Question: When Chewbacca tells Han that Luke is a Jedi Knight (or almost one), why does Han consider this a "delusion of grandeur"? He has known Luke for about four years now. Luke did some training with Obi-Wan in the Millennium Falcon, so Han knew what his goal was.
TonyPH
20th Jul 2023
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Answer: The last time Han Solo had seen Luke was just after rescuing him from freezing to death after nearly getting eaten by an abominable snow creature. Having missed out on all the developments since then, Han still thinks of Luke as a plucky, immature kid. It'd be sort of like discovering someone you know of as an altar boy is now going around calling himself a bishop.
29th May 2009
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: When Luke asked Leia if she remembers her real mother she said she does but she died when she was very young. Her mother died during child birth. How can Leia remember what her mother looked like?
Answer: Leia most likely knew she was adopted as she had no reaction to Luke asking about her "real mother." I believe the correct answer here is George Lucas hadn't planned on Leia's mother dying during childbirth when this scene was written and at that time Leia genuinely had faint memories of her real mother. This was later shown to be impossible when the prequels were made.
Answer: She is referring to Padme. I believe she actually replies 'not really' when asked what her mother looked like. Also, Leia was a senator at some point, like Padme. It is likely she would have seen a painting or senator entry.
She most likely didn't know Padme the senator was her mother, because that would mean Anakin/Darth Vader would therefore have the same knowledge. She most definitely knew she was adopted. The "not really, just feelings" (paraphrased) line was "ret-conned" to fit when the newborn twins were shown in Episode III. Luke's eyes were shut, while Leia's eyes were open-she "saw" her mother. Perhaps the Force gave her a more mature feeling/insight into her mother from the brief time between pregnancy and when she was spirited away to Alderaan and her adoptive family.
Chosen answer: The mother Leia refers to would be Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan. At this point, Leia has no idea that she was adopted.
Negative. Luke specifically says "your real mother." Nowhere is it said Leia didn't know she was adopted. It's also highly unlikely she didn't know, since her adoptive father was a high-profile governmental figure and no way would the press keep a tight lip on the Bail and his wife suddenly having a baby without any signs of pregnancy.
Bail Organa says "We've always wanted a daughter." It wouldn't make sense to tell the daughter they've adopted in order to hide her from Vader "Oh yeah, you're adopted but don't tell anybody because the Emperor would send Vader to hunt you down." Better to just let her think you're her real parents.
Just because Leia knows she's adopted doesn't mean she has any idea who exactly her birth mother was, aside from her apparent memories. The Organas may well have concocted a whole cover story about her birth parents for another layer of protection over her identity. In fact, the way both Luke and Leia casually use/accept the "real mother" term suggests that not only does Leia know she's adopted, it's actually fairly common knowledge.
Answer: The short answer is that we don't know and it's left a mystery for the viewer. But on the flip side the lack of concrete information does leave room for numerous possibilities: One is that Leia might simply be mistaken: she had dreams of an idealized mother figure that she mistook for memories. Another is that the Organas could've lied to Leia about who her birth mother was for her own protection, and she is recalling this decoy mother (I quite like the theory that they told Leia her birth mother was one of Padme's loyal bodyguards chosen for their resemblance to her). And of course there's always the possibility there's something supernatural going on: Leia is strong with the Force and doesn't know it, and Padme's fate was so inexplicable you could theorize she didn't even really "die" so much as her spirit simply left her body.
16th Nov 2010
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Does anyone know why Han's line was changed in the Special Edition to "It's all right, I can see a lot better now" from "it's all right, trust me" right before he shoots the sarlacc to save Lando?
Answer: We can only speculate, but George Lucas has shown a penchant for making updates that super-clarify certain narrative logistics for viewers even if it's not strictly necessary. The new line explicitly establishes that Han Solo has regained his eyesight, whereas with the prior line the audience must infer this from his behavior here and in subsequent scenes (how much this was ever an issue for viewers in the first place is certainly debatable).
