Because he and George Lucas didn't get along. Also, Prowse was not a classically trained actor and likely couldn't bring the gravitas to the unmasked Vader.
It was considered tradition. However, the tradition was broken with The Force Awakens. Originally planned for May 2015, it was pushed back to December. And all subsequent theatrical releases had to keep the December release schedule in order to release 1 per year.
Lucasfilm attempted to move back to the May release schedule with Solo: A Star Wars Story at the insistence of Disney CEO, Bob Iger. However, due to several factors, Solo performed poorly and it was decided to return to the December release for The Rise of Skywalker.
Sheev Palpatine was born in 84 BBY. Return of the Jedi takes place in 4 ABY; making him 88 years old.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was born in 41 BBY. The film takes place in 4 ABY. Making him 45 years old.
This film takes place in 4 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). So 1 year after Empire Strikes Back and 4 years after A New Hope.
After rescuing the carbonite-encrusted Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), the Wookie Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and androids R2D2 (Kenny Baker) and 3-CPO (Anthony Daniels), regroup at the Rebel base and set out to destroy the Galactic Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) new and more powerful DeathStar, while Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) attempts to save his father, Darth Vader (David Prowse; voice of James Earl Jones), from the Dark Force.
No. Return of the Jedi is the third movie to be released in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy, preceded by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (1980). The original trilogy was then followed by a second trilogy of movies: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) (1999), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (2005), actually prequels to the original storyline. The story for Return of the Jedi was written by Lucas, who also wrote the screenplay along with American screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. The movie was novelized in 1983 by American writer James Kahn.
Return of the Jedi takes place roughly a year after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, and four years after the events of A New Hope.
No. Although Leia proved her strength and courage in this film during several battle scenes, she has had no actual Jedi training; even though she has the potential to be a Jedi Knight, like Luke states, "You have that power, too. In time, you'll learn to use it as I have", implying he would train her. In Rise of Skywalker, it's revealed that Luke did train her in the ways of the force. But she opted to continue as a politician instead of becoming a Jedi.
A Jedi's training consists of more than lightsaber lessons, physical training and education in Force control; as every Padawan (an individual undergoing Jedi training) had to complete the Jedi Trials in order to become a Jedi Knight. In old times, these trials were often done inside areas of the Jedi Temple, where the Force would create physical and mental challenges, which tested the candidate's skills, knowledge and determination. Luke faces one of such trials in the cave on Dagobah, where his mind creates Darth Vader as manifestation of his fear, indicating that he is still not in control of the Force.
There are special circumstances in which a Padawan has already proven himself in the field more than enough to earn him the level of Jedi Knight. In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi was ready for the trials according to Qui-Gon Jinn, but he was given the title after defeating a fully-trained Sith Lord almost single-handedly. In the animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) (an interquel to Episodes II and III), Anakin Skywalker earned his title after single-handedly defending an outpost against the Separatists. Yoda and Ben already knew that Luke would not yet be able to defeat Darth Vader, and they feared that he would also be unable to resist the dark side of the Force. However, Luke managed to resist Vader's temptations.
So, despite Luke's unfortunate choice to leave his training early, this may have been considered a successfully completed Jedi Trial. Luke had also made himself a new lightsaber (having lost Anakin's old one during his duel with Darth Vader in the Cloud City), another test necessary in order to become a Jedi Knight. According to Lucas, the ability to create one's own functional lightsaber is one of the last trials toward becoming a Jedi because of the high level of control over the Force, which is necessary to maneuver the crystals that make up the major components of a lightsaber. The slightest miscalculation will cause the lightsaber to explode when first activated. Vader confirms this later after realizing that Luke has constructed a new lightsaber, and he states that Luke's skills are complete because of this accomplishment. Yoda concluded that Luke's training was indeed complete, and there was little more he could learn from him: all that stood in the way of Luke becoming a Jedi Knight was a final confrontation with Vader, the hope being that Luke would bring Anakin back from the dark side.
Also take into account that Yoda was dying and could not exactly leave Luke with the impression that he was not fully trained. This would cause Luke to doubt himself when he most needed confidence.
