David Lynch was originally offered the chance to direct this episode of the series. He turned it down because he believed it was "Lucas' thing."
Director David Cronenberg was offered the chance to direct.
The dual stripes painted on rebel A-wing fighters were originally blue, but were changed to red because the blue made it a problem when filming blue-screen effects.
SFX crew claim to have included a "sneaker" as one of the spaceships in a complex dog-fight scene (see also trivia for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)).
Co-producer Robert Watts has stated before that his cameo is actually General Veers, who was played by Julian Glover in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Watts' character, however, is credited as "Lieutenant Watts."
Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) plays Wedge in this film, despite the rumors to the contrary which were caused by his name being misspelt ("Dennis Lawson") in the credits of Star Wars (1977). Intense debate on Usenet prompted Jarod Nash to write a letter to Lawson, asking for clarification. Lawson confirmed that he indeed played in all three movies.
David Prowse has said that he did not take part in any of the lightsaber-fighting sequences. As with Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the film's sword master, Bob Anderson played Darth Vader during the duel sequence, wearing platform shoes and careful filming to make up for the height difference.
Luke's mechanical hand gets shot. Leia gets shot in the shoulder. Luke cuts off Darth Vader's hand. See also Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Princess Leia is the best shot. She almost never misses. See Star Wars (1977).
According to the documentary "Empire of Dreams", Steven Spielberg was George Lucas's first choice to direct, but Spielberg had to decline because he is a member of the Directors' Guild (Lucas dropped his Guild membership over disagreements about _Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)). As a result, Lucas hired the relatively unknown (and at the time non-union) Welsh director Richard Marquand.
According to a magazine interview with Irvin Kershner in May 2004, Kershner states that Richard Marquand didn't direct all of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), it was Kershner's assistant director and Lucas who took over after the actors didn't respond very well to Richard Marquand. The relationship between Marquand and Lucas was said to be bad. On the DVD commentary, however, Lucas claims he worked quite well with Marquand.
The Huttese language spoken by Jabba the Hut was inspired by the Incan language Quechua. The lines were conceived by linguist Larry Ward, who also provided Jabba's voice (although enhanced electronically).
Characters who have "a bad feeling about this": C-3PO, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. See also Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Luke and Han's meeting in Jabba's palace is the first time the pair have been onscreen together since saying their goodbyes in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Jabba's sail barge was filmed in Yuma, Arizona. The film crew had problems avoiding the 35,000 dune buggy enthusiasts in the area. To preserve secrecy, the producers claimed to be making a horror film called "Blue Harvest (Horror beyond your imagination)", and even had caps and t-shirts made up for the crew. A chain-link fence and a 24-hour security service could not prevent die-hard fans from entering the set and sneaking some photographs.
The main chamber of Jabba's palace is connected to the entrance by a short flight of steps. When filming the scene where R2-D2 enters the chamber it was discovered that the droid could not roll down the stairs. In the movie we see R2-D2 approaching the stairs, then the camera moves to the left past the steps and the droid re-enters the field of view, having been manually hauled down the stairs.
The Endor shots were filmed near Crescent City, California. Forest work was especially hard on the Ewok actors. Production Assistant Ian Bryce arrived on the set one day to find a note from the Ewok actors saying that they had all had enough and they were on their way to the airport. Bryce tried to drive to the airport, but got a flat tire not far from the set. He found another car and was about to leave when the Ewoks' bus pulled up, and all the Ewok actors got off wearing "Revenge of the Ewok" t-shirts.
The primitive warrior tribe at the end of this film was originally supposed to be a tribe of Wookiees. In pre-production, though, the decision was made to go to short creatures with short fur rather than very tall creatures with longer fur and, hence, the Ewoks were created (Ewok may very well have been created by rearranging the sounds in the word "Wookiee").
Among the aliens in Jabba the Hutt's entourage are ones named "Klaatu," "Barada" and "Nikto," after the command given to the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The aliens are not referred to by name in the film, nor do they have any lines.
At the time, the climactic battle in outer space featured more optical effects in one scene than had ever been previously committed to film.
In the DVD 2004 release, Sebastian Shaw (older Anakin Skywalker) is replaced in the celebration scene by Hayden Christensen.
The raspy, labored breathing heard from Darth Vader after he kills the Emperor was originally meant to be how his breathing sounded when he was first introduced in Star Wars (1977). The sound of this labored breathing was kept and used for this film.
Several Ewok lines are in the Filipino (Tagalog) language. Most Ewok lines, however, were inspired by the Kalmuck language, spoken by nomadic tribes living in Central China.
The film originally included a sandstorm scene that occurred after Han's rescue. It was cut because it was unnecessary and was hectic to shoot.
The dancer that Jabba drops into the Rancor pit loses her top as she falls in.
Carrie Fisher's birthmark (near the small of her back) is visible in the desert scene where she turns her back to the camera to swing around a mounted laser gun.
Nien Numb, Lando's co-pilot, speaks a Kenyan dialect called Haya. According to sound designer Ben Burtt, the lines were delivered by a Kenyan student living in the US, and are actually correct Hayan translations of the English text. Audiences in Kenya were reportedly very thrilled to hear their language spoken in proper context.
It is rumored that a different ending was shot, but discarded later on. It featured the (long awaited) marriage between Leia Organa and Han Solo. Dark Horse's Comic "Dark Empire" is based on that fact and presents Han and Leia as a married couple.
