There have been rumors surrounding the puppet props used during the development of Star Fox (Star Wars Battlefront/Star Conquest) for years. The community believes that they once existed, but Nintendo officials have never been able to produce physical objects or explain their whereabouts. Now, the mystery is finally revealed: Good Kobayashi Studio, who was responsible for the behind-the-scenes special effects, took the initiative to admit that those props had been disposed of after the filming was completed.
Dispose of means: burn
According to Good Kobayashi Studio, the props were routinely “burned” after filming, which is not uncommon in film and television prop disposal processes. The problem is that “Star Controller” on Nintendo 64 is not a pure 3D work, but a special case that relies heavily on puppet performances and physical special effects. These props are materials actually used for filming back then. Burning them is equivalent to directly removing a piece of craftsmanship history.
Why didn’t anyone know about it for years?
Nintendo has tried to hunt down those items over the years, but has never been successful. The fan community has also been speculating whether they are being stored in a warehouse or being taken care of by a staff member. The truth is, they were eliminated from the process as soon as they were shot. This is why the official can’t give any statement about his whereabouts, because we really don’t know.
The one who needs to stand up and say it now is Godzilla Studio, not Nintendo!
This detail makes the whole thing even more ironic: if the team behind the production of “Godzilla: Negative One” had not come forward to admit it, the outside world may never know where these props went. There’s a clear disconnect between Nintendo’s own archives and Good Kobayashi Studio’s internal records.
For fans, not having a physical record means it never existed.
Puppet props are different from digital assets. Once burned, they are truly gone. This is why many behind-the-scenes materials of old games and film and television works will disappear completely within a few years if the officials do not deliberately preserve them. For long-time Star Control fans, the hardest part is not not knowing, but having the chance to know but having nothing to watch.