Camie

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Camie (born ca. 19 BBY), also spelled “Cammie,” is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. Hailing from Anchorhead, Tatooine, Camie was a friend of Biggs Darklighter and Luke Skywalker in her late-adolescent years. During this time, she was also romantically involved with a third friend, named Laze “Fixer” Loneozner. Camie appeared briefly in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in a scene from the Anchorhead Story of Star Wars that was cut from the movie. In this scene, preserved in the novel, she is among a small group of friends that Luke Skywalker cavorts with at the Tosche Station, a local hangout in Anchorhead. Luke initially goes to this hangout to tell his friend Fixer that he had just witnessed a starship battle that was visible in the afternoon sky. Here, at the Tosche Station, Luke encounters his old friend Biggs, who had unexpectedly returned from the Imperial Academy for a short visit home. Luke’s friends, including Biggs, are skeptical of his claim to have witnessed the starship battle (which had been, in actuality, the final battle of the Tantive IV), and Camie uses this opportunity to pester the flustered Skywalker.

Camie
Star Wars character

Position	Moisture farmer
Homeworld	Tatooine
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Height	Unknown
Affiliation	Unknown
Portrayed by	Koo Stark (Episode IV)

1 Character
2 Film portrayal
3 Expanded Universe
4 Bibliography
5 External links

[edit] Character

Despite the dearth of information, some observations can be made regarding Camie’s character. She is roughly the same age as Luke Skywalker – an age when most young people leave Tatooine to pursue opportunities that were unavailable on the desert planet. Instead, Camie spent her time at the Toschi Power Station, a trading post in Anchorhead. Toschi Station was a popular hangout for the local youth. The “carefree” nature of this hangout is reflected in the disapproving remarks that Owen Lars shares with his nephew, Luke Skywalker, regarding Luke’s desire to see his friends at Toschi Station. Within this setting Camie is a part of a small cast of characters who are otherwise known as Luke’s T-16 Skyhopper racing pals, including Fixer, Deak and Windy. These characters represent aimless youth, trapped in the daily malaise of life in the Outer Rim Territory – the very existence that the young Luke Skywalker longed to escape. Furthermore, Camie symbolizes Luke Skywalker’s sexual frustration. In the novel, A New Hope, it is stated that “even dried sweat looked good on [Camie] (p. 21),” and that she “stretched sensuously, her well-worn clothing tugging in various intriguing directions (p. 22).” Among Luke’s Toschi Station friends, Camie is the most antagonistic towards him and repeatedly refers to Luke by the nickname “wormie.” The aspect of Luke’s sexual frustration was not meant to raise questions regarding his sexual orientation, but rather to highlight the larger identity crisis that young Skywalker faced during his early years on the isolated world of Tatooine. Camie’s character, along with the ensemble of characters at Toschi Station, was intended to contrast with that of Biggs Darklighter, a character who represented a positive role model in Luke Skywalker’s life (a type of big brother), and symbolized Luke’s hope of someday leaving the lonely, desert planet of Tatooine.

[edit] Film portrayal

Camie (Koo Stark) and Fixer (Anthony Forrest) outside of Tosche Station, with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Biggs Darklighter (Garrick Hagon) in the background. A scene from the deleted Anchorhead Story in Star Wars: Episode IV

Noted soft-core porn actress Koo Stark played the role of Camie in Episode IV. Opposite Stark, Anthony Forrest played Fixer, Luke’s friend and Camie’s lover, and Jay Benedict played Deak. Her scenes, which were part of the Anchorhead Story of Star Wars, were cut from the original movie and never restored in any of the subsequent versions; though, they can be seen in the Star Wars: Behind the Magic CD-ROM Encyclopedia. In spite of this, the Anchorhead Story of Star Wars holds a certain mystique among many die-hard Star Wars fans. The scene focuses on Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and offers a glimpse into his early life and associates on Tatooine (including Camie, a possible love interest). The scene also serves to introduce the character of Biggs Darklighter (played by Garrick Hagon), who appears later in the film as a doomed X-Wing fighter pilot in the Battle of Yavin. Although the scene was finely scripted and well acted (with strong jobs by Stark and Garrick Hagon), George Lucas cut it, claiming on the Star Wars DVD Commentary that he wanted he movie to start from the point of view of the droids, akin to Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. The scene was supposedly filmed to appease executives who wanted Luke to be seen near the film's beginning.

In addition, the latent sexuality of Stark’s performance may have been considered inconsistent with the innocent feel of the movie. This sensuality is clear from Stark’s first appearance, reclining on the lap of Laze “Fixer” Loneozner inside Toschi Station, later she teases Luke Skywalker by staring him down. Nonetheless, the role of Camie in the film is significant when one considers that the restoration of her scenes gives Koo Stark the third (of three) most lines of all actresses in Episode IV, behind only Shelagh Fraser (Beru Whitesun) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia).

[edit] Expanded Universe

The character of Camie appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where additional (albeit limited) information can be found. Because of her early association with Luke Skywalker, some of the first comic book adaptations of Star Wars, published by Marvel, included Camie as a minor character in their storylines dealing with Luke’s origins. In the Expanded Universe, Camie’s family operates a hydroponics-farming outfit in Anchorhead and has a business relationship with Owen Lars’ moisture farm. Camie marries Laze “Fixer” Loneozner, who finances their wedding by selling a pod racer at Mos Espa that he had built during his free time at Toschi Station. Camie and Fixer would eventually take over the old Lars moisture-farm, operating it for an outside corporation. At one point, they even betray Luke Skywalker to the Empire, although they inform Luke of their actions, allowing him to escape. Although Stephanie Steele lent her voice to the character in the NPR version of Star Wars, Koo Stark will always be associated with the role of Camie. An image of Stark, as Camie, appears on the Star Wars Customizable Card Game released by Decipher.