If the original 'Star Wars' defined cinema for countless people, the scene that probably sealed the deal was the Mos Eisley Cantina. Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive in this wretched hive of scum and villainy looking for transport off of Tattooine, but before they meet Han Solo, they rub elbows with all kinds of crazy-looking aliens. Some are humanoid, some are giant bugs. Some are entirely passive and others get their arms sliced off by a lightsaber. It's a sequence so iconic and immersive that it's easy to forget that all of those aliens were designed and built in a shop before being strapped onto an actor's body.

Reddit user joinyouinthesun compiled a photo gallery of screen tests for the Mos Eisley Cantina aliens, and it's required viewing for fans of the 'Star Wars' saga. Removed from the context of their sci-fi universe and from the dim, moody lighting of the Cantina, you can finally see every little detail of their extraterrestrial features. Some still look pretty cool. Some look like 1950s B-movie monsters. The Tonnika twins look like the kind of aliens Captain Kirk would have slept with in an episode of 'Star Trek.'

What's most interesting about these aliens (or least interesting, depending on your point of view) is that practically all of them have been given extended backstories. Thanks to the expanded universe of novels and comics, practically every alien in the Mos Eisley Cantina now has a name and a persona history. Some lived pretty mundane existences, while others are infamous galactic con artists. It's a testament to how much this scene stuck with people that writers felt the need to explain who all of these people/things are.

Check out some of the photos below, and click over here for the full gallery.

Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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Star Wars Behind the Scenes Photos
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