Following the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has been forced into hiding on the frozen wasteland of Hoth. The Galactic Empire, led by the relentless Darth Vader, eventually discovers their base, launching a devastating assault that scatters the heroes across the galaxy. While Han Solo and Princess Leia are pursued by the Imperial fleet into a dangerous asteroid field, Luke Skywalker travels to the remote swamp world of Dagobah. There, he seeks out the legendary Jedi Master Yoda to complete his training, unaware that a shocking revelation about his lineage and a high-stakes confrontation in Cloud City await him.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 21, 1980 |
Running time |
124 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Action Adventure |
Budget |
$33,000,000 |
Box Office |
$538,375,067 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Irvin Kershner |
Produced by |
Gary Kurtz |
Written by |
Leigh Brackett Lawrence Kasdan |
Music by |
John Williams |
Cinematography |
Peter Suschitzky |
Edited by |
Paul Hirsch |
Production Co. |
Lucasfilm Ltd. |
Distributed by |
Twentieth Century-Fox |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
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Movie Order: #02 in Star Wars Collection
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The Plot
Shadows in the Frozen Wastes
Three years have passed since the Rebel Alliance achieved a monumental victory by destroying the Death Star, yet the galaxy remains gripped by the Empire's iron fist. Forced to flee their previous stronghold on Yavin 4, the Rebels have established a secret base on the desolate, ice-covered planet of Hoth. However, peace is a fleeting dream. Darth Vader, consumed by an obsessive quest to find the young pilot Luke Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of probe droids into the far reaches of space. One of these mechanical spies crash-lands on Hoth, its cold sensors scanning for any sign of life.
While patrolling the frozen plains on his tauntaun, Luke Skywalker witnesses what he believes to be a meteorite impact. Before he can investigate, he is ambushed by a towering, predatory wampa. The beast knocks Luke unconscious and drags him back to its lair. Meanwhile, at Echo Base, Han Solo prepares to depart to settle his debt with the notorious Jabba the Hutt, but his plans are halted when he realizes Luke has not returned. Despite the encroaching night and plummeting temperatures, Han ventures back out into the blizzard to find his friend.
Escape from the Wampa’s Lair and a Spectral Message
In the wampa's cave, Luke awakens to a gruesome sight: he is suspended upside down from the ceiling, his feet frozen in ice, while the beast feasts on his slaughtered tauntaun. Near death and fading fast, Luke focuses his mind on the Force, reaching out to his lightsaber resting in the snow. The weapon flies into his hand, and with a flash of its blue blade, Luke cuts himself free. He severs the attacking wampa's arm in a desperate strike and stumbles out into the blinding snowstorm.
Battling exhaustion and the lethal cold, Luke collapses in the snow. In his delirium, the Force spirit of his late mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, appears before him. Kenobi delivers a cryptic and vital command: Luke must travel to the Dagobah system to receive training from Yoda, a Jedi Grand Master. Just as the vision fades, Han Solo arrives. To save Luke from certain death, Han uses Luke’s lightsaber to slice open his own dead tauntaun, tucking Luke inside the beast’s carcass for warmth while he hurriedly constructs a survival shelter to endure the night.
The Empire Strikes and the Fall of Echo Base
The following morning, Rebel pilots including Zev Senesca locate the duo, and they are rushed back to Echo Base where Luke is placed in a bacta tank to heal. However, the respite is short-lived. The Imperial probe droid, before being destroyed by Han and Chewbacca, successfully transmits the Rebels' location to the Imperial fleet. Aboard the massive Star Dreadnought Executor, Darth Vader dismisses Admiral Kendal Ozzel’s skepticism and orders an immediate assault on the Hoth system.
As the Imperial fleet emerges from hyperspace, Ozzel’s tactical blunder allows the Rebels to raise their energy shield, preventing an orbital bombardment. In a cold display of Sith ruthlessness, Vader Force-chokes Ozzel to death for his incompetence, promoting Captain Firmus Piett to Admiral on the spot. On the surface, General Maximilian Veers leads a terrifying ground assault using massive AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) walkers. Despite a valiant defense by Rogue Squadron—led by Luke in his snowspeeder—the Imperial walkers prove nearly invincible. Luke loses his gunner, Dak Ralter, but manages to take down an AT-AT using a harpoon and tow cable to trip its legs before his own craft is shot down.
A Narrow Escape and the Journey to Dagobah
The battle turns into a desperate retreat. General Veers successfully destroys the main power generator, leaving Echo Base defenseless. Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO narrowly escape the clutches of Darth Vader by boarding the Millennium Falcon just as Imperial Snowtroopers storm the hangar. Meanwhile, Luke reaches his X-wing and, accompanied by R2-D2, departs the planet. Instead of heading for the Rebel rendezvous point, he sets a course for the mysterious marsh world of Dagobah, guided by Obi-Wan’s instructions.