There are special circumstances in which a Padawan has already proven himself in the field more than enough to earn him the level of Jedi Knight. In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi was ready for the trials according to Qui-Gon Jinn, but he was given the title after defeating a fully-trained Sith Lord almost single-handedly. In the animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) (an interquel to Episodes II and III), Anakin Skywalker earned his title after single-handedly defending an outpost against the Separatists. Yoda and Ben already knew that Luke would not yet be able to defeat Darth Vader, and they feared that he would also be unable to resist the dark side of the Force. However, Luke managed to resist Vader's temptations.
So, despite Luke's unfortunate choice to leave his training early, this may have been considered a successfully completed Jedi Trial. Luke had also made himself a new lightsaber (having lost Anakin's old one during his duel with Darth Vader in the Cloud City), another test necessary in order to become a Jedi Knight. According to Lucas, the ability to create one's own functional lightsaber is one of the last trials toward becoming a Jedi because of the high level of control over the Force, which is necessary to maneuver the crystals that make up the major components of a lightsaber. The slightest miscalculation will cause the lightsaber to explode when first activated. Vader confirms this later after realizing that Luke has constructed a new lightsaber, and he states that Luke's skills are complete because of this accomplishment. Yoda concluded that Luke's training was indeed complete, and there was little more he could learn from him: all that stood in the way of Luke becoming a Jedi Knight was a final confrontation with Vader, the hope being that Luke would bring Anakin back from the dark side.
Also take into account that Yoda was dying and could not exactly leave Luke with the impression that he was not fully trained. This would cause Luke to doubt himself when he most needed confidence.
If by "originally" you mean since the very first draft, no. The earliest draft has General Luke Skywalker as an aging Jedi Master, while Anakin Starkiller is his apprentice. Anakin has a father, Kane Starkiller, and a brother, Deak Starkiller, who is killed by Vader early in the film. The Starkillers live on Utapau (which would eventually appear in the third prequel, Revenge of the Sith. Princess Leia, on the other hand, is the biological daughter of King Kayos and Queen Breha of Aquilae. Her brothers in this draft are Biggs and Windom.
In the second draft, Princess Leia has little more than a cameo. The biography The Cinema of George Lucas describes Leia as the niece of Owen and his wife Beru, and the sister to Biggs, Windy and Luke, who live on the planet Utapau. Deak is not killed. Instead, he is the character held captive by the Empire. Luke and Annikin have been merged into a single character, Luke Starkiller. Biggs and Windy are now the youngest of the Starkiller siblings. Their father is simply known as Starkiller. The droids find Owen, having been instructed by Deak that he will lead them to "Angel Blue" (Luke). The most interesting note about this draft is that it is Luke's brother who takes Leia's place as the Empire's captive. It would seem at this point that Leia had become Luke's sister; however, by the following draft, this would be reversed again. (Interestingly, in the book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, this draft is described with an important difference: Leia is named as Luke's cousin. Therefore, her role in the second draft is not completely certain.)
In the third draft, Leia is from Ogana Major, and from all indications she is the biological daughter of their royal family. In the fourth draft, Ogana Major became Alderaan, and a slightly modified version of the original planet name, "Organa", became Leia's last name. The first draft of The Empire Strikes Back features a brief appearance by the ghost of Luke's father, who tells Luke that he has a sister who is undergoing Jedi training on the other side of the galaxy. Based on this description, the sister in question is clearly not Leia. At one point, Lucas claims to have considered making the principal character a female (some early production art reflects this direction) but eventually decided to keep both "versions" of the character as siblings.
In the second draft, Princess Leia has little more than a cameo. The biography The Cinema of George Lucas describes Leia as the niece of Owen and his wife Beru, and the sister to Biggs, Windy and Luke, who live on the planet Utapau. Deak is not killed. Instead, he is the character held captive by the Empire. Luke and Annikin have been merged into a single character, Luke Starkiller. Biggs and Windy are now the youngest of the Starkiller siblings. Their father is simply known as Starkiller. The droids find Owen, having been instructed by Deak that he will lead them to "Angel Blue" (Luke). The most interesting note about this draft is that it is Luke's brother who takes Leia's place as the Empire's captive. It would seem at this point that Leia had become Luke's sister; however, by the following draft, this would be reversed again. (Interestingly, in the book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, this draft is described with an important difference: Leia is named as Luke's cousin. Therefore, her role in the second draft is not completely certain.)
