as a guy that was around as a kid when Return of the Jedi came.. no one was questioning if Luke turned to the dark side at the beginning of the movie.. everyone knew he was there to save Solo
His wife seems.... not exactly thrilled by his framing of their wedding as a "waste of time". I wonder if that lasted. Maybe if they shared a similar sense of humor, and she found it amusing -- but her expression doesn't say that, to me. I know couples who share a sardonic sense of humor like that, though.
@@StarWarsAnalyst Kids today forget that there was a time when "video on demand", in all it's forms, wasn't a thing. When RotJ was released, it had been three years since ESB, and at a time when if you didn't catch something in the theater, you had to wait for it to (hopefully) appear on TV. So there was a lot of anticipation. A couple friends and I skipped out on our junior high track and field day to sneak off to the theater. Track and Field day was always a highlight, but that was the best one ever. It was actaully very appropriate since, years earlier, my dad played hooky from work to take me to the first movie.
My ROTJ memory: I was 13 years old in 1983, we went to see the movie after it had been out a week or so. The anticipation was killing me. When I finally got to see the movie in a theater, the film broke right before the battle of Endor. We had to wait 30 minutes for them to get the movie going again. Longest half hour of my life.
Same happened to me after The Phantom Menace was released. I don't remember exactly when the movie broke, but I was sitting there thinking "come ooooon, do something".
I also was 13 in 1983...and if that had happened in our theatre, i think i would have gone NUTS! What i think is interesting is this revisionist history idea that ROTJ was a disappointment to fans after ESB. That's insane. NOBODY (at least no young person) at the time was disappointed in ROTJ. It was our favorite because: 1) it answered all the cliff hanger questions we had been debating for THREE fkn YEARS; 2) we got to see Vader get saved from the dark side; and 3) we got to hear "Nub Nub", the greatest song in the history of science fiction.
@@Nkosinati That revisionist history is an example of how history tends to get edited these days. (who ever is guilty of this is up for debate) My dad and his friends were teenagers when Jedi released and they loved it. And yes, they loved the Ewoks was well.
@@davidmorse2310 same. I saw Star Wars 9 times in the summer of 1977. My parents would drop me off every Saturday that summer with a $5 bill. Paid for the ticket, Whoppers, and a few games of Night Driver after the movie.
Nothing ruined the Satr Wars experience if you were alive then especially as a kid. The were master pieces that changed the world and that energy in the air will never be repeated.
I was 8 and loved seeing it in the theatre. However, Darth Vader as this crusty old man was a letdown to be honest. He was pathetic. Nonetheless, I loved the movie. Star Wars was such HUGE part of my childhood and still is to some extent.
@@sbladbyu yeah they really dropped the ball with that one, or the first time they show the Emperor in a hologram. Now that Chistensen is getting older they should edit his face into that scene and make him look a bit older, he even looks a lot more like Luke than that dusty old vampire looking guy.
The plan was for Leia to rescue Han, but Jabba ruined it, so plan B was Luke talking him into relesing them (Jedi mind trick) But since that dident work either they had to improvise.
Luke was powerful enough to chop his way through all of Jabba's minions, save Fett, with his laser-sword without the pretext. That begs the question why hide it in R2, unless the real plan was to take down Jabba once and for all.
Nah, each of them had a small step. If they all did it at once, it wouldn't work. First the dropped Lando in to get Intel and have a man inside. Then they send the droids as a warning and a good faith offer. That having failed, Leia came in, earning a lot of trust by delivering chewie. Leia was there to free Han, which makes things easier. They knew jabba would lose it, altho they didn't expect Leia would get caught. She was supposed to be another agent inside. But either way, Han is Freed. Then Luke rolls in and goes from there. Lando was probably feeding him all the Intel from start to finish. It was a good, flexible plan!
Nothing really failed in Lukes plan.He knew what was needed to happen. It all added up for them to get captured and be taken away from the place and lure Jabba out in the middle of nowhere for the execution. Letting him think he won. The team all accomplished what was needed to do. Everyone was exactly in the right place at the right time. Hence why he was still warning Jabba and continued to warn Jabba to free them or die, even at the pit. Jabba's, guards wasn't even ready for the attack, watch them panic trying to get their weapons ready. The element of surprise is powerful, thats the theme there. Luke could have just lightsabered in but didn't. Jabba had all sorts at his disposal at the palace. Look at Lando, letting Leia know it's ok when Luke fell in the Rancor pit. Sure it was risky and dangerous but thats the price to pay in a criminal underworld. Lucas theme throughout the OT, the bad guys where overly confident, over looking their weaknesses. That was Jabba's, down fall and The Emperors. It was even Lukes lesson in Empire Strikes Back.
@@RobTalks1138 Did Luke account for the Sarlacc Pit possibility? What if Artoo didn't get to go for example? What if they had searched him and found the lightsaber?
Though I agree that the scene would’ve ruined the mystery behind Luke’s original entrance, I wonder if the scene could’ve been re-engineered or displaced somewhere else in the movie where it could’ve worked. For example, maybe Vader could try and contact his son after Luke and the others had settled on Endor with the Ewoks? Perhaps just before Luke tells Leia that she is his sister? I’m perfectly fine with the movie as it is, but it’s an interesting thought.