Answer: Harrison Ford improvised some lines so he could have improvised this one.
18th Jul 2022
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: It's stated by Vader in the previous film how much he wanted to capture Luke for the Emperor by using the carbonite freezer. Boba Fett knew this. So why didn't Boba Fett take Luke into his custody to take him back to Vader instead of letting Jabba kill him with the sarlac pit?
Answer: Boba did attempt to grapple Luke with his whipcord.
Answer: Luke was a Jedi Master. He knew taking him wouldn't easy. Bobo Fett went after thugs, aliens he knew would be easy to catch. Besides, the bounty he received would have made him wealthy, plus he stayed with Jabba, which means he was on his payroll.
Answer: Doing this would require Boba Fett to either convince Jabba to give Luke to him (not likely) or he'd have to steal Luke from him and ruin their business relationship. Also Boba Fett and Darth Vader never appeared particularly chummy with each other and Fett has personally witnessed Vader totally screw Lando over in their own deal, so from multiple angles any operation to take Luke in for himself and claim a reward from the Empire is likely more trouble than it's worth.
11th Jan 2005
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Why couldn't the Emperor sense the presence of Luke Skywalker on Endor (per his conversation with Vader)?
Chosen answer: The Emperor did sense Luke. He just didn't tell Vader that, because he was planning on replacing Vader with Luke (kind of like replacing an old sedan with a new sportscar) and double crossing Vader.
Same thing what happened in Episode III, Palpatine deceived and betrayed Dooku by not knowing he was just a pawn to his plans.
Answer: You never know whether The Emperor is telling the truth or not, but either way what he's trying to convey to Vader here is that he's starting to get the tiniest bit of doubt over whether Vader has truly purged all compassion towards his son, and if not he'd better nip that in the bud, pronto.
14th Oct 2021
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Why did Palpatine ever want an apprentice? If I am correct, he always intended to dispose of Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and Darth Vader when they were no longer useful to him. And probably Luke, if Luke had accepted his offer. Why not work alone?
Answer: Because an Apprentice does the emperor's bidding, dispatches orders, acts as an emissary, intimidates enemies, is a spy, and so on. Having minions at one's disposal is a show of power, and supreme leaders would not do those things themselves. It dilutes their authority, and they would look weak and ineffective. As you pointed out, when the current apprentice is no longer as useful or obedient or becomes too powerful and poses a threat, they are replaced.
That's the rule of two for the Sith, there's always a Master and an Apprentice. No more, no less. In order to remain a Sith Master, Sidious must have an apprentice.
Answer: Succumbing to the dark side comes with it a megalomania that has you wanting to display proof of your omnipotence by training a skilled and powerful apprentice who starts out THINKING he's going to kill you and take your place someday but in the end is forever your obedient slave (or so you think.) Likewise, Sith apprentices all have an unspoken desire to eventually pull the ultimate power move by killing their master and taking their place as head honcho when they least expect it (or so they think). This of course results in Sith relationships always becoming weird and twisted, vaguely BDSM-like mind games.
24th Apr 2004
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: This is something that covers the whole of the Star Wars films, but is most noticeable on this film. There is life on Endor, which means there is an atmosphere. Why then, do none of the spaceships entering this atmosphere show any signs of heating as they pass through it?
Answer: It's most likely to do with the fact that the ships in the films enter the atmosphere in a highly controlled manner, unlike our ships, which, to all intents and purposes, simply fall through the atmosphere, using atmospheric friction to slow themselves down, causing the intense heat buildup - Star Wars ships don't need to do that. The other factor is that the majority of ships in the Star Wars universe have shields of one sort or another - these may have some effect in dispersing any possible heat buildup.
Answer: I don't think we ever see a ship in the actual moment it penetrates a planet's atmosphere, it's always shortly before or after.
13th Jun 2005
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: How did Luke know that removing the mask would make Vader die?
