections on the windows.
But we're talking movie logic, and of course this part of the console is the most visible interior detail if you're looking at the cockpit from the outside. So you need to have a bunch of stuff up there to look cool! This is extra important for us model makers, since it’s kind of the only part of the model that’s easily visible.
However this part of the set was never shown in the actual OT movies. I’m working on my Bandai PG 1:72 Falcon, and since I want the cockpit interior to be the correct Star Wars/ANH/1977 interior rather than the Bandai-supplied ESB/1980 interior, I’ve been researching the front console again.
Obviously this isn’t the only change between the ANH and ESB cockpits and dashboard, but it’s the one for which source material is the most difficult to find. The basic problem is we have only incomplete photographic documentation of the front console in ANH. The top part is well known, as it's highly visible in set photos that were used to publicize the movie.
Here’s a shot from a publicity shoot that’s very similar to one we all know and love. It wasn’t ever used, presumably since Alec Guinness is looking into the lens, but it’s useful to us here as it clearly shows the edge of the panel with its automotive pin striping and the circular blue lights with round edging. It appears to have been taken during or after filming of the "that's no moon!" sequence.
The next shot is from the Making of Star Wars TV documentary, filmed during the Tatooine escape sequence. It’s interesting for a number of reasons. You can see one of the stagehands shaking the cockpit. You can see the slots where the famous missing window bar should have gone. Alec Guinness looks like he’s in pain, as if saying to himself, “why did I agree to this Godawful film?” And this is the only clear view I've seen of the whole front console.
So what’s going on at the bottom there? There are tons of weird reflections, as if that lower rectangle is chromed metal. It’s very confusing to make out what is a greebly and what’s reflection. Which isn’t surprising as it’s probably 16mm handheld film, transferred to NTSC TV and then digitized.
Here’s another shot from the same documentary, which is interesting for a couple of other reasons. First, we can see the lower section with reflected light, suggesting that some of the things in the previous shot aren’t protruding objects. Also, and oddly, it looks like the square plate in the upper left was removed or hadn’t been put back, revealing the holes for light to shine through. It also shows that the black L-shaped bit in the centre of the upper-left plate isn’t actually an L-shaped hole, but a thin L-shaped piece that’s sticking out slightly.
Now, there seems to be a commonly accepted fan rendition of this console, and this is my 3D rendition of it.
However, it doesn’t seem to quite match up with what the Making of photos are showing. So here’s my attempt to update that slightly.The key things are:
- the blue lights in the upper left are a mixture of round and square, at different heights, and one or two aren’t on a grid.
- The L-shaped black thing sticks out slightly and isn’t a hole.
- The area to the upper right should be flat pinstriping, though I’ve modelled it here as recessed lines simply because it’s easier to paint when printing out a 3D model.
- The red lamp to the lower left does look like a semicircular depression.
- I don’t know about the middle. I don’t think there are two greeblies there at all, so I’ve just put one squarish one in instead.
- The lower right light doesn’t look like it lines up to the right edge to me, the way it’s normally depicted. It might be an octagonal depression or it might be something else. But it does seem there’s more stuff to its right. I’ve put in three simple cylinders, but maybe the top thing is actually a narrow rectangular thing?
Anyway. What does everyone think? Are there other photos or video clips that might shed some light on this Great ANH Console Mystery? (I'm not going to go into the ESB/ROTJ or TFA front consoles in this thread, as they're whole other stories)
I'd love to hear from you! Thanks!
So the Millennium Falcon's full-sized dashboard has a bunch of details on the front of the console that, frankly, don't make a heck of a lot of sense. Why have a load of lights and things there? You can't really see them if you're sitting in the pilot and copilot seats. All they'd do is create annoying reflections on the windows.
But we're talking movie logic, and of course this part of the console is the most visible interior detail if you're looking at the cockpit from the outside. So you need to have a bunch of stuff up there to look cool! This is extra important for us model makers, since it’s kind of the only part of the model that’s easily visible.
However this part of the set was never shown in the actual OT movies. I’m working on my Bandai PG 1:72 Falcon, and since I want the cockpit interior to be the correct Star Wars/ANH/1977 interior rather than the Bandai-supplied ESB/1980 interior, I’ve been researching the front console again.
Obviously this isn’t the only change between the ANH and ESB cockpits and dashboard, but it’s the one for which source material is the most difficult to find. The basic problem is we have only incomplete photographic documentation of the front console in ANH. The top part is well known, as it's highly visible in set photos that were used to publicize the movie.
Here’s a shot from a publicity shoot that’s very similar to one we all know and love. It wasn’t ever used, presumably since Alec Guinness is looking into the lens, but it’s useful to us here as it clearly shows the edge of the panel with its automotive pin striping and the circular blue lights with round edging. It appears to have been taken during or after filming of the "that's no moon!" sequence.
The next shot is from the Making of Star Wars TV documentary, filmed during the Tatooine escape sequence. It’s interesting for a number of reasons. You can see one of the stagehands shaking the cockpit. You can see the slots where the famous missing window bar should have gone. Alec Guinness looks like he’s in pain, as if saying to himself, “why did I agree to this Godawful film?” And this is the only clear view I've seen of the whole front console.
So what’s going on at the bottom there? There are tons of weird reflections, as if that lower rectangle is chromed metal. It’s very confusing to make out what is a greebly and what’s reflection. Which isn’t surprising as it’s probably 16mm handheld film, transferred to NTSC TV and then digitized.
Here’s another shot from the same documentary, which is interesting for a couple of other reasons. First, we can see the lower section with reflected light, suggesting that some of the things in the previous shot aren’t protruding objects. Also, and oddly, it looks like the square plate in the upper left was removed or hadn’t been put back, revealing the holes for light to shine through. It also shows that the black L-shaped bit in the centre of the upper-left plate isn’t actually an L-shaped hole, but a thin L-shaped piece that’s sticking out slightly.
Now, there seems to be a commonly accepted fan rendition of this console, and this is my 3D rendition of it.
However, it doesn’t seem to quite match up with what the Making of photos are showing. So here’s my attempt to update that slightly.The key things are:
- the blue lights in the upper left are a mixture of round and square, at different heights, and one or two aren’t on a grid.
- The L-shaped black thing sticks out slightly and isn’t a hole.
- The area to the upper right should be flat pinstriping, though I’ve modelled it here as recessed lines simply because it’s easier to paint when printing out a 3D model.
- The red lamp to the lower left does look like a semicircular depression.
- I don’t know about the middle. I don’t think there are two greeblies there at all, so I’ve just put one squarish one in instead.
- The lower right light doesn’t look like it lines up to the right edge to me, the way it’s normally depicted. It might be an octagonal depression or it might be something else. But it does seem there’s more stuff to its right. I’ve put in three simple cylinders, but maybe the top thing is actually a narrow rectangular thing?
Anyway. What does everyone think? Are there other photos or video clips that might shed some light on this Great ANH Console Mystery? (I'm not going to go into the ESB/ROTJ or TFA front consoles in this thread, as they're whole other stories)
I'd love to hear from you! Thanks!
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