Yeah I had actually just responded to someone else’s comment with this exact idea. I think it would have been better to have a scene like this before Luke goes to seek out Vader on Endor
I was 7, and the theater was packed we couldn't get seats next to each other. I was alone several rows away, which added to the anxiety I was having already. When the film started I forgot all about sitting alone and was sucked into the film. When Luke's lightsaber sparked to life and was that beautiful green will be a moment I will never forget.
I remember vividly the day I saw the greatest cliffhanger in cinematic history! The packed theatre, the buzz of the crowd, the smell of popcorn and the roar when that legendary scroll began! I still have the poster and collectors edition book that was sold to those who arrived early! Though the poster's seen better days, I'll cherish it always!
I never questioned if Luke went dark in the beginning of the movie, so that scene wouldn't have altered any perceptions for me. I just felt he was more mature, serious, seasoned.....not dark.
@@DGTubbs yoda also knew all of these abilities to why is it so hard for people to understand yoda taught him both sides of the force before he was ready to take on vader and sidious?
@@DGTubbs but it is a great way to tell someone to back off, as well as show them your power. He released the guard immediately after he proved his point.
I remember like it was yesterday. We were not able to get tickets for the 7pm show. My aunt got us tickets for the 1130 pm show. I was so happy that she allowed us to go to the movies that late. I was 10 yrs old and 1130 was waaaaay past my bed time. I got up the next morning at about 7am and ran through the woods pretending I was on a speeder bike! When ever I run through wooded trails I still pretend I'm chasing through the woods of Endor!
I was 10 years old in 1983. My mom took me the day it opened, after school. She was just as excited as I was. There was already a big line. We were there after 3pm. We didn't get in until the sun had set. I think it was after 8pm. By this point, my uncle showed up, not even knowing we were there. So he hung with us in line. I remember the excitement in the air that day. It was amazing. When we finally got in to see the movie, there wasn't an empty seat to be had. And I remember some guys and girls standing in the back of the theater, along the aisles just to see it. And when the 20th Century logo came on, the theater went nuts. Applause, whistling, cheers..it was a party. And when each character made their first appearance on the screen, people cheered and whistled. It reminded me of when we went to see The Empire Strikes Back. Although during that viewing, when Vader said his unforgettable line, "I am your father." The entire audience sounded like we all took a unanimous gasp. I remember some guy behind me shouting, "Oh! No way man!" There was like a faint garble of voices all taking the moment after Vader made that statement. By the time Luke shouted "No!!" The audience fell silent. When people got up from that, people seemed to be stunned and in disbelief. All anyone leaving the theater talked about was, is Vader Luke's father, will they be able to get Han back from this Jabba the Hutt, and who was the "other" Yoda spoke of to Obi-Wan that could be their last hope. By May of 1983 there was a fever pitch for Return of the Jedi, and all the answers we were looking for. I will never forget that time and that era. It was all so magical and fun. I'd give anything to go back to that time in my life.
Interesting point that showing his green saber too early could have been too revealing too soon and made it less suspensful. Personally, when I first watched this movie, it never even crossed my mind that Luke could turn evil!
Yeah, people WAY overthink the whole bit about him wearing black and Force choking the guards. We all just thought Luke looked bad-ass in all black, not "Is he turning evil??" And in 1983 nobody knew or gave a shit about if abilities were "Jedi" or "Sith", they just were.
@@legionarybooks13 Yes, when I saw it in 83, I thought the black suit was the uniform of a Jedi. We didn't know back then that Ben's robes weren't desert clothing, as they did look like a smarter version of Uncle Owen's or even Tusken Raiders garments.
@@chrisparkes2179 It was basically retconned that way, although arguably the retcon comes in Jedi itself, with the ghost of Anakin appearing in the same robes as Kenobi.
2:35 I heard that originally Luke’s lightsaber was going to be blue, but they made it green instead, due to lighting issues when filming the Sarlac scene. 3:28 This idea really helps explain the green blade, if it’s true.
Yeah think that's in the special edition somewhere, just like in the original theatrical release of ESB you can see through the cockpit of the snowspeeders due to blocking issues of white snow.
@@xiniks I like that idea as well and I hope that’s the case. Unfortunately though, the Obi-Wan series didn’t show anything that even hints that Obi-Wan even still has Qui-Gon’s lightsaber.
The director was worried that his blue blade would be lost due to the blue sky background in the scene where they are fleeing Jabba. So they changed the blade color to green so it would stand out more. In that world though it was explained as Luke finding a synthetic kyber crystal and using that to build his lightsaber from a diagram he found in Obi-Won's home. This was before Episodes 1, 2 and 3 came out so they may have changed the details of how he came to build it. But I still think it makes sense because Luke never really learned much before Kenobi died or before he left Yoda. A diagram on how to build a lightsaber makes the most sense to me as opposed to Luke guessing how to construct one.
Indeed it was. It's still blue in some of the early ads and teasers released at the time, using incomplete special effects footage (they did the same thing with some of the previews for 'Empire'). Notice how the blade appears blueish in the original movie posters, too, granted that paintings are a bit more stylized. I also distinctly remember that my toy 'RotJ' Luke action figure came with a little plastic blue lightsabre, but that doesn't mean much, I guess...the khaki Luke from 'Empire' had a yellow one. ?
