Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
. The sequel to ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' (1977), it is the second film in the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' film series and the fifth chronological chapter of the " Skywalker Saga". Set three years after the events of ''Star Wars'', the film recounts the battle between the malevolent Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor, and the Rebel Alliance, led by
Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of th ...
. Luke Skywalker trains to master the Force so he can confront the powerful Sith lord, Darth Vader. The
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
includes
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
,
Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz. Following the success of ''Star Wars'', Lucas hired Brackett to write the sequel. After she died in 1978, he outlined the whole ''Star Wars'' saga and wrote the next draft himself, before hiring ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronal ...
'' (1981) writer Kasdan to enhance his work. To avoid the stress he faced directing ''Star Wars'', Lucas handed the responsibility to Kershner and focused on expanding his special effects company
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
instead. Filmed from March to September 1979 in Finse, Norway, and at Elstree Studios in England, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' faced production difficulties, including actor injuries, illnesses, fires, and problems securing additional financing as costs rose. Initially budgeted at $8million, costs had risen to $30.5million by the project's conclusion. Released on May 21, 1980, the highly anticipated sequel became the highest-grossing film that year, earning approximately $401.5million worldwide. Unlike its predecessor, ''Empire'' met with mixed reviews from critics, and fans were conflicted about its darker and maturer themes than those of the lighthearted adventure ''Star Wars''. Critics praised the expressive features and characterization of puppeteered character Yoda, a diminutive alien who serves as Luke's teacher. The film was nominated for various awards and won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and a BAFTA, among others. Subsequent releases have raised the film's worldwide gross to $538–549million and, adjusted for inflation, it is the 13th-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. Since its release, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' has been critically reassessed and is now often regarded as the best film in the ''Star Wars'' series and among the greatest films ever made. It has had a significant impact on filmmaking and popular culture and is often considered an example of a sequel superior to its predecessor. The climax, in which Vader reveals he is Luke's father, is often ranked as one of the greatest plot twists in cinema. The film spawned a variety of merchandise and adaptations, including video games and a radio play. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010. '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983) followed ''Empire'', concluding the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy.
Prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
and sequel trilogies that round out the "Skywalker saga" have since been released.


Plot

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
fleet, led by Darth Vader, dispatches
Probe Droid In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a Apheresis (linguistics), clipped form of "android (robot), android", a word originally reserved for rob ...
s across the galaxy to find
Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of th ...
's Rebel Alliance, with one probe locating the rebel base on the ice planet Hoth. A
wampa This is a list of creatures in the fictional universe of ''Star Wars'', a space opera media franchise. The types of creatures in this list are listed by category and then in alphabetical order. Humans and humanoid sentient species Humans Human ...
captures Luke Skywalker before he can investigate the probe, but he escapes by using the Force to retrieve his lightsaber and wound the beast. Before succumbing to hypothermia, the
Force spirit The Force is a Metaphysics, metaphysical and Energy (esotericism), ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Fo ...
of Luke's deceased mentor,
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, instructs him to go to the swamp planet Dagobah to train as a Jedi Knight under the Jedi Master Yoda. Han Solo discovers Luke and insulates him against the weather inside his deceased tauntaun mount until they are rescued the next morning. Alerted to the Rebels' location, the Empire launches a large-scale attack using
AT-AT walker All Terrain Walkers are armoured fighting vehicles from the ''Star Wars'' universe that traverse the Terrestrial planet, landscape on mechanical legs. They are used by the Galactic Republic, Old Republic, the Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Galac ...
s to capture the base, forcing the Rebels to evacuate. Han and Leia escape with and
Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
aboard the '' Millennium Falcon'', but the ship's hyperdrive malfunctions. They hide in an asteroid field, where Han and Leia grow closer amid the tension. Vader summons several bounty hunters, including
Boba Fett Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel fi ...
, to find the ''Falcon''. Evading the Imperial fleet, Han's group travels to the floating Cloud City on the planet
Bespin The fictional universe of the ''Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney ...
, which is governed by his old friend Lando Calrissian. Fett tracks them there and Vader forces Lando to surrender the group to the Empire, knowing Luke will come to their aid. Meanwhile, Luke travels with in his X-wing fighter to Dagobah, where he crash-lands. He meets Yoda, a diminutive creature who reluctantly accepts him as his Jedi apprentice after conferring with Obi-Wan's spirit. Yoda trains Luke to master the light side of the Force and resist negative emotions that will seduce him to the dark side, as they did Vader. Luke struggles to control his anger and impulsiveness and fails to comprehend the nature and power of the Force until he witnesses Yoda use it to telekinetically lift the X-wing from the swamp. Luke has a premonition of Han and Leia in pain and, despite Obi-Wan's and Yoda's protestations, abandons his training to rescue them. Although Obi-Wan believes Luke is their only hope, Yoda asserts that "there is another." Leia confesses her love for Han before Vader freezes him in
carbonite Carbonite may refer to: * Carbonite (explosive), one of the earliest and most successful coal-mining explosives * Carbonite (ion), the inorganic anion that form conjugate base of dihydroxymethylidene with the chemical formula O2sup>2− * Carboni ...
to test whether the process will safely imprison Luke. Han survives and is given to Fett, who intends to collect his bounty from Jabba the Hutt. Lando frees Leia and Chewbacca, but they are too late to stop Fett's escape. The group fights its way back to the ''Falcon'' and flees the city. Luke arrives and engages Vader in a lightsaber duel over the city's central air shaft. Vader overwhelms Luke, severing his right hand and separating him from his lightsaber. He urges Luke to embrace the dark side and help him destroy his master,
the Emperor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
, so they may rule the galaxy together. Luke refuses, citing Obi-Wan's claim that Vader killed his father, prompting Vader to reveal that he is Luke's father. Desperate, Luke drops into the air shaft and is ejected beneath the floating city, latching onto an antenna. He reaches out through the Force to Leia, and the ''Falcon'' returns to rescue him. TIE fighters pursue the group, which is almost captured by Vader's Star Destroyer until reactivates the ''Falcon''s hyperdrive, allowing them to escape. Aboard the Rebel fleet, a robotic prosthesis replaces Luke's hand. He, Leia, , and observe as Lando and Chewbacca depart on the ''Falcon'' to find Han.


Cast

*
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
as Luke Skywalker: A pilot in the Rebel Alliance and apprentice Jedi *
Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
as Han Solo: A smuggler and captain of the ''Millennium Falcon'' * Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa: A leader in the Rebel Alliance * Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian: The administrator of Cloud City * Anthony Daniels as : A humanoid protocol droid * David Prowse / James Earl Jones (voice) as Darth Vader: A powerful Sith Lord * Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca: Han's loyal Wookiee friend and co-pilot * Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astromech droid * Frank Oz (puppeteer/voice) as Yoda: A diminutive, centuries-old Jedi Master The film also features
Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, and
John Hollis John Hollis (12 November 1927 – 18 October 2005) was a British actor of TV and film. He is known for his uncredited appearance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the ''James Bond'' film '' For Your Eyes Only'', as well as for his appearances in the ...
portrays Lobot, Lando's aide. The Rebel force includes
General Rieekan This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
(portrayed by Bruce Boa),
Major Derlin This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
( John Ratzenberger), Cal Alder (Jack McKenzie), Dak Ralter ( John Morton),
Wedge Antilles Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. He is also featured in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, most notably as ...
(
Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of ''Bleak House (2005 TV serial), Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film ''Local Hero (f ...
), Zev Senesca ( Christopher Malcolm), and
Hobbie Klivian This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
(
Richard Oldfield Richard Oldfield (born 1950) is an American film and television actor who has worked mostly in Britain. Born in the US, Oldfield moved to Britain in the 1960s. His stage debut was in the musical '' Hair'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's We ...
). The Empire's forces include
Admiral Piett Admiral Firmus Piett is a fictional character from the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first introduced and portrayed by Kenneth Colley in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. As a supporting villain in command of Darth Vader's flagship, '' Execut ...
(
Kenneth Colley Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English film and television actor whose career spans over 60 years. He came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in the '' Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and '' ...
),
Admiral Ozzel This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
( Michael Sheard),
General Veers This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
( Julian Glover), and
Captain Needa This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
( Michael Culver). The Emperor is voiced by
Clive Revill Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...
and portrayed physically by Elaine Baker. Other cast includes Jeremy Bulloch as the bounty hunter Boba Fett (voiced by Jason Wingreen, who remained uncredited until 2000); other bounty hunters include Dengar (portrayed by Morris Bush) and humanoid lizard Bossk (Alan Harris).


Production


Development

Following the unexpected financial success and the cultural phenomenon of ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' (1977), a sequel was swiftly put into production. In case ''Star Wars'' had failed, creator
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
had contracted Alan Dean Foster to write a low-budget sequel (later released as the novel ''
Splinter of the Mind's Eye ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' is a 1978 science-fiction novel written by Alan Dean Foster as a sequel to the film '' Star Wars'' (1977). Originally published in 1978 by Del Rey, a division of Ballantine Books, the book was written with the in ...
''). Once the success of ''Star Wars'' achievements was evident, Lucas was reluctant to direct the sequel because of the stress of making the first film and its impact on his health. The film's popularity resulted in more attention on Lucas, both positive and negative, bringing him wealth and fame, but also many people who wanted Lucas's financial backing or just to threaten him. Conscious that the sequel needed to exceed the original's scope—making it a bigger production—and that his production effects company
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
was relatively small and operating out of a makeshift office, Lucas considered selling the project to
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in exchange for a profit percentage. He had profited substantially from ''Star Wars'' and did not need to work, but was too invested in his creation to entrust it to others. Lucas had concepts for the sequel but no solid structure. He knew the story would be darker and explore maturer themes, relationships and the nature of the Force. Lucas intended to fund the production independently, using his $12million profit from ''Star Wars'' to relocate and expand his special effects company
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
(ILM) and establish his
Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...
movie ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The fir ...
in
Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...
, with the remainder as collateral for a loan from Bank of America for the $8million budget. Fox had the right of first negotiation and refusal to participate in any potential sequel. Negotiations began in mid-1977 between the studio and Lucas's representatives. Fox had already given Lucas controlling interest in the series' merchandising and sequels because it had thought ''Star Wars'' would be worthless. Terms were agreed quickly for the sequel compared to the original, in part because Fox executive
Alan Ladd Jr. Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr. (October 22, 1937 – March 2, 2022) was an American film industry executive and producer. He served as president of 20th Century Fox from 1976 to 1979, during which he approved the production of ''Star Wars''. He later es ...
had been supportive of the original and was eager for the sequel. The 100-page contract was signed on September 21, 1977, dictating that Fox would distribute the film but have no creative input, in exchange for 50% of the gross profits on the first $20million earned, with the percentage increasing to 77.5% in the producers' favor if it exceeded $100million. Filming had to begin by January 1979 for release on May 1, 1980. The deal offered the possibility of significant financial gain for Lucas, but he risked financial ruin if the sequel failed. To mitigate some of the risk, Lucas founded The Chapter II Company to control the film's development and absorb its liabilities. He signed a contract between the company and Lucasfilm, granting himself 5% of the box office gross profits. He also founded Black Falcon to license ''Star Wars'' merchandising rights, using the income to subsidize his ongoing projects. Development began in August 1977, under the title ''Star Wars Chapter II''. Lucas considered replacing producer Gary Kurtz with
Howard Kazanjian Howard G. Kazanjian (born July 26, 1942) is an Armenian-American film producer best known for the '' Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', as well as the '' Indiana Jones'' movie '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. ...
because Kurtz had not fulfilled his role and left problems unresolved while filming ''Star Wars''. Kurtz convinced him otherwise by trading on his longtime loyalty to Lucas and knowledge of the ''Star Wars'' property. Lucas took an executive producer role, enabling him to focus on his businesses and the development of ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronal ...
'' (1981). By late 1977, Kurtz began hiring key crew members, including production designer
Norman Reynolds Norman Reynolds (26 March 1934 – April 2023) was a British production designer and director, best known for his work on the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. Reynolds was born in Willesden, London, on 26 March ...
, consultant John Barry, makeup artist
Stuart Freeborn Stuart Freeborn (5 September 1914 – 5 February 2013) was a British motion picture make-up artist. He has been referred to as the "grandfather of modern make-up design" and is perhaps best known for his work on the original '' Star Wars' ...
, and first assistant director
David Tomblin David Tomblin, OBE (18 October 1930 – 20 July 2005) was a film and television producer, assistant director, and director. As a producer, he was best known for ''The Prisoner'' TV series. As a first assistant director, he worked on a number of ...
. Lucas rehired artists Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to maintain visual consistency with ''Star Wars'', and the three began conceptualizing the Hoth battle in December. By this point, the budget had increased to $10million. Lucas wanted a director who would support the material and accept that he was ultimately in charge. He considered around 100 directors, including Alan Parker and John Badham, before hiring his old acquaintance Irvin Kershner in February 1978. Kershner was reluctant to direct the sequel to a film as successful as ''Star Wars'', and his friends warned him against taking the job, believing he would be blamed if it failed. Lucas convinced Kershner it was not so much a sequel as a chapter in a larger story; he also promised him he could make the film his own way.


Writing

Lucas began formulating ideas in August 1977. These included the Emperor, how to explain facial injuries Hamill suffered from an accident after filming ''Star Wars''—Lucas told Hamill that, had he died, his character would have been replaced, not recast—and Luke's lost sister. Hamill recounted being told the sister character might be Leia, which he found disappointing. Lucas had written ''Star Wars'' but did not enjoy developing lore for an original universe. Science-fiction writer Leigh Brackett, whom Lucas met through a friend, excelled in quick-paced dialogue. He hired her for $50,000, aware that she had cancer. Between November28 and December2, 1977, Lucas and Brackett held a story conference. Lucas had core ideas in mind but wanted Brackett to piece them together. He envisioned one central plot complemented by three main subplots, set across 60 scenes, 100 script pages, and a two-hour runtime. They formed a general outline and ideas that included the Wookiee homeworld, new alien species, the Galactic Emperor, a gambler from Han's past, water and city planets, Luke's lost twin sister, and a diminutive, froglike creature, Minch Yoda. Lucas drew on influences including '' The Thing from Another World'' (1951), the novel ''
Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'' (1965), and the television series ''
Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
'' (1954). Around this time, Kurtz conceived the title ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He said they avoided calling it ''Star Wars II'' because films with "II" in their titles were seen as inferior. Brackett completed her first draft in February 1978, titled ''Star Wars sequel, from the adventures of Luke Skywalker''. The draft contained a city in the clouds, a chase through an asteroid belt, a greater focus on the love triangle between Luke, Han, and Leia (who is portrayed as a
damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...
), the battle of Hoth and a climactic battle between Luke and Darth Vader. The ghosts of his father and Obi-Wan visit Luke, leaving Vader a separate character. The draft reveals Luke has a sister (not Leia), Han goes on a mission to recruit his powerful stepfather, and Lando is a clone from the
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to: Star Wars Film and television * ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy * ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
. Lucas made detailed notes and attempted to contact Brackett, but she had been hospitalized, and died of cancer a few weeks later, on March 18.


Rewrite

The strict schedule left Lucas no choice but to write the second draft himself. Though Brackett's draft followed Lucas's outline, he found she had portrayed the characters differently than he intended. Lucas completed his handwritten, 121-page draft on April 1. He found the process more enjoyable than on ''Star Wars'' because he was familiar with the universe, but struggled to write a satisfying conclusion, leaving it open for a third film. This draft established Luke's sister as a new character undertaking a similar journey, Vader's castle and his fear of the emperor, distinct power levels in controlling the Force, Yoda's unconventional speech pattern, and bounty hunters, including Boba Fett. Lucas wrote Fett like the Man with No Name, combining him with an abandoned idea for a Super
Stormtrooper Stormtrooper or storm trooper may refer to: Military *Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany), specialist soldier of the German Army in World War I *'' Sturmabteilung'' (SA) or Storm Detachment, a paramilitary organization of the German Nazi Party *8th I ...
. Lucas's handwritten draft included mention of Vader being Luke's father, but the typed script omitted this revelation. Despite contradictory information in drafts that included the ghost of Luke's father, Lucas said he had always intended for Vader to be Luke's father and omitted it from scripts to avoid leaks. Lucas included elements such as Han's debt to Jabba, and recontextualized Luke leaving Dagobah to rescue his friends: in Brackett's draft, Obi-Wan instructs Luke to leave; Lucas had Luke choose to do so. He also removed a scene of Luke massacring stormtroopers to convey him falling to the dark side, wanting to instead explore this in the next film. Lucas believed it was important the characters be inspirational and appropriate for children. His typed draft is titled ''Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back''. In June 1978, impressed with his work on ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', Lucas hired Lawrence Kasdan to refine the draft; Kasdan was paid $60,000. In early July, Kasdan, Kershner and Lucas held a story conference to discuss Lucas's draft. The group collaborated on ideas, challenging Lucas when his made no sense; Lucas embraced their ideas. Mandated to deliver a fifth of the script every other week, Kasdan began his rewrite, focusing on developing character relationships and psychologies; he completed the third draft by early August. This version refined Minch Yoda—alternately named "the Critter", Minch, Buffy, and simply Yoda—from a slimy creature to a small blue one; each version retained the character's long life and wisdom. Yoda was intended to teach Luke to respect everyone and not judge by appearances, and defy audience expectations. The draft tightened or expanded dialogue to better pace action scenes, added more romance, and added or changed locations, such as moving a Vader scene from a spaceship deck to his private cubicle. Lucas removed a line mentioning Lando deliberately abandoning his people and had Luke contact Leia through the Force instead of Obi-Wan's ghost. The fourth draft—mostly the same but with more detailed action—was submitted on October 24. Although some of Brackett's ideas remained, such as Luke's Dagobah training, her dialogue and characterization were removed. Kasdan described her take as from "a different era", lacking the necessary tone. Kazanjian did not believe the Writers Guild of America West would approve of her receiving credit, but Lucas liked Brackett and supported her credit as co-writer. He also provided for her family beyond her contracted pay. The fifth draft was completed in February 1979, revising some scenes and introducing a "Hogmen" species devised by Kershner; Lucas did not like the idea because he perceived them as slaves.


