The Star Wars Holiday Special

a long time ago, in a holiday far away...

Now that  Rogue One: a Star Wars story is just around the corner, we decided it's time to revisit our Star Wars fandom with a very special review. In the past, we covered every Star Wars episode to date. We even included reviews for the made for TV Ewok films and it was about time we paid our debt with the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. Made directly for TV and directed by Steve Binder this may be the worst official Star Wars film ever made.

Honestly, what Star Wars fan wouldn't want to watch this? (and how many have already watched it many times?) Well, maybe a few. Made after the massive success Episode IV: A New Hope had in 1977, this 1978 TV special featured every major Star Wars star, and even introduced the world to new characters that would be part of the following sequels, while other new characters where blasted into oblivion just like the idea of an official release of the film.

The original cast returns...

...plus a few new additions.

First off, yes, I and no one else who is a Star Wars fan, who has seen this, will ever disagree it is complete and total crap. But you know the old saying about train wrecks, you just have to watch them, this is that. Because as unbelievably horrible as it is, and as totally unfathomably bad every scene is, as a Star Wars fan you want to see these characters in new scenes (specially those who were there in 1978, where no SW sequels would happen until 1980)

It IS cool seeing "new" footage of Han and Chewie in the Falcon's cockpit. It's cool seeing Luke do his thing(despite his surgery that makes his face look odd), Leia, the droids, everyone, although this is nothing but a huge mess, you gotta like seeing these characters again somewhere. Of course, as you watch you may say to yourself that you wish you had NEVER seen this, because it taints the memory of these great Star Wars characters. So was actually seeing this special worth it? If you can keep your feelings about Star Wars in check and dismiss this easily, sure it is.

Wanna sing a holiday song Leia?

I really rather you didn't Luke.

The Boba Fett debut appearance (that's it you newbies! before the special editions, Boba Fett wouldn't show up until Episode V) in the animated sequence is very cool, best thing about the show probably. It's too short though, especially in such a long show.

But you know, this is one part of the Star Wars universe where I would love some additional information. The special itself we have - but this is the only piece of the Star Wars universe we know almost nothing of the background about. How was this show proposed? What were the creative meetings for this abomination like? Who felt this should be 2 hours long in broadcast time? What did the actors say and feel when they read what they were supposed to do? How did the recording of Carrie Fisher's "Star Wars song" go? Did everyone on screen just think this was a big joke before it was through?

And most importantly...did absolutely no one whatsoever in power have any ability at all to see this final product and realize what a complete piece of garbage this was, and what a blight on the Star Wars universe this would surely become? Were there stipulations that said this HAD to air, and they couldn't even trim it down?

I'm Boba Fett.

I take it you have no love of the empire.

I can't believe after creating such a masterpiece like "Star Wars" that George Lucas didn't have the eyes to see what a total hack job this Star Wars Holiday TV Special was. 

The special has never been released on video, but bootleg videos have been circulating for years, and are now all over the internet. George Lucas remarked at an Australian convention that "if I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every bootlegged copy of that program and smash it." 

According to Carrie Fisher, Lucas gave her a copy of the special as a gift for recording the DVD commentary for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). She claims that she plays it at parties when she wants her guests to leave.  

mm, nice to meet you.

Laugh it up fuzz ball!

Plotwise the holiday special  follows Chewbacca and Han Solo who pay a visit to Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's home world, to celebrate Life Day. They are pursued by agents of the Galactic Empire, who are searching for members of the Rebel Alliance on the planet. The special introduces three members of Chewbacca's family: his father Itchy, his wife Malla, and his son Lumpy, though these names were later explained to have been nicknames, their full names being Attichitcuk, Mallatobuck, and Lumpawarrump, respectively. 

The program also features many other Star Wars characters, including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader and Princess Leia (who sings the film's "theme song", set to the music of John Williams' Star Wars theme, near the end). The program includes stock footage from Star Wars, and also features a cartoon produced by Toronto-based Nelvana that officially introduces the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Scenes also take place in outer space and in spacecraft including the Millennium Falcon and an Imperial Star Destroyer. The variety-show segments and cartoon introduce a few other locales, such as a cantina on the desert planet of Tatooine and a red ocean planet known as Panna.

