Even the folk who work in the special effects department deserve to have a laugh from time to time - which is presumably why they decided to mess with poor ol' bearded George Lucas when it came to construction of the infamous asteroid sequence that takes place mid-way through The Empire Strikes Back - by including an object in the scene that was definitely not an asteroid, thank you very much. So there's an actual potato hidden somewhere in the midst of that infernal asteroid belt (though nobody can seem to work out which asteroid it actually is). Can you believe the total unprofessionalism and sheer cheek of it all? Contrary to popular belief, though, there's no tennis shoe in the scene - it's a myth and actually relates to another scene in Return Of The Jedi in which a shoe was used (along with a yogurt pot, 'cause why not?). But at least the lack of footwear here proves that the staff at Industrial Light and Magic do possess some restraint. Some.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