In the third draft, Leia is from Ogana Major, and from all indications she is the biological daughter of their royal family. In the fourth draft, Ogana Major became Alderaan, and a slightly modified version of the original planet name, "Organa", became Leia's last name. The first draft of The Empire Strikes Back features a brief appearance by the ghost of Luke's father, who tells Luke that he has a sister who is undergoing Jedi training on the other side of the galaxy. Based on this description, the sister in question is clearly not Leia. At one point, Lucas claims to have considered making the principal character a female (some early production art reflects this direction) but eventually decided to keep both "versions" of the character as siblings.
Some people consider this as a major plot hole, whilst, in reality, they did not read too deeply into the mysticism of the films. As it has been suggested that whilst Luke and Vader can sense each other as father and son, it is entirely plausible that Leia inherited feelings and images from her mother, in a sense creating a mother and daughter symmetry to the male-dominated world of the Jedi. Remember that Leia's dialogue mentions "images" and "feelings" as opposed to witnessing events. Yoda does tell Luke that through the Force he could see "old friends long gone." It also should be remembered that while they appear human, these characters come from "a galaxy far, far away" and would not necessarily have the same mental development as an Earth-born human.
It is also possible Leia is not referring to Padmé at all, as she could be referring to Senator Bail Organa's wife. She grew up thinking the Organas were her biological parents, which could be why Leia remembers "images" of her mother. However, this is clearly not the intended meaning of the scene, as Luke does specifically ask Leia "Do you remember your mother? Your real mother?" Leia does not react with surprise at the term "real," which would certainly suggest that she knew at that point that she was adopted, and understood to whom Luke was referring.
The Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) novelization also adds an interesting twist to the whole "How can Leia remember Padmé?" issue. It states that, after Leia's birth she "stared intently in Padmé's direction, as if she wanted to memorize her face." One can assume that it is meant to be implied that this is how she is able to remember Padmé later in life. Why would she be able to remember something from when she was just seconds old, though? Most likely the Force helped her retain the memory. Of course, the account in the novelization of Leia staring at Padmé also raises the question of why this was not the case in the movie. Although the filmmakers most likely would have liked to have something like that in the movie, keep in mind that they were shooting with a very young baby (it is implied in the commentary that the baby they were using for the scenes was not more than a few months old), and infants basically behave in a manner not subject to instruction or direction.
In the canon Princess Leia comic mini-series set between Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia visits Naboo on a mission to rescue survivors of Alderaan who were off world during the planet's destruction. She sees a relief of Padmé on a wall and expresses a strange familiarity with it, which implies she may have had knowledge of Padmé through these Force visions.
The third episode of the canon 'Obi-wan Kenobi' television series solved it by retconing that memory as a vision through the Force, when Obi-wan talks to Leia whilst in the back of a truck.
It is also possible Leia is not referring to Padmé at all, as she could be referring to Senator Bail Organa's wife. She grew up thinking the Organas were her biological parents, which could be why Leia remembers "images" of her mother. However, this is clearly not the intended meaning of the scene, as Luke does specifically ask Leia "Do you remember your mother? Your real mother?" Leia does not react with surprise at the term "real," which would certainly suggest that she knew at that point that she was adopted, and understood to whom Luke was referring.
The Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) novelization also adds an interesting twist to the whole "How can Leia remember Padmé?" issue. It states that, after Leia's birth she "stared intently in Padmé's direction, as if she wanted to memorize her face." One can assume that it is meant to be implied that this is how she is able to remember Padmé later in life. Why would she be able to remember something from when she was just seconds old, though? Most likely the Force helped her retain the memory. Of course, the account in the novelization of Leia staring at Padmé also raises the question of why this was not the case in the movie. Although the filmmakers most likely would have liked to have something like that in the movie, keep in mind that they were shooting with a very young baby (it is implied in the commentary that the baby they were using for the scenes was not more than a few months old), and infants basically behave in a manner not subject to instruction or direction.
In the canon Princess Leia comic mini-series set between Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia visits Naboo on a mission to rescue survivors of Alderaan who were off world during the planet's destruction. She sees a relief of Padmé on a wall and expresses a strange familiarity with it, which implies she may have had knowledge of Padmé through these Force visions.