Let's all sing the song of joy.

Funky music was also a big thing in Kashyyyk.

According to Charles Lippincott, who was head of marketing of what was termed "The Star Wars Corporation", CBS brought the idea of doing a TV special to Lucas, although there is some debate within Lucas's inner circle about this claim. Lucas was not heavily involved with the special, and his name does not appear in its credits. Still it was Lucas's idea to build the narrative around a family of speechless Wookiees and their celebration of Life Day. Bruce Vilanch, who was hired as a writer, was concerned about the challenges this decision would pose to writing and feared that the special would turn into "one long episode of Lassie". Regardless Lucas would not budge on the story.

The special went through two directors. The first, David Acomba, was brought in in an attempt to "make us different in variety shows", according to Lippencott. Acomba, a classmate of George Lucas at USC film school, was unfamiliar with a multi camera setup, which caused some problems. Acomba also felt that there was a divide between him and the producers and quit after finishing only a few scenes. He was replaced by Steve Binder. Binder never got to meet Lucas before the show but instead got a "Wookiee Bible" detailing how Wookiees were supposed to look and behave. Acomba chose to leave the project, a decision supported by Lucas.

Prototype toys of Chewie's family.

The special was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States, on Friday, November 17, 1978 (the week before Thanksgiving), on the U.S. television network CBS from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (EST), pre-empting Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk; and on the Canadian television network CTV from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time. It was also broadcast in New Zealand on TVNZ and in Australia on the Seven Network.

Here's the infamous holiday special for your viewing pleasure (?)

Also, Diahann Carroll "This Minute Now"

The Jefferson Starship "Light the Sky on Fire" song:

And last but not least, Princess Leia sings "A Day to Celebrate":

Let’s start with the most obvious snag. About six minutes into the movie, right after Darth Vader (Lexington Steele) and a bunch of scantily clad Stormtroopers bust in on Princess Leia (Allie Haze)’s spaceship, we get our first sex scene. Those of you who were paying attention to the number of proper nouns in that last sentence may have already figured out where this is going.
See, in the original films at least, Darth Vader is actually Princess Leia’s father, which makes it pretty darned uncomfortable when the first ten minutes of this movie find him going right at her for a pretty vigorous interrogation about the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance. With his penis.


Read More: ‘Star Wars XXX': The Porn Parody Is Still Better Than The Prequels [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/star-wars-xxx-porn-movie-review/?trackback=tsmclip

Let’s start with the most obvious snag. About six minutes into the movie, right after Darth Vader (Lexington Steele) and a bunch of scantily clad Stormtroopers bust in on Princess Leia (Allie Haze)’s spaceship, we get our first sex scene. Those of you who were paying attention to the number of proper nouns in that last sentence may have already figured out where this is going.
See, in the original films at least, Darth Vader is actually Princess Leia’s father, which makes it pretty darned uncomfortable when the first ten minutes of this movie find him going right at her for a pretty vigorous interrogation about the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance. With his penis.


Read More: ‘Star Wars XXX': The Porn Parody Is Still Better Than The Prequels [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/star-wars-xxx-porn-movie-review/?trackback=tsmclip

Let’s start with the most obvious snag. About six minutes into the movie, right after Darth Vader (Lexington Steele) and a bunch of scantily clad Stormtroopers bust in on Princess Leia (Allie Haze)’s spaceship, we get our first sex scene. Those of you who were paying attention to the number of proper nouns in that last sentence may have already figured out where this is going.
See, in the original films at least, Darth Vader is actually Princess Leia’s father, which makes it pretty darned uncomfortable when the first ten minutes of this movie find him going right at her for a pretty vigorous interrogation about the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance. With his penis.


Read More: ‘Star Wars XXX': The Porn Parody Is Still Better Than The Prequels [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/star-wars-xxx-porn-movie-review/?trackback=tsmclip

Star Wars, Episode VII The Force Awakens

The most important movie saga of all time returns.

