Ability Not Inability

The Final cut

Part 5 a Jedi's Toy-box

Introduction

Hello and welcome to part 5 of a 7 part blog looking at the first 6 episodes of the Star Wars saga Parts 1 and 2 covered Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope.Chapters 3 and 4 of the blog covered The Empire Strikes Back so Chapters 5 and 6 of this blog will cover Star Wars episode 6 Return of the Jedi.

New material in this edit of the blog includes material on the Return of the Jedi novelisation the book and tape Ewoks Join The fight and the LP The Story of Return of the Jedi as well as the Topps Return of the Jedi Trading cards

Star Wars and Me Return of the Jedi

I always felt sorry for Return of the Jedi it always seems to get a bad rep after the first 2 episodes in the original trilogy Star Wars A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back Empire Strikes Back itself is seen as the best Star Wars film of the original trilogy and often cited as the best film of the series when compared with the other 9 films in The Skywalker saga.

Return of the Jedi is often criticised by some for its plot for copying story elements from Star wars being the building of the Death Star and the rebels having to destroy it at the films end the cute teddy bear creatures the Eworks are also not liked by some Star Wars fans.

It could have been different When George Lucas originally wrote the Star Wars script in the early 70s he had planned to use Chewbacca's own people the Wookies to help out the rebels instead.

Of the original trilogy Return of the Jedi was the film I have best memories of I was 6 when it came out in 1983 and I was 7 in 1984 when it came out on VHS. it seemed to be everywhere and the merchandise machine was into overdrive.

A Supermarket near you far far away

It even invaded your local supermarket C3PO the protocol driod from the Star Wars films had his own cereral I never ate these by the way but the packaging does look rather good.

but I do remember eating some Star Wars biscuits themed around Return of the Jedi from what I remember they tasted ok.

there was even an advert for these Star Wars biscuits too click here to watch it

Return of the Jedi in other Media

Books and comics

A number of books and comics were released in 1983 to tie in with Return of the Jedi the novelisation of the film itself was written by James Kahn and published on the 12th May 1983 (My Birthday!!)

The novelisation of Return of the Jedi by James Kahn (1983) contains some of the most startling "contradictions" in the entire franchise. Because the Prequel Trilogy didn't exist yet, Kahn filled in the blanks of the backstory with details that George Lucas eventually changed decades later.

1. The "Uncle Owen" Revelation

In the movie, we never learn how Uncle Owen is related to anyone until Attack of the Clones (where he is Anakin’s step-brother).2 However, in the 1983 novel, Obi-Wan explicitly tells Luke:3

So I took you to live with my brother Owen, on Tatooine...

For nearly 20 years, it was "official" Star Wars lore that Owen Lars was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s brother, not Anakin's.5 This explains why Owen was so bitter toward Obi-Wan in the first movie—he viewed him as the "crazy" sibling who got their family into trouble.

2. The Mother’s Fate

The book offers a version of Luke and Leia’s mother (later named Padmé) that is totally different from her death in childbirth in Revenge of the Sith:

She lived longer: Obi-Wan tells Luke that their mother took Leia to Alderaan and lived there for several years.

Leia’s memory: This explains why, in both the book and the film, Leia says she remembers her mother being "beautiful, kind, but sad." In the book’s timeline, Leia was actually four years old when her mother died, rather than a newborn.

Anakin’s ignorance: The book states that Anakin did not know his wife was pregnant when he turned to the Dark Side, whereas the prequels make his knowledge of the pregnancy his primary motivation.

3. The Emperor vs. Yoda

There is a fantastic scene in the novel that never made it to the screen where the Emperor mocks Yoda.

When Palpatine discovers that Yoda was Luke’s teacher, he actually mimics Yoda’s backwards way of speaking to mock him.9

He also expresses genuine fear that Yoda’s training might have actually made Luke a threat to him, showing a vulnerability we don't see in the movie.

4. Darth Vader’s Internal Monologue

One of the best features of the novel is that we get to "hear" Vader’s thoughts during the final battle.

As he watches the Emperor torture Luke with lightning, the book describes a massive internal struggle. Vader thinks about his past, his lost humanity, and the "dragon" of the Dark Side.

In the movie, we only see a silent mask moving back and forth; the book makes the choice to save Luke feel like a grueling, conscious decision to kill his master.

5. Jabba the Hutt: Jedi Killer?

The book makes Jabba much more menacing. He claims that back in the day, he used to hunt and kill Jedi for sport when the Order was still active. It paints him as an ancient, intergalactic gangster who isn't just a crime lord, but a legitimate threat to Force-users.

along with the film novelisation there were 4 Storybooks based on Return of the Jedi

One was released by St Micheal which was sold at branches of Marks and Spencers in the UK another was hardback book version published by Random House with Luke Skywalker on the front cover

the other 2 books my dad bought for me as presents When he and Mum went to a parents evening at Rawthorpe infants and Junior school school and while me and Matthew stayed at my Nans,my dad brought back a pair of Storybooks he said bought one of my teachers one of them was the Return of the Jedi storybook

This was the 64 page storybook I would get the other when my Dad went on another one of trips to a garden centre and brought back a couple of storybook tapes for me and Matthew one was the 24 page storybook and tape of Return of The Jedi I listened to that quite a lot I am surprised I didn’t wear the tape out.

 to listen to the storybook click here :

The Story of Return of the Jedi also featured in two more bits of merchindise worth noting the 2nd half of the film were the Eworks Joined the Rebels to fight the evil empire featured in another book and tape release called The Eworks join the fight click here to listen to it

1983 Star Wars The Ewoks Join the Fight Read-Along Story Book and Cassette

The Return of the Jedi story was also told in Return of The Jedi the the Story of in record format which told the story of the film in 45 mins to listen to the story click here

Unlike the storybook I had the LP uses the actual soundtrack from the film and not soundalikes

Return of the Jedi annual

By far the most bizzare piece of merchandise I ever got relating to Star Wars was the 1984 Return of the Jedi annual which my Nan bought me for Christmas. Its rather strange in that even though it says Return of the Jedi on the front cover its got nothing to do with the film. 