The third episode of the canon 'Obi-wan Kenobi' television series solved it by retconing that memory as a vision through the Force, when Obi-wan talks to Leia whilst in the back of a truck.
These are hand-drawn garbage mattes. A garbage matte represents a technique of blotting out unwanted areas of a shot, such as the greyish boxes appearing around spacecraft in some scenes, where the matte was used to cut out mounting pylons for the models and other areas not covered by blue screen. In a theatrical presentation, these garbage mattes are generally invisible because of the high contrast of motion picture film; however, the lower range of colors and grayscale supported by home video standards often causes these special effects artifacts to show up when viewed on disc or VHS versions.
He didn't necessarily sense that Luke was his son. Regardless, the easiest (and probably the most likely) explanation for this one is that, as far as he knew, his wife-Padmé-had been pregnant with only one baby and that baby had died with her. (By the tale end of the third prequel, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), he was unaware that the baby had successfully been born before Padmé's death). He later deduced, of course, that Luke was his son, and realized that "the baby" had successfully been born before Padmé's death. But because he was never aware that Padmé had given birth to twins, he would not have had any reason to suspect that he had another child. Vader did not realize Luke was his son until sometime after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). In Return of the Jedi, he does not realize Leia is his daughter until perhaps during his duel with Luke, when, as Luke was hiding, Vader sensed his thoughts and became aware that Luke has a sister that Obi-Wan had hidden from the Sith. Another reason is that; although the Force is strong with Leia, she is no Jedi and has never learned to control the Force. When trying to shoot down Luke in the Battle of Yavin, in A New Hope, Vader could sense that the Force was strong with the Rebel pilot. After learning that Luke's surname is "Skywalker" as Darth Vader's once was, he must have concluded that the boy must be his offspring. As Leia's surname is Organa, she is supposed to be Bail Organa's daughter, and she has no Force powers that Vader can detect. So he has no reason whatsoever to suspect that she might be his daughter.
According to Marvel's canon Darth Vader comics (set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back), he sought out a mortician on Naboo responsible for prepping Padme's body. Under threat of torture, he revealed Padme had given birth to a baby boy, but doesn't say anything about a sister. Additionally, prior to his discover of Luke as his son (which occurred not long before), the comics only say Vader was searching for "the Force-sensitive pilot who destroyed the Death Star." So he didn't know the pilot was his son, at least not right away.
According to Marvel's canon Darth Vader comics (set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back), he sought out a mortician on Naboo responsible for prepping Padme's body. Under threat of torture, he revealed Padme had given birth to a baby boy, but doesn't say anything about a sister. Additionally, prior to his discover of Luke as his son (which occurred not long before), the comics only say Vader was searching for "the Force-sensitive pilot who destroyed the Death Star." So he didn't know the pilot was his son, at least not right away.
Step 1: Palpatine, the Emperor, had commissioned construction on a new Death Star some time before the events in this film, and perhaps shortly after the start of the first.
Step 2: The Emperor allows the Rebel Alliance to discover that the new Death Star is being built and is also being protected by a deflector shield generator present on the forest moon that the Death Star orbits of the remote planet Endor. He likely also allows the fact, that he will be personally overseeing the final stages of construction, to be leaked, so as to draw out as much of the core leadership of the Alliance (including Mon Mothma) as possible.
Step 3: The Emperor places an entire legion of his elite troops on the Endor's forest moon, the Sanctuary Moon, to ambush the Rebels sent to destroy the shield generator (likely some time before sending Vader to the Death Star to "motivate" its crew to get the battle station's signature weapon, the superlaser, operational).
Step 4: Aboard the Death Star, as the Emperor awaits the Rebel attack, Vader comes and informs him that Luke is on the Sanctuary Moon. Vader is then instructed to bring Luke before the Emperor, in order for them to work together to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force.
Step 5: As Luke resists the urge to angrily attempt an assassination of the Emperor, he is informed by the Emperor that elaborate traps for the Rebels on the Sanctuary Moon and for the Rebels assaulting the Death Star have been set, which would result in the entire Rebellion being wiped out in one fell swoop. The Emperor's goading is successful, and a duel between Luke and Vader is incited.