My fondest childhood memory is going to see ROTJ on the day that it opened in my town. My best friend and I were too young to go by ourselves. The theatre that was showing it was near my grandma's house and I knew it would be difficult to get tickets because I had seen all the news coverage of people camping out to see it. So my best friend and I slept over at my grandma's and, on my insistence, she took us to the theatre to start standing in line at 7:30 am (for the 1 pm show). We didn't need to have done that as we were the first people to get into the theatre and people who came at like 11 or 12 got in too. But my memory of my grandmother doing that for me is my fondest. And, of course, we had been waiting for this moving for 3 years so nothing else will ever come close to that anticipation.
I was a kid when Jedi came out. I remember me and my friends speculating on what would happen. I remember vividly talking about how Anakin physically became Vader. We talked about how the Emperor gave him the choice to live as Vader or die as Anakin. We figured he and Obi-Wan had already fought and Anakin had lost. We always figured Anakin had been severely injured by Obi-Wan and left for dead.
I'm a child of the 90s, but as a child, I assumed Vader lost his body piece by piece as he hunted down various Jedi and they got some good shots in. I never imagined he took all those injuries at once. I'm not sure I like it better, to be honest.
Lucas had mentioned in interviews at the time that Obi-Wan and Anakin had fought "at the edge of a volcano" and that Anakin had fallen in. Which is... pretty close to what he ended up with in Revenge of the Sith.
I concur that nothing today is anticipated like RotJ was; for a kid in 1980-1983, the wait was literally anguishing. What people today who weren't around then don't really understand, it makes no sense even, yet it's how it was, that after you saw something in the theater, there was no way to just watch it again once it was no longer in theaters. It wasn't on TV, there were no recordings or clips to watch, no social media with pictures and memes. I saw IV at 6 years old and I will never forget it as an experience, however the details were murky because I was so young. During the time before Empire, all I had to hold onto (while me and my friends played with all of the toys) was a vinyl record that had bits of the dialog and other audio from the movie. It was simply impossible for common-folk to see the film again until the 2nd theatrical release which I think occurred between Empire and Jedi. All you had was your memory and your imagination, and that's I think what cemented Star Wars into the psyche of everyone who experienced it then.
Great video! The argument certainly makes sense, but there's an equally compelling case that the deleted scene cuts the other way and heightens the ambiguity of whether Luke remained on the light side or surrendered to his father's wish that he turn. With that scene in place, the viewer would witness Luke force choke the guards, threaten Jabba, etc. and really be unsure of where Luke stands, which could make the reveal that he remained on the light side even more powerful.
I think having Vader and Luke talking telepathically at mid-conversation about the dark side of the force would've been nice and made it easier to trick the audience into thinking he's being trained. The reveal would've been much better in my opinion.
I was thinking the same. Luke force chokes the Gamorreans (but I don't think he kills them), threatens Jabba (but gives him 2 opportunities to let them go) and is quite cocky when talking to Han Solo about the rescue, although with a certain reassuring confidence (all iconic actions of Darth Vader but with a light side twist making you question everything). The whole scene at the pit of carkoon would be so much more powerful if you cut out the scene where he makes the saber. I think just Vader talking through the force to Luke trying desperately to turn him would be good enough pot-stirrer to fool a lot of people once they introduce Luke. That moment when Luke ignites his green saber would be the first moment of confirmation that Luke is a hero and an absolute badass at that.
I have to disagree about the thought that this scene would have detracted from the film. I feel that, if anything, it would have added to the uncertainty of Luke's entrance to Jabba's palace. I actually was there opening day in 1983 (fortunately the movie theaters in Enid, Oklahoma, didn't have lines camped out for days in advance), and I remember my initial sense upon seeing Luke coldly Force choking Gamorreans and mind tricking Bib Fortuna with no apparent qualms or regret was nothing more than confusion. He's supposed to be the hero, even if it's necessary for him to do these things, he should at least feel bad about them. Not once did my thoughts go to the idea that he might have given in to Vader and started to train in the Dark Side. However, if we actually HAD started with the scene of Vader reaching out to Luke first and trying to push him to the Dark Side, THEN because of the context my thoughts would have been "Oh, no! He did it! He went to the Dark Side just like Vader wanted!" As for the escape plan and the reveal of Luke's lightsaber, I actually really like the idea of watching him finish the construction of it on screen, and I don't think it takes anything away from the escape plan as long as we don't actually see him put the lightsaber inside Artoo. If we don't see him hide it in Artoo's dome, the implication would be that he had it with him and it was taken upon his capture, then during the escape we see Artoo pop it out and get the surprise that it was there the whole time. The trailers had already revealed that Luke had a new green lightsaber anyways (in fact, one trailer actually showed the shot of him catching it, just didn't show where it came from), so seeing the lightsaber earlier in the film doesn't spoil anything as long as we don't see where he hides it. In short, far from detracting from the film, I think this scene would have made it better, giving context and further development to a couple things that were confusing in the finished film. But that's just my opinion; you are still welcome to your own.
