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The Empire Strikes Back: Difference between revisions
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[[File:star_wars_poster_02.jpg|link=Star Wars|
{{quote|
'''Luke Skywalker''': ''"He told me enough! He told me '''you''' killed him."''
'''Darth Vader''': ''"[[
After the [[It Will Never Catch On|surprise success]] of ''[[A New Hope]]'', a sequel was inevitable. Lucas's new story turned the series into a dramatic saga with the revelation that [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Darth Vader was Luke's father]]. Since making the last film had been so stressful, he had
Kershner didn't know if he could top the first film, but he was determined to make the film as good as he could anyway. Though the film was initially criticized for its [[Darker and Edgier|darker tone]] and [[Cliff Hanger]] ending, it was still a smash hit, and these days is widely considered the best of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films.▼
{{tropelist}}
▲After the [[It Will Never Catch On|surprise success]] of ''[[A New Hope]]'', a sequel was inevitable. Lucas's new story turned the series into a dramatic saga with the revelation that [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Darth Vader was Luke's father]]. Since making the last film had been so stressful, he had [[Lawrence Kasdan]] and [[Leigh Brackett]] write the script for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and had [[Irvin Kershner]] direct it.
▲Kershner didn't know if he could top the first film, but he was determined to make the film as good as he could anyway. Though the film was initially criticized for its [[Darker and Edgier|darker tone]] and [[Cliff Hanger]] ending, it was still a smash hit, and these days is widely considered the best of the Star Wars films.
* [[Adventure Rebuff]]: Yoda's initial response to Luke.
* [[Aerial Canyon Chase]]: Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon do this during the famous asteroid chase scene. As Solo was noting, "They'd be crazy to follow us." Unfortunately, Darth Vader is quite a motivator for his troops and they dive in after him.
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Captain Needa; he knew that going to "apologize" to Vader would result in his death, [[Heroic Sacrifice|but by doing so, his men were spared the Sith Lord's anger.]]
* [[The Apple Falls Far]]: Look closely when Luke falls out of the chute on Cloud City and clings to a weather vane; his hand can be seen falling into the atmosphere.
▲* [[An Arm and A Leg]]: Luke, who gains an [[Artificial Limbs|Artificial Limb]] at the end.
* [[Asteroid Thicket]]: Possibly the [[Trope Codifier]].
* [[Badass]]: Darth Vader is a badass throughout the trilogy, but it is most pronounced in this film.
* [[Bad Boss]]: Vader personally Force-chokes two of his officers for their perceived incompetence (one of them did have lapses of judgement, but the other arguably did not), being the [[Trope Namer]] for [[You Have Failed Me...]]. And he sends several Star Destroyers into the asteroid field to look for the ''Millennium Falcon,'' causing at least one to suffer ''catastrophic'' damage.
* [[The Bad Guy Wins]]: Let's see, the Empire crushes the rebels at Hoth, forcing the good guys to flee. The good guys then get trapped in an asteroid field and then barely escape with their lives. Darth Vader defeats Luke in a
* [[Bald of Evil]]: The scene with Vader in his medical chamber is the first time the audience sees a glimpse of what he looks like underneath his helmet.
* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space]]: Sure, Han, Leia
* [[Batman Gambit]]: Vader wants Luke, but after the Hoth evacuation, he has no idea where to start looking for him. Instead, he pursues and captures Han and the others. While capturing them would be of value to the Empire regardless, Vader doesn't even have to bother sending out a villainous threat. He correctly anticipates Luke sensing their suffering through the Force and racing to the rescue.
* [[Big Bad]]: The only film where Vader holds this role, though the Emperor is still the [[Bigger Bad]].
* [[The Big Damn Kiss]]: In the cargo bay. There's a reason it's one of the most famous kisses in cinematic history.
* [[Big No]]: The most famous one in the entire series, even counting ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]''.
** And after Han is frozen, we get the Wookie version of the trope.
* [[Big "Shut Up!"]]: Leia to 3PO after he's about to tell the odds for a second time.
