The drive from ILM into the countryside of Marin County must have taken 15 to 20 minutes. The meandering road circumnavigated ancient property lines, crossed small rivers, and veered to avoid the largest ancient redwoods and deepest ravines. According to a Wall Street Journal article published just before my visit, Skywalker Ranch consisted of over 4,700 acres and cost Lucas up to 100 million dollars. Lucas' estimates at the time were reported to be closer to 50 million. Either way, the investment represents a significant portion of George Lucas' income from the first three Star Wars films. The reasons for such a large investment will become more clear before the end of my day at Lucasfilm.

When entering the gate we were politely reminded that no photographs could be taken. At the time of our visit in 1986, no members of the press had been admitted. Our tour guide for the drive related that Ronald Reagan, then President of the United States requested a tour of Skywalker Ranch but was denied. Lucasfilm lost a court battle to have the U.S. government refrain from calling the Strategic Defense Initiative, "Star Wars." I suspect this ruling didn't help President Reagan's chances for a visit...

Framed by a lake and two lush green hills, the ranch house is a strikingly beautiful building of Victorian design. It has a gray roof interrupted periodically by chimneys and the peaks of dormers surrounding windows on the third floor. As you approach the house, ribbons of color burst from the etched glass windows which dance like a dozen prisms in sunlight. The entrance hall features a grand staircase on the right which gracefully curves left as it rises to the second floor, and Mr. Lucas' private office. A staff member confided that George had the hand assembled redwood staircase re-done three times before he was satisfied. Much like the storyboards back at ILM preceded films, George felt that the ranch he was constructing should have good story. He decided that the estate would have started as a monastery, but was later converted into a mansion and vineyard for wine-making. As the vineyard's family grew, new homes and cottages were built. Last, as the story goes, Lucas purchased the estate and adapted it to become his creative headquarters for artists and technicians alike.

In reality, George had a wood shop and a glass shop set up on site during the construction of the ranch house. He salvaged a large amount of sizable and rare redwood supports from trestles and bridges that were being modernized in the western United States. These shops produced the beautiful redwood lumber and etched glass used in much of the construction of the main ranch house.

The breakfast room, located to the left of the entrance hall was our first stop. Decorated in Colonial Williamsburg style (hey I know this when I see it, Williamsburg is a 30 minute drive from my home), the room was tastefully furnished with antiques and featured a very large table in the center. Our guide informed us to expect many different themes throughout our tour.

We again passed through the entrance hall and entered a large and lofty reception room. This room was approximately 30' wide by 60' long. It was furnished with ample furniture for sitting and lounging and a large fireplace. The room was paneled in rich redwood, and numerous windows prevented the room from seeming too dark. Tall, open cathedral ceilings were framed with beams milled on the ranch. Several minutes later we were joined by several of the LucasArts computer specialists we met earlier at the apartment-like complex.

We exited the reception room through a doorway at the opposite end of the room and passed into a very long hallway that wouldn't be out of place in a old Victorian mansion. The hallway must have spanned much of the center length of the ranch house and provided access to numerous rooms and more stairs to the upper floors.

Next stop: the Skywalker Ranch library, a breathtaking stop on the tour. The room features isles of bookcases, thousands of books, and tables and chairs to make research sessions more comfortable for the library's patrons. One notices a different quality to the light in this room and a glance skyward explains the reason. A forty foot stained glass dome is set in the ceiling casting down its component colors of gold, red, and orange. A second level accessible via a spiral staircase is home to more books and original paintings. At the base of the staircase, I asked a LucasArts designer a question on my mind. In the mid 80s word was circulating that George Lucas, frustrated by the decade the Star Wars New Hope trilogy took to produce, canceled any plans for future episodes. "Will there be more Star Wars films?" I asked. While the Prequels are common knowledge today and you can even glimpse behind the scenes at www.starwars.com, www.starwarz.com, and www.theforce.net, there was no hint that they would be produced in the popular press of 1986. Therefore, it was very exciting when the staff member asked me to reflect on the new technologies I had viewed earlier in the day. He indicated that everything George Lucas was doing was to make films faster and easier to make using digital sound, video, and editing. "There will be more [Star Wars] films," he confided.

A little past noon, our group was led to the rear of the ranch house and into a Victorian style solarium. The three exposed walls and ceiling provided a view of part of the Ranch including the two large green hills that frame the ranch house. The view isn't cluttered by parked cars, since parking garages are located below ground. Thirty foot trees rise from a lower level and pass through the center of the solarium and nearly to the glass ceiling. I was told that vaults for Lucasfilm treasures including film and props are housed below around the base of the trees. However, without the climbing ability of a Wookie you wouldn't gain access to the vaults from this room! Today a large building housing the Lucasfilm archives has been constructed on Skywalker Ranch, so the basement vaults may no longer exist. The solarium was filled with iron patio-style tables and chairs. Here we dined with Skywalker Ranch staff on traditional California cuisine prepared and served by George Lucas' chef. Staff at the table next to me were discussing work on a scene for Howard the Duck. They were planning a strategy for deploying hundreds of duck decoys during a scene in the film. As lunch was completed, we were told of an observatory George had constructed on the Ranch to house a large telescope given to him by an ardent Star Wars fan. Sadly, rain showers prevented us from taking the short hike to the observatory for a visit.

Rather, we headed below ground to a basement level of the Ranch. There we entered George Lucas' private theater. The room, approximately 25' wide by 50' long was filled with about 15 comfy recliners. Each chair was accompanied by a marble end table with a touch-sensitive bankers lamp. Theater style, three walls were draped with rich, burgundy fabric and all of the chairs faced a large screen on the remaining wall. We were informed that the theater housed a new technology offering superior sound and named, THX. I also learned the room sits on a special foundation that apparently offers the unexpected benefit of shielding occupants from earth tremors. Guests have left the theater surprised to learn that tremors were experienced elsewhere on the property. Moments later the room dimmed and we were treated to film footage not available outside of Skywalker Ranch with outtakes from Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Here, thanks to the magic of audio dubbing (and creative Lucasfilm techs) we find Indiana Jones not in search of the Ark of the Covenant or lost Shankara stones, but seeking to find the best pot in the world! In another scene we see Harrison Ford knock on a door, that is answered by Stephen Spielberg. Surprised, Spielberg reacts and catches Ford as he leaps into his arms and swoons, "Honey, I'm home!"

As I left the theater I was given several gifts including a Star Wars New Hope patch, pencil set, and a collection of ten glossy posters from Return of the Jedi. I bid goodbye to my new friends at Lucasfilm and prepared to leave. Luckily, my driver made a wrong turn and treated me to one additional stop on the tour: the Skywalker Ranch fire station. The station housed a freshly washed, red fire engine.

Satellite image captured by Chris Pope.