I agree with this. Not once did the idea of Luke turning to the dark side because of that entrance cross my mind. I actually can't believe that anyone would have thought that way until seeing this video lol
Yes, the anticipation for Jedi in '83 was HUGE. Empire's cliffhanger made for an almost unbearable wait. That said, I did not camp out for Jedi, though there were massive lines and crowds when I saw it, maybe a week after its opening. Going to see it was an event, and I recall going with a large group of classmates. It was "the" thing to do then.
In 1983, I was seven years old. Star Wars usually came out in time for my birthday, but Return of the Jedi came out two days early. On the spur of the moment, my mother decided to send my aunt and I to go see it, and when we arrived, the line went from the theater to the small gas station down the road. We gladly waited and talked excitedly about what it the movie would be. To give you a bit of background, movies stayed in theaters so long as they made money, because VCRs weren't common, so I remember that Star Wars ran literally until it ran as a double feature with Empire Strikes Back. Also, most theaters then were one screen; two was revolutionary idea. This theater had two screens, and even still it took from the beginning time of the film to the second showing to even get to the theater. We paid, went inside, and it was a madhouse. When people came pouring out of the showing we were going to, we had to wade through them to get to our seats. It was a really magical time. The excitement we all shored was fantastic.
As a 12 year old in '83 (when it came out at least) I can assure you no one thought Luke had converted nor been trained in the dark side. We were excited and had seen enough trailers to know that wasn't a thing, at least at the start of the movie.
I agree, up until that point in the Star Wars universe only 2 movies had been made. No one had seen any other Jedi aside from Obi-Wan and Yoda. No one knew what a Sith was even after ROTJ. Luke never wore any traditional (by today's standards) Jedi robes. It was just another costume change for the new movie and nothing more. No one had any sense that Luke was going to join Vader, much of the "lore" in SW is revisionist history.
I personally believe they could’ve still used this scene later in the movie. Perhaps before Luke turns himself in to Vader. By tweaking some dialogue and subverting expectations by Luke not saying to anyone he’s going to confront Vader, just him growing more worried as the film progresses. Then when he finally turns himself in we think he’s going to join Vader, but then he reveals it is HE who’s here to turn Vader. Who knows tho haha ROTJ is great and this was a random talk by me :P
So, I have done some thinking over the years as well about what exactly the plan was, and I do believe I may have figured something out after all this time: So, Lando infiltrates the palace disguised as a guard to locate Han and see what the situation is and reports back to Luke. Luke now knows Han is still in carbonite and located in the main chamber. Lando remains in the palace as Luke’s spy/lookout. This may also be where Luke and the gang learn of the bounty on Chewie. At this point, Leia has the Boush disguise and the group comes up with a plan. Luke decided to send in the droids to deliver his message and hopefully negotiate, only telling R2 the plan because Threepio can’t keep a secret. Luke puts his lightsaber inside Artoo in case Luke has to get in and things get violent, since the guards would likely take his weapon. If the message is enough, Luke can come get Han and then Lando can sneak the droids out. If that fails, then they move to Phase 2. Leia, disguised as Boush, sneaks in under the pretense of collecting Chiewbacca’s bounty and Threepio is there to translate. Collecting the bounty, she gets into Jaba’s good graces and can stay. This gives her her chance to free Han and escape with him while Lando can then hopefully get Chewie and the droids. If this fails, Luke himself is there last ditch, “Hail Mary” move. Luke arrived at the palace to negotiate just as he said and attempts to negotiate, using his newfound Jedi powers to hopefully resolve the conflict without issue. When it becomes clear he can mind trick Jabba into submitting and the crime lord won’t back down, Luke is then forced to fight, but since Artoo isn’t there, he has to improvise and steal that blaster he grabs before the rancor pit incident. Then we all know how it goes from there. In short, the TL;DR version is the whole thing was a multistage plan with backups. Lando sneaks in to locate Han. When found, Luke sends the droids to try and get Jabba to bargain. When that doesn’t work, they send in Leia in disguise with Chewie to get close enough to Han to break him out with Lando grabbing the others. And in a worst case scenario and the others fail, Luke comes in to rescue the others with some Jedi muscle
00:38 If you stood in front of the movie theater closest to your home at that time and saw this classic poster of the lightsaber held amidst the stars, anticipating the showing of ROTJ, YOU AND YOU ONLY have the ability to understand the singular experience and the shiver that was to stand in front of this poster as if looking at a deity. BEST POSTER EVER!
I like the facts and your opinions you put into your channel. It really makes me think about for example what return of the Jedi would have been if that scene was involved in the movie. Great job. Take care.
Haha same. That's funny. too bummed to wait in like just like teenagers nowadays. But people in 1980's leveled it up and thought of getting married in line. Something we dont see in gen z & millenials nowadays 😆
Read or listen to the book "shadows of the empire". It has some great content on how Luke built his saber. He synthesized the crystal and that's why it was green. Vader also keeps messing with Luke's head every time he meditates on the force. It's pretty cool
I remember that scene very well. The book is great. It goes into a lot of detail about how Jedi make lightsabers. But, sadly, I read the book before I watched the prequels - where every man and his dog had a lightsaber, or two, or lightsaber staffs, or anything else that Zombie George Lucas thought looked cool. The book made sense. The prequels, unfortunately, didn't.
