4. When is a Death Star like a Temple of Doom?
The answer to that riddle is: when it's designed by the same company. In Temple of Doom, there is a single matte painting shot where the 3 main characters descend into the caves beneath Pankot Palace. The cave looks a bit like a shark mouth with the stalagmites resembling the teeth. What does this have to do with Star Wars you ask? Well according to Lucasfilm archives, a pre-production painting exists that was made for Return of the Jedi. This painting depicts an early idea of how the Emperor's throne room would look. Surprisingly, instead of the black sterile room atop the Death Star II, the climactic scenes could possibly have taken place in a very different location: an underground shark toothed cave. This cave looks almost exactly the same as the one found in Temple of Doom. Imagine what a weird world it would be if Palpatine and Mola Ram shared a common living space. Force lightning or heart removal powers? You decide!