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Lucas borrowed Trumbull's little robots
Trumbull, the effects artist behind 2001, had since directed Silent Running, and the little droids in that film had made an impression. One day Lucas phoned, described a science fiction idea he was working on, and asked Trumbull to do the visual effects. Trumbull saw himself as a director by then, so he turned the offer down, and the conversation stayed cordial.
A few weeks later Lucas called again and asked whether Trumbull would mind if he used those little robot things in his film. Trumbull told him to go ahead, adding that he couldn't have patented them anyway. He had never invented robots, only cute little two-legged ones moving around in his film.
How did Silent Running get made?
Silent Running, released in 1972, was Trumbull's first film as director. Universal financed it as one of several low-budget pictures handed to young directors after the surprise success of Easy Rider in 1969. Trumbull had by then supervised effects for 2001 and for The Andromeda Strain, released in 1971. Bruce Dern played the lead.
How were Silent Running's drones played?
The three drones in Silent Running were played by performers inside suits, and the actors were double amputees who walked on their hands. The suit's legs worked as the machine's limbs. The drones are named Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the film. Joan Baez sang two songs for the soundtrack.
Where did Star Wars's effects team come from?
Lucas set up Industrial Light & Magic in 1975, in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California, to produce the effects for Star Wars. John Dykstra led the team, and he had worked under Trumbull on Silent Running. The group built a motion control camera, nicknamed the Dykstraflex, that could repeat the same camera move exactly, shot after shot. The company later moved north to Marin County.
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