Casting

Hamill (Luke), Fisher (Leia), Ford (Han), Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Baker (R2-D2) all reprised their ''Star Wars'' roles. Hamill and Fisher were contracted for a second, third, and fourth film, but Ford had declined similar terms because of earlier bad experiences; he agreed to return because he wanted to improve on his ''Star Wars'' performance. Hamill spent four months bodybuilding and learning karate, fencing, and kendo to prepare for his stunts. Prowse hesitated to return as Darth Vader because, as he was hidden behind a costume, he believed the role offered little job security; he returned after being told further delays would lead to his being replaced. Jones returned to voice Vader but, as with ''Star Wars'', declined a credit because he considered himself "special effects" to Prowse's physical performance. He earned $15,000 for half a day's work, plus a small percentage of the profits. Daniels returned for "reasonable" pay; he was reluctant because he had received little public acknowledgment for his previous performance as because the filmmakers portrayed the droid as a real being. Guinness could not return as Obi-Wan because his failing eyesight required him to avoid bright lights. Recasting him was considered but, determined to recruit him, Lucas agreed to a deal in late August 1979, just before filming finished. Guinness was paid 0.25% of ''Empire''s box office gross for his few hours of work. ''Empire'' introduces Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, the first African-American to portray a main role in the series. He found the character interesting because of his cape and
Armenian surname An Armenian name comprises a given name and a surname. First names According to Armenia's National Statistical Service, the most commonly used names for newborn boys in Armenia, , were Davit, Narek, Gor, Hayk, Alex, Erik, Arman, Samvel, Tigr ...
; Williams believed this gave him room to develop the character. Williams said Lando was much like himself—a "pretty cool guy". He believed it was a token role, but was assured it was not specifically written for a black actor. Kershner said Williams had the fantastic charm of a " Mississippi riverboat hustler".
Howard Rollins Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Howard Rollins was best known for his role as Andrew Young in 1978's ''King (TV miniseries), King'', George Haley in the 1979 ...
, Terry Alexander,
Robert Christian Robert Christian (December 27, 1939 – January 27, 1983)page 116 was an American actor. Early life and education Christian was born in Los Angeles and began acting as a child, appearing on ''Amos 'n' Andy'' and ''The Andy Griffith Show''. He ...
, Thurman Scott, and Yaphet Kotto were also considered for the part. Yoda was voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz, with assistance from Kathryn Mullen, David Barclay, and
Wendy Froud Wendy Froud (''née'' Midener; born 1954) is an American doll-artist, sculptor, puppet-maker, and writer. She is best known for her work fabricating Yoda for the 1980 film '' Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'', for which she has been called "th ...
. Lucas intended to dub Oz's Yoda voice but decided it would be difficult to cast someone who could match their voice to Oz's physical puppeteering performance. Jeremy Bulloch did not audition for Boba Fett; he was hired because the costume fit him. It was uncomfortable and top-heavy, making it difficult to maintain his balance, and the mask often steamed up. Bulloch assumed his lines would be dubbed over as he had little dialogue. Fett's voice actor, Jason Wingreen, remained uncredited until 2000. Bulloch also appears as an Imperial officer who restrains Leia on Bespin. No other cast member was available for the role, so Kurtz had him quickly change out of the Fett costume to stand in. John Morton portrays Fett in the same scene. There was no extensive casting for the Emperor. Lucas chose Clive Revill to provide the character's voice, preferring it from the options given to him, while an older actress, Marjorie Eaton, physically portrayed the Emperor in test footage. The footage proved unsatisfactory, and special effects artist Rick Baker created a full mask that his wife Elaine wore. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed over her face; cat eyes and assistant accountant Laura Crockett's were also considered.


Pre-production

Pre-production began in early 1978. Although Kershner wanted two years, this phase only lasted a year. Scouts looked at areas in Northern Europe such as Finland, Sweden, and the Arctic Circle to portray Hoth. The location needed to be free of trees and near populated areas for amenities. Kershner credited a Fox distribution employee with recommending Finse, Norway; Kurtz said it was Reynolds who had done so. For the bog planet Dagobah, scouts looked at Central Africa, Kenya, and Scandinavia. To avoid shooting on location, Lucas funded the construction of a "''Star Wars'' stage" at Elstree Studios, London, to create the Dagobah and rebel base sets. Construction began at the end of August, costing $2million. At $3.5million, sets were the single biggest expense. By December 1978, the budget had increased to $21.5million, more than double the original estimate. Financial projections for The Chapter II Company suggested it would run a monthly deficit of $5–25million by the end of 1979, including over $2million in production costs and $400,000 to fund ILM. As the start of filming in January 1979 loomed, a fire on Elstree's Stage 3—where '' The Shining'' (1980) was being filmed—destroyed the space planned for ''Empire''s sets. The impact was significant, costing essential space. The production was forced to give up two stages so ''The Shining'' could continue filming. Sixty-four sets had to be moved through nine stages and the timeline had to be rescheduled. Poor weather delayed construction of the ''Star Wars'' stage, sets and necessary props. Location crew traveled to Finse by February 25 to receive flown-in equipment containers and begin digging trenches for battle scenes.


Music

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
composed and conducted the musical score for ''The Empire Strikes Back'', performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, at a cost of about $250,000. Williams began planning in November 1979, estimating ''Empire'' required 107 minutes of music. For two weeks across 18 three-hour sessions just after Christmas, Williams recorded the score at Anvil Studios and EMI Studios, London. Up to 104 musicians were involved at one time; the instruments included oboes, piccolos, pianos, and harps.


Filming


Commencement in Norway

Principal photography began on March 5, 1979, on the Hardangerjøkulen glacier near Finse, Norway, depicting the planet Hoth. Initially scheduled to conclude on June 22, by the end of the first week it was obvious it would take longer and cost more. Filming the Hoth scenes on a set was considered but rejected as inauthentic. The location filming coincided with the area's worst snowstorm in half a century, impeding the production with blizzards, winds, and temperatures around to . The weather cleared only twice; some days, filming could not take place. The frigid conditions made the acetate film brittle, camera lenses iced over, snow seeped into equipment, and effects paint froze in their tins. To counter this, lenses were kept cool, but the camera body was warmed to protect the film, battery, and camera operators' hands. The crew were outside for up to 11 hours, subjected to thin air, limited visibility, and mild frostbite; one crewman slipped and broke two ribs. The difficult conditions led to strong camaraderie among the crew. Avalanches blocked direct transport links, and dug trenches quickly filled with snow. Scenes could be prepared only a few hours in advance and many scenes were filmed just outside the crew's hotel as the shifting weather regularly altered the scenery. Although Fisher was not scheduled to film scenes in Norway, she joined Hamill on location because she wanted to observe the process. Ford was not scheduled for the Finse phase, but to compensate for the delays, he was brought there instead of creating a separate set in a Leeds studio. On a few hours' notice, he arrived in Finse, having traveled the last of the snow-laden journey by snowplow. Production returned to England after a week, though Hamill had an additional day of filming, and the
second unit Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...
remained through March to film explosions, incidental footage, and battle scenes featuring 35 mountain rescue skiers as extras. The skiers' work was compensated with a donation to the Norwegian Red Cross. To film the probe landing, eight sticks of dynamite were placed on the glacier to explode at sunrise, but the demolitions expert in charge knocked the battery out of his radio and received the message too late to capture the intended shot. The opening sweeping shot of the area was captured by flying a helicopter to and performing a controlled drop at a rate of or a minute. Filming the shot was delayed four weeks to construct a heated shelter for the helicopter. The second unit, scheduled to be in Finse for three weeks, was there for eight. When the crew returned to London, they had only half the planned footage, including background plates for special effects shots that were uneven. ''Empire''s budget increased to around $22million because of the delays and having to rework scenes to compensate for the missing footage.


Filming at Elstree Studios

Filming at Elstree began on March 13. Production remained behind schedule without Stage 3, which had been destroyed by fire. The incomplete ''Star Wars'' stage lacked protection from the cold weather. The crew had to work out of any available space. To save time, some scenes were shot simultaneously, including the ice cavern and medical bay. Kershner wanted each character to make a unique entrance in the film. While filming Vader's entrance, the snow troopers preceding Prowse tripped over the polystyrene ice, and the stuntman behind him stood on his cape, breaking it off, causing Prowse to fall onto the snow troopers. The shoot was strenuous and mired in conflicts. Fisher suffered from influenza and bronchitis; her weight dropped to working 12-hour days, and she collapsed on set from an allergic reaction to steam or spray paint. She was also allergic to most makeup. Her overuse of hallucinogens and painkillers, and anxiety while performing her speech to the rebels, worsened her situation. Stress and personal traumas led to frequent arguments among Hamill, Fisher, and Ford. Ford and Hamill fell ill or were injured at different times. Hamill was depressed by his isolation from human cast members, acting mostly against puppets, robots, and actors whose voices would be dubbed over or added to his scenes later. He was to use an earpiece to hear Oz's dialogue, but for various reasons this did not work, and he struggled to form a relationship with the character. The Dagobah set was liberally sprayed with mineral oil, which caused him physical discomfort for long periods. Hamill called it a "physical ordeal the whole time... but I don't really mind that". At one point, Oz cheered Hamill up with a Miss Piggy routine. Hamill recalled Ford giving him a kiss instead of reading his lines, entertaining the crew. Mayhew fell ill while filming Han's torture room scene because the set used bursts of steam, raising the ambient temperature to while he was wearing a wool suit. Bank of America representatives visited the set in late March, concerned about rising costs. Lucas rarely visited the set, but arrived on May 6 after realizing the production was over schedule and budget. An official Lucasfilm memo instructed staff to misstate the film's direct costs as $17million. Kurtz and Lucas estimated it would cost $25–28million to complete filming. Finances ran out by mid-July when Bank of America refused to increase the loan. The crisis was kept from the crew, including Kershner, and tactics were used to delay its impact, including paying staff biweekly instead of weekly and Lucas borrowing money from his merchandising company Black Falcon. Lucas worried he would have to sell ''Empire'' and its associated rights to Fox to sustain the project, losing his creative freedom. Fox was also threatening to buy out the bond and take over filming. With about 20% of ''Empire'' left to film, Lucasfilm president Charles Weber arranged for Bank of Boston to refinance the loan to $31million, including $27.7million from Bank of Boston and $3million guaranteed by Fox in exchange for an increased percentage of the theatrical returns and 10% of merchandising profits. Lucasfilm took out the loan, making the company directly liable. The ''Star Wars'' stage was completed in early May. It was too small to house the Rebel hangar and Dagobah sets, and an extension had to be funded and built. The producers mandated filming begin on the stage on May 18, regardless of its state. The hangar scene involved 77 rebel extras, costing £2,000 per day. Around of dendritic salt, mixed with magnesium sulfate for a sparkle effect, were used for the snowy sets; the combination gave the cast and crew headaches. Second unit director John Barry died suddenly in early June;
Harley Cokeliss Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television. Early life Originally brought up in Chicago, he moved to Britain in 1966 to study at the London Film School, ...
replaced him a week later. The typical purpose of the second unit was to film time-consuming tasks for special effects, but they were involved in filming main scenes—including Luke's ice cave imprisonment—because the schedule had overrun by around 26 days. Hamill was unavailable for several days after injuring his hand during a stunt jump from a speeder bike. Having been called in for the stunt the same day his son was born, exhausted, and aggravated by the salt-laden setting, Hamill angrily rebuffed Kurtz for not using a double for the scene. Kershner's hands-on directing style, acting out how he should perform a scene, agitated Hamill; Kershner was frustrated that Hamill was not following his advice. The life-size hangar set was dismantled in mid-June to allow the construction of other sets around the full-scale ''Falcon''. These scenes had to be filmed efficiently, so the ''Falcon'' could be dismantled to make way for the Dagobah set. Filming began on the carbon chamber scene in late June while the second unit filmed anything they could. The raised set was largely incomplete, and low lighting and steam were used to conceal any obvious flaws. The fog machines and heat from the steam made many cast and crew members sick; it took approximately three weeks to film. The confession of love between Leia and Han was scripted with both of them admitting their feelings for the other. Kershner felt this was too "sappy". He had Ford improvise lines repeatedly until Ford said he would do only one more take. He responded to Leia's confession of love saying "I know". By the end of the month, cast and crew morale was low.


The duel, Dagobah, and conclusion

Hamill returned in early July to film his climactic battle against Darth Vader, portrayed by stunt double Bob Anderson, who said the experience was like fighting blindfolded because of the costume. Hamill spent weeks practicing his fencing routine, eventually growing frustrated and refusing to continue. The next scene, where Vader confesses he is Luke's father, was shrouded in secrecy. Prowse was given the line "Obi-Wan Kenobi is your father" to read because he was known for repeatedly leaking information. Only Kershner, the producers, and Hamill knew the actual line. Hamill was positioned on a platform suspended above a pile of mattresses. The filmed footage was damaged and the scene had to be entirely reshot in early August. The Vader confrontation took eight weeks to film. Hamill insisted on doing as many of his stunts as possible, though the insurers refused to allow him to perform a fall out of a window. He fell from a nine-inch ledge high but rolled on landing to avoid injury. Lucas returned to the set on July 15, staying for the rest of the filming. He rewrote Luke's scenes on Dagobah, removing or trimming them so they could be shot in just over two weeks. Most of the cast completed filming by the start of August, including Ford, Fisher, Williams, Mayhew, and Daniels. Hamill began filming on the Dagobah set against Yoda. They only had 12 days to film because Oz was scheduled for another project. With the film now over 50 days behind schedule, Kurtz was removed from his role and replaced by Kazanjian and associate producer Robert Watts. One of the last scenes shot was of Luke exploring the dark side tree on Dagobah. A wrap party was held on the set to mark the official conclusion of filming on September 5, 1979, after 133 days. Guinness filmed his scenes against a blue screen the same day. Kershner and the second unit continued filming other scenes, including Luke's X-Wing being raised from the swamp. Kershner left the set on September 9, and Hamill finished 103 days of filming two days later. The second unit finished filming on September 24 with Hamill's stunt double. There was approximately of film, or 80 hours of footage. The final budget was $30.5million. Kurtz blamed inflation, which had increased resource, cast, and crew costs significantly. Lucas blamed Kurtz for lack of oversight and poor financial planning. Watts said Kurtz was not good with people and never developed a working relationship with Kershner, making it difficult for him to temper the director's indulgences. Kurtz had also given Kershner more leeway because of the delays caused by the Stage 3 fire. Kershner's slower work pace had frustrated Lucas. He described his filming style as frugal, performing two or three takes with little coverage film that could later compensate for mistakes. Watts and Reynolds said Kershner often looked at new ways of doing things, but this required planning that only delayed things further. Kershner had tried replicating the quick pacing of ''Star Wars'', not lingering on any scene for too long, and encouraged improvisation, modifying scenes and dialogue to focus more on characters' emotions, such as interrupting Han and Leia as they are about to kiss. Kazanjian said many mistakes were made but blamed Weber, Lucasfilm vice president John Moohr, and primarily Kurtz. Actor John Morton called Kurtz an unsung hero, who brought his experience of filming war to the film.


Post-production

The schedule overrun resulted in filming and post-production taking place simultaneously; filmed footage was shipped immediately to ILM to begin effects work. A rough cut was put together by mid-October 1979, resembling the finished film, minus special effects. Lucas provided 31 pages of notes about changes he wanted, mainly alterations in dialogue and scene lengths. Jones recorded Vader's dialogue in late 1979/early 1980. In early 1980, Lucas changed the long-planned opening of Luke riding his tauntaun to a shot of the Star Destroyer launching probes. He continued tweaking elements to improve the special effects, but even with ILM staff working up to 24 hours a day, six days a week, there was not enough time to do everything they wanted. A Dagobah pick-up scene, in which R2-D2 is spat out by a monster, was filmed in Lucas's swimming pool; the Emperor's scenes were filmed in February 1980. Fox executives did not see a cut of the film until March. That month, Lucas decided he wanted an additional Hoth scene and auditioned 50 ILM crew to appear as Rebels. The final 124-minute cut was completed on April 16, which triggered a $10million payment from Fox to Bank of Boston. Lucasfilm also launched an employee bonus scheme to share ''Empire''s profits with its staff. Test screenings were held in San Francisco on April 19. While the tauntaun special effect was criticized, audiences liked Han's reply of "I know" to Leia's confession of love. Lucas was unimpressed by the scene, believing it was not how Han would act. Because the magnetic soundtrack could flake from the film reels, Kurtz hired people to watch the film reels 24 hours a day to identify defects; 22% were defective. Shortly after the film's theatrical release, Lucas decided the ending was unclear about where Luke and Leia were in relation to Lando and Chewbacca. In the three-week window between its limited and wider release, Lucas, Johnston, and visual effects artist Ken Ralston filmed enhancement scenes at ILM, using existing footage, a new score, modified dialogue, and new miniatures to create establishing shots of the Rebel fleet and their relative positions. By the project's conclusion, around 700 people had worked on ''Empire''.