The front cover artwork though Very good the Luke Skywalker on the cover looks nothing like Mark Hamill Though the artist does a good Job with the other elements on the cover like Princess Leia The Emperor and the Scout Walker.

From my memory of reading it apart from one image in the book it doesn’t feature Harrison Fords Han Solo as part of the story, as a consequence of that Chewbacca is missing from the book as well. Perharps it was a rights issue or Harrison Ford just said No.

 On revising this article I did some research on this book and it seems that my Return of the Jedi annual was the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker and his rebel freinds where Marvel would just take the title and themes of the film and write some new adventures for them instead.

As with other episodes in the Star wars saga there was a comic book adaptation once again done by Marvel thanks again to Retro Marvel Man on Youtube you can watch a video on the comic adaption by clicking on the link below.

Return of the Jedi the Computer game

I also remember playing a computer game based on return of the jedi according to Wikipedia it was originally released in 1985 but I think mum most have bought a later version .

It was the Spectrum 2 version where you had to load onto computer via a cassette I thought it was very good I played it quite alot the graphics and game play were very good.

it featured 3 levels The player takes control of three different vehicles in stages based upon the Return of the Jedi film. Gameplay is from an isometrically projected perspective and is broken into three stages. In the first, the player pilots a speeder bike to the Ewok village. The next stage involves piloting the Millennium Falcon to destroy a reactor. Another speeder bike stage follows. The final stage involves piloting both an AT-ST and the Millennium Falcon in rapid succession in a fight against a Star Destroyer.

Toys

Like Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars before it Return of the Jedi introduced new planets new vehicles and New characters for Kenner to turn into toys that every child to play with.

For Return of the Jedi there was Jabba the Hutts palace on Tatooine which featured alsorts of new bad guys Me and Matthew had quite a few of these

including Bib Fortuna Weequa Ree yees . On the Rebel Alliance front we got a Lando Calrissian in skiff guard disguise.

Princess Leia also in disguise as the bounty hunter boushh. As well as Admiral Akbar and General Madine.

Return of the Jedi also introduced the Ewoks and the Forest Moon of Endor so to go with Matthews Ewok Village we got Chief Chirpa and Logray The Sherman

 On the imperial forces side we got the evil Emperor who tried to turn Luke Skywalker to the darkside of the force thanks to a Mail away offer that mum found.

As well as 2 Emperor's Royal guards  I always found it rather sad that we never saw these guards do any fighting.

and an ATST driver AkA the scout walker a sort of brother to the ATAT seen in Empire Strikes Back

Topps Trading Cards

Topps wrapped up the original trilogy in 1983 with the Return of the Jedi collection. While the hype was massive, the set was actually more "streamlined" than the previous two films, consisting of 220 base cards and 55 stickers across just two series.

1. The Two Series

This set returned to the bright, primary-colored borders of the 1977 original, making them look great in a binder together.

Series 1Red1–132 Covers the rescue from Jabba's Palace and the arrival on Endor.

Series 2Blue 133–220 Focuses on the final space battle and the showdown with the Emperor.

Topps wrapped up the original trilogy in 1983 with the Return of the Jedi collection. While the hype was massive, the set was actually more "streamlined" than the previous two films, consisting of 220 base cards and 55 stickers across just two series.

Return of the Jedi Radio series

Note Like the Empire Strikes Back radio series The Return of the Jedi Radio series was not broadcast in the UK but can be found on Youtube click here to listen to it ,

NPR's plans for a Return of the Jedi radio serial were put on hold when federal funding for NPR was dramatically reduced; however, NPR was never the producer of the radio series nor was it ever granted the rights to produce the radio adaptations nor did NPR fund any of the radio productions. Plans for a Jedi radio adaptation fell apart in the 1980s due to a disagreement (believed to be financial) between KUSC, Los Angeles (the producer of the two previous radio adaptations and to whom the rights were granted for the production) and Lucasfilm. NPR was granted limited rights to air the two previous radio series because KUSC, Los Angeles provided the radio adaptations to NPR as part of NPR's National Program Service that allows any NPR member station rights to air the series as part of the annual dues already paid (rather than the third party Extended Program Service where KUSC could have charged each station a fee for rights to air cutting out NPR).[citation needed] It was not until 1996 that a six-part adaptation of Return of the Jedi was made by Highbridge Audio, the company that had released the first two series on tape and CD. The production returned to the Westlake Recording Studios, where the original series had been recorded.

What next after Return of the Jedi ?

After Return of the Jedi they were 2 Ewok themed TV Movies Caravan of Courage and The Battle of Endor I have a dim memory of watching both on VHS rented from the video store by my dad you can watch a video about both films by clicking here

Ework Trailers

Caravan of Courage an Ewok Adventure trailer click here (4) Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) Trailer - YouTube

Eworks Battle for Endor Trailer click here (4) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor Trailer 1985 - YouTube

Two Star wars cartoon spin offs

Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO is a 1985 animated television series spin off from the original Star Wars trilogy. It focuses on the exploits of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC with its sister series Ewoks (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour).