Chosen answer: Obi-Wan told luke how his father was more machine than man now, and Luke knew Vader had a life support system, so he concluded that he would die without his mask, especialy given the weak state he was in.
Answer: It's almost certainly known - through Rebel intelligence gathering if nothing else - that Vader's suit functions as a life support system and the various details that go along with that.
28th Aug 2006
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: How come we didn't get to see Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit in the end when it was he, himself, who taught Yoda and Obi-Wan (who taught Anakin) this force ability? I think it would have looked good.
Answer: Because, when the film was originally made, the character of Qui-Gon Jinn hadn't been created. It was a relatively easy task to remove Sebastian Shaw in favour of Hayden Christensen - to add a new figure in would have required them to change the framing of the shot, shuffle the figures about, plus get Liam Neeson in to film it and so forth. It just wasn't worth doing. From the story point of view, it's established in the books that those who do merge with the Force in that manner do have to "move on" eventually - a series set some years after Jedi features Luke's final conversation with Kenobi before the latter goes on to whatever awaits him. Jinn would undoubtedly have moved on long before the events of Jedi.
Answer: Luke and Qui-Gon have never met and Luke has never even been made aware of Qui-Gon's existence in his entire life. I mean, I'm sure Luke would've been gracious about it and just been like, "Well hello Mr. Random Ghost Jedi, thanks for the well wishes!" but seeing as the spirits' appearance looks to be a private gesture from loved ones it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Qui-Gon to be there.
2nd Oct 2007
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Why doesn't Leia see Yoda, Anakin, and Obi-Wan's ghosts at the end of the movie (if she does, she doesn't seem to have much of a reaction to it)? I know she hasn't been trained yet, but when Luke was on Hoth (in Episode V), he was able to see Obi-wan's ghost before he had any training, and he heard Obi-wan talking to him during the attack on the first Death Star.
Answer: The precise mechanism is somewhat unclear at this point, leaving us with no particularly good answer, but there are undoubtedly possibilities. Even in the first film, Luke has had a small amount of training with Obi-Wan; it's not much, but it could be enough to allow him to see them. Leia's had nothing at all, so possibly she's simply not capable of it. Alternatively, the 'ghosts' may simply have chosen to appear only to Luke for reasons of their own; two of them wouldn't be recognised by Leia anyway, making it a bit pointless to appear to her.
She didn't really look TBH. She went over to Luke, hugged him, then brought Luke back to the Ewok party.
Answer: She doesn't see them. Her focus is on Luke staring off and daydreaming during a massive celebration.
Answer: Try to imagine what your reaction would be if you suddenly came upon three ghosts out of nowhere. Ghosts, mind you - glowing apparitions of dead people beyond the grave right there before your eyes! Regardless if you find such things scary or not, it would probably be quite a shock, require lots of explaining, and certainly kill the celebratory mood for the time being.
6th Nov 2009
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: When Vader realizes that Luke has a twin sister, does he know that Leia is the sister or just that someone is Luke's sister? Or does he know when he/Anakin sees Luke and Leia during the Ewok celebration later?
Answer: Vader knows it is Leia when he first hears Luke's thoughts about his twin sibling.
I've always presumed so, but strictly speaking there's nothing evident in the scene that he specifically knows the identity of Luke's sister, all we know for certain is that he's discovered Luke has one.
14th Jun 2016
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Why does Luke agree to go confront his father right in front of his master? Even if he does win, he should know that either way, he ain't getting off that Death Star alive, still a Jedi.
Answer: He believes he can turn his father back to the light side, and together they can defeat the emperor.
Answer: Luke feels saving his father and defeating the Emperor are goals worth dying for.
26th May 2017
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Is it true that in the original version of this that Yoda says the reason Obi-Wan didn't tell Luke the truth about Anakin turning to the dark side is because Yoda wouldn't let him?
Chosen answer: Technically no. While this was never in the original version, there is however a deleted scene where this happens.