David Prowse only portrayed Darth Vader completely for the first half of the movie. In the second half of the movie, the character was played by Bob Anderson (stuntman) during the fight sequence, and Sebastian Shaw after the character is unmasked. James Earl Jones voiced the character throughout, with the exception of the unmasking scene.
In addition to the pilot of the "chicken walker", Richard Marquand also performed the voice of the droid in Jabba's slave yard.
Director Richard Marquand did the voice for the interrogator droid EV 9D9. His voice was run through a ring modulator to give the proper mechanic-sounding effect.
Pat Welsh performed the voice of the Bounty Hunter Boush (Princess Leia in disguise)
In the familiar theatrical one-sheet poster advertising the film, forearms assumed to belong to Luke Skywalker are shown raising an ignited light-saber upward toward the starry sky. But the unidentified arms pictured are not those of actor Mark Hamill; the arms pictured belong to George Lucas.
George Lucas had a script policy which was carried over to the novel-writing policy today: Any characters from the trilogy cannot be killed off by any means - which explained the reason he overruled Harrison Ford's suggestion of killing Han Solo off. However, he consented Robert Salvatore's idea of killing Chewbacca off in the novel Vector Prime (set 21 years after Episode VI).
Following the success of Boba Fett (appearing in comics and being a popular supporting character), George Lucas considered adding a shot of Boba Fett escaping the Sarlacc for the 2004 DVD release. Ultimately, he decided against it as he does not want viewers to be detracted from the intended storyline.
According to Anthony Daniels, it only took him less than 10 minutes to put on the C-3P0 outfit, unlike the last two films were it took him two hours.
One of the songs that the Ewoks sing sounds like: "Det luktar flingor här", which is Swedish for "It smells of cereal here." (In fact, that line's lyrics are supposedly, "G'noop dock fling oh ah.") Another song sounds identical to a song sung in Caveman (1981).
Portions of the partially completed Death Star model resemble the San Francisco skyline.
At the end, when Luke cremates Darth Vader, he starts the fire at big toe of his right foot. He also apparently walks around the pyre. Those details and the style of the pyre correspond to Hindu tradition.
David Prowse, who played Darth Vader's body in three films, was unaware of the planned unmasking scene in which a different actor, Sebastian Shaw, played Vader's face.
Michael Carter was cast as Bib Fortuna in this movie after casting director Mary Selway saw him appearing in the play "The Streets of London" in 1981. It took over eight hours of make-up to first transform him into Jabba the Hutt's Twi'lek advisor. By the end of his five-week shoot, make-up artist Nick Dudman had streamlined the process down to 58 minutes. Removing the make-up took another 25 minutes.
The Millenium Falcons used for this movie were either models or matte paintings. The full-sized mock up used for the other films was only used for the deleted sandstorm scenes and therefore doesn't make an appearance in this movie
When Vader throws the Emperor into the shaft, the brief image of a skull can be seen superimposed on his visor.
In the part where Paploo was barely hanging onto the speeder bike, Paploo was played by stuntman Tony Cox.
Cameo: [Ben Burtt] the Imperial officer in the bunker who says "Freeze!" and gets knocked into the generator room by a thrown satchel. When he falls over the edge, he attempts to emulate the Wilhelm scream, which he made famous.
The growls and sounds of the Rancor in Jabba's Palace were actually made by a dachsund.
Ernie Fosselius, creator of the Star Wars (1977) spoof Hardware Wars (1977), appears as the voices of the rancor's keepers.
Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma) had to re-record her dialog after it was discovered that her microphone had picked up the sound of pigeons roosting in the set ceiling.
Chris Parsons played C-3PO in 3 or 4 scenes, including the part where 3PO was carried on the chair by the Ewoks.
Billy Dee Williams's stunt double was Julius LeFlore. LeFlore wears black gloves in the Sarlacc fight. Williams does not.
Peter Mayhew had a stunt double for the part of the Sarlacc fight in which the skiff jolted, causing Han Solo to hang upside down.
Ian McDiarmid (The Emperor) and David Prowse (Darth Vader) have never met. Vader was played by Bob Anderson for all of the camera shots in which Vader and the Emperor appeared at the same time.
The name Palpatine was based on the name Palatine in the film, Taxi Driver (1976). It was changed to avoid legal problems.
Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas initially wanted to include the "victory over the Empire" shots on the imperial city. However, they were unable to get a satisfactory name for the capital planet of the Empire. In May 1991, author Timothy Zahn wrote a Star Wars spin-off book, Heir to The Empire, and came out with the capital planet's name as Coruscant. Lucas was happy with the name and as the result, CG shots of victory celebration sequences of other cities, including Coruscant (where the statue collapsed) was included in the 1997 Special Edition.
Robert Watts, a co-producer of the film, doubles as the scout walker driver who is thrown out of the scout walker by Chewbacca.
One of the words C-3PO uses to communicate with the Ewoks is "naboo" which is the name of Queen Amidala's planet in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
The victory trumpet call that the Ewoks used at the end of the Battle Of Endor was the same as the trumpet call that was used in The Ten Commandments (1956) (1955). It can be heard when the Jews are about to leave Egypt for the Promised Land.
The sounds of the "speederbikes" were used in Daisenki (1993) (V) in the final battle as the UFO's sounds.