1983 was the year that marked the last entry in the Star Wars saga. Later, in 1999 George Lucas would begin the (controversial) prequel trilogy with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I was there, as I've been in every single Star Wars avant premiere my age and pockets could afford. I was born in 1981, so the way I experienced the original trilogy was through the tele and VHS rentals. In 1997, with the "Special Editions" in theaters I experienced the updated original trilogy in theaters. Star Wars is a significant part of my existence. To me, it stands for innocence, family values, survival, breaking through, fostering either  your strengths or weaknesses, and finding out that the only way of growing up a rather decent human being, has a lot to do with understanding pain. Pain teaches the most valuable lesson in life: life is a balance between the dark side and the light, just like Star Wars has always been...

Last night we had a blast, my wife frigging loved it, my friends, totally loved it, the people in the theater were blown away. What about me? I knew, I just knew it would be one of the most amazing (not to say the most amazing) birthday celebrations I ever had. A true Star Wars fan knows what to do when it comes to resisting temptation, and by temptation I mean spoilers, leaked plots and leaked stuff of all sorts. Before last night, I didn't give a shit about all these idiotic moronic motherfuckin' Star Wars connoisseurs who swore they knew beforehand what the film was going to be about. However, there was this forum (which I won't mention here) which did got right some stuff they spoiled and here comes the real question Do you really want to miss the joy of being surprised from start to finish watching a Star Wars movie? No, no you don't, you will not spoil the movie for me, these are not the spoilers you're looking for.  Browsing for spoilers is like going to a rock concert and instead of enjoying the show, you just spend the whole time taking pictures and recording crappy videos which no one, not even your friends will give a fuck about.

New heroes rise.

So do the enemies.

Star Wars, Episode VII The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Disney. George Lucas didn't have much to do with it, he kinda walked away from his creation for good here you can read his statement:

The issue was, ultimately, they looked at the stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans.' People don't actually realize it's actually a soap opera and it's all about family problems - it's not about spaceships. So they decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing so I decided, 'Fine.... I'll go my way, and I let them go their way.' George Lucas, (CBS This Morning)

After a lot of stupid speculations in the likes of "Luke turned to the dark side, he is Kylo Ren" or "They cloned Darth Vader", "The Emperor didn't die", "Darth Plagueis is alive" and forums created merely for the purpose of pushing Disney to embrace the expanded universe and consider it canon, all I can tell you, because I truly care about maintaining your Star Wars experience a surprise, is that every single internet theory was nothing but crap, bullshit, lies, and delusions of grandeure. Star  Wars returns to our world safe and sound. As a matter of fact it returns safer and sounder than ever. What I saw, what I felt was 12 parsecs superior than what happened to me when I was waiting in line for Episode I.  Hopefully, my fellow readers, I truly expect not to deliver a biased review, I want a correct review, the one this film deserves.

These stormtroopers don't miss.

Run for your life!

Ahem!, let's begin. Episode VII happens thirty something years after the fall of the empire. Legendary characters are there safe and sound. The story although not fully explained (Episode VIII & IX are on their way) is about the remnants of the galactic empire, these space Nazies now go by the name of "The First Order"  their goal as it wasn't clear already is to destroy the republic at all cost and restore the power of the dark side through a new Sith lord that goes by the name of Kylo Ren. The rebel alliance now goes by the name of The Resistance, suggesting they've been struggling with the first order longer than what the film shows. The jedi order has ceased to exist. Luke Skywalker is nowhere to be found. Of course he has reasons, he's a Jedi knight! But what good is the resistance without such a powerful ally? Well, they're well trained, as a matter of fact they have an ace pilot that goes by the name of Poe Dameron. Leia Organa is there, C-3PO is there, R2D2 is there and a lot of classic rebel characters are there too (trying not to spoil it for you) The thing is, without the Jedi to balance the force, there will be chaos, there will be destruction and there will be a  lot of suffering.

George Lucas has always described Star Wars as a soap opera, a family in constant conflict in an unbalanced universe.  In that sense, Episode VII is a true Star Wars movie. The never ending space battles, the amazing ships, serviceable droids and light saber fights are all there. But Star Wars is also a lot of fun with pun intended jokes that only true Star Wars fans will get. Episode VII has a lot of that too. 