Special effects and design

Lucas's firm, Industrial Light & Magic, developed the special effects for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' at a cost of $8million, including staffing and the construction of the company's new facility in Marin County. The building was still under construction when staff arrived in September 1978, and initially lacked the equipment that would be necessary to complete their work. Compared to the 360 special effects shots for ''Star Wars'', ''Empire'' required around 600. The crew, supervised by
Richard Edlund Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. H ...
and
Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Rol ...
, included Dennis Muren,
Bruce Nicholson Bruce Nicholson is a special effects artist who received the Special Achievement Academy Award in 1980 for the visual effects of the film ''The Empire Strikes Back'', which he shared with Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund and Dennis Muren. He won his ...
, Lorne Peterson,
Steve Gawley Steve Gawley (born 1952) is a visual effects artist who was nominated at the 62nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Visual effects for his work on the film ''Back to the Future Part II''. His nomination was shared with John Bell, Michael L ...
, Phil Tippett, Tom St. Amand, and
Nilo Rodis-Jamero ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various fil ...
. Up to 100 people worked on the project daily, including Stuart Freeborn, who was responsible mainly for crafting the Yoda puppet. Various techniques, including miniatures,
matte paintings Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image (e.g. actors on a set) with a background image (e.g. a scenic ...
, stop motion, articulated models and full-size vehicles were used to create ''Empire''s various effects.


Release


Context

Industry professionals expected comedies and positive entertainment to dominate theaters in 1980 because of low morale in the United States caused by an economic recession. This generally increased theatrical visits as audiences sought escapism and ignored romantic films and depictions of blue-collar life. A surge of interest in science fiction following ''Star Wars'' led to many low-budget entries in the genre attempting to profit by association and big-budget entries such as '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' and '' The Black Hole'', both released just months before ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Sequels were not expected to perform as well as their originals, and there were low expectations for merchandising. Even so, tie-in deals were arranged with Coca-Cola, Nestlé, General Mills, and Topps collectibles. Fox was confident in the film and spent little money on advertising, taking out small advertisements in newspapers instead of full-page spreads. The studio's market research showed 60% of those interested in the film were male. Lucasfilm set up a telephone number allowing callers to hear a message from cast members. Fox demanded a minimum 28-week appearance in theaters, where 12 weeks was the norm for major films. Estimates suggested ''Empire'' needed to earn $57.2million to be profitable, after marketing, distribution, and loan interest costs.


Credits and title

As with ''Star Wars'', Lucas wanted to place all of the crew credits at the end of the film to avoid interfering with the opening. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Directors Guild of America (DGA) had allowed this for the first film because Lucas directed and it opened with the logo for his namesake Lucasfilm, but for ''Empire'' they refused to allow Kershner or the first and second unit directors to be credited only at the end, fined Lucas $250,000 when he ignored them and tried to have the film removed from theaters. Because Lucas had followed the laws relevant to the United Kingdom where it was produced, the DGA was unable to sanction him and instead fined Kershner $25,000. Lucas paid his fine but was so frustrated that he left the WGA, DGA, and
Motion Picture Association The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
, which restricted his ability to write and direct future films. '' The Hollywood Reporter'' leaked the film's title in January 1978; it was officially announced in August. The
opening crawl The ''Star Wars'' opening crawl is a signature device of the opening sequences of every numbered film of the ''Star Wars'' series, an American epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. Within a black sky background featuring a smatteri ...
identified the film as ''Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back'', establishing Lucas's plan to make a nine-part ''Star Wars'' series. ''Star Wars'' was also renamed ''Episode IV — A New Hope''. Roger Kastel designed the theatrical poster.


Box office

''The Empire Strikes Back'' debuted at the Dominion Theatre, London, on May 6, 1980, followed by a
premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
on May 17 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This event featured the principal cast. 600 children, including Special Olympians, attended. Its world premiere took place on May 20 at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. Dubbed "Empire Day", the event included actors in Stormtrooper attire interacting with people across the city. In North America, ''Empire'' opened in mid-week on May 21, leading into the extended Memorial Day holiday weekend. The number of theaters was deliberately limited to 126 theaters to make it difficult to get a ticket, thus generating more appeal—a strategy used with films expected to receive positive word of mouth. It earned $1.3million during its opening day—an average of $10,581 per theater. ''Empire'' earned a further $4.9million during the weekend and $1.5million during the holiday Monday for a total of $6.4million—an average of $50,919 per theater—making it the number one film of the weekend, ahead of the counterprogrammed debuts of the comedy ''
The Gong Show Movie ''The Gong Show Movie'' is a 1980 American slapstick film starring, co-written and directed by Chuck Barris, the host and creator of the popular game show with the same name. Plot The film shows a fictional week in the life of Chuck Barris as th ...
'' ($1.5million) and ''The Shining'' ($600K). By the end of its first week, the film had earned $9.6million—a 60% increase over ''Star Wars''—averaging $76,201 per theater, the highest-ever figure for a film in over 100 theaters. It remained number one until its fourth weekend when it fell to third with $3.6million, behind spoof comedy '' Wholly Moses!'' ($3.62million) and western '' Bronco Billy'' ($3.7million). It regained the number one position in its fifth weekend, expanding its theater count to 823 and earning $10.8million. Combined with its weekday gross, ''Empire'' earned a single-week gross of approximately $20million, a box office record the film would hold until '' Superman II''s $24million the following year. It remained number one for the next seven weeks, before falling to number two in its thirteenth week with $4.3million behind the debuting '' Smokey and the Bandit II'' ($10.9million). Detailed box office tracking is unavailable for the rest of ''Empire''s 32-week, 1,278-theater total run. ''Empire'' earned approximately $181.4–209.4million, making it the highest-grossing film of the year, ahead of the comedy films ($103.3million), '' Stir Crazy'' ($101.3million), and '' Airplane!'' ($83.5million). Although it earned less than the $221.3million of ''Star Wars'', ''Empire'' was considered a financial success, and industry experts estimated the film returned $120million to the filmmakers, recouping Lucas's investment and clearing his debt; he also paid out $5million in employee bonuses. Box office figures are unavailable for all the releases outside of North America in 1980, although '' The New York Times'' reported the film performed well in the United Kingdom and Japan. According to '' Variety'', ''Empire'' earned approximately $192.1million, giving the film a cumulative worldwide gross of $401.5million, making it the highest-grossing film of the year. ''Empire'' did not receive the same repeat business as ''Star Wars'', which Lucas blamed on its inconclusive ending. ''Empire'' has received multiple theatrical re-releases, including in July 1981 ($26.8million), November 1982 ($14.5million), and Special Edition versions, modified by Lucas, in February 1997 ($67.6million). Cumulatively, these releases have raised the North American box office gross to $290.3–$292.4million. It is estimated to have earned a worldwide total of $538.4–$549million. Adjusted for inflation, the North American box office is equivalent to $920.8million, making it the thirteenth-highest-grossing film ever.


Reception


Critical response

Upon its initial release, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' received mixed reviews compared to the positive reception of ''Star Wars''. The film appeared fourth-most on 24 critics' top ten films of the year lists. Fan reactions were decidedly mixed, concerned by the change in tone and narrative reveals, particularly Leia's love for Han over Luke and his relationship with Vader. Some critics believed ''The Empire Strikes Back'' was a good film but not as enjoyable as ''Star Wars''. They believed the tonal shift featuring darker material and more mature story lines detracted from the charm, fun, and comic silliness of the original. '' The Wall Street Journal''s Joy Gould Boyum believed it was "absurd" to add dramatic weight to the lighthearted ''Star Wars'', stripping it of its innocence. Writing for '' The Washington Post'', Gary Arnold found the darker undercurrents and greater narrative scale interesting because it created more dramatic threads to explore. '' The New Yorker''s David Denby argued it was more spectacular than the original, but lacked its
camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
style. ''The Hollywood Reporter''s Arthur Knight believed the novelty of the original and plethora of space opera films produced since made ''Empire'' seem derivative; even so, he called it the best in the genre since ''Star Wars''. Writing for '' Time'', Gerald Clarke believed ''Empire'' surpassed ''Star Wars'' in several ways, including being more visually and artistically interesting. ''The New York Times''s Vincent Canby called it a more mechanical, less suspenseful experience. Writing for the '' Los Angeles Times'', Charles Champlin said the inconclusive ending cleverly completed the narrative while serving as a cliffhanger, but Clarke called it a "not very satisfying" conclusion. Canby and the ''
Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...
''s
Dave Kehr David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a c ...
believed as the middle film it should have focused on narrative development instead of exposition, but found little progression between the film's beginning and end. ''The Washington Post''s Judith Martin labeled it a "good junk" film, enjoyable but fleeting, because it lacked a stand-alone narrative. Knight and Clarke found the story sometimes difficult to follow—Knight because the
third act Third Act is the third full-length album by the Swedish/Danish band Evil Masquerade. Track listing All songs written by Henrik Flyman. Black Ravens Cry was released as a single in 2012 by Dark Minstrel Music Personnel ;Evil Masquerade *Hen ...
jumped between separate storylines, and Clarke because he missed important information in the fast-paced plot. Kehr and '' Sight & Sound''s Richard Combs wrote that characterization seemed to be less important than special effects, visual spectacle and action set pieces that accomplished little narratively. Reviews were mixed for the central cast. Knight wrote Kershner's direction made the characters more human with fewer archetypes. Hamill, Fisher, and Ford received some praise, with Champlin calling Hamill "youthfully innocent" and engaging and Fisher independent. Arnold described the character progression as less development and more "finesse", with little change taking place, and Kehr felt the characters were "stiffer" without Lucas's direction. Knight called Guinness's performance half-hearted, and Janet Maslin criticized Lando Calrissian, the only major black character in the film, as "exaggeratedly unctuous, untrustworthy and loaded with jive". The '' Chicago Tribune''s
Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...
said the non-human characters, including the robots and Chewbacca, remained the most lovable creatures, with Yoda the film's highlight. Knight, Gould Boyum, and Arnold considered Yoda's expressions so realistic that they believed an actor's face had been composited onto the puppet. Canby called the human cast bland and nondescript, and said even the robot characters offered diminishing enjoyment, but Yoda was a success when used sparingly. Although Arnold praised Kershner's direction, others believed that Lucas's oversight was obvious and ''Empire'' lacked Kershner's established directorial sensibilities. Denby described his work as "impersonal" and Canby believed it was impossible to identify what Kershner had contributed. Combs believed Kershner was an "ill-advised" director because he emphasized the characters, but the result was common tropes at the expense of the comic-strip pace of ''Star Wars''. Cinematographer
Peter Suschitzky Peter Suschitzky, A.S.C. (born 25 July 1941) is a British cinematographer and photographer. Among his most known works as director of photography are ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', ''The Empire Strikes Back,'' and ''Mars Attacks!'' and the l ...
's work was praised for its visuals and bold color choices. The special effects were lauded as "breathtaking", "ingenious", and visually dazzling.
Jim Harwood Jim Harwood, sometimes given as James Harwood, (April 1, 1938 — September 3, 1993, Freestone, California) was an American journalist, film critic, screenwriter, author, and television producer who spent the majority of his career writing film c ...
wrote they were let down only by the competence of those in the original, which were emulated by other films. Champlin appreciated that effects were used to enhance scenes instead of being the focus.


Accolades

At the 1981 Academy Awards, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' won the award for
Best Sound This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...
(
Bill Varney Harold William Varney (January 22, 1934 – April 2, 2011) was an American motion picture sound mixer. A two-time Academy Award winner, Varney shared the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for '' Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Bac ...
,
Steve Maslow Steve Maslow (born October 17, 1944) is an American sound engineer. He won three Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for four more in the same category. He has worked on more than 200 films since 1978. Selected filmography Mas ...
,
Gregg Landaker Gregg Landaker (born 1951) is a retired American re-recording mixer. He won four Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for five more in the same category. He worked on 207 films from 1979 until his retirement in 2017, when he dec ...
, and Peter Sutton) and a
Special Achievement Academy Award The Special Achievement Award is an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for
Best Visual Effects This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...
(Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson). The film received a further two nominations:
Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...
(Norman Reynolds,
Leslie Dilley Leslie Dilley (born 1941) is a Welsh art director and production designer. During his film career from the 1970s to 2000s, he won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction twice for '' Star Wars'' (1977) and '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981). ...
, Harry Lange,
Alan Tomkins Alan Tomkins (19 January 1939 – 21 September 2020) was a British art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Tomkins was born in Fulham, London in 1939. ...
, and Michael Ford) and Best Original Score (
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
). For the 39th Golden Globe Awards, Williams earned the film's sole nomination, for Best Original Score. He won two
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. The
34th British Academy Film Awards The 34th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1981, honoured the best films of 1980. There are no records, and no explanation, showing any nominations nor winner for the BAFTA Award for Best A ...
earned the film one award for
Best Music Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...
(Williams), and two additional nominations:
Best Sound This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...
(Sutton, Varney, and Ben Burtt) and Best Production Design (Reynolds). At the 8th Saturn Awards, ''Empire'' received four awards: Best Science Fiction Film,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...
(Kershner),
Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...
(Hamill), and Best Special Effects (Johnson and Edlund). The film also won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and a People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture.


Post-release


Special Edition and other changes

Coinciding with Lucas's plans to develop a prequel trilogy of films in the late 1990s, he remastered and rereleased his original trilogy, including ''Empire'', under the title ''Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition'' to test special effects. This included altering or adding new scenes, some of which tied into the prequel films. Lucas described it as bringing the trilogy closer to his original vision with modern technology. Among the alterations, full shots of the wampa were introduced, along with
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
shots of locations with added buildings or people. These editions were well-received by critics.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called ''Empire'' the best and "heart" of the original trilogy. Since their initial release, the Special Editions have been altered multiple times. For the 2004 rerelease, the Clive Revill/Elaine Baker Emperor was replaced by Ian McDiarmid, who had performed the role since '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983). Temuera Morrison, who portrayed Fett's clone predecessor in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' (2002), also dubbed over Wingreen's lines. Minor changes were made for the 2011 Blu-ray release, including adding flames to the probe droid's impact crater and color modifications. The Special Edition releases were controversial with fans, who considered the changes to the original films unnecessary or to have altered them substantially. The unaltered versions have been commercially unavailable since a 2006 DVD release, which used unrestored footage from an early 1990s
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
release. ''
Harmy's Despecialized Edition ''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition'', also known as ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is a Fan edit, fan-created film preservation of the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' trilogy films: ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'' (1977 ...
'' is an unofficial fan effort to preserve the unaltered films. The 2010 documentary ''
The People vs. George Lucas ''The People vs. George Lucas'' is a 2010 documentary comedy film directed by Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. It explores the issues of filmmaking and fanaticism pertaining to the '' Star Wars'' franchise and its creator, George Lucas. Th ...
'' documents the relationship between the films, their fans, and Lucas.


Home media

''Empire'' was released on VHS (Video Home System), Laserdisc, and CED videodisc formats in 1985. The VHS and Laserdisc versions received various releases in the following years, often alongside the other original trilogy films in collections, with minor alterations such as widescreen formats or remastered sound. The 1992 Special Collector's Edition included the documentary ''From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga''. In 1997, the Special Edition of the original trilogy was released on VHS. When the film debuted on television in November 1987, it was preceded by a second-person introduction by Darth Vader, framed as an interruption of the Earth broadcast by the Galactic Empire. The film was released on DVD in 2004, collected with ''Star Wars'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', with additional alterations to each film. The release included the documentary '' Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy'', about the making of the original trilogy. Lucas said the modified versions were the way he had wanted them to be, and he had no interest in restoring the original theatrical cuts for release. Public demand eventually led to the release of the 2006 Limited Edition DVD collection that included the original unmodified films transferred from the 1993 Laserdisc Definitive Edition, creating problems with the image display. ''Empire'' was released on Blu-ray in 2011, as part of a collection containing the Special Edition original trilogy and a separate version containing the original and prequel trilogies alongside featurettes about the making of the films. ''Empire'', alongside the other available films, was first released digitally in 2015 across various platforms, and in
4K resolution 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K Ultra-high-definitio ...
restored from the 1997 special edition print for its 2019 launch on Disney+. In 2020, a 27-disc Skywalker Saga box set was released, containing the nine films in the series, with each film on three discs, a Blu-ray version, a
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Blu- ...
, and special features found on the 2011 release.


