Mardji
Mardji (1953 – 1995) was an Asian elephant who portrayed two banthas in the 1977 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Footage of Mardji was also used a reference for the movements of the AT-ATs in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
Biography
Mardji was an Asian elephant who portrayed the banthas in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.[3] She was transported from Marine World Africa USA in Redwood City, California, to a Star Wars shooting location in Death Valley, California. There, she was outfitted with a bantha costume, made up of layers of fur and a lightweight horned headpiece. Though Mardji was a well-trained elephant, she had difficulty adjusting to her costume, often trying to remove it while the cameras were rolling.[4] Since the filmmakers could only afford a single dressed-up elephant, the scene where Luke Skywalker spotted two banthas side by side was realized through optical compositing.[5]
During the production of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, footage of Mardji was taken by a team including special effects artists Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and Jon Berg. This footage was used as a reference for how the AT-ATs should move.[6]
Mardji spent the rest of her life as a Marine World attraction. She was euthanized in November 1995, after suffering from chronic bone inflammation.[1]
Several years after her death, she inspired the use of dog actors for the Corellian hounds of the 2018 Star Wars Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story, as revealed in The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope[8] | Bantha[5] |
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back[9] | Inspiration for how All Terrain Armored Transports should move[6] |
Sources
"Around the Galaxy" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 6
"Star News" – Star Wars Insider 28
Empire's Elephant on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)- "The Toughest Ever Creatures" – Star Wars Insider 102
bantha in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
Drawing from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away on StarWars.com (backup link not verified!)- "The Star Wars Archive" – Star Wars Insider 200
Animal Actors | Star Wars Full Circle on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mardji. Star Wars Actors Database (content now obsolete; archived from the original on May 12, 2008)
- ↑ "Star News" – Star Wars Insider 28
- ↑ Drawing from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away on StarWars.com (backup link not verified!)
- ↑ bantha in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Toughest Ever Creatures" – Star Wars Insider 102
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Empire's Elephant on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
External links
- Mardji in the Star Wars Actors Database (content no longer available: see archived version at Archive.org)