This is it: The final chapter of the original trilogy. Today let’s talk about The Revenge Return of the Jedi.
Originally released in 1983, this was originally made to be the end of the franchise before Episode I came out.
From what I remember hearing about the release, this movie was the least enjoyable to some? The Ewoks living on a forest moon were strange to people I think. But this is a universe with space wizards so I think suspension of disbelief shouldn’t exist. I personally like it. I haven’t watched the original release but I do have the dvd version with the music video playing in Jabba’s palace.
Not many people in the main character cast got to experience that performance. Only Han and possibly Lando were there at the time, and Han was basically asleep in carbonite.
Luke “gives” Jabba C-3P0 and R2-D2 in exchange to release his friend Han Solo, but Jabba refuses. Luke later arrives in person to rescue him, and the gang eventually frees everyone and Leia kills Jabba, and Han unintentionally makes Boba Fett fall into the killer Sarlacc pit.
They return to the rebellion leadership, and learn that the Empire built a new Death Star. They have to split up where a team goes to a forest moon to destroy a shield generator protecting the Death Star II, and another goes directly to the Death Star II to destroy it when the shields are down.
Luke let himself get caught so he could face Darth Vader and the Emperor. The Emperor mocks him and his friends, which I think Family Guy represents very well here:
The Emperor’s overconfidence is eventually his downfall. The ground team worked with the local teddy bear Ewoks to blow up the shield generator, while Lando flew the Millennium Falcon into the Death Star II and blew up the core. Inside the Death Star II, Luke convinces his father to turn back to the light, and he throws the Emperor down a shaft before dying to his injuries.
Word somehow got out very quickly across the galaxy because we see fireworks and celebrations everywhere. The Ewoks are playing drums on Stormtrooper helmets which seems kinda morbid because it doesn’t seem likely that they are empty helmets they’re drumming on.
This is it for the original trilogy and all is right in the galaxy.
Nope!
Just because a dictator is removed doesn’t mean everything is all perfect now. As we saw with Andor and Rebels many of the Empire loyalists are deep into the propaganda and will definitely continue fighting the Rebels.
We’re talking about some of those moments next with the new video games so stay tuned!
Kristopher K. Online 