40 things I love about Return of the Jedi

As Return of the Jedi turns 40, I thought it would be fun and fitting to take a watch back through the film and note 40 things that I love about it. There’s plenty more that could be said, but here are 40 random (and some not so random) notes about what I love so much about this classic Star Wars movie.

1. I love the version of the Imperial March that plays throughout the film. It’s always been my favorite version of John Williams’s classic piece. As opposed to the bombastic military march of The Empire Strikes Back, this version is more subdued, slower, more eerie, mellow, and emotional. I’ve always taken it as hinting at the fact that this fearsome Lord Vader is more human than we’ve seen yet.
2. I love the look of the unfinished second Death Star. It stands there in space as menacing as the first one, but seeing it in this stage of construction gives a more distinct and signature look to the weapon of terror. It looks cool, but it also drives further at the idea that now is the time for our heroes to strike, before this station is completed.
3. I love the line from Darth Vader when arriving on the Death Star at the beginning of the film, telling Admiral Piett that “the Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.” With just one simple line, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan raise the stakes considerably. The villain of the first two movies, the personification of pure evil, is actually more forgiving? Ok, then just how evil is this Emperor? It’s such a great line that does so much heavy lifting in such an easy way.
4. I love how we get another scene of the droids in the desert of Tatooine, and C-3PO is once again complaining. But best of all is how oblivious he is to the whole plan, especially as R2-D2 starts “playing the wrong message” for Jabba.
5. I love how Luke’s plan is still hard to figure out all these years later, yet no one really seems to care because it works well: it slowly builds to the point we finally see Luke. The movie’s main hero doesn’t show up until 20 minutes into it, after a few waves of heroes entered before him. His arrival is all the better because of this delay.
6. I love finally seeing Jabba the Hutt. We heard him mentioned in the previous two films, but this was our first time actually getting to see him (he was later added into the special editions of A New Hope). He’s creepy and gross, but befitting of a crime lord.
7. I love that Leia was the one to rescue Han from the carbonite. The movie doesn’t take long to pick up the romantic plot between the two of them from Empire. The last thing that Han heard before entering the carbonite was Leia saying “I love you”, and the first words he hears from her own lips after emerging from it is that she’s “somebody who loves you.”
8. I love the design of the Rancor, taking the terror and difficulty of the Wampa and ramping it up. It’s even more terrifying because even though we didn’t see it at first, we saw Oola die by falling into the pit. Just what’s down there? We come to learn that, and the Rancor was a terrific design and terrific execution by the effects team. And seeing Luke face the Rancor, without the use of his weapons, is great. A Jedi is about far more than just a lightsaber, and Luke has to prove that here. He uses bones, rocks, and a nice throw to defeat the beast.
9. I love Han’s sarcasm with Luke. His response of “that bad, huh?” when Luke says they’re doing the same as always is just too perfect. Every time I watch the film I delight in that line. But so too, as they’re being transported to the Great Pit of Carkoon, is Han great: Luke tells Han that he was born here, to which Han responds, “you’re going to die here, you know. Convenient.” And then the disbelieving smirk and shrug of “oh, great” when Luke tells him he’s taken care of everything? So great.
10. I love how 3PO just runs into R2 on the sail barge, and R2 is just going about serving drinks. Again, 3PO is just oblivious to the whole thing, and finding R2 just going about his business is hilarious.
11. I love the moment where Luke jumps off the plank, but not before giving R2 the salute – and as Luke flips back onto the sciff, R2 launches his lightsaber in to the air. It’s such an epic moment, and it’s one of my favorites in the whole saga. After a long wait, John Williams finally blares the heroic theme full-blast, and it makes you just want to pump your fist in the air and cheer.
12. I love Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber. The color was changed for purely pragmatic reasons (green looked better than blue against the sky backdrop), but I’m so thankful for it. His green lightsaber is my favorite lightsaber in Star Wars, and I think part of the reason why is because of how awesome it is to see him ignite it for the first time, which is also our first time seeing a lightsaber that wasn’t blue or red.
13. I love that Leia is the one to kill Jabba the Hutt, a criminal who enslaved her and humiliated her, but she gets the final word. She kills him, and in later books she earns the title of “huttslayer” because of it, which is perfect.
14. I love the Emperor’s arrival on the Death Star, to a much bigger reception and far more fanfare than Vader got. Vader even kneels before him. As the original trilogy starts to wrap up, we have now been introduced to the biggest evil behind all of it. The endgame has begun.
