Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Chosen answer: He says "you will pay the price..." meaning Luke will die for not seeing that the dark side is more powerful, and choosing not to join him.

Question: On Endor when the rebels get caught, there is one rebel dressed as a speeder bike rider with no helmet. What is with that?

Answer: The rebel was left outside to guard from Imperial attacks, he couldn't have just stood out there in his rebel forest gear.

TJ Brandt

Question: When the rebels talk about the "forest moon of Endor," is Endor the name of the moon itself or of the planet it orbits? The initial description makes it sound like it's the planet, but later on they refer to the moon as "Endor." Which is it?

Answer: Endor is the name of the planet. It's never stated in the film, but the novelization explains that the planet Endor was destroyed some time ago and the moon which the Ewoks inhabit now orbits the star that the planet once orbited. The moon is referred to as Endor merely for the sake of brevity, as there is no longer a planet to confuse it with.

Phixius

Question: On the Star Wars website is a picture of Mara Jade. It's supposed to be her dancing in Jabba's palace. I've looked and can't spot her. Can anyone tell me what shot she is in or near?

Answer: In a nutshell, she's not in there, so you can stop looking. When Mara became a pivotal character in the book series that cover the time after the films, a number of images were created for, among other things, the Star Wars collectable card game, using a model named Shannon McRandle (a.k.a. Shannon Baksa) to portray her. There were rumours that Shannon would cameo in the revamped Special Edition of Jedi using newly shot footage, but this did not occur.

Tailkinker

Question: Is there a reason why Hayden Christensen replaced Sebastian Shaw as the spirit of Anakin at the end of this movie on the DVD release? It doesn't seem to make sense, because the spirits of Obi-Wan and Yoda appeared as the same age they were when they died.

Answer: This is explained by George Lucas in the audio commentary. When Anakin passes on into the Force, he is able to assume his previous identity (that is, Anakin Skywalker the Jedi Knight, before he turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader).

Cubs Fan

Question: Could R2 see Obi-Wan? When Luke saw Ben on Dagobah, R2 also looked in the same direction.

Answer: Most likely, he was turning to see what Luke was reacting to. There has been no indication that any droid in the Star Wars universe can see Force ghosts.

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but droids like R2D2 would be equipped with sensors, as well as a camera, probably for a 360-degree range. In addition to reacting to Luke, R2 may detect an atmospheric change.

raywest

Question: A couple of times, Luke mentions Vader not being able to kill/destroy him "before." What is he talking about? At Cloud City, Vader wanted to freeze him in carbonite, not kill him. He even tested the process on Han Solo first.

Answer: The emperor wanted Vader to kill Luke outright, but Vader suggested instead to turn him and only kill him if necessary. He promises the Emperor that "He will join us, or die." Luke is saying that during their fight on Cloud City, especially near the end, he could sense Vader's hesitation to kill him. Vader even says to Luke at two points "Don't make me destroy you" and "Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Why didn't Obi-Wan and Yoda ever attack Vader together before Vader killed Obi-Wan? Why wait for Luke to grow up and then expect him to do it? Obi-Wan almost defeated the newly-turned Anakin by himself on Mustafar. He and Yoda could certainly defeat Vader together.

Answer: There is the emperor to consider. Yoda failed to defeat him; going at them both again is suicide. Vader only became stronger with the dark side. His fight made Yoda only weaker. If they both die, it's all really over. Luke was their only hope. A new hope.

lionhead

Question: 2 questions about the Alliance Star fighter squadrons: 1. Only 3 squadron leaders are identified (Red, Green and Grey) but there are a lot more than 3 squadrons. Who led the other squadrons? 2. Is an Alliance squadron made up of more than 1 type of star fighter? For example are all of Red squadron made up of X-Wings? During the space battle, Wedge tells Red 3 and 2 to pull in and an A-Wing and Y-Wing respond.

Declan Murphy

Answer: Lando was Gold Leader (He is call Gold Leader twice during the flight through the Death Star), in command of Gold Squadron and the overall fighter fleet, while Admiral Ackbar was in command of the whole mission.