They deleted the scene to shorten time. They hardly considered Luke's questionable reveal, as many people were left with the impression that he has just become really adept in the force. Not that he went dark side. The video is completely accurate. The deleted scenes are completely unessessary. But I think the editor's mindset was way different about it. Regardless of viewpoint, it's good they removed it. Way too much exposition for a intro that doesn't really need it. Modern movies can learn a lot from the decision to cut it.
I was 19 when ROTJ came out. I saw it, of course, the only thing I remember is hating the WAY-too-long Jabba's palace story (no bad per se, but it just seemed endless), and I hated the "space motorcycles" on Endor. What I DID love, however, was the smarmy, slimy Emperor Palpatine. When he first came aboard the 2nd Death Star, I thought, "THIS? THIS shriveled old prune with a cane rules the whole empire? What kind of joke is this?". It didn't take long at all for him to win me over. Soon I was hanging on his every word. And, just before being yeeted over the reactor shaft in his moment of triumph, he delivers what to me was, and remains to this day, the greatest line ever uttered in movie history: a contemptuous, sneering "And now, young Skywalker...you will die.".
"Embrace the dark side" it was Sidious said to Anakin, I don't think you can really embrace it without getting lost in it. It's like Heroine, you can't "embrace it" without getting addicted to it, but you can get away with it if you keep it at a distance for some people apparently haha
Hell Yes. I remember that as a kid like holy crap a green one! 😂😂😂. I believe they went with green because of the blue sky behind him & that a blue saber wouldn’t show up good on screen with that background.
The problem is, Luke could never have planned everything that happened in his rescue of Han, like being thrown to the Rancor, or taken to the Sarlacc. And why hide his lightsaber in R2 rather than carry on his person to defend himself from the start? And what if that serving tray had blocked the lightsaber from ejecting? Everything about the Jabba section of the movie involved very convoluted planning for events that Luke could never have predicted, and where one little thing that changes would've proven disastrous!
The thing is that seeing him catch the lightsaber and activate it during the escape from Jabba isn't the first time audiences had seen it though. It had already been revealed in the trailers, one of which actually showed that shot of him catching it (just not showing that it came from Artoo). I was there for the first show in Enid, Oklahoma, on opening day and had kept up with all of the trailers and information beforehand. Seeing him finishing the lightsaber up earlier in the film wouldn't have spoiled anything we didn't already know as long as we didn't see him hide it in Artoo's dome.
@@white-dragon4424 Thats just an assumption really. R2 has proven himself more than capeable. He def would falter at a table top. And it just shows how much Luke has grown in his powers to anticipate and adapt to the changing situation
I had the privilege of going to the Cinema to see this with my Dad and little bro back in 83. Still remember to this day watching the scene when Luke removed the mask. I was 7 at the time being born mid 70s and being a child of the 80s Star Wars was massive, my bro and I had all the figures and kids used to come over to play and bring all their ships and we'd have battles in the garden till the sun went down. I also recall going into Woolworths in Britain (equivalent to your walmart) and seeing walls upon walls of figures.
It would have actually tied everything together during their conversation in Return of the Jedi. The scene was deleted probably because of time not continuity.
This scene is included in the radio version as it doesnt ruin pacing and suprise as most people would have seen the film first. If I remember constructing a Lightsaber is one of the Jedi training tasks and has to be done a certain way, I know in the KOTOR games Tatooine Does have Kyber Crystals.
I never realized how many cool deleted scenes the original trilogy had. It really gives a lot more context and shows the inspiration material for a lot of newer content
In the old EU the parts for a lightsaber were quite common and the crystal didn't need to be a certain type it just had to be flawless. Jaina Solo actually grew hers in her dorm at the Jedi Academy
@@lucasoheyze4597 the parts were the easy part though as it's explained in I Jedi the way it's built is almost like a ritual using the Force to make connections at the molecular level.
The dialogue was a little corny, and the reveal of the lightsaber was too early, but I do like the idea this scene gives us that Vader has been constantly tempting Luke to the dark side.
I always thought Luke built his Saber from assorted parts Obi-Wan had been keeping specifically for Luke. As for how he gathered them I thought it would be a mix of him going off world on brief jaunts to old battlefields and Senator Organa acquiring parts in secret hand having them sent to Obi-Wan through trusted allies.
Going to the movies back then was such a different experience, people would camp out with no cell phones or internet. The popcorn was always fresh and so was the other food. Soda pop was made with real sugar and not that high fructose corn syrup (aka yucky death in a bottle). In the theater itself the audience was way more interactive, and would all cheer together or share a collective gasp. You could also smoke and drink beer, which pretty much everyone did back then.
Didn’t Luke have to create a synthetic kyber crystal? And yeah I think it would be cool if they would put that in the kenobi series, and maybe even show a flash forward (opposite of a flashback) of Luke going into obi-wans home, and finding the lightsaber and all the other Jedi stuff, like obi-wan’s journals and Jedi books, maybe a holocron or two… maybe even show look working on his lightsaber at obi-wan’s place
@@sd80mac I'm glad that isn't Canon. Creating a synthetic kyber crystal sounds too much like a cheat. Good decision to not let it be canon. In the real world, a cubic zirconia will never have the properties on a real diamond. Synthetic Kyber Crystals shouldn't either.