Before filming began, it was discovered that all of Darth Vader's lightsaber props had either been lost or stolen. Thus, one of Luke Skywalker's "stunt" saber props from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) had to be quickly cannibalized into a "Vader-esque" saber for this film.
At one point during the battle on Endor, Leia turns towards a Scout Walker and shoots a man who is either standing on or leaning out of the top. This man is rumored to be none other than the director, Richard Marquand.
The design of Luke's new lightsaber is directly based on the one used by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (1977). In fact, one of Obi-Wan's "stunt" saber props was reused in Return of the Jedi as Luke's.
Stuntwoman Tracey Eddon wore a rubber replica of C-3PO for the tumble off of the sail barge. She then donned a metal bikini to swing with Mark Hamill's stunt double onto the escaping skiff.
Jabba the Hutt's death was inspired in part by a scene in The Godfather (1972), in which Luca Brasi is choked to death with a garrote.
Darth Vader's funeral pyre was added at the very last minute, long after principle photography and pick-ups had wrapped. The scene was thrown together and shot near the hills of Skywalker Ranch.
The radiating shafts making up the floor of the second Death Star's reactor core are actually 1,500 fishing rods.
The shot of Paploo the Ewok riding a stolen speeder bike, the crew propped the bike up vertically and filmed the actor dangling from the handlebars, then simply rotated the camera.
Unlike other Star Wars installments, Episode VI was shot and completed in less than one year. Photography was done within June 1982-September 1982
When preparing to work on the special edition one of the ILM employees was talking to a friend and mentioned in passing that they were extending the musical number in Jabba's palace. The friend happened to be the brother of Femi Taylor, the dancer that played Oola (the slave girl/dancer who is fed to the Rancor) and suggested that they get in contact with her as she was in even better shape than she was when they originally shot the scene. They ended up using her, and the scene is a combination of footage that they already had and the new footage recorded 15 years later. Femi Taylor also has the distinction of being the only cast member from the original movies to reprise her role for the special edition.
The deleted sandstorm scene involving all the actors was the first scene shot on the first day of shooting. This made Mark Hamill the only Star Wars actor to work the first full day of shooting on all three Star Wars movies.
Another reason for filming under the guise of nondescript horror movie title, "Blue Harvest" was partly to put off any snoopers and also because the production found that if they mentioned they were working on the next Star Wars film, suppliers would automatically ramp up their prices, assuming that money was no object for Lucasfilm.
Sydney Greenstreet was used as one of the models for Jabba the Hutt.
Whilst clambering over Jabba the Hutt, one of the high heels that Carrie Fisher was wearing accidentally punctured the latex casing and pierced the dwarf technician who was operating the tail inside.
The only film in the original trilogy in which Denis Lawson's name is spelled correctly in the end credits.
The Ewoks are never referred to by name.
George Lucas fired his friend and producer of the previous two Star Wars movies, Gary Kurtz, before production began as Kurtz disagreed with Lucas' assertion that audiences didn't care for the story but for the spectacle.
The biggest grossing film of 1983.
The inside of Jabba the Hutt's palace is deliberately styled to resemble the Mos Eisley cantina in the first film. George Lucas wanted to redo the scene but with a bigger budget and without having to rely on stock masks.
Darth Vader's footsteps were recorded in underground tunnels by the Golden Gate Bridge to help create an ominous effect.
The slithery noises made when Jabba the Hutt moves were created by sound-man Ben Burtt running his hands through a cheese casserole.
As the Californian forest location the production was using was due for logging, the special effects crew were allowed to knock trees down in the Battle of Endor.
It took six people to work the full-sized animatronic of Jabba the Hutt.
The film grossed more than $250 million from a $32 million budget in 1983, and then another $40 in its 1997 re-release.
Before the Millenium Falcon leaves for the final battle with the Death Star, Han says, "I just got a funny feeling, like I'm not gonna see her again." This would seem to foreshadow the Falcon's demise in battle. But it doesn't. Researchers have looked into the matter from the first scripts of this movie, and have found that in all drafts of the script, Lando and the Falcon survive. All claims that the Falcon would not survive are urban legends, forgeries, or mistaken assumptions.
Endor is the name of a place in the Bible; it's a village found in Biblical Israel's territory of Isaachar, where king Saul went on the eve of his final battle with the Phillistines and came across "The Witch of Endor". It also the Elvish name for Middle-Earth in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings".
Originally, George Lucas was disapproving of Richard Marquand's choice in casting Ian McDiarmid as The Emperor. The choice eventually grew on Lucas, as he eventually went on to cast McDiarmid as the younger version of the same character in the next three episodes of the Saga.
Cinematographer Alan Hume had a falling-out with the producers late in production, mainly owing to the fact that he felt they were mistreating Richard Marquand. Hume was never officially sacked, but most of the photography in the last month of production was supervised by camera operator Alec Mills.
For security reasons, when the film was sent to the lab, it was sent under the title "Blue Harvest". The title was inspired by the Dashiell Hammett story "Red Harvest", which was the inspiration for Yojimbo (1961), directed by Akira Kurosawa, one of the favorite directors of George Lucas. When you go to www.blueharvest.com, you'll get the official Star Wars website.
As seen in the theatrical trailers, Luke's new light saber had a blue laser blade instead of the green that appears in the finished film, as it had been in the first two movies. The blade was changed to green as being blue, it was difficult to make out against the sky during the attack on the sail barge scene.