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: The Rebels are on the run, Han's been kidnapped, Luke's hand has been cut off, and his soul is profoundly shaken by Vader's claim to be his father, leaving the awful suspicion that his mentors, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda have lied to him. But the Rebels have survived, Luke has not gone over to the Dark Side (which has deeply disappointed Vader), he and his friends escaped and the view of the galaxy signals that while this story is ending, [[And the Adventure Continues...|the series continues]] -- the fight will go on.
* [[Blunt Yes]]:
{{quote|
'''Obi-Wan (also to Luke):''' Patience!
'''Luke:''' And sacrifice Han and Leia?!
'''Yoda:''' If you honor what they fight for? Yes.
* [[Bounty Hunter]]: Vader hires some when the Imperial fleet loses track of the Falcon, including Boba Fett.
* [[Broken Pedestal]]: Anakin Skywalker. Holy kriffing Sith, Anakin Skywalker.
* [[Carnival of Killers]]: The bounty hunters, including a slimy reptilian (Bossk),a cyclopean droid (IG-88), an insectoid droid (4-LOM), a creepy scuba suit-wearing bug (Zuckuss), an armor-clad and mysterious badass (Boba Fett), and Dengar. At least one Imperial officer is incensed that he's been forced to allow them aboard his ship.
{{quote|
* [[Cave Mouth]]: The crew of the ''Millennium Falcon'' confuse a space slug's mouth with an asteroid cave.
* [[Cruel Twist Ending]]: Mother of all understatements, at least for viewers at the time. In fact, [[Luke, I Am Your Father|the revelation]] likely made it the biggest twist in movie history.
* [[Cryptic Conversation]]: Yoda and Obi-Wan's conversation about Luke's father on Dagobah make a lot more sense when seen in view of the entire trilogy, as well as the [[There Is Another]] scene.
* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: The Battle of Hoth. A ''lot'' of Rebel soldiers and equipment lost, at the cost of two AT-ATs, an ''Imperial''-class Star Destroyer, and a few Snowtroopers.
** [[Curb Stomp Cushion]]: The Rebels ''do'' manage to take out two [[Giant Mecha|AT-ATs]], and a Star Destroyer is disabled (and in the [[Expanded Universe]], later captured), breaking the blockade around Hoth and allowing the Rebels to escape and regroup.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]
* [[David Versus Goliath]]: Luke vs. Vader. Not only is Vader [[Evil Is Bigger|taller]], he's also much more skilled and experienced with the Force. It's almost a [[Foregone Conclusion]] that Luke will lose.
* [[Deal
{{quote|
* [[Disconnected
* [[Don't Make Me Destroy You]]: Vader says this to Luke verbatim after he {{spoiler|cuts Luke's hand off in their lightsaber duel}}.
* [[Don't Think, Feel]]: A core theme of Yoda's training.
* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: Emperor Palpatine's first appearance is in this film, briefly seen via hologram talking to Vader.
* [[Electric Torture]]: What is done to Han and currently the trope's page image. To make it even worse, they didn't even bother asking him any questions.
* [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Exposition of Immortality]]: Yoda already looks like he's seen his fair share of years; walking stick, not much hair, crotchety old man. And clearly, he's been around for a while if he was the Jedi Master who trained Obi-Wan Kenobi, himself no spring chicken by'' Episode IV''. Nevertheless, a sense of his true age is held back until he turns around and says:
{{quote|''"What know you of ready? For'' eight hundred years ''have I trained Jedi."''|'''Yoda''', ''Star Wars'' "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"}}
* [[Eye Lights Out]]: C-3PO.
* [[Field Promotion]]: Piett.
* [[Foiler Footage]]: Before the movie's premiere, the number of people who knew about [[The Reveal]] could be counted on one hand: George Lucas, James Earl Jones, Mark Hamill and whatever editors Lucas trusted to see the scene. Even David Prowse, who had to say ''something'' during filming, was given the fake line "Obi-Wan killed your father." [[Urban Legend|Urban Legends]] now abound of [[Harrison Ford]] turning to Hamill ''in the middle of the premiere'' and giving a [[Big "What?"]].