There are script drafts where Yoda tells Luke not to judge Obi-Wan too harshly because it was his suggestion to keep Luke in the dark about his father. However, Obi-Wan himself still seems to own his decision, citing the same belief in the film that he was right "from a certain point of view."
7th Jun 2017
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Did Han Solo know that Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader?
Chosen answer: No, he did not have any knowledge regarding that. Luke or Leia would have told him at some point after Vader's death, but that is not shown in the film.
Considering Leia's aghast reaction to Luke's explanation on Endor ("Your father!"), he hadn't mentioned it to her before, and I can't possibly believe he would tell anyone else before her. (On a side note, it amuses me to wonder just how long it took before Leia put two-and-two together about what this all means about HER father; the implications don't seem to have hit her before this scene is over).
12th Jun 2014
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: At the Ewok village, Luke tells Leia that she is the only hope for the Alliance if he doesn't return from his meeting with Darth Vader. However, if he had died, how could she have become a Jedi? Would the ghosts of Luke, Yoda, or Obi-wan have trained her?
Answer: It is quite possible their spirits could have contacted her, and while she may not be able to be trained as a Jedi, they could certainly guide her into developing her powers to use the Force that would help her lead the rebellion. There may even be other Jedi still alive that she would find out about.
Answer: That Leia is the rebellion's last hope is a separate point from her being able to use the force. Luke doesn't necessarily suggest that Leia can become a trained Jedi without anyone to train her; simply that she is already a formidable warrior who is intelligent and resourceful, and now he can confirm that the force is with her, so she can indeed put her absolute trust in her own instincts.
29th Jul 2021
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: 'Darth Vader uses his lightsaber to cut an elevated catwalk causing it to collapse, and Luke slides down, runs and hides. How did Luke manage to stay hidden from Vader before Vader makes him come out of hiding?
Answer: You can tell Vader isn't being particularly thorough in his search for Luke, and he doesn't have to be: the goal is to turn Luke to the dark side, not kill him, and Vader's taunting, demoralizing words cut deeper in that regard than any lightsaber strike could.
Answer: I don't think Luke was ever completely hidden. There are only so many places in the room where he could be. Vader is delaying the moment when he and Luke fight again. He is still Anakin Skywalker, deep down - he later admits that Luke was right about this. He doesn't truly want to kill his son, nor does he want his son to kill him and become the Emperor's new servant.
23rd Jan 2007
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Recently I watched the movie with commentary of amongst others Carrie Fisher. I noticed that she didn't have any comment about the scene where Harrison Ford puts his hand on her breast. Did she ever made a comment about that in a magazine or in an interview? Did Harrison Ford?
Answer: Coincidentally, in the time since this question was first posted, Carrie Fisher revealed that she and Harrison Ford were having an affair. While this may not necessarily have anything to do with the incident asked in the question, it adds the possibility that mentioning it would have been too close to an uncomfortable subject she hadn't yet admitted.
Answer: I've never seen anything on the subject. Seriously, though, why would either of them comment on the incident? It was an on-set slip-up that made it into the film, nothing more than that and, to be blunt, hardly unusual. In all likelihood, neither really remembers the incident among the many slip-ups that both have undoubtedly experienced in their lengthy careers.
10th Nov 2007
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: How come this movie barely showed anything about Luke and Leia's mother? Luke doesn't even ask anyone what her name was (maybe that was hidden from Leia, but he can probably guess that Yoda or Obi-wan would know). I know we can assume that she was discussed off-screen, but they could have revealed a little more about her.
Answer: The Jedi are shown to have something of a blind spot in regards to matters of the heart. Note that when Luke confronts Obi-Wan over lying to him about his father's fate, Obi-Wan's response is haughty and defensive, and gives Luke nothing in terms of regret or apology. They're focused on their mission, not on how Luke feels. Why waste time, in their eyes, telling Luke about his mother? If they had their way, he wouldn't even know about his father. The prequels would make this more explicit, showing that the Jedi are conditioned from the beginning to let go of all "passions" because they could so easily be corrupted, and their inability to understand Anakin's emotions just contributes to his downfall.