@@christianmoya5268 I agree. I think the new Canon lore is pretty cool, having the dark siders bend the Kyber crystals to their will by making them “bleed”. Adds an extra level of evil that is perfect for them, haha
@@williamgee6654 that's true. I recall seeing in the original clone wars cartoons (not the Canon series, but the 2 season series that came prior), a couple of Jedi were in a cave full of Kyber Crystals. In that episode, they had to be rescued by Yoda, as there was a cave-in. As well, Rogue One mentions the mining of Kyber Crystals by the Empire on Jedha.
I think the scene without him building the lightsaber would add a mystery of did he join him. He’s wearing black and force choking people and we would be shocked later to find out he was a Jedi when he ignites it outside at his execution
The question of whether Luke would turn to dark side and join Vader in ROTJ was teased to fans in pre-release photos showing Luke dressed in black and standing next to Vader. I remember being horrified when I first saw these and thinking "NOOO!!!", and having debates with school friends as to whether he would or wouldn't. It REALLY was a big deal in the day.
I waited on line for 4 days! I was so excited. First night there was a fight and i got beat up. 2nd night i got robbed. . I got no sleep those 2 nights but i was determined. The 3rd night i was so scared from being robbed and beat up i didnt sleep again. I finally passed out and totally missed movie and woke up and got robbed again and my wallet was gone! Great experience!
My friends and I camped outside the theater waiting for the re-release of the original films in the late 90's. I was not old enough to see them in the theater on the original go round. It was a blast! We had had a camp stove and tents and the whole nine yards.
@@jimreily7538 Originally I really liked them, mostly because I was ravenous for anything Star Wars after the re-release of the OG movies. After watching them again and again, especially the Phantom Menace, I discovered two things: One, I HATE Jar Jar Binks, and what the Hell was he thinking with the accent, and two, the whole pod racing thing was just something to suck up an hour's worth of film. Over all, the acting was atrocious and it had no "real" feel to it. Like the interaction between the characters was forced. Every time I hear that line "Oh Anni, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine". It's vomit inducing. But I digress.😁
@@ericgardner3140 Lol, you're absolutely right. I remember seeing in one of the prequel Making Of documentaries, when Lucas presents one of the scripts, he says something like "I made sure to include lots of action sequences, to use up time". He was serious too. Yep, there's no question the Prequels are full of scenes, like the pod racing sequence, that do no service to the story (in fact, do the stories disservice), but are just there to fill time. I remember hating Jar Jar Binks too. And all the characters in TPM really. I either disliked or didn't care about them. Because none of them are likeable. Imagine if TPM had been the first Star Wars movie releases. Would ANYONE care about Anakin, or any of the characters ? It's only because fans know that the boy will become Darth Vader, that they care. So in a way, it shows how a well written character can be so powerful - Lucas didn't or couldn't replicate that in the prequels. Yeah, TPM sucked, and I honestly think that anyone who enjoys, or says they enjoy it more than the OT, it is making excuses. I tried to make those excuses, but I just couldn't. I can still remember the disappointment, it was that strong. After all the years I spent playing Star Wars MUSH and reading the books and watching the OT over and over, and just immersing my mind in that galaxy, and how keen I was to see the prequels, the disappointment was truly bitter. I never really wanted the prequels anyway, I was only excited to see them because I had heard, in the internet's early days, that the prequels would be made and shortly after that, the sequels. It was the sequels, ironically enough, that I was really keen to see. But now, after the harm that has been done to Star Wars, I only view the OT, as worthwhile. CGI can be good but without Ralph McQuarrie, you cannot have that same level of beauty and imaginative inspiration in my view. In truth, it is Ralph McQuarrie's galaxy, since he drew nearly all the set designs and concept art. Without his unique visual approach, you can never really return there, you can never make another movie that truly fits into the same galaxy as the OT - visually speaking. But that's alright. I think, in lieu of someone with that type of talent coming along again, it's better to just ignore all the films except the OT.
I remember when ROTJ came out. I was a young kid but the anticipation was amazing. And I am glad those scenes didn’t make it in the movie. It would have killed that great opening
I saw Return of the Jedi on opening day with my family. We planned to get there five hours early so we could be at the front of the line. I was 14 at the time and volunteered to stand in line while the family found food and brought it back. We got to the theater and there was already 300 people in line, some of them had obviously been there overnight or longer. Fortunately, this was back when theaters had like 1000 seats so we easily made the first showing. It was a fantastic experience! Later that year we moved to Japan and I got to see RotJ on opening night for a second time (Japan got movies 6-12 months behind the US in those days).
Yeah, but remember in Japan we also got video games 6-12 months EARLIER than the US. 😁 I was the bane of my friends back in the US while stationed there.
Return was my favorite of the original trilogy given we're given a tad more of a look into Darth Vader from his backstory and his relationship to Luke. Plus this movie made me love Luke more especially with that green saber.
Thanks for sharing your insights with us. Everytime i hear Luke's new lightsaber ignite, i get chills running up my spine. that sound is just too perfect and so powerful. Cheers from Canada
I always wondered if Obi Wan had left luke the kyber crystal from Qui Gon's saber. I doubt he traveled the galaxy looking for a green one. And I completely agree, this would have ruined the buildup and reveal. Great video as always.
