One of the most thrilling action sequences in all of Star Wars is the Vandor train heist, and StarWars.com takes a closer look at this gem of a scene with James Clyne as they look at the design and construction of the piece which included some very real-world subterranean influences.
Like the Kessel Run sequence, Clyne once again found real-world inspiration for the look and feel of the train’s locomotion by investigating the London Underground and delving into military history.
The look of the train cars were influenced by German military trains from the ’30s and ’40s. “These big, heavy fortified German trains,” Clyne says. “That was kind of the impetus. That was the initial vibe of the train. If you look at these things, they look like tanks on a rail that was a big influence.
“Rob Bredow, the now president of ILM and the effects supervisor, took video of Underground trains in London and watched how the cars kind of jiggled their way around a corner. It wasn’t so clean like a monorail or something,” Clyne says. “So we looked at that kind of stuff and then the idea of, well, what does an actor look like on a set with a train on a stage versus a stuntman on a real train? You realize they don’t walk that fast, they’re kind of having to compensate constantly and rebalance themselves so they’re not running. They’re doing this weird shuffle, even though it’s all on a set. It does feel pretty dangerous.”
