The Sandcrawlers in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ Nearly Started a War Before the Tunisian Government Stepped In
Film forever changed in May 1977 when Star Wars: A New Hope first debuted. Created by George Lucas, the flick follows heroes and villains in a galactic war for their survival. The movie stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Cushing, and Sir Alec Guinness. Star Wars, as it was originally called, did so well that it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and has earned hundreds of millions of dollars since its release — not to mention spawned an entire cinematic universe.
While even casual fans know these facts, few may be privy to the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped the film. In fact, some of these stories could have gone much differently, potentially starting a war between Libya and Tunisia, had the crew not handled things the right way.
The Libyan government worried about sandcrawlers on the Tunisian border
While filming in Tunisia, which served as Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine, Lucas and the movie crew nearly had an international incident on their hands. According to BuzzFeed, the Tunisian government had to step in during filming because the area where filming was taking place was near the border with Libya. The Libyan government mistook the sandcrawlers in the scene for military vehicles. Officials were concerned that Tunisia was building up a military on its border, waiting to strike.
After explaining the situation, the crew eliminated the threat of military action between the two countries. They shot most of the necessary scenes in just two weeks.
‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ was an unexpected success
No one expected a movie about space to succeed the way it did. Star Wars: A New Hope remains one of the most successful films of all time. It earned $2.5 million in its first six days (today’s equivalent of $11.4 million). According to Variety, the film garnered a domestic total of $197 million by the end of 1977. By 2017, the film had earned $775 million globally.
The movie was also nominated for multiple awards. Star Wars: A New Hope was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning six of them. However, many fans were shocked when it lost the award for Best Picture to Annie Hall.
An international incident isn’t the only behind-the-scenes story
Even more than 40 years later, there are still some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories about the first film in the Star Wars franchise. After principal shooting in Tunisia and the U.K., Lucas flew back to the United States and checked into a hospital because he thought he was having a heart attack. It was likely stress from the strict schedule Lucas kept the movie on, paired with his unhappiness with the original editor.
Another famous story from the set? Anthony Daniels, the man behind C-3PO, could not physically sit down in his costume. To give the actor a break, the crew had built a leaning board that allowed him to recline. But according to Wired, Daniels said it didn’t do much for relaxing.
Fans may be surprised to know that the main characters went through significant changes between drafts of the original script. Originally, Han Solo was supposed to be an actual monster. Lucas also tried giving the hero a cape and beard. The second draft of the script not only scrapped the character of Princess Leia, but also changed Luke to a female character.
Because of the changes that Lucas made going forward from those early drafts, fans have the movie that they know and love today.