Kenny Baker's Ewok character, Paploo, was supposed to find Princess Leia unconscious after the speeder bike sequence, but Baker got a case of food poisoning before the scene was going to be filmed so Warwick Davis's character, Wicket to be the Ewok that finds Leia
Harrison Ford suggested that Han Solo sacrifice his life to save his friends, but George Lucas disagreed with him.
Carrie Fisher complained about her costumes in the previous two movies. She said they were so long, you could not tell "she was a woman". Those complaints led to the skimpy outfit she wore as Jabba's prisoner. The costume became something of a running joke among the crew, because the metal framework that held the top together meant that the costume didn't move well with her. Since Fisher didn't like the industry standard solution of using double-sided tape, it became necessary before each take to have a wardrobe person check to ensure that her breasts were still snug inside the costume top (and several scenes had to be re-shot when "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred).
When sound designer Ben Burtt was working on the sound effects for the speeder bike chase, he tried to emulate Treg Brown's sound effect work on the Road Runner cartoons as closely as possible.
In the DVD 2004 release, George Lucas explained the reason behind why Yoda told Luke that Darth Vader was his father. Lucas had consulted with a child psychologist during the making of the film. The psychologist said that unless it was unequivocally stated that Vader was Luke's father, moviegoers age 12 and under would dismiss Vader's claim to be Luke's father as a lie.
In a personal letter to friend actor Henry Dibling, 'Lindsay Anderson' said that a role in this movie was offered to him (a "Prince of Evil" role, in his own words). He turned it down because he was busy with his own movie, Britannia Hospital (1982), by then.
WILHELM SCREAM: As Luke slashes an enemy with his lightsaber and he falls into the Sarlacc pit. It can also be heard again a second time as Luke slashes another enemy into the pit soon after, but it is barely audible. Additionally, in the Special Edition, a Wilhelm can be heard during one of the huge celebration scenes, on Coruscant, after the Death Star is destroyed (an Imperial Stormtrooper is crowd surfing and the Wilhelm is heard as he passes to the right of the film frame; since this is a celebration scene rather than a fight scene, the Wilhelm was presumably included as a joke).
During the shot in which Salacius Crumb (the small, annoying, rat-like thing that sits with Jabba in his palace) is chewing off C-3P0's eye, Anthony Daniels had a panic attack while in the C-3P0 suit. While filming, he didn't actually say his lines (all his lines were dubbed in post-production anyway), but repeated "Get me up. Get me up." over and over. This take is the take used in the final film.
Sound designer Ben Burtt got the opportunity to operate the mike boom in the dialogue scene between Luke and Leia on Endor. He didn't know the entire scene would take almost 3 minutes to shoot, so he got very tired holding up the microphone, and nearly dropped it on Carrie Fisher's head.
Ian McDiarmid, a prolific stage actor, based his character's unusual voice on the Japanese method of using your stomach to project yourself. The result was a strange, guttural croak that Lucas decided was perfect for the character of Palpatine.
Elephants were used as inspiration for the All Terrain Armored Transporters' (AT-AT) characteristic walk.
The point-of-view shots for the speeder bike sequence were achieved by having a camera operator walk through the forest at normal speed with a camera filming at one frame per second. When the footage was played back at twenty four frames per second, it gave the appearance of flying through the forest at high speeds.
There were several versions of Carrie Fisher's slave costume. One was made of metal form-fit to her body. Another was made of rubber and was used for stunt scenes because it was more comfortable.
Costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers says that the inspiration for Leia's slave outfit came from the artwork of Frank Frazetta, which often focused on the female form.
This is the only the second film in the entire series to use American locations for live-action location filming.
[first lines]
Shuttle captain:
Command station, this is ST321, code clearance blue. We're starting our approach; deactivate the security shield.
Continuity: The aerial on Boba Fett's helmet swaps sides numerous times (flipped shots).
Continuity: When Leia releases Han from the frozen carbonite, he falls forward to the ground, soiling his shirt and face. In the next shot he is clean. Fixed on DVD.
Continuity: Han Solo falls off the skiff feet first in one shot, but head first in the next.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: After Luke kills the Rancor and Han is brought out, Han asks where Leia is, and an off-screen voice says, "I'm here." but it is not Leia's own voice. In fact, her lips aren't even moving. There isn't even any indication that she is speaking. It sounds as if it was dubbed in by another actress in another audio level afterward.
Revealing mistakes: Matte lines are visible around the Executor as it collides with the Death Star.
Continuity: When riding on the skiff, after Luke tells Han he used to live there, Han turns to Luke when he says, "You're going to die here, you know. Convenient." But in the very next shot he is facing away from Luke.
Continuity: After Leia tells Han that Luke is her brother and kisses him, she removes her hand twice from Han's neck. Also in the next shot, when Han kisses Leia back, his hand disappears from Leia's face.
Continuity: In Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Han's shirt as he's being frozen is single-breasted, but when he's unfrozen, it's now double-breasted.
Continuity: Lando can be seen wearing black gloves only when shown in close-up hanging onto the skiff over the Sarlacc pit.
Miscellaneous: Just when Boba Fett flies, Luke can be seen obviously missing with his kick that makes someone react as if hit.
Continuity: When Chewie is presented to Jabba in Jabba's palace, C-3PO has slime from Jabba on his chest, face and shoulder in one shot and is perfectly clean in the next. (Slime still on C-3PO on Special Edition version.)