That's a good point about possibly using Qui-Gon's saber - the fact that both blades are green lends some credibility to that idea I'd seen that deleted scene before and always assumed he had built it somewhere else with tools and was just tweaking it to fit in R2's storage compartment I'm sure you already know this - but Luke's lightsaber in RotJ was originally going to be blue, but there wasn't enough contrast with the bright blue desert day sky, so Lucas changed it to green for contrast.
Actually the first time I saw the reveal of the scene, its initial postwork over the raw footage was a blue blade. Just like the cover label for the SNES video game. Comics had alluded to this, as did Shadows of the Empire in a scene where you as Dash Rendar must protect Luke from a gang of swoop bikers while he meditates and rests.
Fun fact: in canon, tatooine is one among a few planets in star wars that had a natural scource of kyber crystals. This is more than likely where luke got his. As for lightsaber parts, luke may have found some spares in obi-wan's hut or on the black market (yes, you can get lightsaber parts from there too)
@@karlhungus1569 the kyber crystal coral is legends. In canon, there were several planets besides illum that had a kyber crystal mine. There were a few planets on the list, but the ones i remember are jedah, loathal and tatooine
I was ten years old in 1983. I remember my family getting me right after school and we wanted in line through a whole screening to be able to see Jedi. I was obsessed and still am.
If I remember correctly, the novelization states that he did build his saber in Obi-Wan's house, and also that they used a 2 seater Y-wing as well as the X-wing and the Falcon. But they left the Y-wing behind.
I would love to see a short series based on if the story went in different ways (i.e. luke going darkside, anakin not going darkside, etc). Obviously it couldn’t be canon, but it would be interesting to see!
@@rennmaxbeta Dark Horse published some Star Wars 'What If' titles several years ago, that pondered questions such as what if Luke didn't blow up the first Death Star?
I get that you're a star wars fan but your knowledge is only based from the films and you're asking questions that are completely answered in the novelization of ROTJ(and the audio drama that was released in the late 80s early 90s) which IIRC came out right before the movie was released. He was building a new lightsaber inside Obi-won's old hut using his tools and writings. The author got a script of the movie and worked on the book while filming was still in production. You should try to get more into the lore, there's so much info that was written that has not been excluded as "legends" that would answer so many more of your questions.
Cliff hanger? Hardly. I was 10 when Empire came out and 13 when Jedi came along. I spent 3 years wondering how they would ever top Empire (and they didn't, but at first screening I thought they did - other than the stupid ewoks), but me and my friends didn't spend one second wondering if Han would be back. Heck, the whole point of the carbonite was that he was still alive and perfectly preserved - even at 10 we didn't miss that!
This explains Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Phantom Menace. Darth Vader, the ultimate villain, his master, the Emperor. Who knew the dark side of the Force, was unnatural. Sith Lord's are very powerful, hence Darth Vader was the most evil. This is why Luke lost his hand, defeated Jabba the Hutt, and saw Yoda one more time. Kenobi tells Luke what happened to Anakin and how he turned to the bad side. Luke isn't the chosen one, Anakin is. He over powers his master and throws him into the reactor. He restored peace to the galaxy. Far far away. But in Rise of Skywalker, the Emperor returned on a planet called Xegol The Sith planet, which was secret. Kylo Ren, and Rey Skywalker, join together to defeat the Emperor, Ben, dies at the hands of the Emperor, but comes back as a force ghost, and fights with Rey to beat Palpatine. 💓 Evil is defeated again, like Return of the Jedi.
I've always believed since the prequels that Luke modified Qui Gon's saber into his own for Return of the Jedi. However, I disagree that the deleted scene would have given away too much. Vader is shown communicating with Luke, and then we see a dark clad Luke force choking the guards. It would have actually reinforced the concern about Luke's allegiance, probably giving a better sense of relief and joy when Luke's plan is revealed.
Honestly it can go both ways for me. On one side it gives a chilling intro to a power Vader has but on the other hand it also ruins the ambiguity with the Janna Palace scene
I came to this realization recently: What's perfect about the OT was that one could make a case that Luke, unlike Rey (who was always "lawfully good", so to speak) actually TURNS (succumbs / gets tempted) TO THE DARK SIDE in the second Death Star. He does in fact turn after the "you have a sister" / "never" dialogue. Remember what Yoda said in Dagobah about once stepping into the dark side and not coming back/forever shall it.... That reinforces the idea of Vader / Anakin's redemption arc being what saves the day, not only saving Luke from Force Lightning, but from the Dark Side itself.
I thought it was established that Luke's saber was made from a synthetic crystal precisely since he can't and doesn't know how to find a natural kyber crystal
I think this scene would also weaken the impact of vaders inner conflict within himself, it could turn his redemption to less convincing one in my opinion.
Well, like Anakin, Luke improvised profusely using the force. Being as naturally gifted as they were, form 5 was very useful to each of them. They could easily defend when needed where the attack heavy form left them open for a counter strike. Unfortunately, after his looks were severed, Vader had to adapt the style to the limits of his new body. But he was still a formidable foe and a master strategist. Only Thrawn and Tarkein were anywhere near Vader's level.