Step 6: After Luke defeats Vader in a lightsaber duel, the Emperor orders Luke to finish Vader and take Vader's place at the Emperor's side. Once Luke refuses, the Emperor tries to kill him but fails. In his arrogance and being distracted with immense fury (as his whole plot has been foiled), he did not expect Vader to save Luke by throwing the Emperor over a railing into the reactor shaft, ending the reign of Palpatine.
Step 2: The Emperor allows the Rebel Alliance to discover that the new Death Star is being built and is also being protected by a deflector shield generator present on the forest moon that the Death Star orbits of the remote planet Endor. He likely also allows the fact, that he will be personally overseeing the final stages of construction, to be leaked, so as to draw out as much of the core leadership of the Alliance (including Mon Mothma) as possible.
Step 3: The Emperor places an entire legion of his elite troops on the Endor's forest moon, the Sanctuary Moon, to ambush the Rebels sent to destroy the shield generator (likely some time before sending Vader to the Death Star to "motivate" its crew to get the battle station's signature weapon, the superlaser, operational).
Step 4: Aboard the Death Star, as the Emperor awaits the Rebel attack, Vader comes and informs him that Luke is on the Sanctuary Moon. Vader is then instructed to bring Luke before the Emperor, in order for them to work together to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force.
Step 5: As Luke resists the urge to angrily attempt an assassination of the Emperor, he is informed by the Emperor that elaborate traps for the Rebels on the Sanctuary Moon and for the Rebels assaulting the Death Star have been set, which would result in the entire Rebellion being wiped out in one fell swoop. The Emperor's goading is successful, and a duel between Luke and Vader is incited.
Step 6: After Luke defeats Vader in a lightsaber duel, the Emperor orders Luke to finish Vader and take Vader's place at the Emperor's side. Once Luke refuses, the Emperor tries to kill him but fails. In his arrogance and being distracted with immense fury (as his whole plot has been foiled), he did not expect Vader to save Luke by throwing the Emperor over a railing into the reactor shaft, ending the reign of Palpatine.
For the most part, yes. Although there is never an explicit mention of a "light side" of the Force in the movies; it is the expected name for what constitutes the opposite of the dark side of the Force. The easiest analogy to make, is if one was to say become a bodybuilder. To do it the Jedi way would mean eating the proper diet, grueling and painful hard work, and strict discipline. To do it the dark side way would mean using steroids. A lot of the principals and dedication are more or less the same, however using the dark side of the Force involves less work to attain the same potential and therefore less discipline in the use of the powers, which can ultimately lead to the user's own demise. Remember what Yoda says in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when Luke asks him this very question. Yoda tells Luke that the dark side is "quicker, easier, more seductive."
George Lucas has confirmed the dark side is indeed stronger on numerous occasions. He says the dark side is more powerful in the DVD commentary for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke asked Yoda if the dark side is stronger. Yoda contends that the polarities are evenly matched in strength but that the dark side is easier and quicker to obtain the power it specifically provides. Yoda says this because the Jedi look at the dark side as nothing more than a shortcut and since you have to actually be a Sith and be trained in the Sith arts to understand the dark side's full potential, the Jedi Order does not believe that the dark side is superior. In the second prequel, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Yoda confronts Count Dooku and seems to acknowledge the awesome might of the dark side, stating, "Powerful you have become, Dooku. The dark side I sense in you."
The dark side is easy and stronger but is also very dangerous for the user and not worth the risk of a easy way to power. The dark side gives a lot, but it takes much much more. However, it is still more alluring because it is more easily obtained and offers powerful abilities such as Force lighting, which is a power that is almost exclusively a privilege of practitioners of the dark side of the Force.
The ultimate reason why the dark side is more powerful is because it is fueled by intense, aggressive emotions such as hate, anger, fear, sadness, possessiveness and lust for power. At the same time this is also why the dark side will eventually lose, because its users will never become united but rather they will always be at war with one another, fighting for supremacy. In short, although not as powerful as the dark side, the light side will always prevail because the Sith's lust for power and their inward thinking of only about themselves will always ultimately be their undoing.
