Millennium Falcon ANH front console mystery

3Dsf

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
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.
unused publicity.jpg

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.

makingofstarwars.jpg

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.

makingofstarwarsangle.jpg

Now, there seems to be a commonly accepted fan rendition of this console, and this is my 3D rendition of it.
old-panel.jpg

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.
new-panel.jpg

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!
 
Last edited:
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.
The next shot is from the Making of Star Wars TV documentary, filmed during the “that’s no moon” sequence. It’s interesting for a number of reasons. You can see one of the stagehands shaking the cockpit to simulate the tractor beam. You can see the slots where the famous missing window bar beam 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!

Try checking out a build thread elsewhere on theRPF with a lot of reference. Check out 1:1 Millenium Falcon Cockpit Console build thread. It started out as just the console, but Sofaking's project kind of expanded to the entire cockpit interior. Like I said, lots of reference, both of the console and if the multiple iterations and changes of the cockpit set, well worth checking out.


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Try checking out a build thread elsewhere on theRPF with a lot of reference.

Thanks for the response! Yes, I've definitely followed that thread over the last while. Lots of interesting information in there, but nothing that covers this particular topic. Still searching...

- nkg
 
hey there. I don't have much extra info but I couldn't resist chiming in.

As far as I know, I'm the first person to try to replicate that area in my old thread on here.

mine.JPG

and then Maruska's brilliant model, which you're referencing followed some of my notes.

maruska.JPG


My initial results were generated from the same reference you posted in this thread, and so it's all the same guesswork. It's as close as I could get.

One thing I will say, that between Maruska's and yours, I'm not sure why you guys are extruding the blue circles? To me, they look like holes in a single black panel, and underneath is a single light source with a blue gel or something.
I would LOVE to know what the parts actually looked like on there. I can only assume they were more aircraft parts. You never know what reference might turn up!
 
Howdy, Steve! Yes, so it looks like we're all gazing at the same tealeaves and trying to figure out what went on back there in 1976. :) I knew you and Maruska had worked on the problem, but I don't know the timeline and who did what, and who to credit. Thanks for that!

It's quite interesting as an early blueprint for the cockpit used in the Force Awakens features a console based mostly around the ANH design, and includes Maruska's version of the front panel. Obviously in the end they went for a more chronologically logical Empire design - at least, a somewhat incomplete rendition thereof! But the timing is interesting, as I presume it's a case of the Star Wars production team incorporating fan research.

TFA-console.jpg

One thing I will say, that between Maruska's and yours, I'm not sure why you guys are extruding the blue circles? To me, they look like holes in a single black panel, and underneath is a single light source with a blue gel or something.

That is a good point. I was looking at one of the press kit photos, and it's cropped slightly lower, revealing a bit more of the blue lights. Compared to the Making of shot, they do seem more like recessed holes.

Adding to the ship of mysteries, however, this photo has a moderately clear view of the greebly that's sometimes on the central ring on the back of the console, and that sometimes isn't.

cockpit-presskit.jpg

Console without the greebly.

yHH79zs.jpg

Though that is getting us off track and away from the console front.

I really wonder if Harry Lange maintained any archival material on his Star Wars work. A bunch of his material for 2001 was at his family home, and published in book form after his death.

- nkg
 
It's quite interesting as an early blueprint for the cockpit used in the Force Awakens features a console based mostly around the ANH design, and includes Maruska's version of the front panel. Obviously in the end they went for a more chronologically logical Empire design - at least, a somewhat incomplete rendition thereof! But the timing is interesting, as I presume it's a case of the Star Wars production team incorporating fan research.

View attachment 768178

yeah that was a funny one, because it's not just based on Maruska's, it's his entirely that ILM used. When that image popped up, I noticed how familiar it was and showed it to Maruska. He verified it, and he spotted some telltale details he'd specifically added, since he put it on Grabcad for anyone to download.

That is a good point. I was looking at one of the press kit photos, and it's cropped slightly lower, revealing a bit more of the blue lights. Compared to the Making of shot, they do seem more like recessed holes.

Adding to the ship of mysteries, however, this photo has a moderately clear view of the greebly that's sometimes on the central ring on the back of the console, and that sometimes isn't.

View attachment 768183

Console without the greebly.

View attachment 768185

Though that is getting us off track and away from the console front.

I really wonder if Harry Lange maintained any archival material on his Star Wars work. A bunch of his material for 2001 was at his family home, and published in book form after his death.

- nkg

Yeah that disappearing/reappearing part is maybe one of the only things I haven't modeled in the ANH cockpit, since it only shows up in one photo.

