In an impressive new video, a Star Wars fan recreates the Millennium Falcon’s holochess table, as featured in A New Hope, using a 3D projector fan.
A Star Wars fan has recreated the movie’s iconic holochess game in real life using a 3D fan projector. Since the release of the first film in 1977, Star Wars has gone on to become one of the most profitable entertainment properties in existence today. From popular shows on Disney+, like The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian, to upcoming movies, like Rogue Squadron, Star Wars remains a mainstay of pop culture.
Much of the iconic imagery that fans associate with Star Wars, like lightsabers, blasters, and the Millennium Falcon, can be traced back to the release of the original 1977 film. The first time stepping foot aboard Han Solo’s legendary ship introduced audiences to a number of cool gadgets and pieces of technology, one of which was holochess. Officially called dejarik, the game appears to be similar to chess and features hologram creatures occupying a checkered circular board. While dejarik doesn’t feature too prominently in the films, one scene in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope does see R2-D2 best Chewbacca at the game, prompting Solo to warn that Wookies sometimes get mad and rip people’s arms off when they lose.
In a remarkable new build that was posted to Facebook, Dejarik Creations has managed to recreate the iconic holochess game using a hologram fan. The stunning recreation was achieved by embedding a 3D projector fan into the table, allowing the dejarik creatures to appear as if they are standing up and moving around. While the recreated game is not actually playable, it is visually incredibly close to what was first showcased in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this, but I haven’t seen it done yet. I embedded a 3D fan into my Dejarik Table – I’m still tinkering with it, and it is certainly not perfect, but it’s a pretty darn cool effect!
Posted by Dejarik Creations on Monday, January 24, 2022
Click here to see the original video.
A pan of the video reveals that the creatures only appear film-accurate while looking at the table from above, with the illusion starting to fall apart when one gets closer to the surface of the table. Even though modern technology doesn’t quite allow for faithful recreations of all Star Wars technology, Dejarik Creations proves that a little creativity can go a long way. This latest iteration of the dejarik game from Dejarik Creations comes after a similar video the creator posted in 2016, which featured the same table but with the creatures coming to life by way of an augmented reality phone app instead.
The holochess recreation from Dejarik Creations proves just how admired and influential the original Star Wars films remain even today. While lightsabers are often considered the single most iconic Star Wars prop, a quick rewatch of the original films proves that there are countless other gadgets and pieces of technology that are wholly original and equally as inventive and unique. Technology still has a bit of catching up to do before there is a real, playable version of dejarik holochess, but thankfully, until then, there are Star Wars fans like Dejarik Creations hard at work making creative alternatives.
More: Star Wars’ Original Millennium Falcon Design (& Why Lucas Changed It)
Source: Dejarik Creations/ Facebook
- Rogue Squadron (2023)Release date: Dec 22, 2023
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Ryan Northrup (258 Articles Published)
Ryan Northrup is a freelance writer for Screen Rant and a lover of all things film. Whether it’s the latest Marvel release, the hottest new Netflix series, or a smaller indie film, Ryan just loves storytelling – and writing about it! Much like School of Rock’s Dewey Finn, who believes “one good rock show can change the world,” Ryan believes that a good story can do just the same. A graduate of Vancouver Film School’s Screenwriting Program, Ryan doesn’t just like to write about movies and TV, he likes to write his own! Ryan is currently working with a Canadian producer to bring an original feature to life.
