In the epic conclusion of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker leads a daring mission to rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine. With the Rebel Alliance reunited, they discover the Empire is constructing a second, even more powerful Death Star near the forest moon of Endor. As the Rebel fleet prepares for a final, all-out assault to destroy the space station and the Emperor himself, Luke must surrender to Darth Vader for a final confrontation. Deep within the heart of the Death Star, a father and son face off in a spiritual and physical battle that will determine the fate of the Jedi and the future of the entire galaxy.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 25, 1983 |
Running time |
131 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Action Adventure |
Budget |
$32,500,000 |
Box Office |
$475,106,177 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Richard Marquand |
Produced by |
Howard Kazanjian |
Written by |
Lawrence Kasdan George Lucas |
Music by |
John Williams |
Cinematography |
Alan Hume |
Edited by |
Sean Barton Marcia Lucas Duwayne Dunham |
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: #03 in Star Wars Collection
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The Plot
The Shadow of the Empire and a Master's Ultimatum
Nearly a year after the devastating defeat at Cloud City, the Galactic Empire’s shadow looms darker than ever. Darth Vader’s sleek shuttle glides into the docking bay of the second Death Star—a massive, incomplete battle station designed to eclipse the destructive power of its predecessor. Upon landing, the Dark Lord is met by a trembling Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod. When Jerjerrod attempts to excuse the construction delays by citing a lack of manpower, Vader remains unmoved. With a chilling finality, he warns the Moff that the Emperor himself is coming to oversee the final stages of the project, adding the ominous reminder: "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." Terrified, Jerjerrod immediately vows to double their efforts to ensure the station is operational on schedule.
Tatooine: A Dangerous Bargain at Jabba’s Palace
On the desert world of Tatooine, Luke Skywalker’s plan to rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt begins to unfold. The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are sent as emissaries to the crime lord’s fortress. They present a holographic message from Luke, who seeks a bargain for Solo’s life. As a gesture of goodwill, Luke offers the two droids as gifts to Jabba. While Jabba accepts the "gifts" with silent greed, he flatly rejects the negotiation, declaring he will not part with his "favorite decoration"—the carbonite-frozen Han Solo. The droids are ushered into the palace’s droid workshop, where the cruel EV-9D9 assigns C-3PO as Jabba's new interpreter and R2-D2 to a menial role aboard Jabba’s sail barge, the Khetanna.
That evening, the palace is a den of decadence and cruelty. As the Max Rebo Band plays for a rowdy crowd, Jabba grows impatient with his slave dancer, Oola. When she bravely resists his advances, Jabba triggers a trapdoor beneath her feet. Oola falls into the dark, damp Rancor pit, where the monstrous beast devours her as the court watches in sadistic amusement. The atmosphere of terror is firmly established, setting the stage for the next phase of the rescue mission.
The Bounty Hunter’s Guise and a Heartbreaking Reunion
Into this den of vipers enters a mysterious bounty hunter named Boushh, dragging a captive Chewbacca. After a tense negotiation—involving a thermal detonator and a high-stakes standoff—Jabba agrees to pay a bounty for the Wookiee. Under the cover of night, Boushh sneaks into the throne room and thaws Han Solo from his carbonite prison. As Han regains consciousness, blind and disoriented, he asks who his savior is. The hunter removes the helmet to reveal Princess Leia Organa, who whispers, "Someone who loves you," before they share a desperate kiss. Their joy is short-lived; Jabba, who had been hiding behind a curtain, reveals himself with a mocking laugh. Han is thrown into a dungeon with Chewbacca, while Leia is stripped of her disguise and forced into the humiliating role of Jabba’s new slave girl, chained to his throne.
The Return of the Jedi and the Rancor’s End
Soon after, Luke Skywalker arrives at the palace. Using the Force, he bypasses Jabba's majordomo, Bib Fortuna, and enters the throne room unarmed. Despite Jabba’s arrogance, Luke remains calm, demanding the release of his friends. When Jabba refuses, Luke attempts a daring move, using the Force to seize a blaster, but Jabba is prepared. The trapdoor opens once more, and Luke, along with a Gamorrean guard, plunges into the Rancor pit. In a harrowing battle of wit against brute strength, Luke evades the massive beast and manages to trigger the heavy portcullis gate, crushing the Rancor’s neck and killing it. Furious at the loss of his pet, Jabba sentences Luke, Han, and Chewbacca to a slow, agonizing death in the Great Pit of Carkoon, where they are to be consumed over a thousand years by the Sarlacc.
Chaos at the Great Pit of Carkoon
The execution party travels to the Dune Sea via Jabba’s sail barge and several desert skiffs. As they hover over the gaping, tooth-lined maw of the Sarlacc, Luke gives Jabba one last chance to surrender. The Hutt merely laughs. Just as Luke is forced off the plank, he springs into action, using the Force to flip back onto the skiff while R2-D2 launches his newly constructed green lightsaber into the air. Luke catches it and begins a whirlwind assault on Jabba’s guards. Amidst the chaos, Lando Calrissian—who had been undercover as a palace guard—reveals himself to help defend Han and Chewbacca. Even the legendary Boba Fett joins the fray, but his jetpack is accidentally ignited by a blind Han Solo, sending the bounty hunter screaming into the Sarlacc’s mouth.