Continuity: Lando's rank insignia swaps sides just before Han departs for the mission on the Forest Moon of Endor.
Revealing mistakes: When the shield generator explodes, a piece of shrapnel can be seen exiting the left side of the screen and then reentering because it bounces of the inside of the building the miniature was housed in.
Continuity: When Luke leaps from one skiff to another, the long shot showing him making the jump shows the 'stunt saber' used. The saber is maybe 1/3 as long as the regular one, and the blade is not even glowing.
Continuity: When Luke is explaining to C-3PO about the "magic", R2-D2 is (not) tied up. [Letterboxed version only]
Continuity: As C-3PO is trying to get his friends untied, Chewbacca pokes his head onto the set before he is cut loose. (Letterboxed version only?)
Continuity: In the rebel hangar, Lando's shoulder holster strap switches sides twice.
Miscellaneous: There is one point in the climactic battle scene where a TIE fighter magically appears in the middle of the Falcon.
Continuity: Three disappearing TIE fighters flying past the Death Star after the battle on Endor's moon.
Continuity: Han's hair is shorter when he is released from the carbonite than when he was frozen.
Continuity: When Luke cuts Boba Fett's pistol by lightsaber, a muzzle begins to separate before the lightsabre touches it.
Revealing mistakes: When Luke cuts a handrail with his lightsaber, we can see the small bump hiding the pyro charge.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Han is approaching Endor, he tells Chewie to "fly casual". The words are heard before he starts speaking.
Revealing mistakes: In the speeder-bike chase sequence, several shots are flipped so that Luke's black glove changes repeatedly from his right hand (where it should be) to his left hand.
Continuity: When Luke swings a blow at the Emperor in the Second Death Star, Vader blocks with his light-saber. So his blade should be between Luke's blade and the Emperor. In the 2004 DVD release, the red of Vader's light-saber is clearly visible on top of the blue of Luke's blade, so it looks more like Luke has just defended the Emperor from Vader. I have just taken a look at this, and it could be that the lightsabres are interlocking.
Continuity: When Vader is searching for Luke in the Emperor's throne room, he is holding his ignited 'red blade' lightsaber in his right hand, and another unignited lightsaber handle in his left hand. This is because of a deleted scene where Luke throws his lightsaber out to Vader.
Crew or equipment visible: When Jabba's sail barge explodes, the heroes ride away in one of the skiffs, while the other is left behind. The abandoned one, which should appear to be floating, can be seen to be standing on stilts.
Crew or equipment visible: During the speederbike chase, there are several shots where the support arms are visible holding the front of the bikes up.
Continuity: Each time the camera returns to the Emperor's throne, the stars in the window behind it have reset to the same position.
Revealing mistakes: When Luke jumps off his speeder bike during the chase, you can clearly see him bounce on a pad or cushion when he hits the ground.
Continuity: When the Emperor and Vader trying to make Luke change to the "Dark Side", Darth Vader's helmet is alternately clean/dusty between shots.
Continuity: During the battle on Endor, Leia is shot in the shoulder. However, later on, we see Han applying a bandage to her bicep. Her shoulder wound seems to have disappeared.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Leia points the cannon at the deck, she runs to Luke who says, "Come on!" but his lips do not move.
Revealing mistakes: When Han throws the piece of equipment at the Imperial Officer (the one that says, "Freeze!") inside the Shield Generator, the officer begins his 'fall' (in actuality, he jumps) over the bars before it even comes close to him. Fixed on Special Edition and DVD version?
Continuity: When Wicket wakes up Leia in the woods, his spear is alternately on top of and underneath the bottom of his hood/bib, and this garment also changes length within this scene.
Continuity: After Vader saved Luke and the two are in the hanger, Luke is holding the fallen Vader. A tear is visible traveling down Luke's right cheek as the camera is zoomed out. In the next shot, is cheek is dry.
Crew or equipment visible: When Han is running away from the shield generator and yelling "Move!" when he says the second "Move!" he casts a reflection on what looks like a Plexiglas panel, apparently used to protect the actors from flying debris.
Continuity: Jerjerrod is a Moff, however his Imperial rank insignia suggests that he is of a considerably lower rank.
Continuity: Just after landing on Endor, the rebels spot some storm troopers in the forest. You can see a close-up of Luke and Leia. The left side of Leia's helmet has a large round dent in it. During the speeder bike scene there is a shot of the left side of her helmet and there is no dent.
Revealing mistakes: When Luke hits one of Jabba's guards into the monster pit, he disappears just as he gets to the monster's mouth.
Miscellaneous: When Luke and Han are meant to be thrown into the pit with the monster in it, they attack the guards and Luke hits one with his lightsaber. The man reacts as if he has been hit with something hard like a piece of wood, rather than a lightsaber, which would have sliced through him.
Continuity: The Executor is at the front of the Star Destroyer squadron during the combat scenes of the Battle of Endor, but is in the middle of the squadron in the view from Palpatine's tower.
Factual errors: When the shield generator on Endor is destroyed, the entire dish blows up. However, the Rebels only planted charges in the bunker. As such, the shield generator should have ceased working, but the dish should not have exploded.