Other media

Merchandise for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' includes posters, children's books, clothing, character busts and statues, action figures, furnishings, and
Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
sets. The
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...
of the film, written by
Donald F. Glut Donald F. Glut (; born February 19, 1944) is an American writer, motion picture film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing The Empire Strikes Back (novel), the novelization of the second ''Star Wars'' film, ''The Empire Strikes ...
and released in April 1980, was a success, selling 2–3million copies. A ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' comic book series, launched in 1977 by Marvel Comics and written by Archie Goodwin and
Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...
, adapted the original trilogy of films; ''Empire''s run began in 1980. The book ''The Making of the Empire Strikes Back'' (2010) by
J. W. Rinzler Jonathan W. Rinzler (August 17, 1962July 28, 2021) was a film historian and writer, known for publishing books about the behind the scenes of blockbuster (entertainment), blockbuster movies such as ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones''. Rinzler also ...
provides a comprehensive history of the film's production, including behind-the-scenes photos and cast interviews. The film was the first in the series to be adapted for video games, beginning with '' Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' (1982) developed by Parker Brothers for the Atari 2600 games console. This was followed in 1985 by the '' Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back''
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
. ''
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade ''Star Wars Trilogy Arcade'' is an arcade game developed by Sega's AM Annex subsidiary and released in 1998. It is a 3D rail shooter based on the original trilogy of '' Star Wars'' films, released alongside their special editions. Accompanied ...
'' (1998) features the Hoth battle as a
level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
. '' Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' was released in 1992 for the
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
and Game Boy, and '' Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' followed in 1993 for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
. Scenes from ''Empire'' have also appeared in games like '' Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'' (1998) and '' Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron'' (2007). ''The Empire Strikes Back'' pinball machine (1980) was the first officially licensed ''Star Wars'' pinball machine. It became a collector's item, as only 350 machines were produced exclusively in Australia.


Thematic analysis


Mythology and inspirations

Critical analysis has suggested various inspirations for ''Empire'', particularly the early 1930s ''
Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
'' serials that include a cloud city similar to Bespin. Film critic Tim Robey wrote that much of ''Empire''s imagery and narrative can be connected to the 1975 film ''
Dersu Uzala Dersu Uzala (russian: Дерсу Узала; 1849–1908) was a Nanai trapper and hunter. He worked as a guide for Vladimir Arsenyev who immortalized him in his 1923 book '' Dersu Uzala''. The book was adapted into two feature films, with the ve ...
'', directed by Akira Kurosawa—whose work inspired Lucas. Muren described the Empire's assault on Hoth with AT-AT vehicles as an analogy for the Vietnam War, specifically an invading military employing equipment inappropriate for the local terrain. Clarke identified Luke as the heir to mythological heroes, such as Prometheus, Jason, and Galahad. He is guided initially by a traditional aide, Obi-Wan, who offers the promise of destiny until he is replaced by Yoda. Anne Lancashire wrote that the Yoda narrative is a traditional mythological tale in which the hero is trained by a wise old master and must abandon all his preconceived notions. Clarke described Luke's journey as the hero who ventures into the unknown to be tested by his own dark impulses but eventually overcomes them. He believed this represented the human ability to control irrational impulsiveness to serve love, order, and justice. Lucas wanted Yoda to be a traditional fairy-tale or mythological character, akin to a frog or an unassuming old man, to instill a message about respecting everyone and not judging on appearance alone, because he believed that would lead the hero to succeed. '' The New York Observer''s Brandon Katz described Yoda as deepening the Force through philosophy. Yoda says they are all luminous beings beyond just flesh and matter, and presents the Jedi as Zen warriors who work in harmony with the Force. Kasdan described them as enlightened warrior priests, similar to Samurai.


Religion

In developing the Force, Lucas said he wanted it to represent the core essence of multiple religions unified by their common traits. Primarily, he designed it with the intent that there is good, evil, and a god. Lucas's personal faith includes a belief in God and basic morality, such as treating others fairly and not taking another's life. ''The Presbyterian Journal'' described the film's religious message as closer to Eastern religions such as Zoroastrianism or Buddhism than
Judeo-Christian The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
, presenting
good and evil In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shoul ...
as abstract concepts. Similarly, God or the Force is an impersonal entity, taking no
direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
. ''
Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
'' said that the film's drama is caused by the absence of a righteous god or being creating a direct influence. Lancashire and J. W. Rinzler described Luke's journey as based purely on Christianity, focused on destiny and free will, with Luke serving as a Christ-like figure and Vader as a fallen angel attempting to lure him toward evil. Kershner said any religious symbolism was unintentional, as he wanted to focus on the power of an individual's untapped potential instead of magic.


Duality and evil

Anne Lancashire contrasted the first ''Star Wars'' film's message of idealism, heroics, and friendship with the more complex tone of ''Empire''. The latter challenges the former's notions, primarily because Luke loses his innocence in coming to perceive people as neither entirely good nor evil. The scene in which Luke enters the dark side cave on Dagobah represents where his anger will lead him and forces him to move beyond his belief that he is completely on the light side of the Force. Kershner said the cave tests Luke against his greatest fear, but because the fear is in his mind, and he brought his weapon with him, it creates a scenario where he is forced to use it. After defeating the avatar of Vader, the mask splits open to reveal Luke's face, suggesting he will succumb to the temptations of the dark side unless he learns patience and to abandon his anger. The darkness is similarly presented in Han, a self-interested smuggler struggling with his growing feelings for Leia and the responsibility associated with her cause. The film represents his two sides in Leia and Lando, a representative of his smuggler life. ''Empire'' questions the cost of friendship. Where ''Star Wars'' presents traditional friendship, ''Empire'' presents friendship as requiring sacrifice. Han sacrifices himself in the frigid cold of Hoth to save Luke's life. Similarly, Luke abandons his Jedi training, something he has longed for, to rescue his friends. This can be seen as a selfish choice, as he does so against Yoda and Obi-Wan's instructions, potentially sacrificing himself for his friends instead of training to defeat the Empire, a cause his friends support. According to Lancashire, characters are shown to be heroic through sacrificing for others instead of fighting battles. Lancashire believed that Luke's impatience to leave for Bespin exemplifies his lack of growth from his training. There, Vader tempts him with the power of the dark side and the revelation that he is Luke's father. Vader wants Luke's help to destroy the Emperor, not for good, but so that Vader can impose his own order over the galaxy. This admission robs Luke of the idealized image of his Jedi father, reveals Obi-Wan's deception in hiding his parentage, and takes the last of his innocence. Gerald Clarke suggests Luke is not strong or virtuous enough to resist Vader during this confrontation, and so allows himself to fall into the airshaft below, showing the antagonist does sometimes win. The concept of a character having a good father and an evil father is a common story trope because of its simple representations of good and evil. At the film's finale, Luke has a greater understanding of the relationship between good and evil, and the dual nature of people.


Legacy


Critical reassessment

''The Empire Strikes Back'' remains an enduringly popular piece of cinema. It is considered groundbreaking for its cliffhanger ending, influence on mainstream films, and special effects. For CNN, Brian Lowry wrote that without the "groundwork laid by one of the best sequels ever, ''Star Wars'' franchise">Star_Wars.html" ;"title="he Star Wars">''Star Wars'' franchisewouldn't be the force that it is now". Despite the film's initial mixed reception, it has since been reevaluated by critics and fans and is now often considered the best film in the ''Star Wars'' series, and one of the greatest films ever made. ''The Hollywood Reporter''s entertainment industry-voted ranking in 2014 recognized it as the 32nd-best film of all time (behind ''Star Wars'' at #11), calling it a " Shakespearean tragedy Shakespearean tragedy is the designation given to most tragedies written by playwright William Shakespeare. Many of his history plays share the qualifiers of a Shakespearean tragedy, but because they are based on real figures throughout the hist ...
" with a daringly dark ending that few films would replicate. ''Empire (film magazine)">Empire'' magazine named it the third-best film of all time, stating the modern cliché of sequels using a darker tone can be traced back to ''Empire''. A 1997 retrospective review by Ebert praised the film as the best of the original trilogy, describing its ability to create a sense of wonder in the audience, using story-beats that are core to the concept of storytelling, and it is included in the 2003 film reference book ''
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die ''1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die'' is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics. It is a part of a series designed and produced by Quintessence Editions, a ...
''. A 2014 vote by 250,000 '' Business Insider'' readers listed it as the greatest film ever made. The reveal that Vader is Luke's father continued to be seen as one of the greatest plot twists in cinema. Similarly, Han saying "I know" in response to Leia's love confession, is considered one of the most iconic scenes in the ''Star Wars'' films and one of the more famous lines of improvised dialogue in cinema. ''Empire'' magazine selected it as the sixth greatest movie sequel, lauding the "bold" unresolved ending and willingness not to follow the same formula as the first film. '' Den of Geek'' called it the second-best sequel, after ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
'' (1986), and Lucas's "masterpiece", and '' Playboy'' named it the third-best, describing the reveal of the relationship between Luke and Vader as the "emotional core that has elevated ''Star Wars'' to the pantheon of timeless modern sagas". The BBC and ''Collider'' listed it as one of the best sequels ever made. ''Time'' and ''Playboy'' described it as a sequel that surpasses the original. Rotten Tomatoes recognizes it as the 27th-best sequel, based on review scores. '' Rolling Stone''s reader-voted list of the best sequels lists ''Empire'' at third. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes offers a approval rating from the aggregated reviews of critics, with an average score of . The website's critical consensus reads, "Dark, sinister, but ultimately even more involving than ''A New Hope'', ''The Empire Strikes Back'' defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels." The film has a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic based on the reviews of 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Characters introduced in the film, such as Yoda and Lando Calrissian, are now considered iconic. The
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
listed Vader's appearance in the film as the third best on its 2003 list of the 100 Best Heroes & Villains, after Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter.


Cultural impact

''The Empire Strikes Back'' was ubiquitous in places such as the United States and the United Kingdom on its release. It was referenced in political cartoons, and events such as "Empire Day".
Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...
ended a 1980 Queen concert by riding on the shoulders of someone dressed as Darth Vader. Kershner described receiving letters from fans around the world asking for autographs and psychologists who used Yoda to explain philosophical ideas to their patients. Other films, television, and video games have extensively referenced or parodied the film, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ''
Spaceballs ''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...
'', '' The Muppet Show'', ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'', ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'', '' The Simpsons'', ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', and ''
Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
''. In 2010, the United States Library of Congress selected ''The Empire Strikes Back'' to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Landon Palmer, Eric Diaz, and Darren Mooney argue that ''Empire'', and not ''Star Wars'', embedded the concept of the modern blockbuster film franchise and sequels serving as a chapter in an infinitely expanding narrative, creating a template that was emulated over the following decades. This defied the contemporary popular trend of exploiting a popular film by creating low-budget sequels to diminishing returns, as in the '' Jaws franchise''. Instead, more was spent on ''Empire'' to expand the fictional universe and reap greater box-office returns. The cliffhanger ending, setting up a future sequel, is seen in many modern films, particularly those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has also been suggested that ''Empire'' forged a narrative structure that continues to be emulated in trilogies, where the middle film will be darker than the original and typically feature an ending in which the protagonists fail to defeat the antagonists, leading into a subsequent film. Emmet Asher-Perrin and Ben Sherlock cite the series '' Back to the Future'', '' The Matrix'', '' The Lord of the Rings'', and ''
Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
'' as examples. Filmmakers such as the Russo brothers, Roland Emmerich, and
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...
cite it as an inspiration in their careers or identify as fans.


Sequels, prequels, and adaptations

The film was adapted into a 1982 radio play broadcast on National Public Radio in the U.S. ''The Empire Strikes Back'' was followed by ''Return of the Jedi'' in 1983, concluding the original film trilogy. ''Jedi''s plot follows the Rebel assault on the Empire and Luke's final confrontation with Vader and the Emperor. Like the previous films, ''Jedi'' was a financial success and fared well with critics. Nearly two decades after the release of ''Empire'', Lucas wrote and directed the
prequel trilogy The ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was re ...
, consisting of '' The Phantom Menace'' (1999), ''Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' (2002), and '' Revenge of the Sith'' (2005). The films chronicle the history between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, and the latter's fall to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader. The prequel trilogy polarized critics and fans on their release for the storylines and certain new characters. After Lucas sold the ''Star Wars'' franchise to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, Disney developed a
sequel trilogy The ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy ...
, consisting of '' The Force Awakens'' (2015), '' The Last Jedi'' (2017), and '' The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019). Original trilogy cast, including Ford, Hamill, and Fisher, reprised their roles, alongside new characters portrayed by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega,
Adam Driver Adam Douglas Driver (born November 19, 1983) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award; making him one of few performers nominated ...
, and Oscar Isaac. Standalone films and television series have also been released, exploring adventures set around the main trilogy arcs.


