After the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire regroups and pursues the Rebels to the ice planet Hoth. As the Imperial forces launch a devastating ground assault, Han Solo and Princess Leia flee into the asteroid fields of space, while Luke Skywalker travels to the mysterious swamp world of Dagobah. There, he seeks out the legendary Jedi Master Yoda to begin his training, unaware that Darth Vader is setting a trap that will lead to a confrontation revealing a shocking secret about Luke's heritage.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 21, 1980 |
Running time |
124 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi
Adventure Action |
Budget |
$18,000,000 |
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 |
20th 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
The Search for Skywalker
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has been driven from their base on Yavin 4 and has established a new secret headquarters on the ice planet of Hoth. Determined to find the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, the Sith Lord Darth Vader dispatches thousands of probe droids across the galaxy. One such droid lands on Hoth and begins scanning the frozen wasteland. During a routine patrol on his tauntaun, Luke Skywalker discovers the droid, mistaking it for a meteorite. Before he can investigate further, he is ambushed by a savage wampa, which knocks him unconscious.
When Luke fails to report in, Han Solo braves the encroaching night and dropping temperatures to search for his friend. Meanwhile, Luke awakens hanging upside down in an ice cave, watching the wampa devour his mount. summoning the Force, Luke retrieves his lightsaber, ignites it to cut himself free, and severs the creature's arm before fleeing into the sub-zero blizzard.
Visions in the Snow
Exhausted and freezing, Luke collapses in the snow. As he drifts toward death, he sees the Force spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The spirit commands him to travel to the Dagobah system to train under Yoda, the Jedi Grand Master. Moments after the vision fades, Han Solo locates Luke. To save him from freezing to death, Han uses Luke’s lightsaber to cut open his dead tauntaun, placing Luke inside the carcass for warmth while he constructs a shelter. The pair survives the night and is rescued the next morning by Zev Senesca, a pilot from Rogue Group. Back at Echo Base, Luke is placed in a bacta tank for recovery under the care of the medical droid 2-1B.
Tensions rise between Han and Princess Leia Organa when she discovers he intends to leave the Rebellion to settle his debt with Jabba the Hutt. When Han suggests she is upset because she has feelings for him, Leia lashes out, calling him a "stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder." Elsewhere, the Imperial probe droid is discovered and self-destructs upon being engaged by Han and Chewbacca, but not before transmitting its data. Aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor, Admiral Ozzel dismisses the findings, but Vader instantly recognizes the Rebel presence and orders the fleet to Hoth.
The Battle of Hoth
The Imperial fleet arrives in the Hoth system, but Admiral Ozzel brings the ships out of lightspeed too close to the planet, alerting the Rebels and allowing them to raise their energy shields. Furious at this incompetence, Vader executes Ozzel via Force choke and promotes Captain Piett to Admiral. General Veers is ordered to prepare a ground assault to destroy the shield generator.
As the Rebels evacuate, Luke leads Rogue Squadron in snowspeeders against the Imperial AT-AT walkers. Realizing their blasters are ineffective against the heavy armor, Luke orders his squad to use tow cables to trip the walkers. During the assault, Luke’s gunner, Dak Ralter, is killed, but Wedge Antilles successfully brings down a walker. Luke’s speeder is eventually shot down, and he is nearly crushed by an AT-AT. acting quickly, he uses his grappling hook and lightsaber to breach the walker's hull, tossing in a thermal detonator that destroys the machine. Despite their valiant efforts, General Veers destroys the main power generator, allowing Imperial troops to storm the base.
Escape and Pursuit
With the base overrun, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO barely escape in the Millennium Falcon. However, the ship's hyperdrive malfunctions, leaving them unable to jump to lightspeed. Pursued by Star Destroyers, Han flies into a dangerous asteroid field to shake them off. Meanwhile, Luke escapes Hoth in his X-wing with R2-D2. Instead of heading to the Rebel rendezvous point, he sets coordinates for Dagobah, following Obi-Wan’s instructions.