15. I love Yoda’s response to Luke, when the apprentice says, “Master Yoda, you can’t die.” Yoda responds, “Strong am I with the Force, but not that strong. Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall. That is the way of things, the way of the Force.” Death is not the end of the story for Jedi, but death is also not something that a Jedi has mastery over. The rest of the Star Wars saga expands on the fact that fear of loss, fear of death, is what drives many to embrace the dark side: Palpatine sought a way to live forever, and Vader sought a way for Padmé to live. It’s understated, but Yoda’s calm in the face of his imminent death is a trust in the will of the Force – and a willingness to let go of a need to control it.
16. I love that Yoda confirms to Luke that Darth Vader is his father. Believe it or not, there were plenty of people who thought that Vader was lying to him after seeing The Empire Strikes Back, but here, it’s uttered by the wisest Jedi Master. It’s no longer a point of question or confusion, but the point that will drive the entire rest of the movie.
17. I love that Yoda re-visits Luke’s willingness to leave his training early in Empire, telling him that it’s unfortunate he rushed away and abandoned his training. Why? Because Luke wasn’t ready for the burden that came with facing Vader, his father. This training to be a Jedi isn’t just about lifting rocks or using a lightsaber, but also learning how to control oneself and maintain a calm composure in the face of such burdens. That is what Luke risked by leaving to save Han and Leia. This movie makes it clear that Luke’s biggest danger is not that he’ll be physically outmatched, but that he’ll succumb to the darkness. That he won’t be strong enough to withhold it. We’re not sure if he’s ready for such a burden.
18. I love Yoda’s last warning to Luke. It’s my favorite line from Yoda in the film: “Remember, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware: anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Luke, do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father’s fate you will.” Not only does that lay out a roadmap to the dark side for Luke to avoid, but it’s also giving the audience the warning signs to look out for… which will come into play later in the film as Luke begins to embrace those very things Yoda warned him against.
19. I love how Yoda’s last words set the stage for Luke’s whole future post-Jedi. He is “the last of the Jedi”, he must “pass on what you have learned”, and he is not the last Skywalker. These three themes really become the central pieces of the rest of Luke’s live, as he embraces his family, embraces the call to train a new generation of Jedi, and lives with the weight of being the last Jedi – while knowing it shouldn’t always be that way.
20. I love Ben Kenobi telling Luke that he had told him the truth about Anakin, “from a certain point of view.” It might seem like a ret-con, but I think it’s deeper than that: it’s a glimpse at how Obi-Wan truly believes Anakin is gone. He believes that Vader has consumed Anakin, that Vader really did kill Anakin, that he’s now more machine than man. Yoda tells Luke that he must confront Vader. Ben tells Luke that Vader did kill Anakin, in a sense. But only Luke seems to believe that Anakin can be saved. Probably because only Luke is the one who actually has a legitimate chance to save him.
21. I love how Ben mentions that any offspring of Anakin would be a threat to the Emperor, and how it establishes that it will actually be the Skywalker twins working together, Luke and Leia, to bring down this evil Empire. Luke feels all alone, but he’s not. His sister is with him in the fight, and together they can win.
22. I love Mon Mothma. She has such a small role in this movie, but here’s a different kind of rebel leader, more elegant and regal than we’re used to, commanding the entire room. And her appearances since then have given the character more depth and added so much.
23. I love how Lando Calrissian is now a general in the rebellion, willing to lead a starfighter assault against a space station with such insurmountable odds that Han Solo thinks it’s crazy. It’s a way of highlighting how much the character has grown since he betrayed the heroes on Bespin in Empire, as now he’s one of them, leading the rebellion right into the heart of the beast no matter the cost, in the name of freedom.
24. I love the forest moon of Endor. I always have. It’s the first forested world we’d seen in Star Wars, with beautiful scenery set against the backdrop of the Death Star in the sky.
25. I love the Ewoks, and all that they stand for. They’re adorable and lovable, but they also are included for some important thematic reasons. George Lucas wanted to highlight how this seemingly primitive, untrained people can defeat the Empire (in which he was making a political statement about the Vietnam War). But it also exposes the classic Imperial trap: they move in to a new world and take it over, acting hostile to the natives and their customs without taking any time or paying any attention to understanding them. The Empire thinks that it can just take over and enforce their control, but they consistently underestimate both the skill and the passion with which people will rise up to defend their homes. The Empire keeps trying to rule through tyranny, oppression, and occupation, but they always make the same mistake. The Ewoks are a reminder that so long as the Empire keeps trying those things, they will never truly win.