Droids follows the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO as they face off against gangsters, criminals, pirates, bounty hunters, the Galactic Empire and other threats. During their adventures, the droids find themselves in the service of successive new masters and in difficult situations as a result.

Ewoks, also known as Star Wars: Ewoks, is an animated series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and further discovered in Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and its sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). The series was co-produced by Canada-based Nelvana Limited on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC, with its sister series Droids (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour), and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks.

The series centers on the adventures of Wicket W. Warrick and his friends on the forest moon of Endor before the events of the original Star Wars film[a] and Caravan of Courage. The primary recurring villains are Morag the Tulgah Witch, who had a personal grudge against the tribe's shaman, Master Logray, and the Duloks, a rival species.

I have good memories of both Droids and Ewoks and I wish somebody would take a chance and release them on Blu-ray/DVD in the UK I would buy both series at the drop of a hat to watch the complete series of Star Wars Drioids on YouTube click here

If you want to watch the Star Wars Ewoks cartoon series click here

(6) Star Wars: Ewoks - The Cries of the Trees - YouTube

Revisiting the Original Star Wars Trilogy for its 20th Birthday

If we are going to complete the Original Star Wars story. we need to include something about the Special edition versions that George Lucas made in 1997 to celebrate Star Wars 20th Anniversary.

I know these versions of the Star Wars films can be a bit like Marmite to some fans you either love them or you hate them, a bit like Star Wars Episodes 1 to 3 in that respect ha ha .

Anyway here is a half an hour video with the team that made the special edition trilogy why they did it. How they did it, and the reasons they did it. Thanks to Trent Pruitt on you tube for this video

I am Star Wars fan and even I am not sure if I love the changes to the Star Wars films or not. Here are 2 more videos from you tube to help you if like me your undecided.  To watch a video called  Star Wars: 10 Brilliant Changes George Lucas Made To His Saga  click here

And just to be balanced to watch a video called Top 10 Worst Star Wars Special Edition Changes click here

Further Reading

This article lists some of the multiple changes made to the original Star Wars trilogy https://insidethemagic.net/2023/09/disney-plus-star-wars-edits-cj1mmb/

Star Wars Special Edition Trailers

Epilogue Star Wars The Artwork

Years later me and Matthew went on holiday with mum and dad and we would pass this bookshop everyday and we would look lovingly in the window at Star Wars portpholios full of lovely artwork. We told mum and dad about these thinking we would never get them they were too expensive.

Then on the last day Mum and dad went into the book shop and bought them both me and Matthew were floored but so happy

The artwork was amazing Matthew told me he found it fascinating

Pictures

An Ewok from the forest planet of Endor

Chewbacca

The packaging for the Star Wars biscuits from 1983

Return of the Jedi Storybook Hardback version

Return of the Jedi Storybook St Micheal version

The Return of the Jedi Storybook from 1983

The Return of the Jedi storybook with tape

Eworks Join the fight book cover

The bizzare Return of the Jedi annual

Return of the Jedi toy advert

Bib fortuna action figure

Weequa action figure

Ree yees action figure

Lando Calrissian in skiff guard disguise

Princess Leia also in desguise as the bounty hunter boushh

Admiral Akbar

General Madine

Chef Chirpa Ework action figure

Logray The Sherman Ewok figure

The Evil Emperor Figure

Emperor's Royal guard figure

ATST driver Scout Walker

The Return of the Jedi computer game

Star Wars posters for the Special editions

Artwork for the Star Wars portfolio

Further Reading

This article from the Screenrant website lists the 15 hidden details that can be found in the original Star Wars Trilogy https://screenrant.com/star-wars-original-trilogy-hidden-details/

Not everything is perfect in the Star Wars film series as this article from Screenrant points out click here to read https://screenrant.com/star-wars-empire-make-no-sense-problems/

Another interesting Star Wars article from Screenrant this article covers the 10 best Star wars mistakes that were left in the final cut this peice talks about the Star Wars universe as a whole so it covers all the films and the live action Tv series you can read it by clicking here https://screenrant.com/star-wars-10-best-mistakes-movies-live-action-tv-shows/#the-book-of-boba-fett-39-s-wooden-set-is-revealed

To learn more about Star Wars concept art read this article from the Screen Rant website about 15 star Wars concept drawings that reveal an alternate version of the films click here 15 Best Unused Star Wars Concept Designs That Reveal An Alternate Version Of The Movies

The Star Wars Franchise topped Moviewebs list of 10 franchises with 4 or more films you can read the full article by clicking here https://movieweb.com/movie-franchises-with-four-sequels/#james-bond-1962-present 

This article from the Screenrant website lists the 10 best moments from the original star Wars trilogy click here The 10 Best Scenes In The Star Wars Original Trilogy (screenrant.com)

An interesting article from the Collidar film website which covers the original Star Wars trilogy called 10 major flaws in the original Star Wars trilogy that are only noticeable now to read the article click here 10 Major Flaws in the Original Star Wars Trilogy That Are More Noticeable Now 

The Final cut

Part 5 A new Death Star a forest moon and Warrior Teddy Bears remembering Return of the Jedi

Introduction

Hello and welcome to part 5 of a 7 part blog looking at the first 6 episodes of the Star Wars saga Parts 1 and 2 covered Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope.Chapters 3 and 4 of the blog covered The Empire Strikes Back so Chapters 5 and 6 of this blog will cover Star Wars episode 6 Return of the Jedi.

Return of the Jedi or should that be Revenge of the Jedi ?