Chosen answer: According to Wookieepedia, the fighter squadrons at the Battle of Endor were Red Squadron, Gold Squadron, Green Squadron, Blue Squadron, and Gray Squadron. The squadrons were comprised of various types of fighters. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Endor).

Captain Defenestrator

Question: How many ships were in each of the Rebel Alliance's five squadrons (Gold, Red, Green, Gray and Blue) at the Battle Of Endor?

Answer: The Alliance Navy has 12 fighters to each squadron therefore there were 60 fighters spread among the aforementioned squadrons and over 600 fighters present in the battle in other unnamed fighter groups.

Darius Angel

Question: According to what I've heard, when a Jedi dies and accepts it, their body disappears. (like Yoda and Obi-Wan) Darth Vader accepted that he was going to die, so why didn't he disappear? Is disappearing more complex than that, or did Darth Vader not really accept his death, and if not, why?

Answer: Vader's body, does disappear off-screen and only his armor is cremated. The ability to cause one's body to disappear after death appears to be a matter of choice by the deceased as evidenced in the Sequel Trilogy when Luke disappears after his battle with Kylo Ren, in which he projected himself. Ben Solo and Leia (spiritually within her son) bodies also disappear once Ben gives his remaining life energy to Rey when he force heals her.

Darius Angel

Answer: Plus, this ability to disappear and become a 'Force Ghost' was something which required great skill. The prequel films imply that Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the most recent Jedi to relearn this ability (although his body didn't disappear, as he became a Force Ghost after his death and couldn't form a corporeal 'ghost'). Other sources also state that Vader's organic body DID disappear upon his death, and that Luke only burned his suit and mechanical parts for ritualistic purposes.

Question: Does anyone know what Luke's Sith name would have been had he turned to the Dark Side?

Answer: No. As, being the hero of the piece, there was no chance of it actually happening, it's highly unlikely that the subject was ever considered. Even when Luke temporarily joined the Dark Side in the EU comics, no Sith name was ever given.

Tailkinker

I don't think there was any planned name for if he turned to the dark side. However, in a theoretical ending to this movie, Luke waits for Vader to die then puts on the mask and becomes the new Darth Vader. Assuming he would have killed Darth Vader instead of ending up being hit with Palpatine's lightning, the same thing could've happened. It would be more convenient for the emperor.

Question: When a Jedi accepts their death, their body disappears. Darth Vader accepted that he was going to die, so why didn't he disappear? Did he not accept his death, or is disappearing more complex than just accepting death?

Answer: As noted by Yoda in the novelization of Episode III, the disapearance of certain Jedi at death is NOT just about 'accepting' that death. It is a technique, learned through study, that enables the Jedi to bond his conscious soul to the Force instead of simply merging with it. His reference to Qui-Gon at the end of the movie implies that the technique can be learned after death too.

Question: Wasn't sure where to put this question but can anyone tell me who Mara Jade is? Where did she come from? How does she fit into the whole Star Wars story?

Answer: Mara Jade only appears in the books dealing with the time period after Return of the Jedi, although, according to those books, she was undercover at Jabba's palace during the events of ROTJ - a particular woman seen in those scenes has been picked out by the fans as being her, although there's nothing from Lucasfilm on the subject. According to those, she was a Force Sensitive who worked as one of a number of special covert agents for the Emperor (known as the Emperor's Hands). She was able to hear his orders over galactic distances, and passed those orders on to others. After the fall of the Emperor, she hooked up with a smuggling ring, where she eventually came into contact with Luke Skywalker. Initially, she wanted to kill him, in accord with the final instruction embedded into her psyche by the Emperor, but never went through with it (generally because she found herself in situations where she needed him alive, but partly because, despite her service to the Empire, she was not a fundamentally evil person). Eventually, through a complex set of circumstances, she was able to eliminate the last command from her head. For the next few years she came into sporadic contact with Luke, who gave her Jedi training and the two became firm, if somewhat wary allies. Ultimately, they married and now have a son, Ben.

Tailkinker

Question: When Luke says he can't kill his own father, Obi-Wan tells him, "Then the Emperor has already won." But if Luke actually did kill Darth Vader, he would be left to fight the Emperor by himself, or could even be influenced to switch sides. The Emperor does try this later, suggesting that Luke replace Vader. How would that be a triumph for Obi-Wan and Yoda?