But back to the panel with the circles: notice in the first of those two promotional images it almost looks like there's glass in each of the holes, and there's a blurry sort of grid behind...
 
here's one from my collection that might help. Looks like they took the blue gel out from behind it. Looks like the "that's no moon" sequence they were filming with the blue visible, as you posted earlier. Maybe this is later on in the day and the cockpit has started to fall apart under the heat of the studio lights (if I recall correctly, in the scenes after the tie fighter battle "do you think a princess and a guy like me..." you can see gauges on the panels behind Han and Luke have melted...)



tumblr_ocmlrux7PH1skxkgco3_1280.jpg
 
Aw yeah! Not only does it show the mystery greeblies on the left side (well starboard side from the pilot's POV), but the light detailing is all there. It definitely looks like there was a dark grey/black square of thin material, backed with blue gel, and the silver frames for the lights were installed into that. And this square plate was removable. I agree it looks like it had some clear plastic or glass over top of the gel, since the reflection doesn't *seem* to have the telltale slightly bent surface of gel material.

Amazing; thanks! Where did you find this one?
 
Also, the publicity shots were definitely from the "that's no moon" Death Star approach scene, whereas the one you posted was from the "watch yer mouth, kid" Tatooine departure scene. I wonder where they fell in the shooting schedule.
 
heh, who know where I might have found it. I've been dredging the internet for years.

here's an examination of how the part looks to me. Hopefully this rings a bell for someone as a real world part?

falcon ANH front dash examination.JPG
 

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Also, the publicity shots were definitely from the "that's no moon" Death Star approach scene, whereas the one you posted was from the "watch yer mouth, kid" Tatooine departure scene. I wonder where they fell in the shooting schedule.

heh, good catch... I'm slipping.
 
Regarding what sort of in universe function those lights could have, one thing comes to mind. In both Star Wars and Star Trek lights are typically used as sensors- glowing bits which scan, flash or illuminate to show that the device is checking things out. While the Falcon has massive sensor suites mounted elsewhere, they could function as a backup or calibration sensor cluster. Being mounted directly on the navigation console they would work even if the main sensors were not available due to breakdown or battle damage shorting out the connections. Lando did manage remove the entire main dish inside the Death Star, having a small backup might help.

Another potential function would be systems diagnostics- even though they are not in direct view, seeing reflections of the all blue tell tales would let the pilot know everything is functional and properly working. If the lights went dark or changed color it would show his controls may not be working correctly and allow him time to compensate.

Bottom line thought is that they just look better than having a metal panel there, like all the greebly in Star Wars the function is usually made up after the the fact.
 
Regarding what sort of in universe function those lights could have .... While the Falcon has massive sensor suites mounted elsewhere, they could function as a backup or calibration sensor cluster. ...

Another potential function would be systems diagnostics ... Bottom line thought is that they just look better than having a metal panel there, like all the greebly in Star Wars the function is usually made up after the the fact.


good thoughts, and it would explain why the front of the falcon has that completely round window in the front that's obstructed by the front of the console anyway so couldn't be the for the pilot's benefit.
 
As a side note, it always seemed silly to me (even as a kid) that the Falcon would have this huge B-29 style cockpit window and then have a "dashboard" smack dab in the middle of it. You'd think it's be closer to this.
B-29.jpg
For this reason I really like the U-Wing cockpit where the pilots just have a control yoke in front of them. Anyway, back to the discussion...
 
As a side note, it always seemed silly to me (even as a kid) that the Falcon would have this huge B-29 style cockpit window and then have a "dashboard" smack dab in the middle of it. You'd think it's be closer to this. For this reason I really like the U-Wing cockpit where the pilots just have a control yoke in front of them. Anyway, back to the discussion...
View attachment 768299

at the very least, the guys working on the 5' cockpit were thinking the same thing, and put a gap between the pilot and copilot...
falcon-cockpit[1].jpg
 
heh, who know where I might have found it. I've been dredging the internet for years.

here's an examination of how the part looks to me. Hopefully this rings a bell for someone as a real world part?

View attachment 768263


hmmmm, wondering if this greeble could have been the back-plate off a modular bank of switches or indicators out of a real cockpit? Something similar to these in the cockpit of the Vickers Viscount. None of these are quite right, but kind of seem similar and often have a variety of sizes

Capture.PNG
 
We can never be 100% screen accurate when there just isn't enough information to fill in all the gaps.

No, we may never attain 100% accuracy, but it's fun researching what information is out there. :) And who knows? Just hoping some more random data points might crop up, like Steve's awesome photo!
 
Side note on the Falcon's Cockpit. In the extras on the 'The Force Awakens' BluRay set Harrison Ford talks about how the original cockpit set was built with broken switches. They cost a lot less that ones that worked, but when you flipped a toggle switch it would flop right back down again. When they rebuilt the cockpit for the new movie he asked if the switches would work this time- they did put working switches in...
 
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