The remote and unexplored planet of Dagobah was uninhabited until the arrival of Yoda, the Jedi Master who fled from the violence of Order 66 and the collapse of the Jedi Order, who exiled himself on amongst its tropical swamps and forests.
Described as a “slimy mudhole”, the planet had a mysteriously strong connection in the Force that aided the Jedi Master to expand his own skills during his exile and provided a suitable venue for Luke Skywalker – under the guidance of Yoda – to continue his training in the ways of the Force.
Unable to film the swampy planet of Dagobah on location due to safety, financial, and scheduling issues, George Lucas made the decision to utilize the floor space at Elstree Studios instead. However, a fire on the set of The Shining destroyed Stage 3, causing delays to The Empire Strikes Back’s pre-production phase.
Rather than put production even further behind schedule, the construction crew at Elstree crew built the Dagobah set – which was surrounded in secrecy to keep Yoda’s identity a secret from the press – on the newly constructed Star Wars Stage, a sixth sound stage built by Lucasfilm to ensure that Elstree Studios had suitable facilities for the sequels, in 7 weeks (with lots of overtime) instead of the prescribed 14 weeks.
The set, which measured 56 x 45 feet (20 x 14 meters), was built on a 3 foot (0.9 meters) tall scaffold frame to allow Frank Oz to manually control the Yoda puppet from below and to accommodate the partially sunken X-wing prop (the same used in Echo Base scenes that were filmed on the same stage).
Made of steel frames layered in plaster-covered plywood, the swamp set included an artificial river and shallow pond (both of which quickly became stagnant), Yoda’s hut, and a small forest of artificial trees. A backdrop measuring 450 feet (140 meters) screened off the stage’s walls, and an artificial smoke machine provided the creeping mists
The initial designs for the set, drawn by Ralph McQuarrie, called for large buttressed trees, vegetation, mud, and snakes. While the large trees were artificial, the plants, mud, and snakes were not – causing much concern amongst the crew and cast.
Shooting the scenes that depicted Luke’s arrival, training and departure only took 12 days because puppeteer Oz had an unbreakable commitment. With the Dagobah scenes being the last shot on the Star Wars Stage, the set survived until the end of principal production and was the setting to the cast and crew’s wrap party, after 133 days of filming. The set was then broken down and all the seagulls were chased away.
Thankfully. the new Dagobah diorama from LEGO doesn’t go to such extremes, and the snake included in the set is not deadly!
75330 Dagobah Jedi Training
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| Ages | Pieces | VIP Points | Item | Minifigures | Value |
Letting the contents of the shiny black box, with its alluringly glossy image of Yoda’s hut, is surprisingly satisfying because of the knowledge that after a couple of hours of work the fourth brick-built version of the mud-built hovel he lived out the last 23 years of his life will be complete is very compelling.
The first two bags build up the 34 x 18 stud base, and progress is swift up to this point. With the third one adding the swamp’s surface the pace slows down dramatically and paying close attention to the two steps that show the builder where to place the 216 small elements is vital. Once complete the tempo picks up again and bags four, five, and six see the completion of Yoda’s hut, the adorning fauna, and the sunken X-wing.
With an even one thousand pieces – nearly a quarter of which cover the swamp – the set carries across the squalid environment that Yoda had to endure, though the brightness of the LEGO color palette doesn’t exactly create the dank and forbidding that Lucas envisaged. It’s a small sacrifice, but well worth it.
Inside is everything Yoda needs – a firepit, cooking utensils, a small sleeping pallet, and very little headroom, while outside there is enough space for R2-D2 to linger in the background while Luke learns the ways of the Force.
The effect of the shoreline dipping into the murky waters is cleverly done with tan, dark tan and reddish-brown plates creating a sense of depth, covered by a layer of translucent green tiles and plates. It’s subtle and one that’s easy to miss, but is due a nod of appreciation.
Though some of the features – such as the four spaceships – in 75329 Death Star Trench Run were minimalized for space, LEGO employed a different approach to incorporate the X-wing starfighter that Luke crashed into the bog near Yoda’s house.
Instead of including a mini-scale version, set designer Jason Zapantis took the decision to leave most of the X-wing out and left the upper starboard wing exposed above the water’s surface – just as it was when Luke failed to levitate it.
The included minifigures – Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and – of course – Yoda – complement the scene perfectly. There’s no more and no less with these three, and two of them have had improvements since the last time we saw them.
Given that the Diorama series was soft-launched in 2021 with 75296 Darth Vader Meditation Chamber, it’s clear that they didn’t jump into this subset of the Adult Collector subtheme – and rewarding to know that, unlike Luke Skywalker, LEGO has spent more than 20 minutes conceiving and designing this set.
Let it be said that LEGO has done a great job blending the rigidness of their plastic bricks building bricks with the organic and flowing curves of the Dagobah landscape, and this diorama – with its three simple minifigures – beautifully captures the essence of the hardship Luke endured.
Available now, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training is available through LEGO.com for (US$79.99 / CA$109.99 / UK£69.99 / DE€79.99 / AU$119.99), Walmart, Target (United States and Australia), BigW, Kmart, Toys “R” Us (Canada and Australia), Argos, Smyths Toys (United Kingdom and Germany) and The Entertainer.
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