Did you ever watch Star Wars? Chances are you never watched it the way it was intended. They had made a version that was shown just a handful of times before they discovered how successful it was going to be. Then they worked hard to rework some key scenes and make it PG.
You all know the bikini scenes?
Maybe so. But did you know that several of those scenes were supposed to feature a topless Princess Leia?
There is also a deleted beach segment which was completed removed from the final movie.
It is unclear what was going to happen in the beach scene. All the public has seen are a few outtakes from some raw footage that was removed completely from the final film.
Anyway, back to the gold bikini scenes with Jabba.
Princess Leia was supposed to be topless after she was captured and try desperately and unsuccessfully to keep her dignity.
Most of the scenes were exactly as you know them, except Princess Leia was topless. When they shot the movie, however, they did shoot alternate scenes with her top on, just in case. Due to their unexpected success, they ended up using the PG friendly scenes.
These days you have to look for Star Wars, An Unrated New Hope, in order to find the unrated version, but even then it is rare.
In correspondence with the nature of the movie, they also prepared promotional material with a topless Princess Leia.
Even in the final movie, which you have probably watched, there were many scenes where Princess Leia was not wearing any underwear under her loincloth.
“There is no underwear in space”, the director famously said.
The scenes outside on the fleet in the desert were also shot in topless versions that were never used.
Here is an outside shot from the topless version, where there is also a wardrobe malfunction of the loincloth.
Even in scenes with no inherent erotic theme, they would have Princess Leia wear transparent clothing, just for the heck of it. Here is the opening scene, which was almost left as it is in the final movie due to budgetary concerns.
However, after negotiating, they were refused the PG rating and had to reshoot and replace the scene.
In the first version of the scene where Princess Leia is being held captive in the death star, she is waiting naked in her holding cell.
Han Solo makes a few inappropriate jokes before freeing her. It was a different time.
It being a different time is underlines especially by some of the planned scenes where there would be evidence of a sexual encounter. It is hinted in the final film, but in the first draft, there were several scenes where the hints were somewhat stronger.
One significant example is the first scene where she is being interrogated. It’s an example of “enhanced interrogation methods”
And obviously the same is the case for the scenes with Jabba the Hutt. Clearly she is being used as a sex slave, wearing that gold bikini and kept in a chain.
In the first version they were not sure the viewer would get it, so they left a hint on her cheek and chin.
They felt this was sufficient of a hint, but just in case it turned out not to be clear to the audience, they also made an even more explicit version.
Fun little “behind the scenes” fact: The penis belongs to the very same 2nd Unit Producer who suggested they make that scene.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the deleted scenes with Princess Leia in A New Hope.
We end this pictorial with one of the most famous photos, which is of Carrie Fisher between scenes. This was never planned to be part of the movie but was simply Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford passing time. It was the 70s.