The strategy was highly effective, particularly when filming on location, such as in the redwood forests near Crescent City, California (used for Endor), and the Buttercup Valley in Arizona (used for Jabba the Hutt's sail barge scenes).
In the early 1980s, the world was gripped by Star Wars fever. Following the massive success of A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980), anticipation for the final installment of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi , was astronomical. To prevent paparazzi leaks, script theft, and inflated costs from suppliers who often hiked prices when they knew a major production was involved, George Lucas and his team at Lucasfilm needed a secret weapon. That weapon was "Blue Harvest". "Horror Beyond Imagination" 1. Blue Harvest
from the making of Return of the Jedi . Other working titles used by Lucasfilm. The strategy was highly effective, particularly when filming
The 2007 Family Guy episode, which parodied A New Hope , was titled "Blue Harvest" as a nod to this history. To prevent paparazzi leaks, script theft, and inflated
The name is synonymous with the secrecy of the era and has been honored in fan publications and at Star Wars Celebration events.
The "Blue Harvest" moniker was a clever, "horror beyond imagination" prank that allowed one of the biggest film franchises in history to shoot under the radar.