The faces of evil.

I will finish what you started.

What if you've never seen a Star Wars movie before? Well, I hate to break it to you but if your plan is a complete experience you're mandatory required to watch the previous episodes. Also, I suggest to go to a psychologist, something's broken there. In this new film, the concept of the force (as shown in the trailers, so this is not a spoiler) seems to be a forgotten tale that has somewhat turned into a myth rather than a fact. When Han Solo utters "it's true, all of it" he's clearly explaining it to the new characters, characters which weren't even born by the time Luke & co took down the empire. Luke Skywalker is also a sort of a fictional character to those who weren't there. Nevertheless, Solo & Leia know he is real and top priority when it comes to dealing with the return of the dark side. 

As stated above Luke Skywalker as gone in hiding. The resistance is running short on both manpower & time. The first order is clearly not as forgiving as the empire once was. They will destroy & murder first, then they will ask the questions.  Is Skywalker running away because he's afraid of the First Order? If you're a Star Wars fan you know what happens when you're taken by fear, just bare in mind, Skywalker was so powerful he didn't need to finish Darth Vader to defeat him.

"Chewie, we're home"

"I'm no one"

The newly introduced planet of Jakku, seems to be the new Tatooine. People hate it as it's a dessert planet were there's nothing but debris and hundreds of miles of sand. However, this is the planet where Rey lives. In order to survive, she's become a scavenger like many in her planet. Seeing her appear in every trailer and TV ad, already suggested she was going to have a big role in the new Star Wars trilogy. But, who is she?, who are her parents?, is she an orphan girl? how does she get her hands in the Millenium Falcon? How does her path crosses with Finn's?

The first order has a mission, they're looking for something that they thing is key to bring down the republic for once and for all. Could the resistance be looking for the same exact thing? is it Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber which we've alredy seen in the trailers? how the hell did someone recovered it? Not even Luke had it when he lost it to Vader during The Empire Strikes Back most revealing moment. Earlier concepts of Star Wars (even before Episode IV was released) reveal that the original idea Lucas had, was the search for a powerful artifact that allowed whoever who owned it to have an unlimited amount of power. Could such legendary light saber hold something we yet don't know? Anakin's lightsaber passed onto Luke and then he lost but, a new character (nope, not telling) recovered it and kept safe for the future of the universe. Is it possible that this lightsaber will be passed on to new characters? Promo pictures and TV ads have already shown Finn wielding it. Could he be a new Jedi? is he the son of Lando Calrissian & Leia Organa (another stupid theory by the way)

BB-8 steals the show, he's highly emotional!

Fuck you all, I came here to kill Sith style!

Now, Episode VII is not only good guys versus bad guys, good guys always win and stuff like that. There's a brutally unexpected plot twist that will leave you half happy (because you watched a new Star Wars movie) and half sad because of what happens. The new action sequences where the force is used are truly incredible. Add to that the excellent sound effects that make you feel someone is using the force. There are moments where son of a bitch Kylo Ren will use it, and the sound engineer truly gets into your ears telling you "this is how the force sounds you little pussy" that is something entirely new, and although it is not that big, it is brand new. The lightsaber fights have spectacular light sounds that weren't even conceived this good in the prequel trilogy. Space battle lovers will also be very satisfied, you will see the X-Wing fighters fly like never before.

Some action sequences are so overwhelming that you're like "my god, there's too much going on, my eyes can't take it" And that's a very good thing I think, because you get the "I'm tired of war" vibes quite clearly.  BB-8 & Poe Dameron's mission will gladly remind you of Episode IV. In the past I never watched a J.J. Abrams film. As a matter of fact I didn't even bother watching his take on Star Trek. Nevertheless, he pulls a fine job here. He knows what old school fans are looking for, and he delivers exactly what we expected to find (with certain refreshing plot twists) He also, knows Star Wars is a larger than life institution, and every new character comes to life in perfect synchronicity with what was established in the previous episodes.

