A guide to the rebel base on planet Hoth.
Hangar 7
Cross-section of Hangar 7 of Echo Base.
Image above is from the book Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016, 2025).
*To view the cross-section closer, right click on mouse over the image and select
"Open image in new tab", then zoom in and out by clicking the left mouse button.
Front area of North Hangar 7. In this scene, Han Solo arrives back from a mission outside the base riding a tauntaun. T-65 X-wings are seen parked to the left (w/one parked on the far right), while modified T-47 airspeeders, also known as snowspeeders, are parked on the right (w/one parked on the far upper left). A laser-ice cutter mounted on a cannon sled can be seen (far bottom left).
Behind-The-Scenes: This hangar is depicted in the movie as larger than the stage it was filmed in, as shown in this scene above (early in the film) and scenes immediately after (moving props around). Furthermore, inconsistencies with its size are seen later on in the movie. The cross-section image (seen above on this page) depiction of the hangar is based on the size of the stage it was filmed in.
Further into Hangar 7. Han Solo dismounts from the tauntaun (off-screen) and begins his walk to the parked Millennium Falcon at the back of the hangar. A Rebel Troop Cart or flight screw shuttle transports personnel within the base (right). The astromech R5-M2 moves along in the foreground.
Behind-The-Scenes: Filmed on Stage 6 (AKA the Star Wars Stage) at Elstree Studios, England.
Han walks by a parked T-65 X-wing (Luke's). An R3 astromech (left) sits underneath the X-wing.
Rear of Hangar 7. Modified T-47 airspeeders are parked (left) undergoing maintenance. Luke's T-65 X-wing undergoing maintenance, sits at the center of the hangar. The Millennium Falcon is parked at the rear of the hangar. Power droids, such as EG-4 (center, left), are seen wandering. Other droids, such as an R2 unit performing maintenance on Luke's X-wing (center), an R4 unit (center), WED treadwell droid (center), R2 unit underneath the front of the Falcon (center), and another R2 unit (far background, center, right) can been seen. A protocol droid similar to C-3PO is seen wandering the hangar (center, left).
Han Solo walks up to the Millennium Falcon, where Chewbacca is performing maintenance. An R2 unit can be seen in the background behind Luke's T-65 X-wing. A WED Septoid Treadwell droid without binocular visual sensors, sits to the left. Rebel personnel (right) perform maintenance on a power generator.
C-3PO talking to R2-D2 (off-screen). Left side and rear view of the Millennium Falcon seen in the background.
Han Solo walks around the Falcon (from the front of the Falcon to the left side), while Chewbacca performs maintenance.
C-3PO walking away from R2 (off-screen) near the entrance of the hangar. A Rebel Troop Cart ferries personnel (center). An R3 unit sits underneath a service gantry (left) and a R2 unit is seen in the far background (left) underneath the parked Falcon.
Behind-The-Scenes: This scene later in the movie, shows the hangar size smaller overall in comparison to what was shown earlier in the film.
A snowspeeder from Rogue Squadron (AKA Rogue Group) returns from a rescue mission. A Rebel Troop Cart ferries personnel (center). A work lift, with lights, is seen in the background (left of entrance). An R4 unit can been seen in the background next to a parked X-wing and work lift. A WED Septoid Treadwell droid and an R3 unit can be seen on the right.
Behind-The-Scenes: The hangar scene above is similar to the one shown earlier in the film.
Han Solo using a welding torch and mask to perform maintenance on the Millennium Falcon. According to the book Star Wars: Complete Locations, the window overlooking the hangar is Leia's quarters.
Rebel pilots (center) rush to the briefing at the front of Luke's X-wing in the middle of the hangar (left). The power droid EG-4 is seen again next to the similar-looking protocol droid to C-3PO (left), while the red protocol droid R-3PO stands to the right (behind nose of a parked X-wing). The astromech droid R3-A2 is seen near the Falcon (center).
Han and Chewbacca continuing repairs on the Falcon. The parked X-wings now gone in the background.
C-3PO bids farewell to R2, as Luke's X-wing is prepped and moved elsewhere (to the South Ridge) during the Battle of Hoth.
Behind-The-Scenes: Continuity error. This scene is shown after the scene above, with Luke's X-wing parked on the side with a service gantry in front of it, whereas the scene before showed no X-wings parked. Furthermore, there is an error in the cross-section image above that states Luke's X-wing was parked nearest to the hangar door, when in this scene, his X-wing is not near the entrance door.
Han, Leia, and 3PO run to the Millennium Falcon to escape the Imperial invasion.