Did you know that Return of the Jedi’s original title was going to be Revenge of the Jedi which was a total mistake on the production team of the film

The original teaser trailer for the film carried the name Revenge of the Jedi. In December 1982, Lucas decided that "Revenge" was not appropriate as a 'true Jedi should never seek revenge' and returned to his original title. By that time thousands of "Revenge" teaser posters (with artwork by Drew Struzan) had been printed and distributed. Lucasfilm stopped the shipping of the posters and sold the remaining stock of 6,800 posters to Star Wars fan club members for $9.50. In 2005, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, released as part of the prequel trilogy, alluded to the dismissed title Revenge of the Jedi

Further reading

Further Watching

To watch a rare Revenge of the Jedi trailer click here

Overview

Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi) is a 1983 American epic space opera film that is a sequel to The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It is the third instalment in the original Star Wars trilogy and the sixth chronological film in the "Skywalker Saga". It is directed by Richard Marquand based on a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. The film follows the ongoing struggle between the malevolent Galactic Empire and the freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance. As the Rebels attempt to destroy the Empire's second Death Star, Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father, Darth Vader, back from the dark side of the Force. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz.

The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983. It grossed $374 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983. The film was well received by critics, with strong praise going to the performances of the actors, John Williams' score, the special effects and the action sequences. Several re-releases and revisions to the film have followed over the decades, which have brought its total gross to $482 million. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2021.

Return of the Jedi

Music

Return of the Jedi Soundtrack

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Most of the score was recorded in London between January and February 1983 at Abbey Road Studios, with one cue recorded at Olympic Studios.

Again, John Williams served as producer. Herbert W. Spencer, Thomas Newman and Gordon Langford served as orchestrators. Engineer Eric Tomlinson, music editor Kenneth Wannberg, and record supervisor Lionel Newman again reprised their respective duties. The score earned another Academy Award nomination for Williams. Return of the Jedi, which is the original trilogy's shortest score, was only released on a single-LP instead of a double-set like the Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back soundtracks before it.

The 1983 original version was remastered by Sony Classical and released on LP in 2015. A remastered version of the soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on May 4, 2018.

This remaster was newly assembled from the highest-quality tapes available, rather than sourced from the existing 1983 album masters.

Awards

Oscars

Return of the Jedi received one Academy Award:

Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects (awarded to Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, and Phil Tippett). This was an honorary competitive award given because there were too few nominated films in the main Visual Effects category that year to hold a regular competition.

Further Watching

Click Here for the original 1983 Trailer for Return of The Jedi

Click here for 10 things you didn’t know about Return of the Jedi

To watch a video review of Return of the Jedi from the Oliver Harper YouTube 

Pictures

Revenge of the Jedi poster

Return of the Jedi Poster from 1983

Richard Marquand Return of the Jedi Director

Art Work for the Return of the Jedi soundtrack album

Advert for Return of the Jedi soundtrack album which also features the other Soundtrack albums in the Star Wars trilogy

Notes

Part 4 Empires toybox My Memories of Empire Strikes Back and the Merchindise it brought with it

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to the 4th chapter of a revised blog that looks at the first 6 episodes of the Star Wars saga.

The first two chapters covered the making of Star Wars and my memories of the toyline and seeing Star Wars on Television for the first time in 1982,

as well as the Star Wars comic adaptation from Marvel. Chapter 3 covered the lost sequel Splinter of a Minds eye from 1978 the making of Empire Strikes back from 1980 Chapter 4 covers my memories of the film and the merchandise that followed it.

Empire Strikes Back in other media

Books and comics

Star Wars and Me Empire Strikes Back

The first thing I knew about the Empire Strikes Back is when Mum and Dad took me and Matthew on holiday or a day trip somewhere, and Matthew managed to pick up a Star Wars Empire Strikes back comic book that was hidden in a newspaper stand I was most envious. 

You can learn about the comic book adaptation by watching these 4 videos via you tube the first two videos cover the comic book itself which you can watch by clicking here

and here

The next two videos cover the differences between the comic book and the film which you watch by clicking here

and here

A number of books were released to coincide with the release of Empire Strikes back not just the novelisation of the film written by Donald F Glut that was released in Paperback on the 12th April 1980 (a hardback version would be released in 1995)

The Empire Strikes Back novelization by Donald F. Glut (published in 1980) is one of the most famous examples of a "script-to-book" disconnect. Because Glut was working from an early shooting script while the film was still in heavy post-production, he included details that George Lucas later changed or that were improvised on set.

The "Blue" Yoda

Perhaps the most famous discrepancy is Yoda’s physical description.1 In the book, Yoda is described as having blue skin and long white hair parted down the middle.2

The Reason: Early concept art and the initial screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan actually described him as "bluish."3

The Change: Legend has it that the color was changed to green late in the process because blue would have made Yoda blend in too much with the "Force Ghost" version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, or simply because the green puppet looked better against the swampy Dagobah background.

Missing Iconic Dialogue

Because many of the movie's best lines were improvised by the actors during filming, they are completely absent from Glut's novel:

"I know": In the book, when Leia tells Han she loves him before he is frozen in carbonite, Han responds with: "Just remember that, Leia, because I'll be back." Harrison Ford famously felt this was too "heroic" and changed it to the drier, more character-accurate "I know" on the day of filming.

"Apology accepted, Captain Needa": This cold Vader line is missing. Instead, the book simply describes the Captain being taken away for execution.

Expanded Hoth and Dagobah Scenes

The book contains several "deleted scenes" that flesh out the world:

Wampa Attack: In the novel, the Wampas actually infiltrate Echo Base on Hoth.5 There is a subplot where the Rebels have to lock them in a "secure" room (you can see a yellow sign for this in some movie deleted scenes).

