The most iconic scene in Star Wars history: Luke Skywalker gazing at Tatooine's twin suns setting over the desert horizon. Filmed on March 29, 1976, this contemplative moment captures Luke's yearning for adventure beyond his mundane life on the moisture farm. The scene symbolizes the hero's journey beginning and represents Luke's call to adventure. Shot with a Panaflex camera using Panavision anamorphic lenses, this moment has become one of cinema's greatest sunset scenes and a defining image of the Star Wars saga.

R2-D2 traveled through the colorful canyon below Artist's Palette before being captured by Jawas in this memorable sequence from A New Hope. The Jawa Sandcrawler was filmed on the horizon near the entrance to Artist's Palette, and R2-D2's journey through the mineral-rich, rainbow-colored canyon landscape became one of the most recognizable Death Valley filming locations. The area is now locally called "R2's Arroyo" and looks almost exactly the same as it did in 1977, making it a popular pilgrimage site for Star Wars fans.

The iconic scene where Ben Kenobi tells Luke "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" was filmed at Dante's View, providing panoramic views representing the approach to Mos Eisley spaceport. This elevated vantage point at 5,500 feet offered sweeping desert vistas that established Tatooine's harsh environment and the vast scale of the desert planet. Dante's View is described as "a legendary locale in Star Wars lore" for this pivotal moment where Luke first glimpses the larger galaxy beyond his farm.

The dramatic Tusken Raider (Sand People) attack on Luke Skywalker was filmed in Desolation Canyon, along with scenes featuring Banthas. An Asian elephant named Mardji was dressed in costume to portray the massive desert creatures. This location was specifically chosen because it had no sharp rocks that could hurt the elephant's feet during filming. The canyon's wind-sculpted walls and dramatic lighting created the perfect atmosphere for the dangerous encounter that introduces Luke to the threats lurking in Tatooine's wilderness.

The aftermath of C-3PO and R2-D2's escape pod landing on Tatooine was filmed here, along with the iconic shots of the two droids traversing the harsh desert landscape. These scenes established the droids' arrival on Tatooine and their separation, setting up the entire story of A New Hope. The desolate terrain perfectly captured the droids' predicament as they wandered across an alien world, with C-3PO's complaints about the heat and sand becoming one of the film's memorable comedic elements.

Wide vistas of the desert "Dune Sea" and approach sequences to Mos Eisley were filmed from this elevated overlook. These sweeping desert vistas provided the sense of Tatooine as an entire planet, not just a few filming locations. The overlook offered panoramic views that made the desert feel vast and endless, emphasizing the isolation of Luke's homeworld and the epic journey required to reach civilization. Characters traveling across this landscape appeared small against the immense desert backdrop.

Golden Canyon hosted multiple crucial scenes including R2-D2 being captured by Jawas and Luke being attacked by Tusken Raiders. The most famous scene shows Jawas hiding behind the canyon's golden rocks before stunning R2-D2 with their ionization blasters. The canyon's distinctive wind-worn, rust-hued walls and dramatic lighting created the perfect ambush setting. This is the most popular Star Wars filming location in Death Valley and offers the most recognizable scenes, with the sculpted rock formations looking virtually identical to how they appeared in 1977.