Inside the barge, Leia seizes her moment. She douses the lights and uses the very chain that bound her to strangle Jabba the Hutt to death. After R2-D2 cuts her bonds, she joins Luke on the deck. Together, they turn the barge’s heavy deck gun against the vessel itself. As the barge begins to explode, the Rebels swing to safety on a nearby skiff, rescuing the droids and fleeing into the desert just as the Khetanna is consumed by a massive fireball. The group departs Tatooine, with the others heading to the Rebel fleet, while Luke and R2-D2 return to the Dagobah system.
Farewell to a Master and a Family Secret Revealed
On Dagobah, Luke finds Yoda in a state of terminal frailty. The 900-year-old Master confirms that Luke’s training is complete, but his final trial remains: he must face Darth Vader again. In his final moments, Yoda confirms the crushing truth that Vader is indeed Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker. Before disappearing and becoming one with the Force, Yoda warns Luke not to underestimate the Emperor and cryptically mentions that there is "another Skywalker."
Confused and mourning, Luke is visited by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi explains the history of Anakin’s fall to the dark side and reveals the identity of the "other": Luke has a twin sister, hidden from him at birth to protect her from the Emperor. Luke realizes with a shock that it is Leia. Obi-Wan warns him that his feelings for his sister could be used as a weapon by the Emperor, urging him to bury them deep.
The Forest Moon of Endor
The Rebel Alliance gathers its fleet near Sullust. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar reveal that the second Death Star is protected by a deflector shield generated from the nearby forest moon of Endor. A small strike team, led by Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewbacca, must infiltrate the moon and destroy the generator. As they approach in a stolen Imperial shuttle, Vader, aboard his flagship nearby, senses Luke’s presence. He allows them to land, intending to lure his son into a trap. Luke, sensing his father’s presence in return, realizes his proximity is endangering the mission and begins to grapple with the destiny that awaits him.
On the surface, the team is separated during a high-speed speeder bike chase through the redwoods. Leia is found by Wicket, a curious Ewok, who takes her to his village. Meanwhile, Luke, Han, and the others fall into an Ewok trap. However, when the Ewoks see C-3PO, they mistake him for a golden god. Luke uses the Force to levitate the droid, "proving" his divinity and securing an alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. That night, Luke pulls Leia aside and reveals the truth: they are siblings, and Vader is their father. Knowing he must face his parent to see if there is any good left in him, Luke leaves the village to surrender to the Imperial forces.
The Emperor’s Trap and the Final Duel
Luke surrenders to Vader, pleading with him to abandon the dark side. Vader remains steadfast, claiming it is too late for him, and delivers Luke to the Emperor aboard the Death Star. In the throne room, Emperor Palpatine reveals the full extent of his trap: the Rebel fleet is walking into a massacre, as the Death Star is already fully operational and a massive Imperial fleet is waiting to ambush them. As the Battle of Endor erupts in space and on the forest moon below, the Emperor goads Luke to strike him down in anger.
Finally, Luke draws his saber, but he is blocked by Vader. A fierce duel ensues, moving from the throne room down into the dark recesses of the station. Vader senses Luke’s thoughts of his sister and threatens to turn Leia to the dark side if Luke will not join him. Enraged, Luke lashes out with terrifying power, overwhelming Vader and severing his mechanical hand. The Emperor cackles with glee, commanding Luke to kill his father and take his place. Luke looks at his own mechanical hand, then at his defeated father, and realizes he is becoming what he hates. He throws his lightsaber aside, defiantly declaring, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
Redemption and the Fall of the Sith
Infuriated by Luke's defiance, the Emperor unleashes a barrage of Force lightning, torturing the young Jedi. As Luke writhes in agony, pleading for his father to help him, the conflict within Anakin Skywalker finally reaches its breaking point. Seeing his son on the brink of death, the light within him flickers back to life. Anakin grabs the Emperor, enduring the lethal lightning himself, and hurls the Sith Lord down a reactor shaft to his death. The surge of energy mortally wounds Anakin, damaging his life-support suit beyond repair.
Below on Endor, Han and Leia lead the Ewoks in a chaotic battle against the stormtroopers, eventually blowing up the shield generator. This allows the Rebel fleet, led by Lando in the Millennium Falcon and Wedge Antilles, to fly into the Death Star’s superstructure. As the station begins to collapse from within, Luke drags his father’s body to a shuttle. In his final moments, Anakin asks Luke to remove his mask so he can look upon his son with his own eyes. He tells Luke that he was right about the good remaining in him and asks him to tell Leia. With a peaceful smile, Anakin Skywalker dies.
A Galaxy Reborn
The Millennium Falcon fires the final shots into the Death Star’s main reactor, narrowly escaping the massive explosion that vaporizes the battle station. On the surface of Endor, Luke cremations his father's armor in a private Jedi funeral pyre as the night sky fills with fireworks. Across the galaxy—from the spires of Coruscant to the plains of Naboo—planets celebrate the end of Imperial tyranny. On Endor, the Rebels and Ewoks celebrate together. Amidst the festivities, Luke looks toward the forest and sees the shimmering Force ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and a redeemed, youthful Anakin Skywalker, all watching over him with pride. The war is won, the Jedi have returned, and the Skywalker family is finally at peace.