References


Notes


Citations

{{Reflist, , refs= {{cite web , first=Roger , last=Ebert , author-link=Roger Ebert , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1997 , date=February 21, 1997 , website=
RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
, access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830221929/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1997 , archive-date=August 30, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Peter , last=Stack , title=Saga's second 'strike' is its swiftest , url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Saga-s-Second-Strike-Is-Its-Swiftest-2829500.php , date=August 29, 1997 , website= San Francisco Chronicle , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208175035/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Saga-s-Second-Strike-Is-Its-Swiftest-2829500.php , archive-date=December 8, 2017 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Lisa , last=Schwarzbaum , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://ew.com/article/1997/03/07/empire-strikes-back-2/ , date=March 7, 1997 , website= Entertainment Weekly , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830221929/https://ew.com/article/1997/03/07/empire-strikes-back-2/ , archive-date=August 30, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Daniel , last=Miller , title=Restoring ''Star Wars'' , url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-14/restoring-star-wars/6994818?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment , date=December 13, 2015 , website= Australian Broadcasting Corporation , access-date=December 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://archive.today/5lz64 , archive-date=December 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Jason , last=Wilson , title=''Star Wars'' video games: a visual history , url=https://www.arnnet.com.au/slideshow/349067/star-wars-video-games-visual-history/ , website=
International Data Group International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...
, access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519144844/https://www.arnnet.com.au/slideshow/349067/star-wars-video-games-visual-history/ , archive-date=May 19, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Tegan , last=O'Neil , title=A really long time ago, Marvel played fast and loose with ''Star Wars'' , url=https://aux.avclub.com/a-really-long-time-ago-marvel-played-fast-and-loose-wi-1798286716 , website= The A.V. Club , date=November 21, 2015 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108164657/https://aux.avclub.com/a-really-long-time-ago-marvel-played-fast-and-loose-wi-1798286716 , archive-date=November 8, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Annie , last=Zaleski , title=The story of Freddie Mercury getting a piggyback ride from Darth Vader , url=https://www.avclub.com/the-story-of-freddie-mercury-getting-a-piggyback-ride-f-1798284060 , website= The A.V. Club , date=September 5, 2015 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905194856/https://www.avclub.com/the-story-of-freddie-mercury-getting-a-piggyback-ride-f-1798284060 , archive-date=September 5, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Afi's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains, url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/ , publisher=
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
, access-date=August 17, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208093159/https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/ , archive-date=February 8, 2020 , url-status=live
{{cite web , url=https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2015/03/first-star-wars-spin-off-movie-gets-name-and-a-date-rogue-one-next-december/ , title=First ''Star Wars'' spin-off movie gets name and a date: ''Rogue One'', next December , first=Lee , last=Hutchinson , date=December 3, 2015 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website=
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025117/https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2015/03/first-star-wars-spin-off-movie-gets-name-and-a-date-rogue-one-next-december/ , archive-date=October 26, 2018 , url-status=live
{{cite web , url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1981/film , title=Film in 1981 , publisher= British Academy of Film and Television Arts , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817052950/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1981/film , archive-date=August 17, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-empire-strikes-back-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnjcynzy3 , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , website= British Board of Film Classification , access-date=April 17, 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220142813/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/empire-strikes-back-1970-1 , archive-date=December 20, 2014 , url-status=live {{cite web, first=Eliana , last=Dockterman , title=35 sequels that are better than the original movie , url=https://time.com/5353143/sequels-better-than-original/ , website= Time , date=August 30, 2018 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304203851/https://time.com/5353143/sequels-better-than-original/ , archive-date=March 4, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Robin , last=Raven , title=30 best sequels no one saw coming , url=https://collider.com/galleries/best-sequels-movie-tv/ , website= Collider , date=February 25, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525121319/https://collider.com/galleries/best-sequels-movie-tv/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Christian , last=Blauvelt , title=The 10 greatest movie sequels of all time , url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141210-the-10-greatest-movie-sequels , publisher= BBC , date=December 10, 2014 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525121321/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141210-the-10-greatest-movie-sequels , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=dead {{cite web , title=''Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) , url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd22b15 , publisher= British Film Institute , access-date=March 12, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209013644/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd22b15 , archive-date=December 9, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Graham , last=Hughes , title=How ''Star Wars'' conquered cinema with help from ''The Hidden Fortress'' , url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/star-wars-conquered-cinema-hidden-fortress , date=May 4, 2020 , publisher= British Film Institute , access-date=September 2, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124115956/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/star-wars-conquered-cinema-hidden-fortress , archive-date=January 24, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=B. Alan , last=Orange , url=https://www.businessinsider.com/empire-strikes-back-voted-greatest-movie-ever-2014-6?IR=T , title=250,000 movies fans voted ''The Empire Strikes Back'' the greatest movie of all time , website= Business Insider , date=June 2, 2014 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201165205/https://www.businessinsider.com/empire-strikes-back-voted-greatest-movie-ever-2014-6?IR=T , archive-date=February 1, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Landon , last=Palmer , title=''Star Wars'' didn't change the business Of Hollywood; ''Empire'' did , url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/star-wars-didn-t-change-the-business-of-hollywood-empire-did-df5db01d6230/ , website=
Film School Rejects Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006. The site was nominated for Best News Blog by ''Total Film'' magazine and na ...
, date=May 1, 2014 , access-date=September 5, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905224827/https://filmschoolrejects.com/star-wars-didn-t-change-the-business-of-hollywood-empire-did-df5db01d6230/ , archive-date=September 5, 2021 , url-status=live
{{Cite Box Office Mojo , title=Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back , id=0080684 , access-date=February 3, 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509122316/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0080684/ , archive-date=May 9, 2021 , url-status=live , publisher_hide=yes {{cite web , title=Top lifetime adjusted grosses , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross_adjusted/?adjust_gross_to=2020 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704001942/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross_adjusted/?adjust_gross_to=2020 , archive-date=July 4, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Domestic 1980 weekend 24 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W24/?ref_=bo_rl_table_4 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420202125/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W24/?ref_=bo_rl_table_4 , archive-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Domestic 1980 weekend 33 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W33/?ref_=bo_rl_table_13 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420140245/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W33/?ref_=bo_rl_table_13 , archive-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Domestic 1980 weekend 25 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W25/?ref_=bo_rl_table_5 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420202127/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W25/?ref_=bo_rl_table_5 , archive-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Domestic 1980 week 25 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/1980W25/?ref_=bo_rl_table_3 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420140247/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/1980W25/?ref_=bo_rl_table_3 , archive-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Domestic Box oOffice for 1980 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1980/?grossesOption=totalGrosses , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=August 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420204449/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1980/?grossesOption=totalGrosses , archive-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web, title=''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'' , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2759034369/weekend/?ref_=bo_tt_gr#table , publisher= Box Office Mojo , date=January 9, 2020 , access-date=January 9, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109234833/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2759034369/weekend/?ref_=bo_tt_gr , archive-date=January 9, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web, title=''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'' (Domestic Weekend) , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2775811585/weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs, publisher= Box Office Mojo , date=January 9, 2020 , access-date=January 9, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109235104/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2775811585/weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_tab , archive-date=January 9, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web, title=1980 worldwide box office , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2775811585/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs , publisher= Box Office Mojo , access-date=April 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722135713/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2775811585/?ref_=bo_rl_tab , archive-date=July 22, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web, title=Domestic 1980 weekend 21 , url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W21/occasion/us_memorialday_weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_table_2 , publisher= Box Office Mojo , date=January 9, 2020 , access-date=January 9, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109235349/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1980W21/occasion/us_memorialday_weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_table_2 , archive-date=January 9, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first= , last= , title=Celebrate ''Star Wars'' day with the 11 best ''Star Wars'' games of all time , url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ranked-the-10-best-star-wars-video-games-2019-4?r=US&IR=T , website= Business Insider , date=May 4, 2021 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519144843/https://www.businessinsider.com/ranked-the-10-best-star-wars-video-games-2019-4?r=US&IR=T , archive-date=May 19, 2021 , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Schobert , first=Christopher , url=https://buffalonews.com/2017/05/15/billy-dee-williams-discusses-life-career-and-lando/ , title=Billy Dee Williams discusses his life, career and Lando , date=May 15, 2017 , website= The Buffalo News , access-date=December 3, 2019 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102161026/https://buffalonews.com/2017/05/15/billy-dee-williams-discusses-life-career-and-lando/ , archive-date=January 2, 2019 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , url=https://www.businessinsider.es/star-wars-deaths-ranked-by-how-sad-they-were-2018-3 , title=38 major deaths in the ''Star Wars'' movies, ranked from saddest to completely deserved , first=Carrie , last=Wittmer , date=May 4, 2018 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= Business Insider , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025106/https://www.businessinsider.es/star-wars-deaths-ranked-by-how-sad-they-were-2018-3 , archive-date=October 26, 2018 , url-status=dead {{Cite web , last1=Richwine , first1=Lisa , last2=Gorman , first2=Steve , date=May 3, 2019 , title=Peter Mayhew, actor who played Chewbacca in ''Star Wars'' movies, dies , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-starwars-chewbacca/peter-mayhew-actor-who-played-chewbacca-in-star-wars-movies-dies-idUSKCN1S82DB , url-status=live , archive-url=https://archive.today/4PCtD , archive-date=November 3, 2021 , access-date=November 3, 2021 , website= Reuters {{cite web , first=Anthony , last=Breznican , author-link=Anthony Breznican , title=Watch Chewie become co-pilot in ''Solo: A Star Wars Story'' clip , url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/05/04/solo-star-wars-story-chewbacca-millennium-falcon/ , date=May 4, 2018 , website= Entertainment Weekly , access-date=September 27, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507185012/https://ew.com/movies/2018/05/04/solo-star-wars-story-chewbacca-millennium-falcon/ , archive-date=May 7, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web, first=Spencer , last=Ackerman , author-link=Spencer Ackerman , title=Inside the battle of Hoth: The ''Empire'' strikes out , url=https://www.wired.com/2013/02/battle-of-hoth/ , website= Wired , date=February 13, 2012 , access-date=September 27, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126074752/https://www.wired.com/2013/02/battle-of-hoth/ , archive-date=January 26, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , title=''Star Wars'': Han Solo origin film announced , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33439026 , publisher= BBC , date=July 8, 2015 , access-date=September 27, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204170915/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33439026 , archive-date=December 4, 2020 , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Epstein , first=Adam , date=July 8, 2015 , title=11 actors who are Harrison {{nowrap, Ford-y enough to pull off a young Han Solo , url=https://qz.com/447959/11-actors-who-are-harrison-ford-y-enough-to-pull-off-a-young-han-solo/ , url-access=limited , url-status=live , archive-url=https://archive.today/ofoXP , archive-date=November 5, 2021 , access-date=November 5, 2021 , website= Quartz {{cite web , first=Jeff , last=MacGregor , title=How Anthony Daniels gives C-3PO an unlikely dash of humanity , url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/anthony-daniels-c3po-unlikely-dash-humanity-180967212/ , website= Smithsonian , date=December 2017 , access-date=September 27, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506210129/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/anthony-daniels-c3po-unlikely-dash-humanity-180967212/ , archive-date=May 6, 2021 , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Ramachandran , first=Naman , author-link=Naman Ramachandran , date=November 29, 2020 , title=Darth Vader Actor David Prowse Dies at 85 , url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/darth-vader-actor-david-prowse-dead-dies-1234841696/ , url-status=live , archive-url=https://archive.today/eTklN , archive-date=February 3, 2022 , access-date=February 3, 2022 , website= Variety {{Cite web , last=Britt , first=Ryan , date=October 21, 2016 , title=From Darth Revan to Vader: Ranking the 7 Most Powerful Sith in ''Star Wars'' , url=https://www.inverse.com/article/22331-ranking-dark-lords-of-the-sith-darth-vader-darth-revan , url-status=live , archive-url=https://archive.today/9YnsR , archive-date=February 8, 2022 , access-date=February 8, 2022 , website=
Inverse Inverse or invert may refer to: Science and mathematics * Inverse (logic), a type of conditional sentence which is an immediate inference made from another conditional sentence * Additive inverse (negation), the inverse of a number that, when ad ...
{{cite web , first=John , last=Nugent , title=R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker dies, aged 81 , url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/r2-d2-actor-kenny-baker-dies-aged-81/ , website= Empire , date=August 13, 2016 , access-date=September 27, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017172802/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/r2-d2-actor-kenny-baker-dies-aged-81/ , archive-date=October 17, 2016 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Brian , last=Lowry , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' At 40: How the sequel launched 'Star Wars' into the future , url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/21/entertainment/the-empire-strikes-back-turns-40/index.html , publisher= CNN , date=May 21, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527040123/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/21/entertainment/the-empire-strikes-back-turns-40/index.html , archive-date=May 27, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Tom , last=Reimann , title=Exclusive: Mark Hamill joins the Russo Brothers' ''Pizza Film School'' for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://collider.com/mark-hamill-russo-bros-pizza-film-school-star-wars-empire-strikes-back/ , website= Collider , date=June 24, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525202438/https://collider.com/mark-hamill-russo-bros-pizza-film-school-star-wars-empire-strikes-back/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=The best movie endings of all time, url=https://collider.com/best-movie-endings-of-all-time/ , website= Collider , date=March 4, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007135741/https://collider.com/best-movie-endings-of-all-time/ , archive-date=October 7, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Adam , last=Chitwood , title=Exclusive: ''Loki'' head writer Michael Waldron on what it's like writing a ''Star Wars'' movie for producer Kevin Feige , url=https://collider.com/kevin-feige-star-wars-movie-script-michael-waldron-interview/ , website= Collider , date=June 4, 2021 , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605024451/https://collider.com/kevin-feige-star-wars-movie-script-michael-waldron-interview/ , archive-date=June 5, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=David , last=Priest , title=Commentary: The new ''Star Wars'' trilogy is worse than the prequels , url=https://www.cnet.com/news/why-new-star-wars-trilogy-is-worse-than-the-prequels/ , website=
CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
, date=December 13, 2019 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820060011/https://www.cnet.com/news/why-new-star-wars-trilogy-is-worse-than-the-prequels/ , archive-date=August 20, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , url=https://comicbook.com/starwars/amp/2018/11/21/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-tv-commercial-darth-vader/ , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' debuted on TV with this awesome Imperial interruption , last=Cavanaugh , first=Patrick , date=November 21, 2018 , website=
ComicBook.com The following is a list of major assets that are owned by Paramount Global. Paramount Pictures Corporation (Film) * Paramount Pictures ** Paramount Home Entertainment ** Paramount Television Studios ** Paramount Pictures International ** Param ...
, access-date=November 22, 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122051207/https://comicbook.com/starwars/amp/2018/11/21/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-tv-commercial-darth-vader/, archive-date=November 22, 2018, url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Adam-Troy , last=Castro , title=10 greatest ''Star Wars'' moments from ''The Simpsons'' , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/simpsons_star_wars , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=December 14, 2012 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123025856/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/simpsons_star_wars , archive-date=January 23, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Alex , last=Payne , title=''Family Guy'': The story behind the show's ''Star Wars'' episodes , url=https://www.cbr.com/family-guy-story-behind-star-wars-episodes/ , publisher= Comic Book Resources , date=June 2, 2021 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603100020/https://www.cbr.com/family-guy-story-behind-star-wars-episodes/ , archive-date=June 3, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Tom , last=Jorgensen , title=Every ''Star Wars'' reference in the MCU (so far) , url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/01/star-wars-references-callbacks-easter-eggs-mcu-marvel-kevin-feige , website=
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, date=October 1, 2019 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604191540/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/01/star-wars-references-callbacks-easter-eggs-mcu-marvel-kevin-feige , archive-date=June 4, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web, first=Jeff , last=Cork , title=Our favorite ''Star Wars'' easter eggs and references , url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/05/04/our-favorite-star-wars-easter-eggs-and-references.aspx , website= Game Informer , date=May 4, 2014 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827204054/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/05/04/our-favorite-star-wars-easter-eggs-and-references.aspx , archive-date=August 27, 2019 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Evan , last=Hoovier , title=30 ''Empire Strikes Back'' references from sci-fi movies & TV , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/30_empire_strikes_back_re , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=December 14, 2012 , access-date=September 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916201947/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/30_empire_strikes_back_re , archive-date=September 16, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web, last=Vlessing , first=Etan , title=''Star Wars'' movie franchise headed to digital HD , url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-movie-franchise-headed-786673 , access-date=April 7, 2015 , website= The Hollywood Reporter , date=April 6, 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410030917/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-movie-franchise-headed-786673, archive-date=April 10, 2015, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-tops-weekend-box-office-drive-ins-coronavirus-1202983364/ , title=''Empire Strikes Back'' leads at the weekend box office with $644K, 23 years after sequel's special edition – update , first=Anthony , last=D'Alessandro , date=July 13, 2020 , access-date=September 3, 2021 , website= Deadline Hollywood , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430050509/https://deadline.com/2020/07/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-tops-weekend-box-office-drive-ins-coronavirus-1202983364/ , archive-date=April 30, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-tops-weekend-box-office-drive-ins-coronavirus-1202983364/ , title=''Solo'' is just the latest sci-fi event to put a 'Cheers' star in space , first=Brett , last=White , date=May 24, 2018 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= Deadline Hollywood , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025122/https://decider.com/2018/05/24/cheers-actors-in-star-trek-star-wars-solo/ , archive-date=October 26, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Ryan, last=Lambie , title=''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' 30 years on – where are they now? , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-30-years-on-where-are-they-now/ , website= Den of Geek , date=May 20, 2010 , access-date=November 18, 2021 , archive-url=https://archive.today/dnmxU, archive-date=November 18, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Lloyd , last=Coombes , title=How the ''Empire Strikes Back'' became the best ''Star Wars'' movie , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ , website= Den of Geek , date=December 6, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602210403/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ , archive-date=June 2, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web, last=Brew , first=Simon , title=The 25 best blockbuster sequels of all time , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-25-best-blockbuster-sequels-of-all-time/ , website= Den of Geek , date=August 13, 2009 , access-date=November 1, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028211205/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-25-best-blockbuster-sequels-of-all-time/ , archive-date=October 28, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=John , last=Saavedra , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-leigh-brackett-and-the-empire-strikes-back-you-never-saw/ , title=''Star Wars'': Leigh Brackett and ''The Empire Strikes Back'' you never saw , date=May 21, 2019 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , website= Den of Geek , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224154611/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-leigh-brackett-and-the-empire-strikes-back-you-never-saw/ , archive-date=February 24, 2021, url-status=live {{cite web , first=Marc , last=Buxton , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/star-wars-best-bounty-hunter-stories/ , title=''Star Wars'': Best bounty hunter stories , date=November 13, 2019 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , website= Den of Geek , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201234735/https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/star-wars-best-bounty-hunter-stories/ , archive-date=December 1, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Lloyd , last=Coombes , title=''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' – the culmination of George Lucas' original vision , url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ , website= Den of Geek , date=December 12, 2019 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817160534/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ , archive-date=August 17, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first1=Ben , last1=Travis , first2=William , last2=Lobley , title=The best ''Star Wars'' merchandise , url=https://www.empireonline.com/shopping/movies/best-star-wars-merchandise/ , website= Empire , date=May 4, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520131806/https://www.empireonline.com/shopping/movies/best-star-wars-merchandise/ , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first= , last= , title=Who shot first? The complete list of ''Star Wars'' changes , url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ , website= Empire , date=November 28, 2019 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220958/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ , archive-date=August 24, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=50 greatest movie sequels , url=http://www.empireonline.com/50greatestsequels/default.asp?c=6 , website= Empire , access-date=November 12, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024070403/http://www.empireonline.com/50greatestsequels/default.asp?c=6 , archive-date=October 24, 2012 , url-status=dead {{cite web, url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/500-greatest-movies/ , title=The 500 greatest movies of all time, website= Empire , date=October 3, 2008 , access-date=June 17, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104180959/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/500-greatest-movies/ , archive-date=November 4, 2015 , url-status=live {{cite web, last=Emmerich , first=Roland , author-link=Roland Emmerich , url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/roland-emmerich-ten-favourite-sci-fis/ , title=Roland Emmerich's ten favourite sci-fis , website= Empire , date=June 17, 2016 , access-date=October 28, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021040824/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/roland-emmerich-ten-favourite-sci-fis/, archive-date=October 21, 2016 , url-status=dead {{cite web, first=Ian , last=Nathan , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' at 40: The making of a ''Star Wars'' classic , url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-making-empire-strikes-back/ , website= Empire , date=May 20, 2020 , access-date=March 7, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021758/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-making-empire-strikes-back/ , archive-date=November 12, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/star-wars-episode-v-empire-strikes-back/review/ , last=Nathan , first=Ian , title=''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' review , website= Empire , date=January 1, 1980 , access-date=April 26, 2019 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406092716/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/star-wars-episode-v-empire-strikes-back/review/ , archive-date=April 6, 2019 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/568f1ba214607, title=''Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens'', publisher= British Film Institute, access-date=April 2, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021190327/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/568f1ba214607, archive-date=October 21, 2020, url-status=live {{Cite web, first=Anthony, last=Breznican, author-link=Anthony Breznican, date=April 12, 2019, url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/12/star-wars-episode-ix-title/, title=''Star Wars: Episode IX'' has a title — ''The Rise of Skywalker'', website= Entertainment Weekly, access-date=April 2, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100218/https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/12/star-wars-episode-ix-title/, archive-date=March 31, 2021, url-status=live {{Cite web, url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b761f142f, title=''Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi'', publisher= British Film Institute, access-date=April 5, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405230440/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b761f142f, archive-date=April 5, 2021, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-worldwide-846428 , title=''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'': When the film opens around the world , last=McClintock , first=Pamela , work= The Hollywood Reporter , date=December 7, 2015 , access-date=April 2, 2021 , archive-date=December 9, 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209224531/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-worldwide-846428 , url-status=live {{Cite web, first=Aaron, last=Couch, url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-8-title-929351, title=''Star Wars: Episode VIII'' title revealed, date=January 23, 2017, website= The Hollywood Reporter, access-date=April 2, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331104747/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-8-title-929351, archive-date=March 31, 2021, url-status=live {{cite web , first=Roger , last=Ebert , author-link=Roger Ebert , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1997-1 , website=
RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
, date=April 1, 1997 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525143756/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1997-1 , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Darren , last=Mooney , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' created the modern film franchise , url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/the-empire-strikes-back-created-the-modern-film-franchise/ , website= The Escapist , date=September 27, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226032755/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/the-empire-strikes-back-created-the-modern-film-franchise/ , archive-date=February 26, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Justin , last=Kirkland , title=The best plot twists in movie history that we never saw coming , url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/g34752871/best-plot-twist-movies/ , website=
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
, date=November 27, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127170215/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/g34752871/best-plot-twist-movies/ , archive-date=January 27, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited
{{cite web , last=Ross , first=Dalton , url=https://ew.com/article/2004/09/16/10-things-we-learned-star-wars-dvds , title=10 things we learned from the ''Star Wars'' DVDs , website= Entertainment Weekly , date=September 16, 2004 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222104727/http://ew.com/article/2004/09/16/10-things-we-learned-star-wars-dvds/, archive-date=December 22, 2016, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://ew.com/article/2015/03/12/rogue-one-explained-brief-history-rogue-squadron/ , title=''Star Wars'' spinoff ''Rogue One'' explained: A brief history of Rogue Squadron , first=Darren , last=Franich , date=March 12, 2015 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= Entertainment Weekly , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025225545/https://ew.com/article/2015/03/12/rogue-one-explained-brief-history-rogue-squadron/ , archive-date=October 25, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://www.filmsite.org/filmfour.html , title=100 greatest films of all time , website=
Filmsite.org Filmsite is a film-review website established in 1996 by senior editor and film critic-historian Tim Dirks, and continues to be managed and edited by him for over two decades. Overview The site contains over 300 detailed reviews of English langu ...
, access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331175148/http://www.filmsite.org/filmfour.html , archive-date=March 31, 2014, url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Scott , last=Meslow , title=''Star Wars'' legend Billy Dee Williams brings Lando Calrissian back for one final ride , url=https://www.gq.com/story/star-wars-billy-dee-williams-interview-2019 , website= GQ , date=December 19, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125075530/https://www.gq.com/story/star-wars-billy-dee-williams-interview-2019 , archive-date=January 25, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, first=Germain , last=Lussier , title=The movies that had the hubris to open the same week as the ''Star Wars'' films , url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-movies-that-had-the-hubris-to-open-the-same-week-as-1820890662 , website=
Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite ''io9'', whic ...
, date=December 14, 2017 , access-date=January 9, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803031408/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-movies-that-had-the-hubris-to-open-the-same-week-as-1820890662 , archive-date=August 3, 2019 , url-status=live
{{cite web , title=John Williams , url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/john-williams?page=1 , publisher= Hollywood Foreign Press Association , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816093054/http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/john-williams?page=1 , archive-date=August 16, 2017 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Richard , last=Edwards , title=''Star Wars'' timeline: Every major event in chronological order , url=https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/star-wars-timeline/ , website= GamesRadar+ , date=August 12, 2021 , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425000131/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/star-wars-timeline/ , archive-date=April 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=23rd Annual Grammy Awards (1980) , url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/23rd-annual-grammy-awards-1980 , publisher= The Recording Academy , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812045607/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/23rd-annual-grammy-awards-1980 , archive-date=August 12, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Lucy , last=Campbell , title=''Star Wars'' prequels 'not very much liked', admits Ewan McGregor , url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/28/star-wars-prequels-not-very-much-liked-says-ewan-mcgregor , website= The Guardian , date=April 28, 2021 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821033041/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/28/star-wars-prequels-not-very-much-liked-says-ewan-mcgregor , archive-date=August 21, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=1981 Hugo Awards , date=July 26, 2007 , url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1981-hugo-awards/ , publisher=
World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...
, access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124231050/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1981-hugo-awards/ , archive-date=January 24, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Jamie , last=Benning , title=The ''Star Wars'' Blu-ray set gets 3.5 out of 5 , url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-star-wars-blu-ray-set-gets-3-5-out-of-5-5841183 , website= io9 , date=September 16, 2011 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419085904/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-star-wars-blu-ray-set-gets-3-5-out-of-5-5841183 , archive-date=April 19, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=James , last=Whitbrook , title=Search Your Feelings, You Know Lego's ''Empire Strikes Back'' anniversary set to be cool , url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/search-your-feelings-you-know-legos-empire-strikes-bac-1844787452 , website= io9 , date=August 20, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520131749/https://io9.gizmodo.com/search-your-feelings-you-know-legos-empire-strikes-bac-1844787452 , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first1=Germain , last1=Lussier , first2=Vincent , last2=Tremblay , first3=Max , last3=Jean-Louis , title=The legacy of ''Empire Strikes Back''{{'s biggest spoiler, 40 years later , url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-legacy-of-empire-strikes-backs-biggest-spoiler-40-1843398628 , website= io9 , date=May 13, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524221956/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-legacy-of-empire-strikes-backs-biggest-spoiler-40-1843398628 , archive-date=May 24, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Steve , last=Head , title=An exclusive interview with Yaphet Kotto , url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/29/an-exclusive-interview-with-yaphet-kotto , website=
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, date=May 20, 2012 , access-date=December 5, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202190957/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/29/an-exclusive-interview-with-yaphet-kotto , archive-date=December 2, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Brian , last=Cronin , title=''Empire Strikes Back'': Why Han Solo's 'I know' line drove Carrie Fisher crazy , url=https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-han-solo-i-know-line-carrie-fisher-leia-crazy/ , website= Comic Book Resources , date=May 21, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525185646/https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-han-solo-i-know-line-carrie-fisher-leia-crazy/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Germain , last=Lussier , title=The Best things ''The Empire Strikes Back'' introduced to ''Star Wars'' , url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-best-things-the-empire-strikes-back-introduced-to-s-1843419569 , website= io9 , date=May 21, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525185639/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-best-things-the-empire-strikes-back-introduced-to-s-1843419569 , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Dash , last=Finley , title=Did ''Star Wars''{{' most famous 'improvised' line actually come from this obscure anthology show? , url=https://slate.com/culture/2015/05/star-wars-i-love-you-i-know-line-its-most-famous-improvised-scene-may-not-ve-been-improvised-at-all.html , website=
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
, date=May 4, 2015 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525185639/https://slate.com/culture/2015/05/star-wars-i-love-you-i-know-line-its-most-famous-improvised-scene-may-not-ve-been-improvised-at-all.html , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Brian , last=Silliman , title=The best ''Star Wars'' scene is Han and Leia's 'I love you/I know' exchange in ''Empire'' , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-best-star-wars-scene-is-han-and-leias-i-love-youi-know-exchange-in-empire , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=December 3, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525185639/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-best-star-wars-scene-is-han-and-leias-i-love-youi-know-exchange-in-empire , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first1=Christine , last1=Nguyen , first2=Neil , last2=Janowitz , title=The story behind Han Solo's line 'I know' in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/han-solo-i-know-the-empire-strikes-back.html , website= Vulture , date=November 16, 2016 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525185644/https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/han-solo-i-know-the-empire-strikes-back.html , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , url=http://io9.com/5660319/yoda-was-originally-played-by-a-monkey-in-a-mask-and-other-secrets-of-the-empire-strikes-back , title=Yoda was originally played by a monkey in a mask, and other secrets of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', first=Alasdair , last=Wilkins , date=October 10, 2010 , website= io9 , access-date=March 9, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017055944/http://io9.com/5660319/yoda-was-originally-played-by-a-monkey-in-a-mask-and-other-secrets-of-the-empire-strikes-back, archive-date=October 17, 2010, url-status=live {{cite web , first=Clarisse , last=Loughrey , title=Why the ''Star Wars'' prequels finally deserve some respect , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-revenge-sith-anniversary-prequels-defence-anakin-padme-a9519701.html , website= The Independent , date=May 19, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818145804/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-revenge-sith-anniversary-prequels-defence-anakin-padme-a9519701.html , archive-date=August 18, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Frank , last=Lovece , title=From Darth Vader to ''Big Daddy'' , url=https://www.popmatters.com/article/james-earl-jones-from-darth-vader-to-big-daddy/ , website= PopMatters , date=March 26, 2008 , access-date=October 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007123117/https://www.popmatters.com/article/james-earl-jones-from-darth-vader-to-big-daddy/ , archive-date=October 7, 2017 , url-status=dead {{cite web , first=Geoff , last=Boucher , title=''Star Wars'' producer Gary Kurtz speaks out , url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-12-la-et-gary-kurtz-20100812-story.html , website= Los Angeles Times , date=August 12, 2010 , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514000235/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-12-la-et-gary-kurtz-20100812-story.html , archive-date=May 14, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Steve , last=Weinstein , title=Weekend TV : Networks Offer Banquet Of Viewing Choices For Thanksgiving Week, url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-21-ca-5412-story.html , website= Los Angeles Times , date=November 21, 1987 , access-date=December 21, 2021, archive-url=https://archive.today/jhg3s , archive-date=December 21, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , title=Hollywood blockbusters, independent films and shorts selected for 2010 national film registry , url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-273.html , publisher= Library of Congress , access-date=July 27, 2014 , date=December 28, 2010, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714125738/http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-273.html, archive-date=July 14, 2014, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-strikes-airplane-25-movies-65915 , title=''Empire Strikes Back'', ''Airplane!'' among 25 movies named to National Film Registry , access-date=December 28, 2010 , website= The Hollywood Reporter , first=Mike , last=Barnes , date=December 28, 2010, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230174923/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-strikes-airplane-25-movies-65915, archive-date=December 30, 2010, url-status=live {{cite web , last=Burwick , first=Kevin , title=''Star Wars'' fans hated ''Empire Strikes Back'' when it was first released, too , url=https://movieweb.com/empire-strikes-back-last-jedi-comparisons-reviews/ , website= MovieWeb, date=December 23, 2017 , access-date=May 30, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004230013/https://movieweb.com/empire-strikes-back-last-jedi-comparisons-reviews/ , archive-date=October 4, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , last=Taylor , first=Chris , title=''Last Jedi'' haters are nothing new. Plenty of fans hated ''Empire Strikes Back'' too , url=https://mashable.com/2017/12/19/last-jedi-empire-strikes-back-haters/?europe=true#lpNXKVvSksqw , website=
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
, date=December 19, 2017 , access-date=May 30, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004225857/https://mashable.com/2017/12/19/last-jedi-empire-strikes-back-haters/?europe=true#lpNXKVvSksqw , archive-date=October 4, 2018 , url-status=live
{{Cite Metacritic , id=star-wars-episode-v---the-empire-strikes-back , type=movie , title=Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back , access-date=December 12, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428193138/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-v---the-empire-strikes-back , archive-date=April 28, 2019 , url-status=live , publisher_hide=yes {{cite web , url=https://www.nme.com/news/jason-wingreen-voice-of-boba-fett-in-the-empire-st-869766 , title=Jason Wingreen, voice of Boba Fett in ''The Empire Strikes Back'', dies aged 95 , first=Charlotte , last=Gunn , date=January 2, 2016 , website= NME , access-date=March 12, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312143206/https://www.nme.com/news/jason-wingreen-voice-of-boba-fett-in-the-empire-st-869766 , archive-date=March 12, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , last=Harmetz , first=Aljean , author-link=Aljean Harmetz , title=But can hollywood live without George Lucas , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/02/archives/john-barry-designer-won-academy-award-for-star-wars-film-made.html , website= The New York Times , date=July 31, 1981 , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727192642/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/13/movies/but-can-hollywood-live-without-george-lucas.html , archive-date=July 27, 2020 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Maslin , first=Janet , author-link=Janet Maslin , title=John Barry, designer, won Academy Award for ''Star Wars'' film , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/13/movies/but-can-hollywood-live-without-george-lucas.html , website= The New York Times , date=June 2, 1979 , access-date=March 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316155536/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/02/archives/john-barry-designer-won-academy-award-for-star-wars-film-made.html , archive-date=March 16, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Harmetz , first=Aljean , author-link=Aljean Harmetz , date=June 2, 1981 , title=How does Hollywood decide if a film is a hit? , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/02/movies/how-does-hollywood-decide-if-a-film-is-a-hit.html , website= The New York Times , access-date=March 18, 2021 , url-access=limited , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524075418/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/02/movies/how-does-hollywood-decide-if-a-film-is-a-hit.html , archive-date=May 24, 2015 , url-status=live {{cite web, last=Koning , first=Hans , title=Why Hollywood breeds self-indulgence, url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/18/movies/why-hollywood-breeds-self-indulgence.html , website= The New York Times , date=January 18, 1981 , access-date=March 18, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524084132/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/18/movies/why-hollywood-breeds-self-indulgence.html , archive-date=May 24, 2015 , url-status=live, url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Harmetz , first=Aljean , author-link=Aljean Harmetz , date=January 19, 1981 , title=What were 1980's most popular movie? , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/19/movies/what-were-1980-s-most-popular-movies.html , website= The New York Times , access-date=March 18, 2021 , url-access=limited , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524084619/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/19/movies/what-were-1980-s-most-popular-movies.html , archive-date=May 24, 2015 , url-status=live {{cite web, last=Lewin , first=David , title=Can the makers of ''Star Wars'' do it again? , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/can-the-makers-of-star-wars-do-it-again.html , website= The New York Times , date=December 2, 1979 , access-date=March 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808184319/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/can-the-makers-of-star-wars-do-it-again.html , archive-date=August 8, 2020 , url-status=live, url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Bock , first=Audie , title=Secrecy shrouds a ''Star Wars'' sequel , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/11/movies/moviesspecial/secrecy-shrouds-a-star-wars-sequel.html , website= The New York Times , date=July 11, 1982 , access-date=March 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821093905/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/11/movies/moviesspecial/secrecy-shrouds-a-star-wars-sequel.html , archive-date=August 21, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last= Bova , first= Ben , author-link=Ben Bova , title=Why Hollywood finds profits out of this world , url= https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/13/archives/why-hollywood-finds-profits-out-of-this-world-science-fiction.html , website= The New York Times , date= November 13, 1977 , access-date= August 29, 2021 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210517114653/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/13/archives/why-hollywood-finds-profits-out-of-this-world-science-fiction.html , archive-date= May 17, 2021 , url-status= live, url-access= limited {{cite web , last=Kennedy , first=Harlan , title=Another film that's out of this world , website= The New York Times , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/18/archives/another-film-thats-out-of-this-world.html , date=February 18, 1979 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517114653/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/18/archives/another-film-thats-out-of-this-world.html , archive-date=May 17, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, last1= Higham, first1= Charles, title= What makes Alan Ladd Jr. Hollywood's hottest producer?, url= https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/17/archives/what-makes-alan-ladd-jr-hollywoods-hottest-producer.html, website= The New York Times, date= July 17, 1977, access-date= August 29, 2021, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210517114654/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/17/archives/what-makes-alan-ladd-jr-hollywoods-hottest-producer.html, archive-date= May 17, 2021, url-status= live, url-access= limited {{cite web, last1= Pollack, first1= Andrew, title= The video game sales war, url= https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/business/the-video-game-sales-war.html, website= The New York Times, date= June 9, 1982, access-date= August 29, 2021, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210520125011/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/business/the-video-game-sales-war.html, archive-date= May 20, 2021, url-status= live, url-access= limited {{cite web , first=Marie , last=Winn , title=Why has radio tuned out children? , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/25/arts/why-has-radio-tuned-out-children.html , website= The New York Times , date=September 25, 1983 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524134724/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/25/arts/why-has-radio-tuned-out-children.html , archive-date=May 24, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Harmetz , first=Aljean , author-link=Aljean Harmetz , date=January 30, 1981 , title=''Superman'' breaks record , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/movies/superman-breaks-record.html , website= The New York Times , access-date=March 18, 2021 , url-access=limited , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727181612/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/movies/superman-breaks-record.html , archive-date=July 27, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , last=Harmetz , first=Aljean , author-link=Aljean Harmetz , title=Hollywood is taking aim at the funny bone , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/05/archives/hollywood-is-taking-aim-at-the-funny-bone-hollywood-aims-at-the.html , website= The New York Times , date=August 5, 1979 , access-date=March 16, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316161708/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/05/archives/hollywood-is-taking-aim-at-the-funny-bone-hollywood-aims-at-the.html , archive-date=March 16, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Eric , last=Diaz , title=Why ''The Empire Strikes Back'' is the most important sequel ever , url=https://nerdist.com/article/empire-strikes-back-most-important-sequel/ , publisher= Nerdist Industries , date=May 21, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809230239/https://nerdist.com/article/empire-strikes-back-most-important-sequel/ , archive-date=August 9, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Brandon , last=Katz , title=40 years ago, Yoda showed us the truth of the Force in ''Empire'' , url=https://observer.com/2020/05/star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-yoda-anniversary/ , website= The New York Observer , date=May 15, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525144847/https://observer.com/2020/05/star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-yoda-anniversary/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Brandon , last=Katz , title=No, Disney isn't erasing the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy , url=https://observer.com/2020/07/disney-isnt-ignoring-erasing-star-wars-lucasfilm-box-office/ , website= The New York Observer , date=July 15, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817110804/https://observer.com/2020/07/disney-isnt-ignoring-erasing-star-wars-lucasfilm-box-office/ , archive-date=August 17, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=The 53rd Academy Awards – 1981 , url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981 , publisher= Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812011101/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981 , archive-date=August 12, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web, title = People's Choice Awards , publisher= United Press International , url = https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/06/Peoples-Choice-Awards/4118352702800/, date = March 6, 1981 , access-date =October 8, 2021, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211008134254/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/06/Peoples-Choice-Awards/4118352702800/, archive-date =October 8, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , last=Charisma , first=James , title = Revenge of the movie: 15 sequels that are way better than the originals , website= Playboy , url = http://www.playboy.com/articles/15-sequels-better-than-the-original, date = March 15, 2016 , access-date =November 12, 2020 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160726093750/http://www.playboy.com/articles/15-sequels-better-than-the-original , archive-date = July 26, 2016 , url-status=dead {{Cite web, title=''Empire'' at 40 – Some last-minute magic: Changes to the original ending of ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'', url=https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-ending-changes, last=Seastrom, first=Lucas, date=May 18, 2020, website= StarWars.com, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125155150/https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-ending-changes, archive-date=January 25, 2021, access-date=April 22, 2021 Multiple sources, in chronological order: * {{Cite web, url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b809116f3, title=''Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace'', publisher= British Film Institute, access-date=April 5, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231604/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b809116f3, archive-date=April 5, 2021, url-status=live * {{Cite web, url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8318ab4d, title=''Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones'', publisher= British Film Institute, access-date=April 5, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231648/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8318ab4d, archive-date=April 5, 2021, url-status=live * {{Cite web, url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88f414fd, title=''Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith'', publisher= British Film Institute, access-date=April 5, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231831/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88f414fd, archive-date=April 5, 2021, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://qz.com/530524/we-should-think-of-leia-as-a-politician-as-much-as-a-princess/ , title=We should think of Leia from ''Star Wars'' as a politician as much as a princess , first=Mike , last=Murphy , date=October 23, 2015 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= Quartz , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025190244/https://qz.com/530524/we-should-think-of-leia-as-a-politician-as-much-as-a-princess/ , archive-date=October 25, 2018 , url-status=live, url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Vincent , last=Canby , author-link=Vincent Canby , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' strikes a bland note , url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/061580empire.html , website= The New York Times , date=June 15, 1981 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525193727/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/061580empire.html , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Charles , last=Champlin , title=From the archives: In the ''Star Wars'' saga, ''Empire'' strikes forward , url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-in-the-star-wars-saga-empire-strikes-forward-20151202-story.html , date=May 18, 1980 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , website= Los Angeles Times , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612222617/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-in-the-star-wars-saga-empire-strikes-forward-20151202-story.html , archive-date=June 12, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Gene , last=Siskel , author-link=Gene Siskel , title=''Star Wars Episode VII'' , url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-05-20-0505200368-story.html , website= Chicago Tribune , date=May 20, 2005 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020174433/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-05-20-0505200368-story.html , archive-date=October 20, 2018 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Maslin , first=Janet , author-link=Janet Maslin , title=Film: Robots return in ''Empire Strikes'':''Star Wars'' sequel , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/21/archives/film-robots-return-in-empire-strikesstar-wars-sequel.html , website= The New York Times , date=May 21, 1980 , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831165843/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/21/archives/film-robots-return-in-empire-strikesstar-wars-sequel.html , archive-date=August 31, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Dave , last=Kehr , author-link=Dave Kehr , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/3101_EMPIRE_STRIKES_BACK , website=
Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...
, date= , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207084901/http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/3101_EMPIRE_STRIKES_BACK , archive-date=December 7, 2004 , url-status=dead