26. I love the speeder bike chase on Endor. It’s a riveting action sequence with some terrific set pieces, a high-speed chase through the forest moon to keep the Empire from learning about the strike team’s presence.
27. I love how, when the Ewoks think that C-3PO is a god, he’s just confused and sort of goes along with it. But then when Luke tells him to use it to their advantage, 3PO responds that it’s against his programming to impersonate a deity. I think it’s hilarious. The scene also gives us a chance to witness Luke’s growing Force prowess, however, which is also great.
28. I love hearing 3PO and R2 re-tell the events of the original trilogy to this point to the Ewoks. It’s especially great since George Lucas envisioned the whole Star Wars franchise as being narrated many years later by R2. It’s like we get a look into that here.
29. I love the conversation between Luke and Leia on Endor. It’s one of the quieter moments, and one of the most emotional in the whole saga. It’s brother and sister talking – talking about their journey, their parents, their destiny. It’s about how they are connected, how there’s still good in Vader. It’s about Luke telling Leia that she’s the last hope of the rebellion if he doesn’t come back. But most of all, it’s a heartwarming moment between two friends – siblings – that continues to move viewers upon re-watch.
30. I love John Williams’s great new themes in this film. His theme for Luke and Leia is perfect, weaving together both of their individual themes into one that’s combined for the two of them. In classic Williams fashion, he adds so much weight to the scene through his score. But his new themes for the Emperor and the Ewoks are also fantastic. Jedi is the least-celebrated of his scores for the original trilogy, but make no mistake: it’s still absolutely fantastic, and it introduces so many now-beloved musical motifs into the Star Wars universe.
31. I love the conversation between Luke and Vader on the forest moon, before Luke is taken to the Emperor. I think it’s the most underrated scene in the movie, and one of the most underrated scenes in the whole Star Wars saga. It’s a conversation between father and son, just the two of them – before the Emperor is introduced to the picture – and Luke is trying to bring his father back to the light. But he fails, and after Vader told him that Obi-Wan used to think like he did, Luke says, “then my father is truly dead.” We aren’t sure whether Luke has given up hope, whether Vader really is too far gone… and yet as Luke is taken away, Vader lingers, making us wonder ever so subtly whether he’s thinking about what his son has said. It’s such a great scene, with Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones/David Prowse playing it perfectly.
32. I love the retorts exchanged between Luke and the Emperor on the Death Star. Luke tells the Emperor that “your overconfidence is your weakness”, to which Palpatine quickly responds “your faith in your friends is yours”. It’s great dialogue, but it’s especially great because of how true it is. It’s true that Palpatine’s biggest weakness is his overconfidence, and it’s true that Luke’s biggest weakness is his trust in his friends. But that’s precisely the point: Palpatine trusts in only himself, while Luke trusts in his friends. It’s no accident that Luke and his friends are the ones to emerge victorious. To trust in your friends is a sign of strength, not weakness. And an overconfident, egotistical, self-centered doesn’t stand a chance against them, because they are stronger together than he’ll ever be alone. The rebellion fights together, and for one another, but the Empire looks out only for itself. In light of that, the outcome of the Civil War is meant to seem quite obvious to us.
33. I love the scene transition between Lando yelling “Han will have that shield down; we’ve got to give him more time!” and then the cut to the battle that rages on the forest moon. It highlights much the same point as the Emperor’s rebuke of Luke, because Lando has faith in his friends too. The same friend that he sold out to the Empire for some cash and freedom in the previous film. But in Empire, Lando sells out Han to preserve his own comfort; in this film, Lando willingly stays in the midst of a seemingly un-winnable fight against a fully-operational Death Star all because he believes that Han will come through. When Admiral Ackbar orders a retreat, Lando defies it and says they’ve got to keep fighting. What motivates that? His faith in his friends. The Emperor is right that the heroes trust each other, but he’s wrong in viewing it as a weakness. It’s actually the reason why they ultimately win. Years later, in The Rise of Skywalker, when Poe Dameron asks Lando how they did it, he replies, “we had each other. That’s how we did it.”