* [[Foreshadowing]]: The scene where Luke enters a cave on Dagobah and hallucinates about decapitating Darth Vader, and Darth Vader's face changing into his own. In hindsight, [[If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him|it's a clear warning of where Luke might have gone]]. Vader's line, "Only your hatred can destroy me," is foreshadowing of the final duel in ''Return of the Jedi''.
* [[Four-Star Badass]]: General Veers, one of the few Imperial officers shown to actually be competent in the movies.
* [[Genius Bruiser]]: This film both emphasized not only how big of a [[Badass]] Darth Vader really is, but how intelligent he is.
* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]
{{quote|
'''Han Solo:''' Don't get excited!
'''Princess Leia:''' Captain, being held by you isn't ''quite'' enough to get me excited.
'''Han Solo:''' Sorry, sweetheart. I haven't got ''time'' for anything else.
* [[Giant Foot of Stomping]]: The AT-AT walkers.
* [[Grew a Spine]]: Luke, when he left Yoda's training to save Han and Leia.
* [[Happy Ending Override]]: As the opening text says, the Rebel Alliance may have destroyed the Death Star in the first film, but the Empire drove them off of Yavin and are trying harder than ever to find and snuff them, forcing the Rebels to hide in a desolate, barely habitable planet like Hoth.
* [[Hero of Another Story]]: Boba Fett, whose taking Han Solo to Jabba was told in the [[Expanded Universe]] interquel [[Shadows of the Empire]].▼
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: After Vader defeats him, Luke has a major one. In the Falcon's cockpit as the heroes try to escape Vader, he's clearly filled with despair, whispering, "Ben, why didn't you tell me?"
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Granted, the term "hero" is debatable, given that he's working on the villain's side, but Captain Needa was willing to be executed by Darth Vader for losing sight of the ''Millennium Falcon'' in order to allow his crew to live.
▲* [[Hero of Another Story]]: Boba Fett, whose taking Han Solo to Jabba was told in the [[Expanded Universe]] interquel [[Shadows of the Empire]].
* [[Humongous Mecha]]: AT-ATs.
** According to the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]], the design isn't considered to be practical even in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' setting. It is, however, ''very'' effective at what it was meant to do: induce pants-shitting terror in any fools audacious enough to resist the Empire.
* [[Immune to Bullets]]: AT-ATs. Luke even says, ''"That armor's too strong for blasters."''
* [[In a Single Bound]]: As Luke's Jedi training progresses, he learns to use new powers like the Force jump, which comes in handy during his fight with Vader.
* [[Incompletely Trained]]: Luke runs off before Yoda has finished training him.
* [[Ironic Echo]]: "It's not my fault!" is said by both Han and Lando when the hyperdrive fails to work.▼
* [[Is That What He Told You?]]: Darth Vader telling Luke he's his father, contradicting what Obi-Wan had told Luke in the original film.▼
* [[I Take Offense to That Last One]]:
{{quote|
'''Han:''' ''Who's'' scruffy-lookin'?"
* [[It Was His Sled]]: It was originally a well-kept secret that {{spoiler|[[Luke, I Am Your Father]]}} prior to the film's release.
* [[I Want Them Alive]]: "'''No''' disintegrations!"
{{quote|
▲* [[Insult Backfire]]: Leia calling Han a "scoundrel."
▲{{quote| '''Han''': "Scoundrel"? I like the sound of that.}}
▲* [[Ironic Echo]]: "It's not my fault!" is said by both Han and Lando when the hyperdrive fails to work.
▲* [[Is That What He Told You]]: Darth Vader telling Luke he's his father, contradicting what Obi-Wan had told Luke in the original film.
* [[Jerkass]]: After C-3PO gets shot, he makes the jump from innocently annoying towards Han and Leia to outright obnoxious towards Chewie and R2.
* [[Killed Mid-Sentence]]: A variant.
{{quote|
* [[Koosh Bomb]]: Used for a frame or two at a time.