It may be too that the dark side has much more of a corporeal foundation than the light side, in that practitioners of the dark side seek immortality through life extension in the "crude matter" of their worldly bodies, rather than through becoming "one with the Force" and living on as immortal spirits, perhaps "luminous beings," whose interactions with the physical world are quite limited. Furthermore, Jedi might not even represent the light side until they actually vaporize into spirits, instead being neutral; unlike the Sith, who definitely represent the dark side of the Force.
George Lucas has confirmed the dark side is indeed stronger on numerous occasions. He says the dark side is more powerful in the DVD commentary for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke asked Yoda if the dark side is stronger. Yoda contends that the polarities are evenly matched in strength but that the dark side is easier and quicker to obtain the power it specifically provides. Yoda says this because the Jedi look at the dark side as nothing more than a shortcut and since you have to actually be a Sith and be trained in the Sith arts to understand the dark side's full potential, the Jedi Order does not believe that the dark side is superior. In the second prequel, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Yoda confronts Count Dooku and seems to acknowledge the awesome might of the dark side, stating, "Powerful you have become, Dooku. The dark side I sense in you."
The dark side is easy and stronger but is also very dangerous for the user and not worth the risk of a easy way to power. The dark side gives a lot, but it takes much much more. However, it is still more alluring because it is more easily obtained and offers powerful abilities such as Force lighting, which is a power that is almost exclusively a privilege of practitioners of the dark side of the Force.
The ultimate reason why the dark side is more powerful is because it is fueled by intense, aggressive emotions such as hate, anger, fear, sadness, possessiveness and lust for power. At the same time this is also why the dark side will eventually lose, because its users will never become united but rather they will always be at war with one another, fighting for supremacy. In short, although not as powerful as the dark side, the light side will always prevail because the Sith's lust for power and their inward thinking of only about themselves will always ultimately be their undoing.
It may be too that the dark side has much more of a corporeal foundation than the light side, in that practitioners of the dark side seek immortality through life extension in the "crude matter" of their worldly bodies, rather than through becoming "one with the Force" and living on as immortal spirits, perhaps "luminous beings," whose interactions with the physical world are quite limited. Furthermore, Jedi might not even represent the light side until they actually vaporize into spirits, instead being neutral; unlike the Sith, who definitely represent the dark side of the Force.
The Emperor wanted to seduce Luke by getting him to tap in to his fear and anger. By antagonizing Luke, revealing that the entire battle over the Sanctuary moon was actually an elaborate trap intended to wipe out the rebellion once and for all and have all of Luke's dearest friends killed in the process. This would no doubt cause great fear, doubt, helplessness and anger to stir within Luke. As we see, Luke does give in to his anger and attempts to kill Palpatine, only to be stopped by Vader. Luke manages to regain control of his emotions during his duel with Vader, trying his best to talk Vader down from their fight. Eventually, Vader manages to trigger Luke's rage by reading Luke's thoughts and discovering Leia is his sister. By suggesting he could just kill Luke and bring Leia to the dark side instead, Luke snaps, and indeed taps in to the dark side of the force to overpower and defeat Vader by cutting off his hand. Luke likely would have finished Vader off, had the Emperor kept his mouth shut. Instead, the Emperor's overconfidence was indeed his weakness and suggesting Luke must kill Vader and take his place along side the Emperor. When Luke hears this, he looks at his father's severed limb, seeing that it was already a robotic arm, Luke then looks at his own mechanical hand; realizing how the dark side corrupted and completely destroyed his father (and likely remembering his vision in the cave on Dagobah), and seeing that if he continued on the same path, he would end up like Vader; Luke lets go of his rage and refuses to turn to the dark side.
