Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When one of the stormtroopers unties Han Solo before he is put into the carbonite, watch his wardrobe - he has a disappearing / reappearing jacket on. This is fixed to an extent on the DVD - the jacket is now lightened to almost match his shirt, but it's still shiny like leather. (01:32:05)

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Suggested correction: It just looks like a jacket because it's a shadow.

That is incorrect. You can see the contrast between the jacket and the shirt, with the white collar of his shirt sticking out of the brown jacket.

Catwalk

The shadow isn't touching all of the shoulders, which gives the illusion that there is a jacket on him, but there isn't.

Trivia: There was a false page in the original script in order to fool all of the people working on the film. This was to keep it secret that Darth Vader was Luke's father. Only George Lucas, the producers and James Earl Jones knew the truth. Mark Hamill was told just moments before filming this scene so his reaction would be right, while David Prowse read the lines from the original script "Obi-Wan killed your father."

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Suggested correction: Mark Hamill stated multiple times that he knew for over a year about the twist. It was a secret for the remaining cast though.

oldbaldyone

Trivia: In the first take of Darth Vader and his troops entering the Rebel base, the lead troopers tripped, a stuntman stepped on the cape of David Prowse (Darth Vader), the cape tore free and Prowse fell on the troopers.

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Suggested correction: How is something from the blooper reel considered trivia?

ctown28

Well I for one didn't know about it, so it's interesting to know it happened. Behind the scenes stuff is generally valid trivia.

Jon Sandys

Other mistake: When the Star Destroyers are seen for the first time, in the second shot, some of the TIE fighters that fly over a Star Destroyer are transparent. (00:19:55)

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Suggested correction: Just loaded up Disney+. I watched that scene - all the Tie Fighters are not transparent. What you're seeing is light set used to light up the Tie Fighters in space, to give the illusion that the Star Destroyer engines are shining on them.

Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie when the Millennium Falcon is escaping from the TIE fighters we see some going after the Falcon then we see a shot of Vader looking at it - there are now no TIE fighters. They had no time to escape away. (01:57:45)

han_solo_321

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Suggested correction: Actually, the TIE fighters are still there. They're just too small to see.

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Suggested correction: And in the Star Wars corrections page, you will find that mistake with the explanation that Lawson has used both Denis and Dennis in his career.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back mistake picture

Continuity mistake: As already noted in another mistake, when Han is about to be frozen in carbonite, his jacket appears and disappears between shots. This jacket can also be seen when Lando says, "You're being put into carbon freeze." This shot was not fixed in the DVD. (01:35:05)

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Suggested correction: That is a shadow, giving the illusion it's a jacket.

That is incorrect. You can see the contrast between the jacket and the shirt, with the white collar of his shirt sticking out of the brown jacket.

Catwalk

The shadow isn't touching all of the shoulders, which gives the illusion that there is a jacket on him, but there's not.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Luke and Vader are fighting in the carbon-freezing room, in the wideshot after Luke does a somersault, a crew member is visible in the steam on the right side of Vader, moving out of the way. (01:40:50)

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Suggested correction: It's Luke, not a crew member.

Revealing mistake: When we see the Star Destroyer for the first time, there are three of them on screen. The one on the top left, can still be seen even after another Star Destroyer came into frame and blocks the view.

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Suggested correction: The Star Destroyer that blocks the other ones from view is transparent. It got fixed for the DVD.

Continuity mistake: During the battle of Hoth, Wedge flies a full circle around the AT-AT walker and when the walker begins to fall, you can see the cable around its legs, but in a side view of the walker falling, the cable is nowhere to be seen.

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Suggested correction: The cable is thin and we only see closer in shots until the walker falls, but you still can see it, barely in 1080p, right as the head hits as a line between the top of the front leg connecting to the back leg.

jimba

Revealing mistake: In the shot where the Falcon is underneath the Star Destroyer, it is transparent and you can see the part of the Star Destroyer through it.

More mistakes in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Luke: All right, I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

More quotes from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Trivia: When Billy Dee Williams (Lando) picked up his daughter from elementary school after the film's release, kids would run up to Williams and say "You betrayed Han Solo!"

More trivia for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Question: Why does Han irritate Leia so much?

Answer: Star Wars being for the young and the young at heart, Han and Leia's relationship unfolds in a deliberately childish manner that kids can relate to and adults will find comedic. Leia is irritated at herself for her attraction to Han, and certainly unamused that Han teases her over it, while at the same time he is not brave enough to admit his own feelings, either.

TonyPH

Answer: Because Leia is trying to bring down an evil empire while Han keeps trying to charm her. Also she sees potential in him as a leader and fighter instead of just a mercenary smuggler.

More questions & answers from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

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