{{cite web , first=Judith , last=Martin , author-link=Judith Martin , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm , website= The Washington Post , date=May 23, 1980 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202220036/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm , archive-date=February 2, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, first=Gerald , last=Clarke , title=''The Empire Strikes Back''! , page=3 , url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924122-3,00.html , date=May 19, 1980 , website= Time , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113144024/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924122-3,00.html , archive-date=November 13, 2007 , url-status=dead , url-access=limited {{cite magazine , first=Gerald , last=Clarke , title=''The Empire Strikes Back''! , page=5 , url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924122-5,00.html , date=May 19, 1980 , magazine= Time , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113144024/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924122-5,00.html , archive-date=November 13, 2007 , url-status=dead , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Arthur , last=Knight , author-link=arthur Knight (film critic) , title=''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'': THR's 1980 review , url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/empire-strikes-back-review-1980-movie-752672/ , website= The Hollywood Reporter , date=November 28, 2014 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829041917/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/empire-strikes-back-review-1980-movie-752672/ , archive-date=August 29, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Gary , last=Arnold , title=Darth Vader's surprise attack , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackarnold.htm , website= The Washington Post , date=May 18, 1980 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528051212/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackarnold.htm , archive-date=May 28, 2020 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Richard , last=Combs , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' archive review: return of the gimmicks , url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/empire-strikes-back-star-wars-episode-v , date=December 18, 2019 , publisher= British Film Institute , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820042139/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/empire-strikes-back-star-wars-episode-v , archive-date=August 20, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Joy , last=Gould Boyum , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111653069458538291 , website= The Wall Street Journal , date=May 27, 1980 , access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801030307/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111653069458538291 , archive-date=August 1, 2016 , url-status=live , url-access=subscription {{cite web , first= James , last= Harwood , title= Review: ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url= http://variety.com/1980/film/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1200424800/ , website= Variety , date= May 7, 1980 , access-date= August 30, 2021 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210830204108/https://variety.com/1980/film/reviews/the-empire-strikes-back-1200424800/ , archive-date= August 30, 2021 , url-status= dead {{cite web , first=Benjamin , last=Bullard , title=Roger Kastel's original ''Empire Strikes Back'' poster fetches mega credits at auction , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/roger-kastels-original-empire-strikes-back-poster-fetches-mega-credits-at-auction , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=July 31, 2018 , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901215022/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/roger-kastels-original-empire-strikes-back-poster-fetches-mega-credits-at-auction , archive-date=September 1, 2021 , url-status=live
{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes , id={{RT data, rtid, noprefix=y , type=m , title=The Empire Strikes Back , access-date={{RT data, access date , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228040629/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_strikes_back , archive-date=February 28, 2021 , url-status=live , publisher_hide=yes{{RT data, edit {{cite web , first=Patrick , last=Cremona , title=Donald Glover rumoured to be returning as Lando Calrissian for new Disney+ series , url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/lando-calrission-series-donald-glover-disney-plus/ , website=
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
, date=July 22, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525151854/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/lando-calrission-series-donald-glover-disney-plus/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web, title=Readers' poll: The 25 greatest movie sequels, url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/readers-poll-the-25-greatest-movie-sequels-10408/22-psycho-ii-207339/, website= Rolling Stone, date=February 26, 2014, access-date=May 26, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525122559/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/readers-poll-the-25-greatest-movie-sequels-10408/24-from-russia-with-love-207219/, archive-date=May 25, 2021, url-status=live, url-access=limited {{cite web , title=The 100 best sequels of all time , url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-sequels-of-all-time/ , publisher= Rotten Tomatoes , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819091345/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-sequels-of-all-time/ , archive-date=August 19, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=The 50 best movie and TV show twists of all time , url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/10/20/21523663/movie-tv-twists-ranked-ranking , website= The Ringer , date=October 20, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310070405/https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/10/20/21523663/movie-tv-twists-ranked-ranking , archive-date=March 10, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Saturn Award – Past award winners , url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html , publisher=
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is an American non-profit organization established in 1972 dedicated to the advancement of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Academy is headquarter ...
, access-date=August 30, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311075533/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html , archive-date=March 11, 2005 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Ben , last=Moore , title=''Star Wars'' Blu-ray: List of changes to the original trilogy , url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-bluray-changes/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=September 14, 2011 , access-date=October 8, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710175242/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-bluray-changes/ , archive-date=July 10, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Murray , last=Ferguson , title=''Star Wars'' deleted scene explains why Obi-Wan lied about Anakin's death , url=https://screenrant.com/return-jedi-obiwan-anakin-luke-yoda-lie-deleted-scene/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=July 7, 2021 , access-date=September 18, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710214952/https://screenrant.com/return-jedi-obiwan-anakin-luke-yoda-lie-deleted-scene/ , archive-date=July 10, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Ben , last=Sherlock , title=''Star Wars'': Yoda's 10 greatest moments, ranked , url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-yodas-best-moments-ranked-movie/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=July 5, 2019 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525151925/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-yodas-best-moments-ranked-movie/ , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web, first=Bob , last=Stephens , title=Blue skies, dark knights, url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1997/02/21/WEEKEND9376.dtl , website= San Francisco Chronicle , date=February 21, 1997 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525015847/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fe%2Fa%2F1997%2F02%2F21%2FWEEKEND9376.dtl, archive-date=May 25, 2006, url-status=live, url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Scott , last=Snowden , title=The effect of ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' can still be felt after 40 years , url=https://www.space.com/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-40th-anniversary.html , website= Space.com , date=June 4, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525193720/https://www.space.com/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-40th-anniversary.html , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Bryan , last=Young , title='There is another': ''Star Wars'' actors, creators, and fans on ''The Empire Strikes Back''{{'s enduring legacy at 40 , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-legacy-40th-anniversary , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=May 21, 2020 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524221424/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-legacy-40th-anniversary , archive-date=May 24, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Ben, last=Sherlock , url=https://screenrant.com/the-empire-strikes-back-why-its-perfect-sequel-to-star-wars-a-new-hope/ , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'': 10 ways it's the perfect sequel to the original ''Star Wars'' movie , date=June 28, 2021, access-date=November 18, 2021 , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711041343/https://screenrant.com/the-empire-strikes-back-why-its-perfect-sequel-to-star-wars-a-new-hope/ , archive-date=July 11, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Hannah , last=Shaw-Williams , url=https://screenrant.com/disney-retitled-star-wars-new-hope/ , title=Disney has retitled the original ''Star Wars'' movie , date=April 11, 2019 , access-date=April 22, 2021 , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417025549/https://screenrant.com/disney-retitled-star-wars-new-hope/ , archive-date=April 17, 2019 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Adrienne , last=Tyler , title=''Star Wars'' movies are better on Disney+ (they fix Lucas changes) , url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-movies-disney-plus-better-fix-lucas-changes/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=November 21, 2019 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518220834/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-movies-disney-plus-better-fix-lucas-changes/ , archive-date=May 18, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Ben , last=Sherlock , title=''Star Wars'': 10 sequel trends set by ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://screenrant.com/sequel-trends-started-star-wars-empire-strikes-back/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=January 3, 2021 , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125183802/https://screenrant.com/sequel-trends-started-star-wars-empire-strikes-back/ , archive-date=January 25, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, title=Lucasfilm defends DVD changes , url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-film.html?2004-09/09/11.30.film , date=September 9, 2004 , access-date=February 18, 2007 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012160923/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-film.html?2004-09%2F09%2F11.30.film , archive-date=October 12, 2007 , url-status=dead
{{cite web , first=Thomas , last=Bacon , title=Sequels vs. prequels: Which ''Star Wars'' trilogy is better , url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-sequel-prequel-trilogies-comparison-better/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=December 7, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217033234/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-sequel-prequel-trilogies-comparison-better/ , archive-date=December 17, 2020 , url-status=live
{{cite web , url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-07/how-disney-bought-lucasfilm-and-its-plans-for-star-wars , title=How Disney bought Lucasfilm—and its plans for ''Star Wars'' , last=Leonard , first=Devin , date=March 7, 2013 , website= Bloomberg Businessweek , access-date=April 2, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930150541/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-03-07/how-disney-bought-lucasfilm-and-its-plans-for-star-wars, archive-date=September 30, 2017, url-status=live, url-access=subscription {{Cite web, last=Lussier, first=Germain, url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/lets-dive-into-star-wars-the-skywalker-sagas-27-disc-b-1842496774, date=March 27, 2020, title=Let's dive into ''Star Wars'': The Skywalker Saga's 27-disc box set, website= io9, access-date=March 13, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313074612/https://io9.gizmodo.com/lets-dive-into-star-wars-the-skywalker-sagas-27-disc-b-1842496774, archive-date=March 13, 2021, url-status=live {{cite web , first1=Dan, last1=Brooks , first2=Kristen , last2=Braver , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-battle-of-hoth-oral-history, title=''Empire'' at 40 – Snow walkers, stop motion, and dumpster lids: An oral history of the battle of Hoth, date=August 9, 2015 , access-date=November 18, 2021 , website= StarWars.com , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127075941/https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-battle-of-hoth-oral-history , archive-date=January 27, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first1=Jamie , last1=Greene , first2=Michael , last2=Moreci , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/from-a-certain-point-of-view-was-obi-wan-right , title=From a certain point of view: Was Obi-Wan right to say Darth Vader killed Luke's father? , date=August 9, 2015 , access-date=September 18, 2021 , website= StarWars.com , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303093649/https://www.starwars.com/news/from-a-certain-point-of-view-was-obi-wan-right , archive-date=March 3, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=John , last=Morton , author-link=John Morton (actor) , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/interview-john-ratzenberger-major-bren-derlin-master-of-the-improv , title=Interview: John Ratzenberger – Major Bren Derlin, master of the improv , date=February 11, 2015 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= StarWars.com , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025123/https://www.starwars.com/news/interview-john-ratzenberger-major-bren-derlin-master-of-the-improv , archive-date=October 26, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Pete , last=Vilmur , url=http://www.starwars.com/news/an-empire-day-to-remember , title=An 'Empire Day' to remember , date=November 17, 2014, website= StarWars.com , access-date=April 22, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408043710/http://www.starwars.com/news/an-empire-day-to-remember, archive-date=April 8, 2016, url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.gettyimagesgallery.com/images/the-empire-strikes-back-premiere/ , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' premiere , date=October 24, 2019 , publisher=
Getty Images Getty Images Holdings, Inc. is an American visual media company and is a supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers, with a library of over 477 million assets. It targets three markets— creative ...
, access-date=April 22, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422134616/https://www.gettyimagesgallery.com/images/the-empire-strikes-back-premiere/ , archive-date=April 22, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Shaurya , last=Thapa , title=10 nostaglic ''Star Wars'' arcade games guaranteed to take you back to 1983 (ranked by how good they were) , url=https://screenrant.com/most-nostalgic-star-wars-arcade-games-ranked/ , website=
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
, date=March 1, 2021 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520125017/https://screenrant.com/most-nostalgic-star-wars-arcade-games-ranked/ , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Glenn , last=Greenberg , title=When Marvel Comics had to go beyond the ''Empire Strikes Back'' (but not too far) , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/marvel-star-wars-empire-strikes-back-comics , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=May 23, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519123932/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/marvel-star-wars-empire-strikes-back-comics , archive-date=May 19, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , last=Dean , first=Tres , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/empire-strikes-backs-bounty-hunter-scene-perfectly-captures-star-wars , title=''The Empire Strikes Back''{{'s bounty hunter scene perfectly captures what makes ''Star Wars'' so great , date=May 25, 2020 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028033307/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/empire-strikes-backs-bounty-hunter-scene-perfectly-captures-star-wars , archive-date=October 28, 2020 , url-status=live
{{cite web , last=Wenz , first=John , title=The first ''Star Wars'' sequel: Inside the writing of Splinter of the Mind's Eye , url=https://syfy.com/syfywire/the-first-star-wars-sequel-inside-the-writing-of-splinter-of-the-minds-eye , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=January 1, 2018 , access-date=February 24, 2019, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930231749/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-first-star-wars-sequel-inside-the-writing-of-splinter-of-the-minds-eye, archive-date=September 30, 2018, url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Bryan , last=Young , title=''Star Wars'' weekly: Sith Troopers at SDCC and a long-lost Lucas doc , url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-weekly-sith-troopers-at-sdcc-and-a-long-lost-lucas-doc , website=
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
, date=July 19, 2019 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518214851/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-weekly-sith-troopers-at-sdcc-and-a-long-lost-lucas-doc , archive-date=May 18, 2021 , url-status=live
{{cite web , first=Mark , last=Newbold , title=''Empire'' novelizations through the years{{nbsp...and around the world , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-empire-novelizations , website= StarWars.com , date=November 17, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711012510/https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-empire-novelizations , archive-date=July 11, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Critical Opinion: ''The Empire Strikes Back''{{'s original reviews , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-empire-strikes-back-original-reviews , website=Star Wars , date=January 23, 2014 , access-date=May 30, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416061033/http://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-empire-strikes-back-original-reviews , archive-date=April 16, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Collectibles from the Outer Rim: ''Star Wars'' VHS releases! , website= StarWars.com , date=November 10, 2015, url=https://www.starwars.com/news/collectibles-from-the-outer-rim-star-wars-vhs-releases , access-date=August 29, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910102031/https://www.starwars.com/news/collectibles-from-the-outer-rim-star-wars-vhs-releases , archive-date=September 10, 2019 , url-status=live {{cite web , title=Studying Skywalkers: Themes in ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' , website= StarWars.com , date=December 16, 2015 , url=https://www.starwars.com/news/studying-skywalkers-themes-in-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309005720/https://www.starwars.com/news/studying-skywalkers-themes-in-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back , archive-date=March 9, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/preorder_bluray/index.html , title=Pre-order ''Star Wars'': The complete saga on Blu-ray now! , website= StarWars.com , date=January 6, 2011 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109001917/http://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/preorder_bluray/index.html , archive-date=January 9, 2011 {{cite web, title= ''Empire'' at 40 | Great gifts for fans of ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' – updated, url= https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-great-gifts-for-fans-of-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back, website= StarWars.com, date= May 21, 2020, access-date= August 29, 2021, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210520132804/https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-great-gifts-for-fans-of-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back, archive-date= May 20, 2021, url-status= live Multiple sources, in chronological order: * {{cite web , first=Bill , last=Detwill , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' gifts for the ultimate ''Star Wars'' fan , page=1 , url=https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/ , website= TechRepublic , date=May 21, 2010 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520132917/https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/ , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live , ref=none * {{cite web , first=Bill , last=Detwill , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' gifts for the ultimate ''Star Wars'' fan -, page= 9 , url=https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/9/ , website= TechRepublic , date=May 21, 2010 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520132918/https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/9/ , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live , ref=none * {{cite web , first=Bill , last=Detwill , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' gifts for the ultimate ''Star Wars'' fan – , page=10 , url=https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/10/ , website= TechRepublic , date=May 21, 2010 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520132916/https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/the-empire-strikes-back-gifts-for-the-ultimate-star-wars-fan/10/ , archive-date=May 20, 2021 , url-status=live , ref=none {{cite web , first=Tim , last=Robey , title=10 films that influenced ''Star Wars'' , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars--a-new-hope/movies-influences-george-lucas/ , website= The Daily Telegraph , date=December 14, 2015 , access-date=September 1, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309234618/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars--a-new-hope/movies-influences-george-lucas/ , archive-date=March 9, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/19/actor_who_played_rogue_two_in_star_wars_dies_aged_67/ , title=Actor who played Rogue Two in ''Star Wars'' dies aged 67 , first=Lewis , last=Page , date=February 19, 2014 , access-date=October 25, 2018 , website= The Register , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025119/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/19/actor_who_played_rogue_two_in_star_wars_dies_aged_67/ , archive-date=October 26, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web, title=Hollywood's 100 favorite films , url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/100-best-films-ever-hollywood-favorites-818512/item/amadeus-hollywoods-100-favorite-films-818460 , date=June 25, 2014 , website= The Hollywood Reporter, access-date=July 5, 2019 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020184656/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/100-best-films-ever-hollywood-favorites-818512/item/amadeus-hollywoods-100-favorite-films-818460 , archive-date=October 20, 2017 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Ben , last=Child , title=Would George Lucas's ''Star Wars'' sequels have been better than Disney's? , url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/12/george-lucas-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-disney , website= The Guardian , date=November 12, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515224001/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/12/george-lucas-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-disney , archive-date=May 15, 2021 , url-status=live {{Cite The Numbers , id=Empire-Strikes-Back-The , title=Star Wars Ep. V: The Empire Strikes Back , access-date=February 3, 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629191738/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-V-The-Empire-Strikes-Back#tab=summary , archive-date=June 29, 2021 , url-status=live , publisher_hide=yes {{cite web, first=Eliana , last=Dockterman , date=December 13, 2016 , title=How ''Rogue One'' fits into the ''Star Wars'' timeline , url=https://time.com/4594017/rogue-one-star-wars-timeline/ , website= Time , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817153226/https://time.com/4594017/rogue-one-star-wars-timeline/ , archive-date=August 17, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, title=Cinema: Cinema, May 19, 1980 , website= Time , date=May 19, 1980 , url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,924123,00.html, access-date=April 22, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720223730/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,924123,00.html , archive-date=July 20, 2020 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, first=Eliana , last=Dockterman , title=35 sequels that are better than the original movie , url=https://time.com/5353143/sequels-better-than-original/ , website= Time , date=August 30, 2018 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824083545/https://time.com/5353143/sequels-better-than-original/ , archive-date=August 24, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Asher-Perrin , first=Emmet , title=You must unlearn what you have learned: How ''The Empire Strikes Back'' ruined everything , url=https://www.tor.com/2011/05/25/you-must-unlearn-what-you-have-learned-how-the-empire-strikes-back-ruined-everything/ , website= Tor.com , date=May 25, 2011 , access-date=August 31, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701171700/https://www.tor.com/2011/05/25/you-must-unlearn-what-you-have-learned-how-the-empire-strikes-back-ruined-everything/ , archive-date=July 1, 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/100-greatest-movies-of-all-time/page:9 , title=Film features: 100 greatest movies of all time , website= Total Film , access-date=June 17, 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210200551/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/100-greatest-movies-of-all-time/page:9, archive-date=February 10, 2010, url-status=live {{cite web , first=Brian , last=Truitt , title=May the fourth be with you: The definitive ranking of all 11 ''Star Wars'' movies , url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/12/19/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-all-11-movies-ranked/2691349001/ , website= USA Today , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308172634/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/12/19/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-all-11-movies-ranked/2691349001/ , archive-date=March 8, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2010/10/the-making-of-the-empire-strikes-back-201010, title=Impressive. Most impressive. , date=October 15, 2010 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , website= Vanity Fair , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811111557/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2010/10/the-making-of-the-empire-strikes-back-201010 , archive-date=August 11, 2020 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Moreau , first=Jordan , url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/billy-dee-williams-the-rise-of-skywalker-lando-calrissian-1203421823/ , title=Billy Dee Williams on getting back into Lando's cape for ''The Rise Of Skywalker'' , date=December 5, 2019 , access-date=March 19, 2021 , website= Variety , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408014909/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/billy-dee-williams-the-rise-of-skywalker-lando-calrissian-1203421823/ , archive-date=April 8, 2020 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Ian Carlos , last=Campbell , title=Yoda has no time for shoes, but you might for Adidas' Yoda-themed sneakers , url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/23/22399753/adidas-yoda-shoes-stan-smith-star-wars-feet , website= The Verge , date=April 23, 2021 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525151900/https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/23/22399753/adidas-yoda-shoes-stan-smith-star-wars-feet , archive-date=May 25, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Mike , last=Ryan , title=Lucasfilm's J.W. Rinzler talks about ''The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' , url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/10/jw-rinzler-talks-about-the-making-of-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back , website= Vanity Fair , date=October 11, 2010 , access-date= , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812121430/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/10/jw-rinzler-talks-about-the-making-of-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back , archive-date=August 12, 2020 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first=Mike , last=Ryan , title=Boba Fett on the ''Empire Strikes Back'', that crazy suit, and the ''Star Wars'' legacy , url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/10/boba-fett-talks-about-the-empire-strikes-back-that-crazy-suit-and-the-star-wars-legacy , website= Vanity Fair , date=October 8, 2010 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211194534/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/10/boba-fett-talks-about-the-empire-strikes-back-that-crazy-suit-and-the-star-wars-legacy , archive-date=February 11, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , first1= Peter , last1= Debruge , first2=Owen , last2=Gleiberman , first3=Lisa , last3=Kennedy , first4=Jessica , last4=Kiang , first5=Tomris , last5=Laffly , first6=Guy , last6=Lodge , first7=Amy , last7=Nicholson , title=The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time , url=https://variety.com/lists/best-movies-of-all-time/the-empire-strikes-back-1980/ , website= Variety , date=December 21, 2022 , access-date=December 21, 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221172033/https://variety.com/lists/best-movies-of-all-time/the-empire-strikes-back-1980/ , archive-date=December 21, 2022 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Kristopher , last=Tarly , title=Inside ''Solo: A Star Wars Story''{{'s bumpy ride to the big screen , url=https://variety.com/2018/film/features/solo-a-star-wars-story-directors-reshoots-ron-howard-1202817841/ , website= Variety , date=May 22, 2018 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817133703/https://variety.com/2018/film/features/solo-a-star-wars-story-directors-reshoots-ron-howard-1202817841/ , archive-date=August 17, 2021 , url-status=live {{cite web , first=Matthew, last=Yglesias , title=This is the best version of ''Star Wars'' — and watching it is a crime, url=https://www.vox.com/2015/1/30/7952859/despecialized-edition-download , website= Variety , date=May 12, 2015 , access-date=December 20, 2021 , archive-url=https://archive.today/pbnEN , archive-date=January 31, 2015 , url-status=live {{cite web, first=Jamie , last=Benning , title=Jamie Benning reviews the ''Star Wars'' Blu-ray set , url=https://www.wired.com/2011/09/jamie-benning-reviews-the-star-wars-blu-ray-set/ , website= Wired , date=September 16, 2011 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116042251/https://www.wired.com/2011/09/jamie-benning-reviews-the-star-wars-blu-ray-set/ , archive-date=January 16, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, first=Drew , last=Stewart , title=Disney+ should offer the ''Star Wars'' original cuts—all of them , url=https://www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus/ , website= Wired , date=March 31, 2020 , access-date=August 29, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303152849/https://www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus/ , archive-date=March 3, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web, first=Alyssa , last=Rosenberg , title=Opinion: ''Star Wars'' and the enduring appeal of Lando Calrissian , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/11/13/star-wars-and-the-enduring-appeal-of-lando-calrissian/ , website= The Washington Post , date=November 13, 2015 , access-date=May 26, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829230712/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/11/13/star-wars-and-the-enduring-appeal-of-lando-calrissian/ , archive-date=August 29, 2021 , url-status=live , url-access=limited {{cite web , last=Kornheiser , first=Tony , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/05/19/the-empire-strikes-back/02fcd9c0-4abf-4f69-9ab3-a7228c669e40/ , title=''The Empire Strikes Back'' , date=May 19, 1980 , access-date=April 22, 2021 , website= The Washington Post , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422131543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/05/19/the-empire-strikes-back/02fcd9c0-4abf-4f69-9ab3-a7228c669e40/ , archive-date=April 22, 2021 , url-status=dead , url-access=limited {{cite web, last=Anders, first=Charlie Jane , url=https://www.wired.com/2010/10/10-things-empire-strikes-back/ , title=10 things you didn't know about ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , date=December 10, 2010 , access-date=March 15, 2021 , website= Wired , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218203244/https://www.wired.com/2010/10/10-things-empire-strikes-back/ , archive-date=December 18, 2015 , url-status=live , url-access=limited