The Bothans are a sapient species whose homeworld is likely host to a society (and regime) likely secretly aligned with the Rebellion, much like how Admiral Ackbar's kind (Mon Calamari) and Lando's copilot's kind (Sullustan) work with/for the Rebels. They are supposedly renown for their foreign intelligence apparatus. The story of the Bothan spies is covered in the old Expanded Universe novel Shadows of the Empire, by Steve Perry, written and published (as part of a media subfranchise) over a decade after Return of the Jedi was originally released (while leading right into the years of the Special Edition releases and the first Star Wars prequel). The story takes place after the events of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
In the novel, the principal antagonist, Prince Xizor, as a close associate of the Emperor, becomes aware of a starfreighter transporting a highly important computer core. Being the leader of a major organized crime syndicate, Xizor directs the syndicate look into the matter. Both belonging to the underworld, the syndicate tips off the Bothan Spynet about the shipment. The Bothan spymaster seeks out the help of Luke for capturing the starfreighter, while providing Luke with a group of Bothan pilots. With the help of a smuggler named Dash Rendar (piloting the Outrider), an ace fighter pilot named Ace Azzameen (piloting a Y-wing) and a number of additional less skilled Bothan fighter pilots (piloting the same); Luke (piloting an X-wing) leads an attack upon the target starfreighter which turns out to have a secret weapon. Around half of the Bothan squadron winds up being destroyed by the target's defense systems, before the target is suitable for being raided and captured. Only Dash and several Bothan combatants board the starfreighter and secure the computer, the information within which later makes its way to the Rebel Alliance High Command (just as the Emperor planned), but even more Bothans including the spymaster wind up being killed, this time by bounty hunters looking for Luke, along the way.
In the novel, the principal antagonist, Prince Xizor, as a close associate of the Emperor, becomes aware of a starfreighter transporting a highly important computer core. Being the leader of a major organized crime syndicate, Xizor directs the syndicate look into the matter. Both belonging to the underworld, the syndicate tips off the Bothan Spynet about the shipment. The Bothan spymaster seeks out the help of Luke for capturing the starfreighter, while providing Luke with a group of Bothan pilots. With the help of a smuggler named Dash Rendar (piloting the Outrider), an ace fighter pilot named Ace Azzameen (piloting a Y-wing) and a number of additional less skilled Bothan fighter pilots (piloting the same); Luke (piloting an X-wing) leads an attack upon the target starfreighter which turns out to have a secret weapon. Around half of the Bothan squadron winds up being destroyed by the target's defense systems, before the target is suitable for being raided and captured. Only Dash and several Bothan combatants board the starfreighter and secure the computer, the information within which later makes its way to the Rebel Alliance High Command (just as the Emperor planned), but even more Bothans including the spymaster wind up being killed, this time by bounty hunters looking for Luke, along the way.
It is likely the new Jedi Order would not have had quite as many restrictions, seeing as how Luke was only partially trained by Obi-Wan and Yoda before they both died. Luke would not have known about many of the rules and regulations in the Jedi Order and would have to create new ways as he went along. Even upon discovery of the Jedi Code, as the last surviving Jedi of the time, Luke effectively has supreme purview over the Order. In the Expanded Universe; Jedi are allowed to marry, as Leia marries Han and Luke eventually marries Mara Jade, a former Emperor's Hand. Note that the former Expanded Universe has been retconned, so things like Luke's New Jedi Order and characters like Mara Jade don't exist anymore in the series canon. However, The Force Awakens, does imply that Luke, prior to "vanishing" on a quest of sorts, had tried his hand at training new Jedi Knights.
Nearly fourteen years after its theatrical release, George Lucas revisited the film and created its Special Edition, featuring not only several modified CGI shots but also completely new shots. These were primarily centered on a new musical scene in Jabba's palace, a makeover for the Sarlacc pit creature, and scenes of celebration on various planets as the Galactic Empire falls. You can find a detailed comparison between the original version and the Special Edition with pictures here and here. In 2004, Lucas did it again, creating another new version for the DVD release of the old Star Wars trilogy. Here, he modified some CGI shots but he also added some things that would link the old trilogy with the prequel one, including: Hayden Christensen as Anakin's ghost (instead of Sebastian Shaw), and a flyover shot of the capitol city of Naboo (home planet to both Anakin's wife and the Emperor, first introduced in The Phantom Menace). Compositing errors on the Rancor scene which had gone uncorrected in the Special Edition were also addressed.
In 1997, George Lucas solemnly re-released the original trilogy of Star Wars. All three movies of the original trilogy were not only re-released on VHS but also rerun in cinemas to celebrate the first movies' 20th anniversary. These versions (still to this day) offer the most drastic changes to the movies ever made. They were shown in theatres, released and re-released several times, and (of course) shown on television countless times.