Luke’s Training: The training on Dagobah is much more rigorous. Luke uses his lightsaber to fight remote seeker droids (like the ones from the first movie) while Yoda ambushes him to test his reflexes.

Luke's Age: The book explicitly mentions that three years have passed since the first film, stating Luke is now 23 years old.6

Technical Oddities

Vader’s Lightsaber: In a few passages, Darth Vader’s lightsaber is described as blue or glowing with a blue light.7 At the time of writing, the "Red for Villains" rule hadn't been strictly cemented in the production notes Glut received.

The Emperor: The book gives us a slightly more "flesh and blood" look at the Emperor than the movie, which kept him as a mysterious hologram.8 It confirms he is a powerful Force user long before Return of the Jedi made it obvious.

A large format storybook of the film was also released was in 1980 by Scholastic 64 pages long was written by Shep Stevenson.

Other storybooks to cover the Empire Strikes back is the story of Empire strikes back doing some research for this new edition of the blog the story of Empire Strikes back was a 45 min cut down version of the film with music and sounds effects on a vinyl record

To Listen top that version click here

as well as 24 page story book and Tape of Empire Strikes Back which you can listen to by clicking here

 one other book to add to this list is The Empire Strikes Back: A Pop-Up Book (also sometimes listed as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - A Pop-up Book)

Publisher: Random House/Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Publication Date: 1980

Illustrator: Patricia Wynne

Paper Engineer: Ib Penick

t's a vintage collectible that features pop-ups and pull-tabs depicting key scenes from the movie, and is often sought after by Star Wars and pop-up book enthusiasts.

The Empire Strikes Back annuals

Yes annuals there were 2 published in 1981 and 1982 The Empire Strikes Back: This received two dedicated annuals. The 1981 Empire Strikes Back Annual featured the story The Crimson Forever, while the 1982 edition continued the trend with reprints of the US monthly stories.

Empire Strikes Back the computer game

The first Star Wars computer game I ever played was the 1982 Empire Strikes Back Parker Bros game for the Atari games console remember those ? you used to have to plug the unit into the airiel socket at the back of your TV for hours of arcade fun

Those of you who have not played the Empire Strikes back computer game you are Luke Skywalker in your Snow speeder trying to stop the AT ATs from attacking your base on the planet hoth you had a limited time in which to do it or you would loose the game.

It was good for its time I thought the graphics were very good when I played it with my family as a 5 year old but its one of those games you could never win as the evil Empire would always get to your base in the end .

The first picture is an example of the graphics featured in the Empire Strikes back game not bad for 1982 the 2nd picture is the cover the Atari cartridge came in.

My first and last thoughts on Empire Strikes Back

I didn’t get to see Empire till Dad hired it for the weekend from the video store on watching I can remember not liking it but on repeat viewings I have changed my mind I can see why its now regarded as the best film of the original trilogy,

What surprises me is that unlike other blockbuster film sequels it doesn’t suffer from so called second album where unlike other film sequels it doesn’t struggle to find new ideas and simply repeats themes that made the original Star film so successful.

It would be a while before Empire Strikes Back premeried on television in the UK ITV wouldn’t show it till Christmas Day 1987

Toys   

As mentioned in this the second chapter of this blog Star Wars introduced a whole new toyline Empire Strikes back would build on that success.

One of the first Star Wars toys I ever got was Luke Skywalkers Snowspeeder from Empire Strikes Back.

Empire would introduce new planets and baddies into the Star Wars universe.

These included the Planet Hoth where the opening battle with the evil empire took place. 

Dagobar where we meet former Jedi Master Yoda for the first time

as well as Cloud City where Han Solo attempts to escape capture by Darth Vader and an army of bounty hunters including Bobba Fett

Further Watching

Those 2 videos from Anolog toys show the best of the Toys from Empire Strikes back including Yoda and the planet Daygobar to watch Dagobar dreaming click here 

 and this documentary on the Toy version of Bobba Fett click here

For a complete overview of the Empire Strikes Back action figures released by Kenner click here

Topps Trading cards

it only had three series (instead of five), it totaled 352 cards and 88 stickers. Topps updated the design with a "cold steel" look to match the darker, icy tone of the movie.

1. The Three Series

Series 1 Red cards featuring new and old charectors

Series 2 Blue 133–264 Features the "Spacecraft" profile cards and more story scenes.

Series 3 Yellow/Green 265–352 Includes Ralph McQuarrie's production paintings and "Movie Facts."

2. The "Rookie" Cards

While the core cast returned, this set is famous for featuring the very first trading cards of several legendary characters.6 For collectors, these are essentially "rookie cards":

#9 Yoda: His first appearance on a card.

#11 Boba Fett: A massive fan favorite, often the most expensive card in the set.8

#8 Lando Calrissian: Billy Dee Williams' debut in the series.

Fun Fact: Boba Fett’s card (#11) lists his age as 43, which was later changed in the prequels when he was established as a younger clone.10 Yoda's card also lists his age as 973, which is about 73 years older than his currently accepted age in Empire.11

3. Key Differences from the 1977 Set

The Stickers: Instead of just character images, the stickers in this set were often letter stickers. Each sticker featured a letter of the alphabet filled in with a character image, allowing kids to spell out names or messages.

Educational Backs: The backs of the cards were more sophisticated.14 They included "Star File" dossiers on characters, "Spacecraft" stats, and even "Movie Facts" that gave behind-the-scenes info on how the special effects were made.15

Artistic Flair: Series 3 included cards featuring the conceptual art of Ralph McQuarrie, giving fans a look at what the movie almost looked like during production.

