Return of the Jedi

Return of the Jedi, motion picture about the young warrior Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his compatriots battling a tyrannical government called the Galactic Empire. Released in 1983, this box-office hit won an Academy Award for special achievement in visual effects. This is the third movie in the Star Wars series of science-fiction movies, continuing the story of Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Luke, Princess Leia (played by Carrie Fisher), and her robot comrades C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the palace of the criminal underlord Jabba the Hutt. Then they set out to destroy the Galactic Empire’s new space station, called the Death Star. An army of furry little creatures called ewoks helps them.

Creator and producer George Lucas rereleased the three Star Wars films in 1997 with new, digitally enhanced special effects. In 1999 Lucas came out with the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace, followed by Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). The prequels tell the story of Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker.

Director

• Richard Marquand

Cast

• Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
• Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
• Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia)
• Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
• Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
• Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
• James Earl Jones (Voice of Darth Vader)
• Alec Guinness (Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi)
• Frank Oz (Yoda)
• Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine)
• David Prowse (Darth Vader)
• Sebastian Shaw (Anakin Skywalker)
• Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
• Michael Pennington (Moff Jerjerrod)
• Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett)
• Michael Carter (Bib Fortuna)
• Denis Lawson (Wedge)
• Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar)
• Dermot Crowley (General Madine)
• Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma)
• Warwick Davis (Wicket)
• Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
• Femi Taylor (Oola)
• Annie Arbogast (Sy Snootles)
• Claire Davenport (Fat dancer)
• Jack Purvis (Teebo)
• Mike Edmonds (Logray)
• Jane Busby (Chief Chirpa)
• Malcolm Dixon (Ewok warrior)
• Mike Cottrell (Ewok warrior)
• Nicki Reade (Nicki)
• Adam Bareham (Stardestroyer controller)
• Jonathan Oliver (Stardestroyer controller)
• Pip Miller (Stardestroyer captain)
• Tom Mannion (Stardestroyer captain)

Awards

• Academy Award for Special Achievement—Visual Effects Editing (1983): Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, Phil Tippett

Quote

• Emperor Palpatine (to Skywalker): “Take your Jedi weapon! Use it. Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!”