Space offers no safety for Han and Leia. The Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive fails at the worst possible moment, forcing Han to perform daring maneuvers through a dense asteroid field to evade Imperial TIE fighters. They seek refuge inside a deep cavern on a large asteroid, unaware that they have actually flown into the gullet of a titanic space slug, an Exogorth. Within the cramped confines of the ship, the tension between Han and Leia finally breaks, leading to a passionate kiss before they are interrupted by the ever-anxious C-3PO.
Training on the Marsh Planet
On Dagobah, Luke’s X-wing sinks into the swamp. He is met by a small, eccentric green creature who tests his patience by rummaging through his gear and acting senile. To Luke’s shock, this "diminutive figure" reveals himself to be the legendary Master Yoda. Initially, Yoda is reluctant to train Luke, citing his recklessness and lack of focus, but the spirit of Obi-Wan persuades him to begin the boy's instruction.
Luke’s training is grueling, both physically and mentally. Yoda teaches him that the Force is his ally and that "size matters not." In a pivotal moment, Yoda instructs Luke to enter a cave strong with the Dark Side. Against Yoda’s advice, Luke takes his weapons inside. He encounters a vision of Darth Vader and strikes him down, only to see his own face behind the mask—a chilling warning of the path to the Dark Side. Later, when Luke despairs over his sunken X-wing, Yoda uses the Force to effortlessly lift the massive ship from the water, leaving Luke in awe. "I don't believe it," Luke whispers. "That," Yoda replies, "is why you fail."
The Bounty Hunter’s Shadow and the Trap is Set
In the asteroid field, Darth Vader grows impatient. He enlists a group of notorious bounty hunters, including the silent and deadly Boba Fett, to find the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo manages to evade the Imperial fleet by making a suicidal charge at a Star Destroyer, only to secretly attach the Falcon to the back of the cruiser’s command tower, hiding in a blind spot. When the fleet jettisons its refuse before jumping to hyperspace, Han detaches and floats away with the trash, planning to head to Cloud City on Bespin to seek help from his old friend, Lando Calrissian. However, Boba Fett is not fooled; he tracks the Falcon to Bespin.
On Dagobah, Luke experiences a terrifying vision of Han and Leia in agony. Despite the warnings from Yoda and Obi-Wan that he is not yet ready and that he is walking into a trap, Luke chooses to abandon his training to save his friends. "If you leave now," Yoda warns, "help them you could... but you would destroy all for which they have fought and suffered." Luke departs anyway, promising to return.
Betrayal in Cloud City
Han and his crew arrive at Cloud City, where Lando Calrissian welcomes them with open arms. However, the hospitality is a facade. Lando has been forced into a deal with Darth Vader to protect his city from the Empire. The Rebels are captured, and Han is subjected to brutal torture—not for information, but to create a disturbance in the Force that will lure Luke Skywalker to Bespin.
Vader intends to use Luke as a prize for the Emperor and decides to test a carbon-freezing chamber on Han Solo to ensure the process is safe for Luke. In a heartbreaking goodbye, Leia finally confesses her love, saying, "I love you." Han, ever the rogue, simply replies, "I know," before being lowered into the freezing pit. He is encased in a block of solid carbonite, alive but in suspended animation. Vader hands the frozen Han over to Boba Fett to be delivered to Jabba the Hutt, then reneges on his agreement with Lando, ordering that Leia and Chewbacca be taken to his ship.
The Duel over the Abyss
Luke arrives on Bespin and falls right into Vader’s trap. He wanders into the carbon-freezing chamber, where the Dark Lord awaits him. A fierce lightsaber duel ensues, taking them through the bowels of the city and out onto a narrow gantry over a bottomless air shaft. Luke fights valiantly, but his unfinished training is no match for Vader’s mastery. Vader ruthlessly batters the young Jedi, eventually severing Luke’s right hand and sending his lightsaber tumbling into the abyss.
Trapped and defeated, Luke recoils as Vader delivers the most devastating blow of all. When Luke accuses Vader of killing his father, the Sith Lord leans in and reveals the horrific truth: "No. I am your father." Overwhelmed by despair and refusing to join Vader’s quest to rule the galaxy as father and son, Luke throws himself off the platform, falling through the city's internal shafts until he is ejected into the open air beneath the floating city, barely clinging to an antenna.
Rescue and a New Hope
Through the Force, Luke reaches out to Leia. Aboard the Millennium Falcon—having been rescued by a repentant Lando Calrissian—Leia senses Luke’s distress and insists they turn back. They rescue Luke from the antenna just as Imperial TIE fighters close in. As they attempt to flee, the Falcon’s hyperdrive fails again, but R2-D2 manages to repair the system at the last second, allowing them to escape into hyperspace and rejoin the Rebel fleet.
Safe aboard a Rebel medical frigate, Luke is fitted with a sophisticated prosthetic hand. Lando and Chewbacca depart in the Millennium Falcon, heading for Tatooine to begin their search for Han Solo. As Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO look out into the vastness of the galaxy, the battle against the Empire continues, but the bond between the heroes remains unbroken, setting the stage for the final struggle for freedom.
