What Made The Empire Strikes Back So Special?

Beware! This post contains spoilers!

(UPDATE: 17/10/21 - I had to change this article from having seven factors that made EMPIRE great to just nine.)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. There came a time when THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK didn't yet exist, before George Lucas began pre-production after the original Star Wars movie came out on May 25, 1977. He set out to create the next chapter of the series, continuing Luke, Han, Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca's space adventures as they struggle against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. During its May 1980 theatrical run, EMPIRE was a smash hit but drew mixed critical responses, with some dismissing it and others applauding it. It then changed when THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK proved to be the best science-fiction film and the best not only in the original Star Wars trilogy but out of all the movies.

It is an analysis of my all-time favourite movie. I'm writing this on Star Wars Day. It's a day for Star Wars fans, with celebrations featuring cosplay, movie screenings, social media, and other events. We'll examine nine factors that made EMPIRE so innovative and appealing to today's moviegoers. Forget what Lucas did to the original trilogy in these updated versions, not by changing the scenes, like when Greedo shoots first instead of Han, and adding new ones like the "Jedi Rocks" number. Since Lucas no longer controls his ultimate movie franchise, maybe Disney will release the original versions on Blu-ray before it releases Episode VII.

Believe me, I used to think EMPIRE was the weakest of the bunch. Because it was dark and ended bleakly, I preferred Return of the Jedi as a lighthearted addition, and I was too young to appreciate it. I didn't realise until now that many fans considered it the best of the series. I've watched EMPIRE over the years and now have a different opinion than when I first saw it. I also realised that EMPIRE was the first Star Wars movie I ever saw. It brought me to a universe with Jedi, Sith, Ewoks, Wookiees, droids, stormtroopers, and lightsabers. Now I know that the movie is what got me into the series.

Characters like Yoda and interplanetary worlds such as Hoth's winter landscapes, Dagobah's swamps, and the floating Cloud City of Bespin, wouldn't exist without EMPIRE. Then Darth Vader certainly wouldn't be Luke's father if this scene, with its surprising plot twist, hadn't shocked audiences.

#9. Han + Leia

Let's examine the first element of the feature: Han and Leia's romance. Yes, this would be a better love story in EMPIRE. It beats the misguided attempt in the Attack of the Clones prequel, which has far less chemistry. Even the line Anakin said to Padmé, "I don't like sand," will not stop it from being unmoving.

This love-hate relationship works without George Lucas's mediocre dialogue; it flows terrifically, and both characters are a perfect match. Even in their moments, they argue up to the scene where they profess their love. There, Han and Leia share their final moments: Leia says, "I love you," and Han replies, "I know," before they are separated. That line wasn't in the original script, but Harrison Ford suggested it to the director, believing Han should say it. I was about to mention that Luke should have fallen in love with Leia if she hadn't been related to him.

#8. The Action

In the film, we've seen the Battle of Hoth, the chase through the asteroid belt, and the first-ever lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. These elements keep EMPIRE thrilling and keep us on the edge of our seats. The Hoth battle scene is one of the most memorable sequences ever put on screen. Instead of an outer-space battle like the original, which took place on the Death Star, the ILM visual effects team created a large-scale assault with hovering snowspeeders and giant AT-AT walkers.

#7. Yoda

In THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, we have characters that prove essential to the story, like Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett. Who can remember the little fellow who gives us wisdom and says the most important things, like Yoda? Although CGI-created characters in live-action backdrops weren't introduced until 1985, Yoda was created through extensive puppetry. He serves as a seemingly odd but wise mentor figure to Luke. He often imparts his profound sentences to the protagonist when he teaches him his skills as a Jedi; for example, "Do or do not. There is no try."

Yoda remains one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars saga, and even in EMPIRE, he served as a plot device as Luke sought to learn the ways of the Force. Frank Oz did an outstanding job bringing the character to life through puppeteering and voice acting. George Lucas was so impressed that, at one point, he campaigned to get Oz an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor through an advertising campaign that cost thousands of dollars, but it was unsuccessful. The character's popularity ensured that Frank Oz would reprise his role in the later Star Wars movies.

#6. Boba Fett

One character I mentioned in the previous factor also appears in EMPIRE: the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett. After his introduction in an animated segment of The Star Wars Holiday Special, the character didn't make his screen debut until 1980. Despite being in a supporting role, Boba is a mercenary who remains a mysterious figure in EMPIRE. Besides working for a notorious crime lord like Jabba the Hutt, he tracked down the Millennium Falcon, which led him to Bespin's Cloud City.

Like Yoda, Boba proved a fan favourite in the Star Wars series. The character also appeared in Return of the Jedi, where Han Solo unwittingly defeated him before the expanded universe brought him back. Fett even appeared in the Droids cartoon, comics, books, the prequel Attack of the Clones (which explains his origins), The Clone Wars series, and a few episodes of The Mandalorian, which diminished the character's mystery.