* [[Last-Second Word Swap]]: When shooting the big scene between Luke and Vader, David Prowse said "No, Ben killed your father", and that's what the entire crew of the film thought would be said when James Earl Jones dubbed in his lines. Only 5 people (Lucas, Jones, [[Mark Hamill]] so he would react correctly, writer Lawrence Kasdan, and director Irvin Kershner) knew the actual line.
** And Hamill didn't know until they were on set and ready to film. Kershner took him aside and told him moments before. They were very determined to keep the big reveal a secret.
* [[Late Arrival Spoiler]]: Darth Vader is Luke's father. The prequels have effectively made it a non-spoiler now.
* [[The Man Behind The Man]]: While it's no surprise now, Palpatine's brief appearance was the first indication there was one for Vader.
* [[Million-to-One Chance]]: "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand, seven hundred twenty to one!" "[[Never Tell Me the Odds]]!"
* [[Moment Killer]]: Just as Han and Leia were into their first kiss, C-3PO bursts in, chattering about the reverse power flux couplings. Well, he ''has'' found the [[Opposites Attract|reverse]] [[Slap Slap Kiss|power]] [[Big Damn Kiss|coupling]].
* [[Moving the Goalposts]]: Lando tried to make a [[Deal
* [[The Musketeer]]: It's not as obvious as other examples of this trope but Luke [[Sword and Gun|carries his blaster and lightsaber into battle together]] (mostly evident in the climax where goes from shooting Stormtroopers to dueling with Vader). It's the only movie in which he does this as well as the only time in the entire film franchise we see a Jedi or Sith doing it.
* [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine]]: With Vader in Cloud City.▼
{{quote| '''Vader''': We would be honoured if you would join us.}}▼
* [[No OSHA Compliance]]: Definitely shown during the lightsaber duel on Bespin. Why anyone would work there is anyone's guess. Railings seem to be very expensive to install or maintain.▼
* [[Noodle Incident]]: "I'm sure [Lando]'s forgotten all about that." Explained in the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]].
{{quote|
▲* [[No OSHA Compliance]]: Definitely shown during the lightsaber duel on Bespin. Why anyone would work there is anyone's guess. Railings seem to be very expensive to install or maintain.
▲* [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine]]: With Vader in Cloud City.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: How Yoda first acts around Luke, [[Secret Test of Character|to ascertain Luke's mental preparedness for Jedi training]].
* [[Off-the-Shelf FX]]: Due to the scale necessary for the Star Destroyer's bridge model, ILM used an off-the-shelf Millennium Falcon model kit for the shot where the Falcon is hiding on the back of the bridge.
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* [[An Offer You Can't Refuse]]: Lando Calrissian had to turn Han and his friends in to the Empire, due to the alternative being to have Cloud City be attacked by the Empire and either occupied or worse, destroyed by them.
* [[Oh Crap]]:
** The look on Piett's face when the Falcon finally gets the hyperdrive fixed just before the Star Destroyer can lock on the tractor beam. He [[You Have Failed Me...|knows the price of failure]]: Vader Force-chokes you. Luckily for Piett, Vader is more disappointed than angry.
** Cpt. Needa when they lose the ''Millennium Falcon'' (hiding on the Destroyer's surface itself), and realizing he has to own up to Vader that he let them get away.
{{quote|
''*[[Gilligan Cut]] to Cpt. Needa dropping dead; his lifeless body is carried out of the room*''
'''Vader''': Apology accepted, Captain Needa.
** C-3PO, before he got blasted.
{{quote|
** The look on Hobbie's face when Leia reveals the escape plan from Hoth.
* [[Percussive Maintenance]]: Han pounding on the ''Falcon'' fixes a short in the systems.
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* [[Plummet Perspective]]: It's a long way down from Cloud City. If you know anything about gas giants, it's even worse, as there's really ''no bottom''; you'd just keep falling until the atmospheric pressure crushes you.
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: during the the following conversation between Han and a rebel technician.
{{quote|
'''Han''': Then [[See You in Hell|I'll see you in hell!]]