Meet Ace pilot Poe Dameron.

Kylo Ren is really a bad bad Sith.

Does Episode VII have big revelations and/or plot twists? Yes, yes it does! But, do you really wanna know them beforehand? isn't the force an energy you have to discover yourself? Although the film features plenty of tributes to the original trilogy (prequels? nope, not even a subtle hint) Episode VII features new evil and yet the good old battle between the Sith and the Jedi is still there, the story has somewhat evolved into a new story line and it's as open for the new characters as it is for the most iconic heroes. The film reunites the best elements from the original trilogy while offering brand new uncharted territories at the same time.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Star Wars film if it didn't feature a heartbreaking moment. Such moment will clearly be a turning point for the remaining episodes. As for the new characters, Daisy Ridley steals the show with her portrayal of Rey the Scavenger. And so does John Boyega whose Finn is the perfect mix of an escapee looking for a second chance to do what's right. As for Adam Driver and his evil role as Kylo Ren there's a lot of things you want to find out yourself, he's not just another Sith in the likes of Darth Maul or Darth Tyrannus. He goes beyond that, and in doing so, he makes you bite more than you can chew.

New creatures in new galaxies far, far away.

Captain Phasma.

Overall, on a scale of 10/10 I'd say The Force Awakens is a straight 10. Is it better than the prequel trilogy films? Yes, definitely, it even stands very close to Revenge of the Sith. Honestly, what the hell! this film is so good that I can easily state that is as good as any episode from the original trilogy. So ,waste no more time and "to the theater you will go". May the force be with you all my fellow connoisseurs.

Here's the first movie trailer:

   
Here's the second movie trailer:

And here a hilarious SNL toy ad parody you should be watching as of right now:

   

Star Wars, Episode VI Return of the Jedi

The battle to end all the battles.

I thought that Return of  the Jedi was clearly the best out of the three Star Wars movies from the original trilogy. I find it surprising that this film is considered the weakest installment in the Trilogy by many people. To me it seemed like this movie was the best because it had the most profound plot, the most suspense, surprises, most emotional,(especially the ending) and definitely the most episodic movie. I personally like the Empire Strikes Back a lot also but I think it is slightly less good than than ROTJ since it was slower-moving, was not as episodic, and I just did not feel as much suspense or emotion as I did with the third movie. Besides, this is the film that unveils the jedi mystery.

It also seems like to me that after reading these surprising reviews that the reasons people cited for ROTJ being an inferior film to the other two are just plain ludicrous and are insignificant reasons compared to the sheer excellence of the film as a whole. I have heard many strange reasons such as: a) Because Yoda died b) Because Bobba Fett died c) Because small Ewoks defeated a band of stormtroopers d) Because Darth Vader was revealed

Together again.