34. I love the twist that the Death Star is actually operational, seeing the shock on the faces of the rebellion, seeing their odds of victory shrink. As always, Palpatine has planned out the whole thing. He’s lured the heroes into a trap… and then the fact that it’s accompanied by Ackbar shouting, “it’s a trap” has made the moment an iconic one in the Star Wars franchise.
35. I love how, when they’re cornered by the bunker on Endor, Han and Leia reverse lines: Han tells Leia that he loves her, to which Leia responds “I know” before shooting and killing the AT-ST pilot. They’re a great couple.
36. I love everything about the lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. It’s my favorite lightsaber duel in the entire franchise. It’s not the most dramatic or elaborate, but I think it strikes the perfect balance between a terrific duel and the emotional stakes. The lightsaber colors, the Death Star setting, the stakes of the galaxy resting on it, the passion between father and son, the temptation of the Emperor. The whole thing is just so brilliantly done.
37. I love the moment where Luke Skywalker throws away his lightsaber. In fact, I think it’s the pinnacle moment of the entire Star Wars franchise, without which we’ll be prone to misunderstand so much about the Jedi. Luke refuses to fight Vader any longer… until Vader threatens Leia. At that moment, out of a fear to protect his friends, Luke responds in anger. He’s following the same path to the dark side that Yoda warned him about earlier. Luke unleashes a rage against his father so furious that he quickly disarms him (literally) and considers killing him (just like he will years later with Ben Solo). But just like he would later, Luke comes to his senses. He stands on the edge of a reactor shaft, but even more dangerously he stands on the edge of darkness. He stands on the edge of embracing his father’s very same fate. So what does he do? He throws away his lightsaber and refuses to fight any longer. And it is then – and only then – that Luke says, ” You’ve failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” Luke refuses to embrace the darkness, and his victory here comes through his refusal to fight any longer. A Jedi refuses the path of fear and anger, the path of using the Force as a weapon. Luke has succeeded where his father failed. Anakin was afraid to lose Padmé and succumbed to the darkness; Luke was afraid to lose Leia, but remained true to the light. And it is this moment, this act of defiant love and compassion, that finally gets through to Anakin once more.
38. I love the conversation that Luke has with a redeemed Anakin, as the old Jedi lies dying. When Luke says he’s got to save him, Anakin tells him, “you already have, Luke”, and then says, “tell your sister you were right about me. You were right.” When Yoda and Obi-Wan and seemingly everyone else gave up hope, in the end Luke was right: Anakin was not too far gone to return to the light. I love how everyone assumed the movie title Return of the Jedi, was about Luke, but really it’s just as much about Anakin – the return of the Jedi who had fallen to darkness, but has now come back to the light. He was pulled back to the light by the love for his son. This is why Palpatine’s survival in the sequel trilogy doesn’t diminish Anakin’s sacrifice, because the heart of the sacrifice was never ultimately about killing the Emperor but about saving Luke, and that’s because the path of the Jedi is motivated more by saving those you love than killing those you hate. Evil will always linger and resurface in different forms, but the path of resistance moment-by-moment is to fight for those you love. Just like Anakin does as the Jedi returns.
39. I love how Lando and the rebel pilots fly right into the heart of the Death Star to destroy it. This provides a change from the first Death Star run, but I also think it humorously highlights Palpatine’s overconfidence. Though I’m sure this wasn’t the original intent, I find it funny that the first Death Star had a small little exhaust port that was it’s weakness… and this new and improved Death Star has an opening so large ships can just fly into it. Palpatine got quite arrogant. But it also underscores how it was important for the Rebellion to strike when they did, because once completed that shaft would surely have been closed up.
40. I love the ending of the film. I think it’s the most perfect and satisfying conclusion of any Star Wars movie. Han and Leia share a kiss, Luke gives his father a proper ‘burial’, and the galaxy celebrates. The special editions of this scene make it all the better. For as great as Yub Nub is, I think the victory celebration score is even better and far more fitting. We get a chance to see some familiar locales all celebrating the fall of the Emperor, and then we see the three Jedi we’ve come to know: Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin (and the change to Hayden Christensen is one that I’ll defend as being a great inclusion). Luke looks on at these three, and then returns to his friends. Sure, there’s still fighting left, and evil will rise again, but the heroes have won. The heroes are together. The Jedi have returned. And the ending is a perfect note of celebration, a feel-good victory to wrap up an iconic trilogy.