Miscellaneous: During the scene in which Luke tells Leia that Vader is his father, he claims he can sense Vader on the planet. Vader's shuttle does not arrive on Endor until the next scene.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Luke and Leia are on the speeder bikes, Luke says, "You take that one I'll take these two" telling Leia which enemy to attack. When he says this, his lips don't move with the sound at all.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: Shortly before being unmasked, Anakin/Vader can be heard both breathing and speaking at the same time.
Miscellaneous: The background behind the Imperial officer who says "freeze" is clearly visible through his torso. Also the stuntman jumps before being hit with the pack.
Miscellaneous: After C3PO gives himself up outside the bunker entrance in preparation for the Ewok ambush, the commander shouts "Bring those two down here". Both the current and subsequent shots reveal that he could only possibly have know that C3PO was there as R2D2 was completely out of view to the Imperial forces.
Revealing mistakes: When C3PO walks down the stairs entering Jabba's residence, R2D2 does not follow. The next moment R2D2 is following again downstairs.
Revealing mistakes: In the desert Jabba pulls Leia towards him telling her she will learn to appreciate him. Jabba's face is mirrored.
Follows
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Followed by
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Edited into
Godzilla Versus Disco Lando (1998)
"I Love the '80s" (2002) (mini)
'Star Wars': A Musical Journey (2005) (V)
- clips edited into music videos
Star Wars: Empire at War (2006) (VG)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006) (VG)
Spin off
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle (1983) (VG)
The Ewok Adventure (1984) (TV)
"Droids" (1985)
"Ewoks" (1985)
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) (TV)
Star Tours (1987)
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994) (VG)
Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1995) (VG)
Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (1996) (VG)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996) (VG)
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (1997) (VG)
Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi (1998) (VG)
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (1999) (VG)
Star Wars: Force Commander (2000) (VG)
Star Wars: Demolition (2000) (VG)
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001) (VG)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (2003) (VG)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords (2004) (VG)
- Prequel to the movie
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006) (VG)
References
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Triumph des Willens (1935)
Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958)
Uchu daisenso (1959)
Fitzwilly (1967)
The Wiz (1978/I)
Guerre du feu, La (1981)
Tron (1982)
Referenced in
The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983)
2010: The Odyssey Continues (1984)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Sesión continua (1984)
- The film is mentioned in a conversation
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
- Jabba the Hutt action figures in toy store
Return to Oz (1985)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
My Science Project (1985)
- characters refer to film and others dress as storm troopers/ darth vader
Jagged Edge (1985)
Joey (1985)
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
- The final ship battle is a lot like the destruction of the second Death Star, Zygon resembles Vader and gets his hand cut off, so many references it is uncanny.
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
Lucker (1986)
- A poster for this movie is visible in the video rental store
The Jet Benny Show (1986)
- A chase through the forest on one-man open-air flying ships involving collisions with trees.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)
Star Tours (1987)
Predator (1987)
Willow: The Making of an Adventure (1988) (TV)
- mentioned once
Akira (1988)
- same patrol vehicles
976-EVIL (1989)
Whatever Happened to Mason Reese (1990)
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991) (VG)
Lik wong (1991)
"Married with Children: Buck the Stud (#5.25)" (1991)
- Kelly to Bud: "There, there, Ewok."
Army of Darkness (1992)
Seiken densetsu 2 (1993) (VG)
- The Imperator und Tantalus plan who uses the Imperator to rule the world with the mana fortress which is a homage to the deathstar.
Lunar: Eternal Blue (1994) (VG)
Clerks. (1994)
Fainaru fantajî VI (1994) (VG)
- Kefka's betrayal and subsequent murder of Emperor Gestahl is very similar to, if not directly based on, the way Darth Vader kills Emperor Palpatine.
A Friend of Dorothy (1994)
- poster on wall
Boys Life (1995)
- poster on wall in A Friend of Dorothy
Judge Dredd (1995)
Mallrats (1995)
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1996)
Puddle Cruiser (1996)
- One character says to another, "Many people died to bring us that information", referencing the line in ROTJ, "Many Bothans died to bring us this information".
Happy Gilmore (1996)
"Showbiz Today: (1996-02-19)" (1996)
- There is an item on the Return of the Jedi Radio Drama
Independence Day (1996)
House Arrest (1996)
Bordello of Blood (1996)
Swingers (1996)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
A Boy's Life (1997)
- poster on wall in A Friend of Dorothy
Chasing Amy (1997)
Fools Rush In (1997)
Tæt på troldmanden George Lucas (1997) (TV)
- topic of the tv-special
Bad Business (1997)
Wishmaster (1997)
RocketMan (1997)
Courting Courtney (1997)
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: Time Chasers (#9.21)" (1997)
- "Is he going to be attacked by Ewoks?"
Scream 2 (1997)
Airspeed (1998)
- Ca. 19 min into the film Nicole talks in a Darth Vader-voice and paraphrases dialog from the film.
Troops (1998)
"The Simpsons: The Last Temptation of Krust (#9.15)" (1998)
- There's a place called "Java the Hut" based on the name of Jabba the hut from this movie.
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
"South Park: Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls (#2.9)" (1998)
- When he dies Mr Hankey quotes Yoda's dying words from this film "There is another Skywalker"
"South Park: Chickenpox (#2.10)" (1998)
- Cartman writes about Endor a planet from this film and the Ewoks from it.
"South Park: Clubhouses (#2.12)" (1998)
- Cartman's clubhouse blue-print is called "Ewok City 2000", a reference to the Ewok's village in this movie.