* [[Rebellious Prisoner]]: Han Solo does not make captivity easy for his captors. When he realizes that Vader invaded Cloud City and blackmailed Lando into betraying them, his first reaction is to shoot Vader. (Doesn't work, but points for trying and it's implied Vader respects him for the sheer audacity.) ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' has his snark return if not his sight completely when Leia frees him, only for them to get captured by Jabba's men and Jabba sentences him as well as Luke to death.
** Lando has the same reaction when he at least tries to keep Leia safe since she wasn't the target of Vader's machinations this time, as well as his people. On a rewatch it's clear that he was told comply or the citizens of Cloud City would suffer, so as he tells the heroes, he didn't have a choice but to lead them into a trap. When Vader refuses to free the citizens however, and plans to take Leia captive again because she's useful to his plans to capture Luke, Lando quickly devises an opportunity to free Leia, C3PO, R2D2 and Chewbacca, getting a strangling for his trouble. He also orders all the citizens to evacuate so they can no longer be used as leverage against him.
* [[Rule of Three]]: C-3PO describing the ridiculous odds against whatever Han Solo's trying to do. The ''Millennium Falcon'' failing to jump into hyperdrive when needed. Vader choking his subordinates for failing him.
* [[Running Gag]]: Again, the hyperdrive on the ''Falcon'' failing. By the third time, Leia and Chewie just kinda look at each other, neither one of them surprised at ''all
* [[Sadistic Choice]]: See [[Deal
* [[Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale]]: The Falcon somehow got to Bespin when its hyperdrive was broken, which should have taken months, if not years, at
* [[Second Chapter Cliffhanger]]: Perhaps the [[Trope Maker]] for ending the second installment of a [[Two-Part Trilogy]] on a [[Cliff Hanger]].
* [[Sequel Escalation]]: The movie has more locales, more action, and features the first Luke/Vader lightsaber duel. While the Force in the first movie was vaguely defined telepathic powers, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' shows the Force can also give you telekinesis, superhuman physical abilities and low-grade clairvoyance.
* [[Shipped in Shackles]]: Han Solo is frozen in carbonite for his trip to Jabba the Hutt. Vader plans to use the same procedure on Luke so he can be taken to the Emperor without escaping or fighting back.
* [[Shout-Out]]: To ''[[
* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: Han and Leia.
* [[Soul Brotha]]: Lando Calrissian, who gives Solo a run for his money in the charm and cool department (and puts the moves on Leia, who's uninterested).▼
* [[Space Suits Are Scuba Gear]]: In this case, they're face masks attached to an oxygen tank.
* [[Stealth in Space]]: Han's successful attempts at hiding from Star Destroyers (but not from cunning bounty hunters). [[Genre Savvy|Boba had]] [[Attack of the Clones|seen this trick before...]]
* [[Stern Chase]]: The cat-and-mouse between the ''Falcon'' and the Imperial fleet.
* [[The Stool Pigeon]]: {{spoiler|Lando Calrissian was forced by the Empire to sell out Han Solo and his friends to the Empire because they threatened total occupation/total annihilation of Cloud City if he didn't. In other words, he's closer to the Lacerated Larry type
▲* [[Soul Brotha]]: Lando Calrissian, who gives Solo a run for his money in the charm and cool department (and puts the moves on Leia, who's uninterested).
* [[Taking the Bullet]]: Captain Needa [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrifices himself]] to a Force Choke to save his crew from Vader's wrath.
* [[That's No Moon]]: The sandworm masquerading as a harmless cave.
* [[Too Smart for Strangers]]:
{{quote|
* [[Training
* [[Try and Follow]]: Han rushing into the asteroid field at full speed.
* [[Un Paused]]: C-3PO is damaged by Imperial stormtrooper fire. When he's repaired and reactivated, he replays what he was saying and thinking when he was attacked.
* [[Villains Never Lie]]: Except when [[I Lied|they do]].
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{{reflist}}
{{AFI's 100 Years 100 Heroes and Villains}}
[[Category:Vector Game]]▼
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:National Film Registry]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Films]]
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[[Category:Epic Movie]]
[[Category:Hugo Award]]
[[Category:Star Wars (Franchise)]]▼
[[Category:The Empire Strikes Back]]▼
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Vector Game]]
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