Behind-The-Scenes: A matte painting was used in this scene to fill out the ceiling and upper portions of the snowspeeder bays.
The Millennium Falcon blasts out of Echo Base.
Original floorplan for the Echo Base hangar set.
Behind-The-Scenes: Changes were made between this original floorplan and the final set. There is no opening in the ceiling above Luke's parked X-wing in the middle of the hangar. The number of snowspeeder bays was also changed from four to three bigger openings, with the third opening becoming an X-wing bay towards the entrance.
Legends content
Map of Hangar 7 of Echo Base.
Image above is from Star Wars Technical Journal of the Rebel Forces/Star Wars Technical Journal Vol. 3 (1994, 1996).
*To view the map closer, right click on mouse over the image and select
"Open image in new tab", then zoom in and out by clicking the left mouse button.
Behind-The-Scenes: This floorplan of Hangar 7 differs from what is depicted in the cross-section image at the top of this page. It has seemed to have taken inspiration from the original Echo Base floorplan and expanded upon. The hangar is overall bigger in size, with a larger entrance. This depiction also likely took inspiration from the earlier scene in the movie where the hangar is depicted as almost twice the size of the actual built set.
Cross-section image above is from the book Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016, 2025).
*To view the cross-section closer, right click on mouse over the image and select
"Open image in new tab", then zoom in and out by clicking the left mouse button.
South Hangar
Captain Valdez oversees evacuation of Echo Base. Rebel transports (GR-75 medium transports) seen parked in the background.
Behind-The-Scenes: Valdez's character (right) is portrayed by visual effects art director Joe Johnston in this scene. Other extras throughout the scene were matte artists Harrison Ellenshaw (rebel officer) and Michael Pangrazio (rebel pilot) (both not shown above). Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie (rebel General Pharl McQuarrie) makes a cameo in this scene walking by (far left in the scene above).
Tauntaun Ready Room
Han Solo prepares to set out on a tauntaun in search of Luke. The medical droid 2-1B, performs a necropsy on a dead tauntaun (center, right). The tauntaun is killed off-screen by invading Wampas, in a scene that did not make the final cut of the movie. Rebel officer Jeroen Webb stands conversing with another officer (center).
Command Center
General Rieekan alerts Leia (out of view) to a "visitor" outside the base. Senior controller Wyron Serper tends to the controls (right).
Behind-The-Scenes: Filmed on Stage 1 at Elstree Studios, England.
General Rieekan rushes over to hear Han Solo (on comms) about a droid they found outside the base.
General Rieekan discusses the dire situation with command personnel. Communications officer Toryn Farr sits to the right. She would later communicate with ion control to cover an escaping transport. K-3PO is seen in the background (right).
Leia coordinates the evacuation of Echo Base during the battle, as Han rushes in to escort her ship (transport). Toryn Farr is seen again sitting in the background at the comm station next to Leia. Commander Chiffonage is at the comm station to the left. K-3PO (left) is destroyed by falling debris when the command center is hit by enemy fire.
Medical Center
Han and company watch as Luke is awakened from a bacta tank. Luke heals from his injuries in the tank after being attacked by a Wampa earlier. Medical droids FX-7 (left) and 2-1B (right) monitor Luke in his recovery.
Behind-The-Scenes: The medical center was also filmed on Stage 1 at Elstree Studios, England.
Luke rests in the recovery room after being visited by Han and company. The medical droid FX-7 can be seen again in the background, where the bacta in the tank appears red instead of bluish, as seen earlier.
Medical droid 2-1B bids a recovered Luke farewell, as Luke gathers his belongings and leaves the medical center.
Wampa Pen
During the evacuation of Echo Base, C-3PO runs by a warning sign on a door that leads to the reinforced wampa pen (left). In a deleted scene, C-3PO tears the sign off the door. Later during the Imperial invasion, a snowtrooper gets attacked by a wampa after another trooper opens the same door.
Behind-The-Scenes Images
Behind-The-Scenes: Salt was used as fake snow on set.
*For additional images, check out Star Wars Aficionado (Echo Base) and the Original Trilogy online forum.
Sources
Original Trilogy (forum, behind-the-scenes images)
Star Wars Aficionado (online, behind-the-scenes images)
Star Wars: Complete Locations (reference book, 2016 and 2025)
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (movie)
Star Wars Screencaps.com (images)
Star Wars Technical Journal of the Rebel Forces/Star Wars Technical Journal Vol. 3 (magazine, 1994 and 1996)
The Making of the Empire Strikes Back (book, 2010)
Wookieepedia (info)
Last modified: 10/2025