Empire Strikes Back Radio Series

Note

Unlike the Radio version of Star Wars that was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1982 The Radio version of Empire Strikes Back was never broadcast on any UK Radio station but you can find it on Youtube by clicking here

The success of the first series led to a 10-part (4 hour, 22 minute) series based on the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, again written by Daley and directed by Madden. It was recorded in 1982 at A&R Studios, New York City.[7][16] The series debuted on NPR on February 14, 1983.

Like the preceding series, The Empire Strikes Back expands on the movie's story and incorporates new scenes such an Imperial attack on a Rebel convoy taking place before the film's original opening scene and a tense conversation between Solo and Skywalker when the two are stranded in the Hoth wastelands.

National Public Radio's promoted the series in part by getting Craig Claiborne to create his version of Yoda's rootleaf stew recipe, which the Jedi Master serves Luke in the hut on Dagobah. The recipe ran in magazines and newspapers across the country.

Episode titles:

"Freedom's Winter"

"The Coming Storm"

"A Question of Survival"

"Fire and Ice"

"The Millennium Falcon Pursuit"

"Way of the Jedi"

"New Allies, New Enemies"

"Dark Lord's Fury"

"Gambler's Choice"

"The Clash of Lightsabers"

Notes

Thanks to Google images for all of the pictures and the following websites for quoting there articles Colider Screenrant and movie web and Wikipedia for some of the background material On the Empire Strikes Back Thank you to Youtube Analog toys Star Wars Radio and Marvel Retro Man for the video material

Pictures

Empire strikes back comic book cover

Novelisation book cover

Large format storybook cover

The Story of book cover

The Empire Strikes Back Pop up book

Empire Strikes back Atari game graphics

Empire Strikes back packaging for the same game

 Luke Skywalker on Hoth

 Yoda on Dagobar

Another episode of Rip off britain this one features the story of a lady who booked a wheelchair accessible hotel for her family and her disabled mother.

Except when they got to the hotel it clearly wasn't disabled freindly the report is the second item in the show and is part of their Advice centre on the road segment and runs to about 10 mins

Part 3 A lost sequel an ice planet  

The Final cut

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to the third chapter of a revised blog that looks at the first 6 episodes of the Star Wars saga the first two chapters covered the making of Star Wars and my memories of the toyline and seeing Star Wars on Television for the first time in 1982.

This chapter covers the lost sequel Splinter of a Minds eye from 1978 including new material about the 2 Brainstoming sessions that went into writing the book.

the making of Empire Strikes back from 1980 is also covered in this blog with new content covering the music soundtrack for the film by John Williams

My memories of the film and the merchandise me and my brother collected will be covered in chapter 4 of this blog.

Overview

The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas. The sequel to Star Wars (1977),[ii] it is the second film in the Star Wars 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 Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. As the Empire goes on the offensive, Luke trains to master the Force so he can confront the Emperor's powerful disciple, Darth Vader. The ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, 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 (1981) writer Kasdan to enhance his work to read about the Leah Bracket version of Empire Strikes Back click here

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 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 $8 million, costs had risen to $30.5 million by the project's conclusion.

Released on May 21, 1980, the highly anticipated sequel became the highest-grossing film that year, earning approximately $401.5 million worldwide. Unlike its lighthearted predecessor, Empire met with mixed reviews from critics, and fans were conflicted about its darker and more mature themes. 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 $538–549 million and, adjusted for inflation, it is the 13th-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.

So Star Wars is a big success how do you continue the story?

Well the first plan was not the Empire Strikes back but a low budget sequel planned by George Lucas and the writer Alan Dean Foster called Splinter of Minds eye written in case Star Wars was a big flop,

Screenrant recently published this article about the book

Well the first plan was not the Empire Strikes back but a low budget sequel planned by George Lucas and the writer Alan Dean Foster called Splinter of Minds eye written in case Star Wars was a big flop,

Screenrant recently published this article about the book

Before The Empire Strikes Back, there was Alan Dean Foster's "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" It's hard to believe, but back in 1977, even George Lucas wasn't confident Star Wars would be a success. He approached well-established science-fiction writer Alan Dean Foster to write a low-budget sequel, which evolved into the first tie-in in what would become the old Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Splinter of the Mind's Eye" was officially published on February 12, 1978,. The book is no longer considered canon - Disney effectively rebooted the entire timeline, rendering the Expanded Universe "Legends" - but that doesn't mean it had no influence. In fact, there are striking similarities to The Empire Strikes Back, while Solo: A Star Wars Story and tie-ins to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have brought some of its most interesting ideas back into canon.

"Splinter of the Mind's Eye" continued the adventures of Luke Skywalker, with the would-be Jedi traveling to the swamplike planet Mimban as an escort for Princess Leia. There, they discover a wizened old lady named Halla who served as something of a mentor to him in the ways of the Force, and he came face-to-face with Darth Vader for the first time - triumphing even though Darth Vader wielded Force powers Luke had never seen before. Han Solo was entirely absent - Foster seemed to assume he had returned to his old life as a smuggler - and the book is brimming with romantic tension between Luke and Leia.

It's easy to see how "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" impacted the real Star Wars sequel - in which Luke Skywalker traveled to a swamplike planet named Dagobah where he met a wizened old Jedi Master named Yoda. In fact, there's evidence Dagobah was itself based on concept art for Mimban. Luke wound up dueling Darth Vader in the movie as well, although he didn't fare quite so well as in Foster's book. The Empire Strikes Back even featured the infamous Luke-Leia kiss, a moment Lucas surely came to regret when he decided to make them brother and sister.

