Did you know the engine panels on the back of the Millennium Falcon were shovels from a bulldozer?
The spaceship roars overhead, a huge bulk pale against the inky depths of space.
Its an Imperial Star Destroyer, its surface spiky with an incalculable number of spiky outcroppings.
As the crafts multiple engines rumble into view, we can only guess at its size.
Star Warsintroduced the idea of a used future that small films likeDark Starcould only imply.
Some call these details greebles or greeblies.
Others call them nurnies.
But where did the ingenious idea of adding them come from?
So did George Lucas really coin the term greeble, or greeblie?
Its possible, Davis tells us.
Theyre probably the most well-known model makers in the world.
We both knew what to do when we modified the MoonBus.
2001: A Space Odysseywas probably the first huge milestone in terms of greeble details, Davis agrees.
What it comes from is very practical.
Theres always budgets and schedules, right?
So the need for greebles has more to do with budgets and schedules than anything else.
But you need that rich detail to make science fiction or mechanical things look like they do something.
Whereas a professional takes pride in the day or week they spent on making a model.
So its about making it look as though youve spent a long time without actually spending a long time.
Rather, the goal is to carefully choose pieces which will imply some sort of scientific function.
A lot people really underestimate how much attention is paid when doing this, Davis continues.
They also venture to fill entire areas.
There can be a practical aspect to applying greebles to a space craft, too.
Thats part of what drives where we put the details.
We want it to be aesthetically pleasing, but we have to balance that with functionality.
The At-St Scout Walkers feet, for example, are said to be taken from a Tank Destroyer.
Thats always the goal to make it look like it does something, and not make it recognizable.
Thats because its too recognizable as pieces from an automobile.
If you use a military kit, its less recognizable to the general public.
Some of those parts were regularly used in theStar Warsfranchise and other effects sequences created at ILM.
In fact, we used it on every model that came out of that shop.
We went, Yes!
The greebles themselves kind of had lives of their own, Davis says.
I hear it all the time, laughs Davis.
People are like, Dont you ever miss [model making]?
And Im like, What are you talk about?
I never stopped working!'
Its exciting to see what theyre doing with theseStar Warsmovies, Davis says enthusiastically.