Works cited

Books * {{cite book , title=Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of Making the Empire Strikes Back , last=Arnold , first=Alan , url=https://archive.org/details/OnceUponAGalaxyAJournalOfTheMakingOfTheEmpireStrikesBackAlanArnold.rar/page/n153/mode/2up , publisher= Sphere Books , location=London , year=1980 , isbn=978-0-345-29075-5 , ref={{sfnref, Arnold, Alan, 1980 * {{Cite book , first=Marcus , last=Hearn , title=The Cinema of George Lucas , url=https://archive.org/details/cinemageorgeluca00hear , url-access=limited , publisher=
H. N. Abrams Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michae ...
, year=2005 , location=New York City , isbn=978-0-8109-4968-3 * {{cite book , last=Rinzler , first=J. W. , author-link=J. W. Rinzler , title=The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , url=https://archive.org/details/TheMakingOfTheEmpireStrikesBackJWRinzler/mode/2up , publisher=
Aurum Press The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
, location=London , year=2010 , isbn=978-1-84513-555-3, oclc=657407687 * {{cite book, last=Schneider, first=Steven Jay, title=
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die ''1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die'' is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics. It is a part of a series designed and produced by Quintessence Editions, a ...
, chapter=1980s, date=2013, publisher= Murdoch Books Pty Limited, location=Boston, Massachusetts , isbn=978-0-7641-6613-6 Journals * {{cite magazine, last=Lancashire , first=Anne , title= Complex Design in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. , journal=Film Criticism , volume=5 , number=3 , date=1981 , pages= 38–52 , url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44018994 , publisher= Allegheny College , location=Pennsylvania, United States, jstor=44018994 Magazines * {{cite magazine, title=Box Office News , magazine= Variety , location=Los Angeles , volume=375 , issue=1 , date=May 17, 1999 , url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A54701224/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=ITOF&xid=767a73b0 , access-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live , issn= , ref={{sfnref, Variety, May, 1999 * {{cite magazine , first= Gerald , last=Clarke , author-link=Gerald Clarke (author), title=''The Empire Strikes Back''! And so does George Lucas in the second of his ''Star Wars'' epics. , url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=54218184&site=ehost-live , date= May 19, 1980 , magazine= Time , access-date=September 1, 2021 , volume=115 , issue=20 , page=66, location=New York City, url-status=live, ref={{sfnref, ClarkeB, 1980 * {{cite magazine , first= David, last=Denby , author-link=David Denby , title=''Star Wars'' Strikes Back , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOUCAAAAMBAJ&q=New+York+Magazine+David+Denby+Star+Wars+67+George+Lucas&pg=PA67 , date= May 26, 1980 , magazine= The New Yorker , access-date=August 30, 2021 , url-status=live * {{cite magazine, last=Groves , first=Dan , title='Back' Strikes Big in O'seas B.O. , magazine= Variety , location=Los Angeles , volume=366 , issue=11 , date=April 14, 1997 , url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19513513/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=AONE&xid=cdac6da1 , access-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live , issn= * {{cite magazine, last=Mandell, first=Paul , title=Tauntauns, Walkers and Probots , magazine=
Cinefex ''Cinefex'' launched in 1980, was a quarterly journal covering visual effects in films. Each issue featured lengthy, detailed articles that described the creative and technical processes behind current films, the information drawn from interviews ...
, location=Riverdale, CA , issue=3 , date=December 1980 , url=https://cinefex.com/backissues/issue3.htm , access-date=February 18, 2021 , url-status=live , issn= * {{cite magazine, last=Packer , first=David S. , date= November 1980 , issue=40 , pages=16–20, 61, title=Mark Hamill , magazine=
Starlog ''Starlog'' was a monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on '' Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in August 1976. ...
, publisher= Starlog Group, Inc. , location=New York , url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-040/page/n15/mode/2up?q=empire+strikes+back, access-date=October 31, 2020 * {{cite magazine, last=Shay , first=Don , title=Of Ice Planets, Bog Planets and Cities in the Sky , magazine=
Cinefex ''Cinefex'' launched in 1980, was a quarterly journal covering visual effects in films. Each issue featured lengthy, detailed articles that described the creative and technical processes behind current films, the information drawn from interviews ...
, location=Riverdale, CA , issue=2 , date=August 1980 , url=https://cinefex.com/backissues/issue2.htm , access-date=February 18, 2021 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902163126/https://cinefex.com/backissues/issue2.htm , archive-date=September 2, 2021 , issn= * {{cite magazine , magazine=
Daily Variety ''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based ...
, title=Smokey 2 No. 1 in Domestic B.O. Maiden Wk. With $17,805,900 , date=August 25, 1980, location=Los Angeles , ref={{sfnref, Variety, August, 1980 * {{cite magazine, last=Woods , first=Mark , title=''Liar'' Leads, But ''Selena'' Cooks in Mexico , magazine= Variety , location=Los Angeles , volume=367 , issue=2 , date=May 12, 1997 , url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19693395/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=AONE&xid=6343f1c4 , access-date=April 20, 2021 , url-status=live , issn= Newspapers * {{cite news , last=Buckley , first=Tom , date=May 16, 1980 , title=At the Movies; The 'Force' behind ''Empire Strikes Back''. , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/16/archives/at-the-movies-the-force-behind-empire-strikes-back.html , page=C13, work= The New York Times , location=New York , access-date=March 17, 2021, url-access=limited , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317141149/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/16/archives/at-the-movies-the-force-behind-empire-strikes-back.html , archive-date=March 17, 2021 , url-status=live * {{cite news , date=May 24, 1980 , title=''Empire Strikes'' Tops ''Star Wars'' Opening Sales , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/24/archives/empire-strikes-tops-star-wars-opening-sales.html?searchResultPosition=12 , page=13, work= The New York Times , location=New York , access-date=March 17, 2021, url-access=limited , archive-url=, archive-date= , url-status=live , ref={{sfnref, The New York Times, May, 1980 * {{cite news , date=June 1, 1980 , title=Hollywood: The ''Empire'' Strikes It Rich, url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/01/archives/hollywood-the-empire-strikes-it-rich.html , page=F19 , work= The New York Times , location=New York , access-date=March 18, 2021, url-access=limited , archive-url=, archive-date= , url-status=live , ref={{sfnref, The New York Times, June, 1980


External links

* {{Official website, https://www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-episode-v-the-empire-strikes-back at {{URL, starwars.com * {{Official website, https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/episode-v/ at {{URL, lucasfilm.com/, Lucasfilm.com * {{IMDb title, 80684 * {{Tcmdb title, 74051 * {{Amg title, 15750
''Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back''
at
Filmsite.org Filmsite is a film-review website established in 1996 by senior editor and film critic-historian Tim Dirks, and continues to be managed and edited by him for over two decades. Overview The site contains over 300 detailed reviews of English langu ...
* {{AFI film, 56403 {{Navboxes , title = ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , list ={{Star Wars Trilogy {{Irvin Kershner {{Star Wars {{George Lucas {{Lawrence Kasdan {{Lucasfilm {{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' , list = {{Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation 1981–2002 {{Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film 1972–1990 {{Yearly highest-grossing US films {{Subject bar, portal1=1980s, portal2=Film , portal3=United States, portal4=Science fiction, commons=yes, n=no, wikt=no, q=no, d=no, voy=no, d-search=Q181795 {{Authority control {{bots, deny=Citation bot {{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Strikes Back, The 1980 science fiction films 1980s English-language films 1980s science fiction action films 20th Century Fox films American science fiction action films American science fiction war films American sequel films Articles containing video clips BAFTA winners (films) Fiction about rebellions Films directed by Irvin Kershner Films produced by Gary Kurtz Films scored by John Williams Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios Films shot in Norway Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award Films using stop-motion animation Films with screenplays by George Lucas Films with screenplays by Leigh Brackett Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation winning works Lucasfilm films Science fantasy films Science fiction adventure films Star Wars Skywalker Saga films United States National Film Registry films 1980s American films