Answer: Why can we assume that she was discussed off-screen? Luke's got more important things to talk about than who his mother was. Yoda dies shortly afterwards and Luke's understandably more interested in how Darth Vader, given that he's got to go up against him, can be his father when talking to Obi-wan's ghost shortly after. Not a lot of time for general chit-chat. Behind the scenes, at that point, very little would have been decided about their mother, as it would be irrelevant to the plot of the trilogy and to discuss her on-screen would have wasted time and slowed everything down.
3rd May 2016
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: I am confused by Darth Vader's attitude in this movie. In Episode V, he asked Luke to join him and get rid of the Emperor. He seemed quite confident and happy about this idea. Now, in Episode VI, he tells Luke that he "must" obey his master, that the Emperor is Luke's master now, etc. Why does he now want himself and Luke to be the Emperor's servants?
Answer: There are a few possibilities. One is that Vader's proposal was always a ruse - note that even the Emperor offers himself as bait to tempt Luke to turn. Another is that Vader's plan was genuine but he abandons it after Luke rejects his offer. Afterwards Luke's resolve has only gotten stronger, and at that point the only hope to turn Luke to the dark side will require the assistance of the Emperor himself. In either case it's probably best to see Vader's demeanor here as an extension of his final scene in The Empire Strikes Back, where we last see him quietly retreating in disappointment.
Answer: Vader was always the emperor's servant. In ESB, he was ordered by the emperor to turn Luke. Vader (as a Sith) was attempting to convince Luke to follow him (his father) so that they could overthrow the emperor. Once that failed, he could no longer keep his plan a secret from the emperor. Vader most likely suspected the emperor planned to replace him with Luke anyway.
11th Oct 2016
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: After Anakin becomes Darth Vader, he seems ruthless, actually evil. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" Is just one quote. That being the case, this movie makes it seem like Anakin knows that he's evil and wishes he wasn't. Basically, my question is, why didn't Anakin turn on Palpatine sooner? Or simply leave the Sith?
Answer: Darth: "Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master." It's implied that the dark side is intoxicating, once you totally give in to the dark side it has a hold on you, and appeals to morality and rationalization are useless against your lust for its power. (On a symbolic level, the dark side is a metaphor for vice. Darth Vader is an addict and abusive parent. It's actually funny how many scenes still make sense if you replace "the dark side" with "the bottle" or similar).
If we bring the prequels into it, it's one of the criticisms of those films that they only make the question of how much Anakin is a "true believer" more confusing. But it stands to reason that at first Anakin may feel vindicated in his resentment toward the Jedi. Later on, Vader may not feel that as strongly, but by then his anger has turned toward himself for failing to save Padme. He may feel that a man as terrible as he does not deserve to be "rescued" from the dark side, leading to a feedback loop where he only gets further enamored with its power and does more evil things which causes him to hate himself even more, and so it goes.
Answer: Anakin was seduced by the emperor to think that the Jedi were evil. This was partly fueled by anger &fear, thinking Padme would die if Palpatine didn't help save her. After he turned to Darth Vader & joined the dark side, he eventually realised the true nature of the Emperor, but he was to weak to do anything about it. Darth Vader still wanted to rule the galaxy, but didn't want the emperor controlling everything. He just wanted to use Luke to help overthrow the emperor and take over the galaxy. It wasn't until he found out he had a daughter also, and saw Luke about to die by the hands of the emperor, that he realised that Luke was right & he needed to switch sides.
Vader was not just using Luke to kill the Emperor. He actually did want to rule the galaxy as father and son - if Luke would turn to the Dark Side, that is.
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Answer: Han still believes the Force and Jedi are just fairy tales, magic. He doesn't really believe in them still.
lionhead