As part of writing the script and then turning it into a book 2 Brainstorming sessions were held with writer Alan Dean Foster George Lucas and Charles Lipincort this video by Star Wars Comic collector details those sessions and why it was ultimately turned down for Empire Strikes Back

To watch the video click here

Unusually this lost episode of Star Wars was given its own graphic novel adoption in 1995. You can watch a review of this comic by clicking here

Empire Strikes Back the second Chapter in the trilogy and the first change of director calling the shots

Empire Strikes Back was included in an article on the Screenrant website titled 10 Movie sequels that changed director and beat the original these are there comments on Empire Strikes Back

While George Lucas continued to write for all of Star Wars: Episodes I through VI, he stepped back from directing episodes V, and VI. A New Hope set up the elaborate universe and a stage to play out the space opera that is Star Wars, but The Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best entry in the entire series. Characters like Yoda, and Lando Calrissian made their debut in Episode V, along with the shocking reveal that Darth Vader is Luke's father. This film completely changed the trajectory for all future films in the franchise and formed the foundation of what Star Wars became, and part of that should be attributed to the wonderful direction of Irvin Kershner.

The Perfect Sequel

The Collider website recently punlished an article called 25 movies that are perfect from start to finish included The Empire Strikes Back in their list at number 16 this is what collider film said about Empire Strikes Back.

For as good and groundbreaking as the original Star Wars from 1977 was, it was the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, that cemented Star Wars as more than just a fad that swept cinemas one summer. It's about as perfect as movie sequels get, bringing back all the key characters from the first movie and pushing them further, physically, emotionally, and even psychologically. In every way, it raises the stakes and makes the beloved galaxy far, far away feel even more vast.

As the title implies, the tyrannical empire does not take their defeat at the end of the first movie well, with The Empire Strikes Back kicking off with the heroic Rebels on the defensive and scattered following a spectacular opening battle scene. From there, Luke Skywalker learns some dark truths about himself and his family while Han Solo and Princess Leia find themselves falling for each other, even if fate looks like it might keep them apart. It's space opera storytelling at its best, and a perfect sequel to an already great movie in every way.

The Best Science Fiction film of 1980

The movieweb film website published an article called the best scifi movie of every year in the 80s for 1980 they chose Empire strikes Back these were their reasons why.

In 1977, George Lucas changed the face of cinema forever with what would become one of the most popular and highest-grossing film franchises of all time. Three years later, The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters and featured the first-ever battle between Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Darth Vadar (David Prowse).

After the retrieval of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in A New Hope, the Rebels are pursued by the Death Star across the galaxy. Realizing that he can't win his fight against Darth Vadar without training first, Luke seeks the help of Jedi Master Yoda to guide him on the path to becoming a Jedi. The second film's masterful finale sets up the pace for what is technically the "last film" in the trilogy.

What Makes It the Best

1980 was a relatively slow year for sci-fi as far as major films go. However, the largely anticipated release of the second installment in the Star Wars franchise would outshine any other film by far. The Empire Strikes Back utilized the popularization of space exploration flawlessly, right down to Yoda's puppet effects. The use of practical effects throughout the film adds to the overall charm of those early Star Wars movies. Empire Strikes Back explores more territory and spends more time in space, as more creatures and characters are introduced throughout.

New Material

Music

Empire Strikes back soundtrack

In 1980, the disco label RSO Records released the film's original soundtrack in a double-album, with two long-playing (LP) records. Combined, the two records featured seventy-five minutes of film music. This double LP package also included a booklet presentation with pictures of the main characters and action sequences from the film. Featured at the booklet's end was an interview with John Williams about the music and the new themes, such as "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" and "Yoda's Theme". It also included a brief explanation of each track. The front cover artwork featured Darth Vader's mask against the backdrop of outer space; and the back cover featured the famous Gone with the Wind version of the poster art. As a side note, this package marked the final time a double LP soundtrack set was ever issued (Episode VI, the final film to have an LP soundtrack released, had only a single disc, also released by RSO Records). A double-cassette edition was also released.

In the U.K., a single vinyl album and cassette were released in 1980 by RSO Records. This comprised only ten tracks, which were also re-arranged differently. For instance, the first track on the U.K. release is "The Imperial March" instead of the "Star Wars Main Theme". This track listing would be used for the album's first international CD release in 1985. Also unlike the U.S. version, this release did not have a booklet but the information (and some photographs) were replicated on the inner sleeve.

In 1985, the first Compact Disc (CD) release of the soundtrack was issued by Polydor Records, which had by that time absorbed RSO Records and its entire music catalog. As with the album's original U.K. vinyl and cassette release, this CD release reduced the music content from the seventy-five minutes featured in the 1980 U.S. double-album down to forty-two minutes.

In 1993, 20th Century Fox Film Scores released a special four-CD box set: Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology. This anthology included the soundtracks to all three of the original Star Wars films in separate discs. The disc dedicated to The Empire Strikes Back restored almost all of the original seventy-five minutes from the 1980 LP version and included new music cues never released before for a total of nineteen tracks. On the fourth bonus disc, five additional tracks from Empire were included in a compilation of additional cues from the other two films. This CD release also marked the first time that the famous "20th Century Fox Fanfare" composed by Alfred Newman in 1954 was added to the track listing, preceding the "Star Wars Main Theme".