I would like to debunk each of these reasons because I believe that they miss the point completely. First off, WHO CARES if Bobba Fett died??? If George Lucas wanted him to die then he wanted him to die. Don't get me wrong I am fan of Bobba Fett but he made a few cameo appearances and it was not Lucas' intention to make him a central character in the films that Star Wars fans made him out to be. His name was not even mentioned anywhere in the movie... You had to go to the credits to find out Bobba Fett's name!!! Judging ROTJ because a minor character died is a bit much I think... Secondly, many fans did not like Yoda dying. Sure, it was a momentous period in the movie. I was not happy to see him die either but it makes the movie more realistic. All the good guys can't stay alive in a realistic movie, you know. Otherwise if ALL the good guys lived and ALL the bad guys died this movie would have been tantamount to a cheesy Saturday morning cartoon. Another aspect to this point about people not liking Yoda's death.. Well, nobody complained when Darth Vader struck down Obi Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. (Many consider A New Hope to be the best of the Trilogy) Why was Obi Wan's death okay but Yoda's not... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Another reason I just can not believe was even stated was because people found cute Ewoks overpowering stormtroopers to be impossible. That is utterly ridiculous!! I can not believe this one!! First off, the Ewoks are in their native planet Endor so they are cognizant of their home terrain since they live there. If you watch the movie carefully many of the tactics the Ewoks used in defeating the stormtroopers was through excellent use of their home field advantage. (Since you lived in the forest all your life I hope you would have learned to use it to your advantage) They had swinging vines, ropes, logs set up to trip those walkers, and other traps. The stormtroopers were highly disadvantaged because they were outnumbered and not aware of the advantages of the forest. The only thing they had was their blasters. To add, it was not like the Ewoks were battling the stormtroopers themselves, they were heavily assisted by the band of rebels in that conquest. I thought that if the stormtroopers were to have defeated a combination of the Star Wars heros, the band of rebels, as well as the huge clan of Ewoks with great familiarity of their home terrain, that would have been a great upset. Lastly, if this scene was still unbelievable to you.. How about in Empire Strikes Back or in A New Hope where there were SEVERAL scenes of a group consisting of just Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Princess, being shot at by like ten stormtroopers and all their blasters missed while the heros were in full view!! And not only that, the heroes , of course, always hit the Stormtroopers with their blasters. The troopers must have VERY, VERY bad aim then! At least in Empire Strikes Back, the Battle of Endor was much more believable since you had two armies pitted each other not 3 heroes against a legion of stormtroopers. Don't believe me? Check out the battle at Cloud City when our heroes were escaping Lando's base. Or when our heros were rescuing Princess Leia and being shot at (somehow they missed)as Han Solo and Luke were trying to exit the Death Star.

New troopers.

A race to die for.

The last reason that I care to discuss (others are just too plain ridiculous for me to spend my time here.) is that people did not like Darth Vader being revealed! Well, in many ways that was a major part of the plot in the movie. Luke was trying to find whether or not Darth Vader was his father, Annakin Skywalker. It would have been disappointing if the movie had ended without Luke getting to see his father's face because it made it complete. By Annakin's revelation it symbolized the transition Darth Vader underwent from being possessed by the dark side (in his helmet) and to the good person he was Annakin Skywalker (by removing the helmet). The point is that Annakin died converted to the light side again and that is what the meaning of the helmet removal scene was about. In fact, that's is what I would have done in that scene too if I were Luke's father...Isn't that what you would have done if you wanted to see your son with your own eyes before you died and not in a mechanized helmet?

On another note, I think a subconscious or conscious expectation among most people is that the sequel MUST be worse (even if it is better) that preceding movies is another reason that ROTJ does not get as many accolades as it deserves. I never go into a film with that deception in mind, I always try to go into a film with the attitude that "Well, it might be better or worse that the original .. But I can not know for sure.. Let's see." That way I go with an open mind and do not dupe myself into thinking that a clearly superior film is not as good as it really was.

I am a Jedi.

Jabba's place.

I am not sure who criticizes these movies but, I have asked many college students and adults about which is their favorite Star Wars movie and they all tell me (except for one person that said that A New Hope was their favorite) that it is ROTJ. I believe that the results on these polls are appalling and quite misleading.

Bottom line, the Return of the Jedi was the best of the Trilogy. This movie was the only one of the three that kept me riveted all throughout its 135 minutes. There was not a moment of boredom because each scene was either suspenseful, exciting, surprising, or all of the above. For example, the emotional light saber battle between Luke and his father in ROTJ was better than the one in the Empire Strikes Back any day!!!

There's a new death star.

It's a trap!

Return of the Jedi juicy mind tricks.

Just like I did in the previous reviews I watched hours of documentary footage, researched the most freaky Star Wars fan sites and of course, I took a look at respectful movie websites to gather the most interesting facts related to the production of the film as well as some key elements important to the development of the story. So now deactivate your force field and enjoy this fun facts about the Return of the Jedi.

Wookies gave way to the Ewoks.

The primitive warrior tribe at the end of this film was originally supposed to be a tribe of Wookiees. In pre-production, though, the decision was made to go to short creatures with short fur rather than very tall creatures with longer fur and, hence, the Ewoks were created (Ewok may very well have been created by rearranging the sounds in the word "Wookiee"). In addition, the word Ewok is never spoken in the movie, nor are the individuals (Wicket, Paploo, etc.) referred to by name. 

