Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

By Steven Di Costanzo

Released in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back is the probably the most popular Star Wars film among its fans. Similar to A New Hope, Lucas was able to continue creating the Star Wars universe. Only this time, he was able to do more!

    Again, in the beginning of the movie we see the slow introduction crawl up the screen. From there we see Imperial droids fall towards the planet of Hoth, looking for the Rebel base. While Han and Luke are making their routes around the planet, Luke is injured and taken by a local beast. Han struggles to find Luke, but Luke eventually escapes the clutches of the snow beast by using the Force and his lightsaber. After escaping and collapsing, Luke is visited by a hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi informing him to visit the Dagobah system to learn the ways of the Force from Yoda. Soon after Kenobi disappears, Han rescues Luke.

    Later, while Luke is recovering and after it is discovered that an Imperial droid has found their base, they prepare for evacuation. Imperial star destroyers set their courses for the Hoth system to attack the base, but their surprise attack does not work. As the Rebels prepare for an Imperial assault, they are met by several Imperial walkers, AT-ATs, and the epic Battle of Hoth begins. The Rebels deploy their ground forces to protect their base as well as their small snow speeders/fighters to face the ever so mighty Imperial walkers. The armor is too tough for the speeders’ blasters to penetrate, but they manage to some of them down, thanks to their harpoon cables. Although the Rebels fight gallantly, the Imperials are able to destroy the Rebels’ main power generator.

    After taking down an Imperial walker by himself, Luke keeps his promise and flies to Dagobah to train with Yoda. On the other hand, Darth Vader and his troops enter the Rebel base, but before they can capture anyone, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO blast out of the base, escaping the clutches of the Empire. Unfortunately, the Millenium Falcon’s hyperdrive is damaged and they are unable to fly into hyperspace. In order to escape from star destroyers in space, Han is forced to enter an asteroid field where they take refuge in a very large meteor.

   

On the other hand, the Emperor warns Darth Vader that the Force is strong with Luke, and that he must be destroyed. But Darth Vader suggests to turn Luke to the Dark Side of the Force, or he will face death. Meanwhile, Luke meets Yoda on the swampy land of Dagobah and begins his training. Luke’s training with Yoda is extremely interesting because the audience learns more about the ideals and the training techniques of the Light Side of the Force and of the Jedi. The spirituality of the Jedi is really captivating and peacefully strong.

As part of Luke’s training, Yoda tells Luke he must enter a very dark cave, that is strong in the Dark Side of the Force. Luke enters with his weapons, despite Yoda’s warning that whatever is in there is what you bring in. While in the cave, Luke is found in a dream sequence where he has a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. Luke decapitates Darth Vader. When Vader’s mask explodes, Luke’s sees his face as Vader’s face, foreshadowing what is to come.

    Meanwhile, Han and Leia soon discover that the cave they thought they were in on the asteroid turns out to be the belly of a space worm-like creature. After escaping from the monster and the Empire, they set their course for Cloud City, led by Han’s old friend, Lando Calrissian. Although they are welcomed by Lando, Leia is worried because C-3PO gets partially destroyed and lost. Fearing that his friends are in danger, Luke leaves Dagobah in order to save them.

To make matters worse, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are betrayed by Calrissian, when he gives them up to Darth Vader and a bounty hunter named Boba Fett. Although Calrissian tries to help his friends, he tells them that Vader is trying to lure and trap Luke, who is on his way. Chewbacca and Leia are supposed to be under the care of Calrissian, whereas Han is to be frozen in carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine.

The sequence when Han is frozen in carbonite is an extremely memorable one. It is a very emotional scene between Han and Leia, especially when Leia tells Han that she loves him, right before he is frozen into carbonite. After surviving the freezing process, the chamber is reset for Luke. Fett takes Han, and Leia and Chewbacca are taken by the Empire. Fortunately, Calrissian and his people help Chewbacca and Leia escape, and they rush to try and save Han.

In the meantime, Luke and Darth Vader meet. This is the beginning of one of the most important sequences in Star Wars history. Luke’s skills as a Jedi are tested when he faces the powerful Sith Lord. Luke is a complete underdog against Vader, but he continues to stay focused and strong. Struggling against Vader, Luke manages to injure Vader’s arm. Just as things are getting more and more tense, Vader successfully cuts off Luke’s right hand, leaving him defenseless. As Luke spaces away from Vader, Vader tries to convince Luke to join the Dark Side of the Force. It is then that Vader informs Luke that he is his father. Luke screams out in disbelief, and chooses to jump down the air vents, where is inadvertently escapes Vader, until almost falling completely out of the sky beneath Cloud City.

Concurrently, Chewbacca, Leia, and Calrissian manage to escape aboard the Millenium Falcon. But as they are escaping, Leia gets the feeling that Luke is in danger. After turning the ship around, they find Luke hanging from the bottom of Cloud City and rescue him.

The film ends when Luke gets a replacement hand as he, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 look over the galaxy.

George Lucas created a more powerful vision of his Star Wars universe, and was able to do more than he was ever able to do with A New Hope. He furthered the innovations of special effects, mostly by using stop-motion photography during battle scenes with spacecraft, and was able to create more beautiful and creative landscapes and characters.