Talking Bay 94: A Star Wars Podcast

We wanted to release a fun bonus episode today, featuring our quick interview with a true Star Wars legend: Garrick Hagon. Playing Biggs Darklighter in the original movie, Mr. Hagon talks all about the famous Tunisia set, as well his first impressions of George Lucas and the Star Wars universe. Also included in the interview: his first time working with Sir Alex Guinness, the camraderie and friendships forged on the set of a galaxy far, far away, and more.

In this episode we are talking to Dave and Lou Elsey, the makeup effects team behind Revenge of the Sith, whose work was nominated for an Academy Award. The Elsey's talk about everything: from meeting Rick Baker to their work on Farscape to getting the call from Rick McCallum about Episode 3. We go through it all: Palpatine's transformation, Anakin's burns and the reintroduction of Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. We even get into the (in)famous Hyperspace Webcam and their Obi-Wan Kenobi mannequin.

In this episode we are talking to Toby Philpott, one of the puppeteers for Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. Mr. Philpott is full of incredible stories from Elstree Studios, including working with the rest of the Jabba team, as well as Carrie Fisher, Richard Marquand and more. From his early days working literally under Jim Henson’s wing to later work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Labyrinth and Little Shop of Horrors, we really dive into his fascinating career. 

Today's episode features a conversation with the great J.W. Rinzler, the author of countless Star Wars behind-the-scenes books (my favorites) and one of the key voices for the galaxy for a long, long time.  We talk all about his start at Lucasfilm, working with Rick McCallum and (very closely) George Lucas. We also dive into George's later focuses and the importance of the prequels and Brandon reveals his 1999 Halloween costume.

Today we're talking to Don Bies, one of the few to make an indelible mark on all of the original six Star Wars movies. Model maker, R2-D2 puppeteer and droid unit supervisor, Don has some great stories, ranging from the Japanese Panasonic commercials to (correctly) designing Darth Vader's helmet in Revenge of the Sith. From Boba Fett to original Biths, he's played them all! We even delve into R2-D2: Beneath the Dome and his latest project, Keep the Gaslight Burning, an awesome horror film he produced.

In this episode, we take it back to the very beginning and talk to Academy Award winner Roger Christian, who was one of the first people ever to get hired onto Star Wars. We try not to freak out while talking about the origins of Blue Milk, C-3PO's eyes, R2-D2 and, of course the original lightsaber.

In the third part of our 35th Anniversary retrospective of Return of the Jedi, we interviewed fan favorite Gerald Home, who performed the parts of both Tessek in Jabba's Palace and Captain Verrack, a Mon Calamari Officer of the Rebel Alliance. We not only talk about his time on the set (with his great rendition of "MANY BOTHANS DIED.") but also talk about his time with fans and as a historian of Star Wars.

This episode is the second part of our 35th Anniversary retrospective of Return of the Jedi. We talk to Stephen Costantino, who traveled to the Yuma desert with his bandmate Corey Dee Williams, thrown into what was then called Blue Harvest. We talk about his time on the set as a Gamorrean Guard, as well as his interactions with Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker.

Today's episode is part of our 35th Anniversary retrospective of Return of the Jedi. We talk to Corey Dee Williams, son of Billy Dee, about his father's time in the saga, the work he did in the Yuma desert, his Star Wars legacy and the funk music he loves to make.

This is it. After almost six months of recording and researching, this is the first ever episode of Talking Bay 94. This is a Star Wars podcast featuring the people who actually made Star Wars happen. This is a Star Wars podcast, simply, that interviews the people who were in Star Wars, who wrote for Star Wars, who lived Star Wars.     The first few episodes of this podcast will be a mini-season of their own, interviewing some of the cast and crew from Return of the Jedi, celebrating 35 years.