Enter the friendly Ewoks.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Han & Leia's marriage scene.

It is rumored that a different ending was shot, but discarded later on. It featured the (long awaited) marriage between Leia Organa and Han Solo. In the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" books, they go on to marry and raise a brood.

Ian McDiarmid the most evil Sith.

According to Ian McDiarmid, George Lucas originally casted him simply as the physical performance of the Emperor (similar to David Prowse as Darth Vader). This became evident to him when a producer told him that if he was able to get his voice close enough to Clive Revill's (who portrayed the Emperor's voice in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)) Lucas would let him use his on-camera vocals in the final cut of the film. However, McDiarmid felt he could conduct a stronger, more wicked and demonic voice for the Emperor as opposed to Revill's more aristocratic Emperor. Lucas, and even Steven Spielberg, were so impressed with his take that it ended up becoming a signature trait of the character. 

McDiarmid, based his character's unusual voice on the Japanese method of using your stomach to project yourself. The result was a strange, guttural croak that Lucas decided was perfect for the character of Palpatine.

Luke's new lightsaber was originally blue. 

Originally, the color of Luke's new lightsaber was blue, the same as the one he lost in ESB. Luke can even be seen wielding a blue lightsaber in early ROTJ trailers. However, when a scene of Luke assembling and activating his new saber was cut, Lucas thought the audience might not understand that Luke's ROTJ lightsaber was not the same one he lost on Cloud City. To avoid confusion, Lucas decided to change the color from blue to green, making it clear that Luke was using a new saber. As part of the Expanded Universe, Luke's original lightsaber, used by his father and given to him by Obi-Wan, was recovered (along with his severed hand) from Cloud City and was later wielded by a Luke clone. After the clone's death, Luke presented the saber to Mara Jade, his future wife. 

Jabba the pimp.

Boba Fett.

Anakin Skywalker? now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Before the special editions, this was the only movie of the original trilogy that mentioned the name Anakin. There was a deleted scene in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) where Luke meets Biggs and Red Leader, where the latter mentions that he had once met Anakin. The scene was restored in the Special Edition, minus the line mentioning Anakin, though. 

Coruscant Imperial City's Cameo.

Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas initially wanted to include the "victory over the Empire" shots on the imperial city. However, they were unable to get a satisfactory name for the capital planet of the Empire. In May 1991, author Timothy Zahn wrote a Star Wars spin-off book, Heir to The Empire, and came out with the capital planet's name as Coruscant. Lucas was happy with the name and as the result, CG shots of victory celebration sequences of other cities, including Coruscant (where the statue collapsed) was included in the 1997 Special Edition.  

Spielberg's Betrayal.

According to the documentary "Empire of Dreams", Steven Spielberg was George Lucas's first choice to direct, but Spielberg had to decline because he is a member of the Directors' Guild (Lucas dropped his Guild membership over disagreements about Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). As a result, Lucas hired the relatively unknown (and at the time non-union) Welsh director Richard Marquand. 

Filipino Ewoks.

Several Ewok lines are in the Filipino (Tagalog) language. Most Ewok lines, however, were inspired by the Kalmuck language, spoken by nomadic tribes living in Central China.  

Like father, like son?

So be it, Jedi knight!

Darth Vader's Improvised Funeral.

Darth Vader's funeral pyre was added at the very last minute, long after principle photography and pick-ups had wrapped. The scene was thrown together and shot near the hills of Skywalker Ranch. 

Jabba's Dancer, the original.

When preparing to work on the special edition one of the ILM employees was talking to a friend and mentioned in passing that they were extending the musical number in Jabba's palace. The friend happened to be the brother of Femi Taylor, the dancer that played Oola (the slave girl/dancer who is fed to the Rancor) and suggested that they get in contact with her as she was in even better shape than she was when they originally shot the scene. They ended up using her, and the scene is a combination of footage that they already had and the new footage recorded 15 years later. Femi Taylor also has the distinction of being the only cast member from the original movies to reprise her role for the special edition. 

Dark Side Essence.