#5. The Music

For every composition, John Williams is a vital asset and a necessity in Star Wars. Nobody will forget his memorable pieces on the official soundtrack: a standard-setting, sensational score featuring standouts like the iconic "Imperial March" theme. It was a brooding anthem for the Imperials. It represented their oppressive dictatorship and served as Darth Vader's character theme. The rest of the instrumentals, like "The Asteroid Field," "Yoda's Theme," "The Clash of the Lightsabers," and "Han Solo and the Princess," were enough to create a fantasy sci-fi tempo. The pace and action-packed atmosphere are similar to those in the previous movie.

This one is up for debate as the best Star Wars soundtrack. It depends on how you listen to the instrumentals of EMPIRE, A New Hope, or The Phantom Menace. Whether you listen to all six of them or just one, they're brilliant.

#4. Dark Tone

One factor that made EMPIRE intriguing was its moody atmosphere. It evokes a sense of danger and suspense that its predecessor lacked. You'll be surprised by the film's dark scenes, like when Darth Vader cuts off Luke's right hand and bests him in the lightsaber duel before the unsettling plot twist we'll get to number one later. Or when a hideous-looking snow bear called a Wampa attacks Luke and drags him back to its cave in the opening act. Or when Luke enters a mysterious cave and confronts a hallucination of Vader, only to see himself behind the mask in the aftermath. These moments may be traumatic for younger viewers who have not seen THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. However, no exception applies to the scene in which Han suffers a fate far worse than death when he is frozen in Carbonite and becomes a wall decoration for a crime boss to whom he owes money.

No wonder this film popularised darker sequels. While it's the first Star Wars film to embrace a darker tone, it now feels tame compared to other dark, mature Star Wars films, including Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi.

#3. The Ending

Instead of ending happily, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ends so differently from the rest of the Star Wars films that it concludes on a tragic note. That's one reason I never liked it as a child. It doesn't help that the protagonists are left broken and defeated by the Empire, and the film ends on a cliffhanger, leaving viewers to question whether a next instalment will resolve the conflict on both sides.

Some die-hard fans, like writer/director Joss Whedon, may not want to watch it again if they couldn't find the perseverance to recover from this depressing conclusion. I disagreed with Joss's view that the ending ruins the film. It's a very emotional and thought-provoking conclusion to a stunning movie.

#2. Direction & Writing

One reason EMPIRE is the greatest Star Wars movie is the direction by the late Irvin Kershner. The late Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan also stand out in its writing. Kershner agreed to direct the sequel when it became clear that George Lucas, overwhelmed by the first film's production problems, didn't want to. He is not known for many of his movies, even later ones like Never Say Never Again and Robocop 2. Whereas Lucas was more of a technological whiz than an actor's director, Kershner elevates the Star Wars series from a pulp science-fiction adventure into a character-driven story. He even improved the actors' performances by making them more comfortable and letting them deliver most of their lines straight from the script or improvise.

While George was the executive producer and heavily involved in the film's conceptual stage, he also wrote the sequel's story (albeit uncredited for the script). Leigh Brackett wrote the screenplay (until her death after completing the first draft). Lucas took over from her in rewriting the original script until he hired Lawrence Kasdan to revise it. Kasdan made the narrative more character-driven and improved the dialogue, which better suits the film by balancing humanity with humour in scenes like these.

#1. "No, I Am Your Father"

Kicking off this top spot in the EMPIRE tribute is the father of all plot twists. The film's main antagonist, Darth Vader, delivers this line, often misquoted as "Luke, I am your father," when it was actually "No, I am your father." Two years before the release of EMPIRE, rumours circulated that Darth Vader was Luke's supposedly deceased father. The audience didn't see it until the next two years, when they started watching EMPIRE and were shocked by this horrifying revelation. At the start, nobody knew Luke was the offspring of the universe's most feared Sith Lord. Some people who first watched the movie thought Darth Vader was lying to Luke to convert him to the dark side, but the next chapter proves he was telling the truth.

This rumour came from Dave Prowse, who played Vader, who thought it was a lucky guess in 1978, when they had barely written EMPIRE's screenplay. During filming, Prowse didn't use the scripted line. Instead, the script called for a different line for Vader to say to Luke, revealing that Obi-Wan had killed his father to keep the big reveal a secret from everyone. In post-production, James Earl Jones (then the voice of Darth Vader) dubbed over that scene and performed the added line. Only three people knew about it, including Lucas, Kershner, and Mark Hamill. This trivial fact has ended.

I can relate to this plot twist. It's one of those pivotal moments that catapulted EMPIRE to iconic status. It left a significant impact on the Star Wars franchise. Since then, other films and TV shows have parodied, referenced, and paid homage to this twist, including Spaceballs, Toy Story 2, Austin Powers, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and others.

Conclusion

We may get this belief that THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the crown jewel of the enthralling, action-packed science fiction saga that we grew up watching. It doesn't matter which version of EMPIRE I'm watching. I have the altered version on DVD and Blu-ray, and I watched the original online. Anyway, this concludes my tribute to the fifth Star Wars chapter, and I hope to be back soon to post my review for you all. Stay tuned for further updates.

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