When the original Star Wars premiered in 1977, no one could have foreseen the popularity and influence the film franchise would have during the years and decades that followed, nor the devotion and passion it would elicit in millions of fans worldwide. Those fans have donned the costumes of various characters, memorized dialogue, waited in line for hours before each subsequent film’s release, and debated the storyline for hours afterwards – making Star Wars more than a mere movie but literal way of life in the process.
Because Star Wars takes place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” fans have always had to rely on their imagination to visit the Star Wars Universe. That briefly changed over the summer of 2015 when Secret Cinema recreated key elements of that Universe as part of its screening of The Empire Strikes Back. Rather than utilizing a traditional movie theater, Secret Cinema built the Mos Eisley Cantina and Death Star from A New Hope in an abandoned warehouse in London, England, allowing fans to interact with Star Wars characters and relive key moments from the initial film firsthand.
The Empire Strikes Back wasn’t Secret Cinema’s first foray into the world of interactive entertainment. In July 2014, the company recreated a 1950s version of Hill Valley – the fictional town that serves as the setting for the Back to the Future trilogy – for special screenings of the first film in the series. The summer-long event was an instant success, paving the way for an even greater undertaking the following year.
For The Empire Strikes Back, Secret Cinema moved the proceedings indoors to a “secret” abandoned warehouse located near the Canada Water district of southeast London. Attendees were encouraged to dress in costume – or at the very least don a scarf identifying them as members of the Rebel Alliance – and were given secret identities upon enlisting into Rebel X, a subdivision of the Alliance. The evening was thus more than a mere screening of The Empire Strikes Back or even an intricately created “theme park,” but an actual immersion into the world of Star Wars instead.
After a quick briefing, newly recruited Rebel X members were transported to Tatooine, the home of Luke Skywalker, to begin their journey. The first task was to make their way through customs under the interrogation of bug-eyed aliens and the watchful eyes of Imperial Stormtroopers.
From there it was on to Mos Eisley, a spaceport filled with an assortment of vendors and food carts catering to a mixture of fellow travelers, aliens, droids, and actual characters from Star Wars: A New Hope. A landspeeder containing Luke Skywalker and Ben “Obi-Wan” Kenobi made its way through the sand-lined streets at one point, while Luke’s Uncle Owen – as well as Imperial Officers and additional Stormtroopers – interacted with visiting Earthlings.
“I recognize you,” Uncle Owen told visitors. “You’re a friend of Luke’s.” He would then express concerns about the young Skywalker and how his duties at the family farm had taken a back seat as of late. “His Aunt Beru thinks he has a girlfriend,” he then added.
The famed Mos Eisley Cantina was likewise recreated by Secret Cinema, replete with a bar area that served both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as booths similar to the one used by Han Solo and Chewbacca when they first met Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. An inside stage, meanwhile, featured musical performances that added further authenticity to the proceedings.
While attendees could wander Mos Eisley at their leisure, they were later encouraged to make the journey from Tatooine to Alderaan, the home planet of Princess Leia. The resulting Rebel X contingent traveled in the cargo bay of a transport ship, only to quickly discover – just like in the original Star Wars – that Alderaan no longer existed, having been destroyed by the Empire. Visitors thus found themselves on the Death Star instead of a more sympathetic locale, corralled by Imperial Stormtroopers and marched into the detention center.
Their imprisonment was short-lived, however, as a Rebel spy eventually rescued the group, giving instructions on how they could remain safe as well as urging them to contact an onboard physician who was also aligned with the rebellion. Various missions were then assigned, each filled with an assortment of obstacles as Stormtroopers confronted attendees while other fans were “recruited” to assist in ending the rebellion against the Empire. Darth Vader himself could be spotted walking the metal planks and scaffolding of the moon-sized space station.
Numerous scenes from A New Hope were recreated by Secret Cinema Cinema actors on the Death Star as well, including the lightsaber battle between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Shortly afterwards, attendees gathered in the main section of the warehouse where a full-size X-Wing emerged from the ceiling. Piloted by Luke Skywalker, fans were able to witness the destruction of the Death Star firsthand, as well as the Royal Awards Ceremony where Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca were presented with Medals of Bravery from Princess Leia.
With the conclusion of the reenacted events from A New Hope, the actual screening of The Empire Strikes Back officially commenced, with actors once again recreating scenes in conjunction with the actual film presentation. Attendees were able to mingle afterwards at a “nightclub” specially designed for the after-party before concluding their adventure within the Star Wars Universe.
And what a truly amazing adventure it was! Secret Cinema pulled out all the stops to give the most authentic experience possible of a galaxy that was “far, far away” from planet Earth. The warehouse that served as Mos Eisley and the Death Star, for instance, contained eighteen acres of space, with over 400 designers pitching in to create the sets. Add 180 artists and musical acts, 300 costumes and hundreds of actors and actresses to bring the characters of Star Wars to life, and the overall experience was a “most impressive” one indeed.
“I’ve done concert tours, the West End and some very large-scale festivals,” Secret Cinema technical director Piers Shepperd told the Daily Telegraph in June 2015. “This is more exciting. In the West End you sit down, pay for your program, queue at the bar for your interval drinks, then you watch a show. You know pretty much what you’re going to get. Every now and again you see something which is different. But nothing compared to what we’re trying to do here in terms of either technical or creative ambition. The audience just don’t know what to expect.”
Since 1977, fans of Star Wars have wondered what it would be like to visit the fabled landmarks of the Star Wars Universe. Over the summer of 2015, Secret Cinema not only offered the opportunity to visit such mythical locales as the Mos Eisley Cantina and Death Star but become part of the Star Wars mythology in the process – an experience that none of the 100,000 Star Wars faithful who attended will ever forget.
Anthony Letizia