The blue energy seen after Palpatine's death is the essence of the Dark Side of the Force.  

Qui-Gon Jinn was right.

When Vader saves Skywalker by killing Palpatine, he fulfills the Jedi prophecy. He destroys the embodiment of the Dark Side and returns to the light. In doing so, he brings balance to the Force, just as the prophecy predicted.

Carrie Fisher, the fashionista.

Carrie Fisher complained about her costumes in the previous two movies. She said they were so long, you could not tell "she was a woman". Those complaints led to the skimpy outfit she wore as Jabba's prisoner. The costume became something of a running joke among the crew, because the metal framework that held the top together meant that the costume didn't move well with her. Since Fisher didn't like the industry standard solution of using double-sided tape, it became necessary before each take to have a wardrobe person check to ensure that her breasts were still snug inside the costume top (and several scenes had to be re-shot when "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred).  

Sexy princess Leia.

Leia's night outfit.

The Four Vaders.

David Prowse only portrayed Darth Vader completely for the first half of the movie. In the second half of the movie, the character was played by Bob Anderson (stuntman) during the fight sequence, and Sebastian Shaw after the character is unmasked. James Earl Jones voiced the character throughout, with the exception of the unmasking scene. 

Children believe in Yoda.

In the DVD 2004 release, George Lucas explained the reason behind why Yoda told Luke that Darth Vader was his father. Lucas had consulted with a child psychologist during the making of the film. The psychologist said that unless it was unequivocally stated that Vader was Luke's father, moviegoers age 12 and under would dismiss Vader's claim to be Luke's father as a lie.  

Return of the Jedi music.

Listen very carefully as Darth Vader picks up the Emperor and throws him down the Death Star shaft. This is the only time the Jedi theme music plays over a shot of Vader, reflecting his return to the light side of the Force. 

The battle we've all been waiting for.

Hey Annie, care for some bitches?

Special Edition upgrades.

A Special Edition was released on 14 March 1997 (USA). It contains a variety of new special effects shots including:

• A new dance number for Jabba's palace, with new band members and dancers/backup singers.
• New shots of Boba Fett flirting with one of the dancers at Jabba's palace.
• The Sarlacc Pit is now more a Sarlacc Beast, with more flailing tentacles and a protruding mouth.
• The lightsabers in all 3 movies are less beam-of-light-like and more sword-like.
• A brand new ending shows celebrations on Endor, Bespin, Tatooine, and Coruscant, the Imperial Homeworld.
• A new shot of a computer generated Bantha herd seen crossing the desert as Jabba's barge sails by in the distance.
• When Han Solo is trying to shoot the Sarlacc to help Lando, he says "I can see a lot better now" instead of "Its all right. Trust me."
• A new Death Star explosion (similar to the one in the Star Wars Special Edition)
• New music in several sections, most noticeable in the end celebration.
• One of the little known Special Edition additions was a digital re-mix of the Emperor's death scene. When Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker betrays the Emperor, he now lets out a tortured scream as he picks up the Emperor. This was re-mixed with James Earl Jones's scream, Mark Hamill's screams and a sound of a screeching tire.
• A short moment at the end when Luke winks at the Jedi ghosts was removed.

• The audio track for the very last scene of the film, with all of the actors gathered, was corrected to have music continue to play. In the original release, the actors' voices and laughter could be heard in this scene.

• In the 2004 DVD release, an end shot of Naboo features added dialogue: "Wesa free!" And I'm sure you know who uttered such words.

So after all those juicy secrets do you still have a thirst for some more? Well, in that case, I guess it is time to stop the reading and move on to the trailers section.

Return of the Jedi trailers and more.

The first video you're about to enjoy is the teaser trailer. Pay close attention to the scene where Luke is using a blue lightsaber.

  

The second video is the official original trailer from 1983. Notice that Luke is already using his green ligthsaber this time.

The third video is the special edition trailer from 1997 that focuses in the retouched special effects and the added scenes.

 The fourth video is how the movie should have ended according to what we learned in the prequel trilogy hahaha

See you some time soon hopefully,  in a galaxy not so far far away.