Answer: Obi-Wan didn't think it would be an immediate victory or Luke would rush to then combat the Emperor. His reasoning is that eliminating Vader would weaken the Emperor's power by removing his main enforcer. Once Vader was gone, Obi-Wan and Luke would have to devise a strategy on how to defeat the Emperor. Leaving Vader alive leaves the Emperor's power intact. Obi-Wan trusts that the Emperor will never sway Luke to the Dark side. However, Luke is unable to face destroying his own father.

raywest

So, you think they wanted Luke to fight Vader alone again, defeat him, and they would deal with the Emperor later? Instead of Luke allowing Vader to "capture" him and take him to the Emperor?

Facing his father would be facing his fears. Facing his fears is what will keep Luke away from the dark side. That was the first step in beating the emperor. Luke is understood enough in the end that killing his father is not the answer, but he did manage to beat him. And that was the victory. Because that caused Anakin to turn back to the light side and kill the emperor. Obi-Wan and Yoda can't tell Luke everything he needs to do, some he has to do himself.

lionhead

Answer: The breathing apparatus (similar to a respirator) built into Vader's suit was shorted out by an errant bolt of Force lightning when Vader picked up Emperor Palpatine and threw him down the shaft; watch closely during this scene and you'll see electricity arcing on Vader's torso. Removing Vader's mask had no effect since he was already dying; when Vader asked Luke to help remove the mask, Luke said, "But you'll die." to which Vader replied, "Nothing can stop that now." Vader simply wanted to look upon Luke with his own eyes rather than through the mask for once.

zendaddy621

While Vader is dying Luke said that he won't leave him he's got to save him. Vader said "you already have Luke". What did Vader mean by that?

By rising up against Palpatine and saving Luke's life, Vader finally broke free from the dark side of the Force; though it cost him his life, Vader meant that Luke had ultimately helped him find redemption.

zendaddy621

Answer: Vader's entire suit is a life support system. As he was pretty much invincible for most of his appearances he has never been in danger. The Emperor is the first person on screen to actually damage the life support system itself, so Vader is dying as soon as he is zapped. Luke tells him he will die if the helmet is removed, but Vader says he is already dead, as we can see his cranial injuries and pale skin, plus he cannot even move his arms and legs which are cybernetic. He's pretty much a goner.

Answer: During the duel, the injuries Vader sustained from Palpatine's electrical bolts as he was being thrown into the shaft were a factor. Once Luke removed Vader's helmet as he requested, it sealed his fate as he could not survive without the life support system built into his damaged suit that kept him breathing and his body functioning.

raywest

Question: What did Obi-Wan mean when he said to Luke "then the Emperor has already won"?

DFirst1

Answer: Luke was the only chance to get Vader back to the light side. Only together they could defeat the Emperor and bring balance back to the force. If Luke couldn't confront his father, then the Emperor would kill him. Then he would have won.

lionhead

Revealing mistake: When Luke is being fed to the Rancor, in Jabba the Hutt's dungeon, there are black outlines around the beast's legs, from the composite's blue screen special effect. This was edited out in the special edition rerelease.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: This was not a "mistake". The outlines showing around the beast's leg were due to the limited CGI technology at the time the film was made. With advances in special effects in the following decades, the filmmakers were able to enhance the CGI quality in later releases.

raywest

But it is a mistake to show that the Rancor is not real, and the outlines show that. It's certainly not intentional.

lionhead

Not sure what you mean that the rancor is not real. Of course it's not real. The issue is, at that time, it was not technically possible to show the beastie without the lines showing. I classify a mistake as something that was not intentional. In this case, it was, due to the limitations of CGI in the 1980s.

raywest

More mistakes in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Darth Vader: If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny!

More quotes from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Trivia: When filming ROTJ, Lucas didn't want anyone to find out that they were shooting the third Star Wars movie, because pandemonium could break out. So when someone asked the crew what they were filming, they said "Blue Harvest". All of the crew had shirts and hats that said Blue Harvest on them. The fictitious film's tagline was "Horror beyond imagination."

More trivia for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

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