“Star Wars” Death Star Was Used As a Trash Bin
The Death Star model used in “Star Wars: A New Hope” was lost after the studio ordered every prop to be discarded. But employee Doug W., kept the Death Star model. A decade later, he stored it in mother’s antique shop (where it was often used as a trash bin) until Todd Franklin saw it and called Lucasfilm to confirm its authenticity. They told Franklin that the model was destroyed. But he was convinced it wasn’t. Sadly, when he went to the antique shop to buy it, he learned another customer named Mark S., had bought it and displayed it at a country music show called Western World. When it shut down in 1993, Franklin, his brother Pat, and his friend, Tim, were finally able to buy the Death Star.