In 1997, RCA Victor released a definitive two-disc set coinciding with the Special Edition releases of the original trilogy's films. This original limited-edition set featured a thirty-two page black booklet that was encased inside a protective outer slipcase. The covers of the booklet and the slipcase had the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition poster art. This booklet was very detailed, providing extensive notes on each music cue and pictures of the main characters and action sequences from the film. The two discs were placed in sleeves that were on the booklet's inside front and inside back covers. Each disc had a glittery laser-etched holographic logo of the Empire. The musical content featured the complete film score for the first time. It had all of the previously released tracks (restoring the Mynock Cave music which was left off the 1993 release), included extended versions of five of those tracks with previously unreleased material, and six brand new tracks of never before released music for a total of one hundred twenty-four minutes. All the tracks were digitally remastered for superior clarity of sound. They were also re-arranged and re-titled from the previous releases to follow the film's story in chronological order. RCA Victor re-packaged the Special Edition set later in 1997, offering it in slimline jewel case packaging as an unlimited edition, but without the original "black booklet" version's stunning presentation and packaging.

Oscars

The Empire Strikes Back received two Academy Awards:

Best Sound (awarded to Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, and Peter Sutton)

Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects (awarded to Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson).

Further Watching

Click here for the original 1980 trailer to Empire Strikes Back

Click here for 10 things you didn’t know about Empire Strikes Back

The Making of the Empire Strikes Back the lost special from 1980 this making of runs to just under an hour and has never been seen until it was uploaded to You Tube in 2018 to watch it click here

Pictures

1 Poster for Empire Strikes Back from 1980

2  Writer Alan Dean Foster

3  Splinter of Minds Eye Book cover

4  Irvin Kershner and George Lucas

5 Empire Strikes back soundtrack cover

6 John Williams with C3PO

Coming soon Part 4 Empires Toybox my Memories of Empire Strikes Back and the merchindise that came with it

Notes

*The Poster for Empire Strikes back designed by Roger Kastel was included in the Calider film website 25 best movie posters of all time making number 3 in their list they had this to say about Kastel’s work

1977's Star Wars may have blown people's minds upon release, but its acclaimed 1980 sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, was the one that ultimately shattered any and all expectations. Things got darker for the main characters after their victory against the Empire at the end of the first Star Wars, and if anything, said Empire "striking back" - as suggested by the title - is kind of underselling it.

The Empire Strikes Back kicks off with Rebel forces being crushed in battle and then scattered across the galaxy, leading Luke Skywalker to seek training while Han Solo and Leia - among others - flee the Empire forces. It's a non-stop thrill ride through space, and the poster features glimpses of numerous "greatest hits" throughout the film: romance, space battles, a snowy setting, and Darth Vader's helmet looming ominously over all. It might be up for debate which of the Star Wars posters truly is the best-looking, but The Empire Strikes Back's would have to be a contender.

Whoever replaces Daniel Craig will have big shoes to fill I am ashamed to say I have never heard of the three front runners for James Bond I liked Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Of his 5 film tenure I only like Skyfall and Casino Royale, Quantum of Solice though not bad is too much like Jason Borne than James Bond.

I have not seen no Time to Die yet due to that cliffhanger ending, I will be interested to see how they handle it.

Though I have a feeling that it wont be touched on directly and the timeline for the next film will go backwards rather than forwards I would love to be proved wrong,

Me and James Bond Moore Roger Moore

James Bond is like the Doctor in Doctor who you tend to like the one you grow up with My Grandad loved the original Bond Sean Connery. and Mum Loves George Lazenby who only appeared in OHMSS 1969 it has a lot to recomend it with an action packed story and a kick ass soundtrack by John Barry.

for me in this case its certainly Roger Moore I have lots of good memories of Roger my first Memories of watching a Bond film both on the TV were premires of both Live and Let Die and Moonraker on ITV

Live and Let Die was shown on ITV on the 20th of January 1980 I am surprised I remember this as I was 2 and half I have better memories of Moonraker which got its first TV airing 27 December 1982 perharps I remember this one better because it was Christmas but I remember discussing the film excitedly with my next door neighbour Martin Drury

Moore played the role of Bond the longest 12 years in total covering 7 films and its era I love that era the most.

5 of the 7 films he starred in I loved only the Man with the Golden Gun from 1974 and View to a Kill 1985 stick out for me Golden Gun because director Guy Hamilton wanted Roger to be too much like Sean Connery

Roger would be his own Bond with the excellant Spy who Love me 1977 when Roger Moore left the Role in 1985 with A View to a kill I was very dissapointed.

The film starts well with a great title sequence and theme song by Duran Duran and a nice mini adventure but the film goes downhill from there mainly because I find it too violent.

The Other Bonds worth mentioning

I do like a lot of the other bond films after Roger there was Timothy Doltan I loved him in the Living Daylights so much so I bought the computer game and the book and tape of the film if ever there was a James Bond with so much unforfilled promise it was this one. Pierce Brosnan was ezcellant in his for film stint as Bond

Mum and Dad took me to see both Tomorrow Never Dies and the World is not enough to the UCI cinema in Huddersfield

James Bond and the Tolerance Project

We also featured the James Bond theme from Doctor No 1962 with Robert David Smith making his breakfast and drinking his tea in early sequences from the Tolerance film.

We will be covering the making of Dr No and Thunderball in future blogs

If you want to find out more about the Tolerance Project click here

Another rip off britain post this time looking at the issue of the availability of wheelchair accessable taxis and what a post code lottery it can be.

If you ever you buy toys for you disabled children please do not buy toys from a UK company called Sensory education. You will get ripped off.

The latest episode of of the Tolerance Project blog Just for the Record covers the Doors album Strange Days Radio 4 extra are repeating the 3 part documentary on Morrison Wil to be Weird you can catch on BBC Sounds by clicking here