The Emperor contacts Vader, warning him of the threat Luke Skywalker poses. Vader suggests turning Luke to the dark side as a powerful asset, to which the Emperor agrees. Back in the asteroid field, Han lands the Falcon inside a cave on a massive asteroid to effect repairs. During the downtime, romantic tension boils over, and Han and Leia share a passionate kiss before being interrupted by C-3PO. They soon discover that their "cave" is actually the gullet of a giant space slug (Exogorth) and narrowly escape its jaws.
The Jedi Master
Luke crash-lands in the swamps of Dagobah. He encounters a diminutive, eccentric green creature who promises to lead him to a Jedi Master. After testing Luke’s patience, the creature reveals himself to be Yoda. Yoda is initially reluctant to train Luke, sensing the same anger and recklessness that plagued his father, but Obi-Wan’s spirit intercedes. Yoda begins Luke’s rigorous training, warning him of the easy path of the dark side.
During a trial, Luke enters a cave corrupted by the dark side. He ignores Yoda’s advice to leave his weapons behind. Inside, he faces a vision of Darth Vader. Luke strikes the apparition down, decapitating it, only to see the mask explode and reveal his own face underneath—a stark warning that succumbing to aggression could turn him into the very evil he fights.
The Trap at Bespin
Vader hires a group of bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, to track the Millennium Falcon. When the Falcon emerges from the asteroid field, Han cleverly attaches the ship to the blind spot of a Star Destroyer’s tower to evade detection. As the Imperial fleet disperses, the Falcon detaches and floats away with the ship's garbage. However, Boba Fett anticipates this move and tracks them to Bespin's Cloud City, a mining colony run by Han’s old friend, Lando Calrissian.
On Dagobah, Luke has a vision of his friends suffering. Despite Yoda and Obi-Wan’s warnings that he is not ready and that leaving now could destroy everything they fought for, Luke departs to rescue them. As he leaves, Obi-Wan laments that Luke is their last hope, but Yoda replies, "No... there is another."
Betrayal and Carbonite
Upon arrival at Cloud City, Han and his friends are welcomed by Lando, but the situation quickly turns grim. C-3PO goes missing and is found dismantled. Lando eventually reveals he made a deal with the Empire to keep the city independent, leading the group directly into a dining room where Darth Vader awaits. Vader tortures Han and Leia to create a disturbance in the Force that Luke will sense, luring the young Jedi into a trap.
Vader intends to freeze Luke in carbonite to transport him safely to the Emperor. He decides to test the facility on Han Solo first. Before being lowered into the freezing chamber, Leia confesses, "I love you," to which Han replies, "I know." Han is frozen in carbonite and survives; Vader hands him over to Boba Fett to take to Jabba the Hutt. Lando, realizing Vader has altered the deal and plans to take the others prisoner as well, orders his security forces to free Leia and Chewbacca. They attempt to save Han, but Fett’s ship departs just as they arrive.
The Duel for the Soul
Luke arrives at Cloud City and falls into Vader's trap. He confronts the Sith Lord in the carbon-freezing chamber, igniting a fierce lightsaber duel. Luke displays improved skills but is no match for Vader’s mastery. Vader forces Luke onto the gantry above a reactor shaft. In a brutal exchange, Vader severs Luke’s right hand, disarming him. Defeated and clinging to a sensor vane over the abyss, Luke listens as Vader reveals a shattering truth: Obi-Wan never told him what happened to his father.
"I am your father," Vader declares. He implores Luke to join him so they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Horrified and refusing to turn to the dark side, Luke lets go of the gantry, plummeting down the massive air shaft.
Escape and Uncertainty
Luke is sucked into an air vent and barely catches himself on an antenna beneath the floating city. Desperate, he reaches out with his mind, calling to Leia. Aboard the escaping Millennium Falcon, Leia senses his distress. She orders Lando and Chewbacca to turn back. They rescue Luke just before TIE fighters close in. As they attempt to jump to lightspeed, the hyperdrive fails again—sabotaged by the Empire. R2-D2, having learned of the sabotage from the city computer, manages to repair the drive at the last second, allowing the Falcon to escape into hyperspace, leaving a disappointed Vader behind.
Later, on a Rebel medical frigate, Luke receives a prosthetic robotic hand. Lando and Chewbacca depart in the Falcon to begin the search for Han Solo. Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO stand together, gazing out at the galaxy, uncertain of the future but united in their resolve.