Despite immense efforts to present the old saga in the best way possible, only the fanboys were not happy with the DVD release. The DVD edition is based on the Special Edition, which was released in theaters and on video, in 1997, and has been the cause of much whining among the fanboys ever since. Only after massive temper tantrums by said fanboys and two years after the first remastered trilogy did Lucasfilm decide to also release the original trilogy (the movies without digital effects). However, besides smaller changes, the second release is not anamorphic but presented in 4:3 aspect, including the obligatory black bars. In order to use the full frame of a 16:9 television set, the picture thus has to be zoomed in, which lowers the image quality significantly.
For the Blu-ray discs released in 2011, Lucasa ltered some shots and dialogues of the Star Wars movies again. Probably the most controversial changes were made for Return of the Jedi. Despite several updated effects and corrected goofs, Vader now has some dialogue before he casts the Emperor into the reactor shaft. Originally he was silent, and just turned and picked up the Emperor. Now he says "No... Nooo!" Some fans think this is the same "Nooo!" that Vader shouts in Revenge of the Sith, but it is in fact different.
Lucas has stated that the most recent versions of his films are the definitive versions. The reason for this is because at the time the original films were made, 1977, 1980, and 1983; the technology to bring Lucas' true vision to the screen simply did not exist and the cost to realize it would have been astronomical. So with the technology available in the late '90s through the 2000s; Lucas was able to touch-up, re-envision or create from scratch scenes from his original trilogy. In the view of the creator himself, you will find the newer "special editions" are the definitives.
Originally the plan was the release each Star Wars movie, post-converted to 3D every February, starting with The Phantom Menace, in 2012. Though many fans complained about having to invest six years into getting to see each Star Wars movie in 3D. In late 2012, it was announced that both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith would be released back-to-back in late 2013. However, once Walt Disney Studios acquired Lucasfilm, and the production of Episode VII was announced. Disney eventually declared that they were postponing the conversion to 3D and release of any more of the previous movies in order to focus on Episode VII. They also added that after production wraps on Episode VII they may continue to release the previous movies in 3D. Since then, there has been no word at all on the 3D. Given the fading demand for 3D films, it's likely they won't be converted.
Kurtz has claimed that he and Lucas clashed over how to progress the Star Wars series. Kurtz recalled that after Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) in 1981, Lucas became convinced that audiences no longer cared about the story and were simply there for thrills and entertainment, and began to deviate from the originally planned plotlines for Return of the Jedi, at which point Kurtz quit the series. Kurtz has also claimed that Lucas changed the emphasis from storytelling to prioritizing toy merchandising. Kurtz has expressed his dissatisfaction with Jedi and the The Phantom Menace. Kurtz was particularly displeased with Lucas' decisions in Jedi to resurrect the Death Star and to change the plot outline from one that ended on a "bittersweet and poignant" note to one having a "euphoric ending where everyone was happy". He was probably referring to the originally scripted ending where Han Solo dies while destroying the Endor shield generator, and Luke's duel with Darth Vader leaves him mentally broken, choosing to seek seclusion rather than celebrate the Rebel victory over the Empire.
In the novel Rogue One: Catalyst, we learn that the Republic secretly began construction on the original Death Star after capturing Poggle The Lesser (the Geonosian leader) with the Separatists' plans for the Death Star. It gets mentioned by Lt. Commander Orson Krennic that the Geonosians had already began construction on a Death Star for the Separatists. So it's entirely possible that the Death Star seen in this film is in fact the one the Separatists began construction on during the Clone Wars and it simply lay in a dormant state once the Separatists were defeated. Once the first Death Star was destroyed, the Empire picked up construction on the next one.
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- How long is Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?2 hours and 11 minutes
- When was Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi released?May 25, 1983
- What is the IMDb rating of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?8.3 out of 10
- Who stars in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who wrote Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who directed Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who was the composer for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who was the producer of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who was the executive producer of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who was the cinematographer for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?Alan Hume and Alec Mills
- Who was the editor of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?
- Who are the characters in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Palpatine, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and others
- What is the plot of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.
- What was the budget for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?$32.5 million
- How much did Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi earn at the worldwide box office?$475 million
- How much did Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi earn at the US box office?$317 million
- What is Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi rated?PG
- What genre is Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi?Action, Adventure, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi
- How many awards has Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi won?24 awards
- How many awards has Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi been nominated for?47 nominations
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