Five Great Things About Return of the Jedi

The Opening Scene

The first five minutes following the opening crawl give us a great treat to begin with as Darth Vader’s ship lands upon the new Death Star. I always liked the fact we started with a scene between the villains after the great cliffhanger of The Empire Strikes Back.

We then get to enjoy some snappy dialogue between Vader and the stressed-out Imperial Officer of the newly-constructed space station, Moff Jerjerrod, played exquisitely by English actor Michael Pennington. His anxious reaction to learning that the Emperor will be attending the construction on the Death Star tells us everything we need to know about him and Palpatine.

Every line of dialogue uttered between both Vader and Jerjerrod is superbly crisp and memorable as they exchange lines in a wonderful back and forth that finishes with the chilling line “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am”.

A key scene of exposition made interesting and watchable by its dynamic performances and sharp writing which builds suspense around The Emperor despite not seeing him first hand yet.

Jabba’s Palace

For the best part of my adolescence the 45 minutes spent on Tatooine in the presence of Jabba the Hutt and his band of alien hangers-on was the pinnacle of all film for me.

From C-3PO and R2-D2 arriving to the Palace to deliver the message to Jabba through to the destruction of the sail barge, it was wall-to-wall action, adventure and fun. The setting was whimsical, claustrophobic, and full of peril. And in the Rancor and Sarlacc were two threatening and distinctive movie monsters.

We get more Boba Fett, a Rancor handler tragically grieving for his fallen pet, and a great band with the likes of Sy Snootles and blue elephant Max Rebo.

Luke is finally coming into his own as a Jedi, Leia is freeing the man she loves, and Lando is seeking redemption for betraying Han. Every character has their motive, their tactics are planned, and this gives life to a great piece of adventure cinema.

Yoda becomes one with the Force

Before the prequels where Yoda became a springy, lightsaber-wielding warrior, this is what we knew. Yoda didn’t need to be a big, strong humanoid to be the greatest Jedi Master. He was humble, wise, and passed on his knowledge whilst training Luke.

We went through his journey as well as Luke’s in Empire and sympathised with his character. Luke was the last hope of the Jedi and Yoda has to train him. Although Luke’s mind wondered to his friends, he was the last chance for the Jedi Order and the only way to defeat the Galactic Empire that had all but eradicated the Jedi and all of Yoda’s former friends and colleagues.

There was so much at stake with Yoda and that’s why so many people well up at the death a little puppet voiced by Frank Oz. He is believable, he has a character, and his passing is tragic. His death leaves all but two Jedi in the universe. He has done all he can, and we hope his legacy can pass on. It is a fine scene and both Mark Hamill and Frank Oz are wonderful.

The Minor Characters

With the diverse range of aliens and people from a myriad of worlds, Return of the Jedi treats us to a number of minor characters that live rent free in our collective memories whilst helping audiences immerse themselves deeper into the Star Wars Universe.

Lando’s co-pilot Nien Numb, Jabba’s Gamorrean Guards, Max Rebo, Salacious Crumb, Bib Fortuna, the myriad of Ewoks and so many more are fantastic examples of Star Wars’ ability to build a world with real characters, which is what makes it so rich.

Admiral Ackbar is a great example of a minor character developing a life of his own. The Mon Calamari born leader of the rebel fleet who spearheaded the Rebel attempt to blow up the second Death Star. His one liner “It’s a Trap” was enough to secure him a cult following, maybe even a mass following, and a place in all true Star Wars’ fans heart.

Although he was a puppet resembling a fish, that does not give his character any less authority or emotion. He gives a sigh of relief when the Death Star has been destroyed and as he sits back in his chair, it is full of relief and regret. In the same breath he is celebrating the victory, expressing tiredness at this long and intense campaign, while mourning those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.

He was played brilliantly by actor and puppeteer Tim Rose and voiced by Erik Bauersfeld.

The Emperor

If you are watched the movies chronologically, Emperor Palpatine was a character that clocked about three minutes of screen time in The Empire Strikes Back. Now we realise he is behind everything and has been orchestrating the Empire behind the scenes whilst we’ve been following his enforcer, Vader.

He’s been the one instructing Vader, and now we see the full extent of his manipulation and pure evil. His character is rich with hate and his relentless pursuit of Skywalker at whatever cost is gripping. The prequels give us more and we see that the saga belongs to Palpatine as much as Anakin.

Ian McDiarmid is truly engaging, even by just sitting in his huge chair, taunting, and playing mind games with Luke. He knows his mission of to turning Luke to the dark side is complete and his line delivery and actions whilst doing this are wonderful thing to see.

This then leads to the best lightsaber duel in the franchise as John Williams produces an epic choral score to match the anguish in the fight between father and son. This culminates in the demise of the Emperor, or so we thought until The Rise of Skywalker. As Vader overthrows his master, Palpatine remains defiant and hateful until the end. A true joy of a movie villain.