Looking back on Star Wars, part 4: Return of the Jedi (1983)

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Speaking of the charming scoundrel, Han Solo was originally supposed to die. At least that’s what Harrison Ford wanted after being convinced by his agent to come back for the third movie. Ford believed that, since Han Solo’s character arc from mercenary to hero was already complete, it only made sense for him to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends and the Rebellion. Kasdan agreed, but Lucas didn’t, apparently, according to Ford, because “he didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.” Strangely enough, Han’s death is still foreshadowed in Jedi despite it never happening. Why else would he say to Leia about how he thinks that he’ll never see the Millenium Falcon again before their mission to Endor?

Another major alteration is that while Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) was always intended to have a twin sister, as hinted by Yoda in both Empire and Jedi, she was never meant to be Leia. The real identity of the “other” Skywalker would be saved for a potential sequel trilogy. Moreover, Kurtz said the original ending for Jedi would’ve had Luke wander off “like Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti westerns” in search of his sister. Only because Hamill signed up for three films, and because Jedi was marketed as the conclusion to the trilogy, it was decided that Leia would be Luke’s sister for expediency’s sake (even if it did also make the kiss between Luke and Leia in Empire really awkward and gross).

Even as far back as his original treatment for Star Wars, Lucas envisioned–as an metaphor for the Vietnam War–that a primitive, tribal culture would help defeat the more technologically advanced, galactic Empire. That primitive, tribal culture would’ve [originally] been the Wookiees.

But the most infamous change pertains to those cuddly, alien teddy bears, the Ewoks. Even as far back as his original treatment for Star Wars, Lucas envisioned–as a metaphor for the Vietnam War–that a primitive, tribal culture would help defeat the more technologically advanced, galactic Empire. That primitive, tribal culture would’ve been the Wookiees. But the story goes that while Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and Kazanjian worked out the script, they figured that since Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) was Han’s co-pilot, then Wookiees were already familiar with technology. So Lucas and company “cut the [Wookies] in half,” made them more bear-like, and switched the letters around.

However, cynical fans believe the Ewoks (which are not even mentioned by name in the movie) were really created to, once again, sell more toys to kids. It didn’t matter if they tried roasting Han Solo on a spit, or used Imperial Stormtrooper heads for drums; they were just so darn cute. Surely, the Empire must be evil if they dare harm Wicket (Warwick Davis) and friends, right? It’s also no coincidence that Lucasfilm would later go on to make two ( yes two!) made-for-TV Ewok movies and a Saturday morning cartoon show.

Still, whether it pandered too much to kids or no, the original release of Return of the Jedi did earn more domestically than Empire Strikes Back, and was a hit with audiences and critics. Sure the production doesn’t look as grand or epic despite being more expensive than A New Hope or Empire. Yes, Han Solo doesn’t have much to do after being defrosted out of carbonite. And everyone agrees that Boba Fett’s death was embarrassing for the best bounty hunter in all the galaxy. Even so, there’s still so much to like about the movie.

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Jabba the Hutt, for example, is a fantastic creation, as much a pinnacle of puppetry as Yoda. So is the Rancor, and thank goodness Lucas opted for that instead of a man in a suit à la Godzilla like he originally wanted. The action scenes are riveting, too. The fight over the Sarlac pit is pure swashbuckling goodness, and the speeder bike chase, though clearly a combination of blue screen, high-speed cameras, and stop-motion, still provides an adrenaline rush. And even after almost forty years, the three-way Battle of Endor, particularly the space combat, is still considered the gold standard among Star Wars fans.

Yet Return of the Jedi is at its strongest when it focuses on Luke, Darth Vader (David Prowse, James Earl Jones, and Sebastian Shaw) and the delightfully scene-chewing Ian McDiarmid as the Galactic Emperor. Though it doesn’t top their duel in Empire, Luke and Vader’s rematch perfectly incorporates the Emperor’s psychological warfare and Luke’s own need to redeem his father’s soul. Also, the moment Vader saves Luke from the Emperor remains as triumphant as ever. Just as Luke helping to take off a dying Vader’s mask, as a soft version of John Williams’ “Imperial March” plays, will moisten the tear ducts.

Next. :Looking back on Star Wars, part 3: The Empire Strikes Back (1980). dark

It also shows that, regardless of whatever compromises Lucas made, his overall vision of the original trilogy as a coming of age story remains. Could Return of the Jedi have been better without caving into commercialism or fans still disgruntled by Empire Strikes Back? Sure. Yet it’s also still a satisfying ending to the original Star Wars trilogy regardless. And for many years, it was, indeed, the end… until it wasn’t.

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