Behind The Scenes At The Star Wars Cantina

Star Wars birthed a world of fandom that has endured ever since the 1977 release of A New Hope. Every scene has a life of its own, but one of the most memorable is the famous Cantina scene. Set in the city of Mos Eisley on planet Tatooine, this scene is where the controversial "Han shot first" debate originated, and it was considered a testament to the cutting-edge technology, makeup, and costumes of the era. Filmed in a small fishing town in North Africa, these behind-the-scenes shots give an inside look on the set that blew people's minds back in 1977. 

Credited only as "The Bartender" in A New Hope, Ted Burnett won our hearts forever when he told Luke Skywalker that he doesn't serve droids. Racist. 

Because of his strong cockney accent, they eventually dubbed over his dialogue with another actor's voice; the very same thing happened to David Prowse, who originally voiced Darth Vader. Fun fact: David Prowse is now banned from all Star Wars conventions because of his distaste for George Lucas. 

Close-ups were filmed of the aliens in an attempt to give the scene more diversity. Here's an insect being from the planet Huk. 

This is a female Vuvrian — characterized by her multiple eyes, enormous tentacles, and suspicious resemblance to a burnt croissant. 

At one point, George Lucas must've been like: "to hell with it, just make all the aliens look like giant bugs."

Okay, wait — this is literally just a dude in a gas mask. 

But actually, it was a woman behind the mask: Janice Burchette, whose only film role was in this very scene. What happened, Janice? 

Christine Hewett and Angela Staines played these two matching ladies simply known as "Space Girls."

Angela Staines' only other role is an uncredited part in the 1976 film Queen Kong. 

Laaaaaaaaaaadies...


Jeremy Glass is the Vice editor and knows for a fact that Han shot first.