The name “Utapau” in ROTS goes back to the original SW, but the idea of a sinkhole city postdates the 1977 film. Perhaps most notably, it was considered as an idea for Mos Espa in TPM.
I thought the sinkhole planet was from the original film as well, although maybe I’m misremembering (ROTJ perhaps?).
Where did you learn about the hyperspace-through-shield idea in TFA coming from ROTJ?
It’s from one of the earlier drafts of the film, per Rinzler’s making of book. I’ll have to check when I get the chance which draft.
JEDIT: from the “Revised Rough Draft” 6/12/81 https://www.starwarz.com/starkiller/revenge-of-the-jedi-revised-rough-draft/
I’ve seen one book (maybe it was Kevin J Anderson’s Illustrated SW Universe) claim the sketches of a “crevasse city” were done for ROTJ, but I think that’s inaccurate; several of the drawings appear in the various Episode I art books.
It was off the top of my head. I actually had thumbed through that exact book recently so maybe that’s what put it in my head (although, if it was that book it couldn’t have been TPM, right? That book’s a collection of McQuarrie illustrations and was published in 95). Will have to look into some more. Either way, it was definitely an idea that predated ROTS.
Thanks for the info about the hyperspace thing!
Yeah it was a fun find. One of these days I really need to read those early drafts myself. All I have to go off of otherwise are the details Rinzler found interesting enough to mention.