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: Quest of the Delta Knights (#10.13)" (1998)
- Mike: So the Ewoks grew up to be big stupid men?
Free Enterprise (1998)
StarCraft Expansion Set: Brood War (1998) (VG)
StarCraft (1998) (VG)
Desperate But Not Serious (1999)
The Unauthorized 'Star Wars' Story (1999) (V)
- the making of this film is recounted
The Mythology of 'Star Wars' (1999) (TV)
- is being mentioned and / or shown in the form of clips within this documentary
Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan: Tsuioku hen (1999) (V)
The Stars of 'Star Wars': Interviews from the Cast (1999) (V)
Return of the Ewok (1999) (V)
- A muckumentry style film about Return of the Jedi
Dogma (1999)
Human Traffic (1999)
Ghostbusters' SFX Team Featurette (1999) (V)
- Annick Thierrien mentiones working on Return of the Jedi
South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
The Making of 'Silverado' (1999) (V)
- mentioned once
"Spaced: Beginnings (#1.1)" (1999)
- Han & Luke's Jabba palace banter is directly quoted when 2 characters speak.
"Spaced: Chaos (#1.5)" (1999)
- Tim, Daisy and Brian watch the Star Wars trilogy and talk about it in depth.
"Spaced: Ends (#1.7)" (1999)
- Tim says "you're like Jabba's little mate!" then does an impression of him.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Scream 3 (2000)
Gladiator (2000)
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000)
Titan A.E. (2000)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
The Beginning: Making 'Episode I' (2001) (V)
- mentioned a few times
Paper Mario (2001) (VG)
- Bowser speaks a line similar to the Emperor when using the Star Rod
Saving Silverman (2001)
These Old Broads (2001) (TV)
- Joan Collins' character is insultingly called Jabba the Hutt
"Clerks: Dante and Randal and Jay and Silent Bob and a Bunch of New Characters and Lando Take Part in a Whole Bunch of Movie Parodies... (#1.5)" (2001)
- At the end of the show, Silent Bob looks over to see ghosts of Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, and then a ghost of Charles Barkley walks into view and asks Obi-Wan for a high-five.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away (2001)
"Spaced: Change (#2.2)" (2001)
- Two characters talk about the Ewoks from this film.
Shrek (2001)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Cats & Dogs (2001)
American Pie 2 (2001)
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)
Meat Market 2 (2001) (V)
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome (2001) (TV)
The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001) (VG)
- Location called "Java the Hut"
'The Sixth Sense': Reflections from the Set (2002) (V)
Welcome to Eltingville (2002) (TV)
- dialogue; numerous references
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
Cheerleader Ninjas (2002)
- There's a movieposter for Return of the Jedi on the wall
WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002) (VG)
Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002) (TV)
- mentions Jabba the Hutt.
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' (2002) (V)
- mentioned once
Red Dwarf: The Doug Naylor Interview (2003) (V)
- Reference to the Star Wars movies
Behind the Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit (2003) (V)
- mentionned twice
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) (TV)
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) (VG)
- Reference to Jabba
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Kattan (2003) (TV)
- referenced in Home Shopping
"The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XIV (#15.1)" (2003)
- Comic Book Guy mentions a "Jabba the Butt" tatoo, a reference to the character named "Jabba the Hutt" from this film.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- Theoden and Eowyn exchange lines almost exactly like Luke and Anakin: "I'm going to save you" "You already have."
"Wonderfalls: Crime Dog (#1.5)" (2004)
- Blanket in trunk of Jaye's car said "Return of the Jedi"
Van Helsing (2004)
- The last scene where the pyre is burning and Helsing sees Anna's ghost in the clouds and Carl taps him on the shoulder because he cannot see them. Akin to Leia doing the same thing to Luke when he sees Yoda, Kenobi and Anakin.
Looking for Kitty (2004)
- Ewoks mentioned in Star Wars conversation
Without a Paddle (2004)
- The speeder race through the redwoods is mentioned during the film's own race through the redwoods.
The Incredibles (2004)
- scene with boy running through the woods and dodgeing trees very similar to famous scene from Jedi
Behind the Tunes: Crash! Bang! Boom! - The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown (2004) (V)
- Referenced by title
Nacht der lebenden Loser, Die (2004)
- poster in Philip's room
Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (2004)
- Kane Kosugi's character flies a fighter within the tunnel of the Xilian mothership, and after sustaining critical damage, kamikazes into the energy shield's main reactor.
Settling the Score (2005) (TV)
- mentioned once
Clone Wars: Connecting the Dots (2005) (V)
- discusses Clone Wars cartoons in reference to the film series
Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber (2005) (TV)
- In voice-over, Katya says, that her ex-lover played Ewok #4 in the older film.
Generation Jedi (2005) (TV)
- The film is discussed at length
'Star Wars': Feel the Force (2005) (TV)
- Documentary is about the Star Wars series
The Eurovision Song Contest (2005) (TV)
- Referenced Princess Leia
"Only Human: Make Me Normal (#1.1)" (2005)
- Moneer is obsessed with Star Wars; makes reference to original trilogy
AFI Tribute to George Lucas (2005) (TV)
- It's referenced
The Island (2005)
- Engine sound of jet bike is the same as the Speeder bike in the Endor chase scene
Pinoy/Blonde (2005)
- Mentioned in the movie.
Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005) (V)
- The duel between Vakama and Matau on the Coliseum balcony is reminiscent of the fight between Luke and Vader on the Death Star bridge
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! (2006)
- "You see, I walk like Jabba the Hutt" (lyrics)
"Lost: Fire + Water (#2.12)" (2006)
- Sawyer calls Hurley 'Jabba'
Failure to Launch (2006)
- One character reveres the original Star Wars trilogy.
"Lost: Dave (#2.18)" (2006)
- Hurley mentions Jabba (the Hutt) as an obesity slur
The Benchwarmers (2006)
"Mayo: (#1.5)" (2006)
- The film and Ewoks are mentioned several times in conversation by different members of the team.
Return of Pink Five (2006) (V)
- spoof
Saul Goodman (2006)
- The fusion laser lab core was inspired by the Death Star's central reactor
"South Park: Tsst (#10.7)" (2006)
- In the scene where the first nanny becomes extremely angry, Cartman says "Yes! Let the anger come! Strike me down while you can!" This is a reference to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when Emperor Palpatine tries to turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side by inciting anger in him.
Clerks II (2006)
- SW vs. LOTR discussion
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
- The cannibal scene where Will is taken to the village and finds out Jack is being honoured has much resemblance to the scene where Luke, Han etc. are being taken to the Ewok village to be eaten for the 'God' C-3PO. Including the attempt to blow out the fire.
"The Venture Bros.: Love-Bheits (#2.7)" (2006)
- Dean dresses as Leia in the slave costume.
"The Venture Bros.: Showdown at Cremation Creek: Part 1 (#2.12)" (2006)
- Features Lando Calrissian's co-pilot.
"The Venture Bros.: Showdown at Cremation Creek: Part 2 (#2.13)" (2006)
- Lando's co-pilot was featured in this episode.
Fortabte sjæles ø, De (2007)
- Copy the scene were the Emperor torments Luke with lightning
The Fleapit Three (2007)
- Mike repeats a few lines of Luke Skywalkers from Jedi.
Heart of an Empire (2007)
- Documentary film of Star Wars costuming group.
Featured in
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983) (TV)
- this is the main subject of the documentary
From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi': The Making of a Saga (1985) (V)
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) (TV)
"Reading Rainbow: Space Case (#4.1)" (1986)
- The host explains that how Hollywood depicts aliens.
Precious Images (1986)
Wow! (1990) (V)
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996)
Hollywood Aliens & Monsters (1997) (TV)
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic (1999) (TV)
- ILM's effect work on this film is discussed, with clips
State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II' (2002) (V)
- clips shown
"I Love the '80s" (2002) (mini)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) (TV)
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (2004) (TV)
- scenes shown
The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V)
- clip shown
The Birth of the Lightsaber (2004) (V)
- clip shown
The Characters of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V)
- clips shown
"Retrosexual: The 80's" (2004) (mini)
The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV)
- number 87
"How Art Made the World" (2005)
- Clips are shown.
Generation Jedi (2005) (TV)
- Film clips are shown throughout
AFI Tribute to George Lucas (2005) (TV)
- It's featured
The Chosen One (2005) (V)
- brief clips shown
Spoofed in
House (1986)
Spaceballs (1987)
- Pizza the Hut is a parody of Jabba the Hutt
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
- Bill refusing to "join the Dark Side" in the mock lightsabre duel
Army of Darkness (1992)
Fainaru fantajî VI (1994) (VG)
Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier (1995) (VG)
Kung Fu Kenobi (1997)
Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars (1998) (V)
Godzilla Versus Disco Lando (1998)
Enchanted (1998)
Kung Fu Kenobi's Big Adventure (1999)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
"Family Guy: Chitty Chitty Death Bang (#1.3)" (1999)
- Stewie freezes the aeroplane pilot in carbonite just like what happenned to Han Solo in this film.
George Lucas in Love (1999)
Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle (1999) (TV)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
"South Park: Starvin Marvin in Space (#3.13)" (1999)
- Sally Struthers is used as a spoof as Jabba the Hutt in this episode. Her office is just like Jabba's palace. Jabba's little sidekick is spoofed too. Kenny is also encased in carbonite spoofing the fate of Hans Solo from this movie.
Harte Jungs (2000)
Comunidad, La (2000)
"Spaced: Back (#2.1)" (2001)
- A character spoofs the scene in which Luke Skywaker brusn the body of his dead father
Misión en Marbella (2001)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
My Brother's Light (2002)
Star Warp'd (2002) (V)
- It features little creatures resembling Ewoks from Return of the Jedi.
Girl Fever (2002)
- Ca. 35 minutes into the film Sam and Holden recite a line from the older movie and engage in a mock light saber fight.
Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (TV)
Run Leia Run (2003)
Retarded Animal Babies (2003) (V)
- The whole episode of RAB13 is a spoof of all the Star Wars films
Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003) (TV)
- When Ron says "he's more robot than golfer now" about Robo-Duff, this mirror's Obi Wan Kenobi's assessment about Darth Vader "he's more machine than man now".
Silent But Deadly 3 (2004)
- parody
Team America: World Police (2004)
- One of the puppets enters Kim Jong Il's palace similiar to the way Luke Skywalker enters Jabba the Hutt's palace.
"Family Guy: Peterotica (#4.24)" (2006)
- an attorney is dropped into a rancor pit, defeats the rancor in the same way Luke did