I went to see ROTJ for my 7th birthday one town over from where I lived. Back in the day, I would have had to wait another month to see it in my hometown. I still get chills when I think of the cheers that permeated the theatre when Luke flipped over his captors and ignited that green lightsaber for the first time. Cap lifting Mjolnir in Endgame was a distant third, with, of course, first place going to Darth Vader turning back to the light at the end of the movie.
Firstly, Luke didn't build his new lightsaber in the cave 5 minutes before ROTJ. Do you think he spent the year between movies lightsaberless, and then planned a rescue mission, and part of that plan was to build a weapon right before going in? "It looks like he's just tightening a few screws" yeah, one would assume he's just doing some maintenance on his weapon before giving it to R2, not constructing a new lightsaber "in some random cave"
As a big Star Wars fan myself, I’m a little torn on how I feel about the scene. I feel like the scene that was released does leave a mystery on if Luke did convert to the dark side until the action happens. But with the deleted scene I feel like it eludes more to Luke may have had some form of dark side training. As far as Luke’s green saber (had he fell to the dark side) it would have given false hope to everyone. Meaning, a lot of people would say “Oh it’s green and only Jedi use blue and green sabers.” But in the case of Anakin when he fell he continued to use his blue saber. That’s where I’m torn at lol. In the deleted scene it eludes to Luke have already somewhat fallen only for the audience to breathe a sigh of relief as the tale progresses. But the released scene is dark and mysterious… which we all know the dark side itself is dark and mysterious. By the way… you said to like and comment on this video for the giveaway so… here I am! 😂 Fingers crossed! 🤞🏻 Thank you for taking the time to make these videos and do a giveaway to Sith Lords (fans) such as myself haha. May the Force serve you well!
Yes but in RoTS Vader is continuing to use his old saber, however he would have abandoned it because it would remind him too much of Anakin, plus he would have to get another Kyber to make it bleed. Here you have a scene where Luke actually BUILDS his lightsaber which is the last part of Jedi training basically. The scene would have worked, had they not shown Luke finishing and igniting his lightsaber. Hell, even show him building it but don't show the blade's colour as that's giving away everything.
As I saw all three original movies in the theatre when released (have to admit, when the OG was released in 77' the same weekend as William Friedkin's Sorcerer, I went and saw Sorcerer and then Star Wars the following weekend), I have to bring up how massively disappointed most of my friends were with ROTJ. Empire was very good and much more adult orientated than New Hope so me and my friends thought the series would go in a darker, more adult direction and then...Ewoks! Lucas completely aborted the original draft for ROTJ which had been talked about since 1981 which had all this action on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk and not on some stupid puppet moon. Lucas made all these changes for one reason: marketing toys and products to kids. F the kids! I was 9 when New Hope was released and if they would have had the whole Ewok nonsense in NH I never would have watched another SW movie. IMO there are only two real SW movies: New Hope & Empire, the rest is just childish crap.
You think ewoks are bad...just wait. Lucas had jar jar binks in his treasure chest of sh#t yet to be revealed. Good old Lucas, ego bigger than the death star, and far more destructive!
Maybe they can dedicate an episode of Tales of the Jedi (if they do a second season) of Luke in this scene, and show him using the force to assemble a lightsaber with Qui-Gon’s crystal in Obi-Wan’s old hut.
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1983, 13 years old sleeping outside theater over night in Anchorage,AK, To see Return of the Jedi, With the greatest of anticipation that I have not felt since.
FREE Lightsaber giveaway on my website: StarWarsAnalyst.com
as a guy that was around as a kid when Return of the Jedi came.. no one was questioning if Luke turned to the dark side at the beginning of the movie.. everyone knew he was there to save Solo
May the 4th be with you. Can’t wait to see if they actually show Qui Gons saber… that would be super cool
@@MWhite1481 Hi I just sent you an email with your tracking information… your saber is expected to arrive on May 22
It would be cool seeing Luke on an imperial occupied Ilum looking for a kyber crystal.
I would. But after decades of trying to win a PCH giveaway. I already know I have snowball's chance in hell.
I like how the guy got married to “waste some of the time”. Great way to start things off.
I do feel Lucas made the right call cutting this scene.
Gotta hear how it went LOL.😀
His wife seems.... not exactly thrilled by his framing of their wedding as a "waste of time". I wonder if that lasted. Maybe if they shared a similar sense of humor, and she found it amusing -- but her expression doesn't say that, to me. I know couples who share a sardonic sense of humor like that, though.
Hopefully they’re still together to this day.
No way in hell that marriage lasted a year! 🤣
Lmao, ya. Just needed a way to kill some time waiting for Star Wars...
Another great look into a deleted scene. I am old enough to have remembered the anticipation between ESB and RotJ; it was palpable.
What was it like!? And thanks for the support 😎 May the 4th be with you!!
@@StarWarsAnalyst Kids today forget that there was a time when "video on demand", in all it's forms, wasn't a thing. When RotJ was released, it had been three years since ESB, and at a time when if you didn't catch something in the theater, you had to wait for it to (hopefully) appear on TV. So there was a lot of anticipation. A couple friends and I skipped out on our junior high track and field day to sneak off to the theater. Track and Field day was always a highlight, but that was the best one ever.
It was actaully very appropriate since, years earlier, my dad played hooky from work to take me to the first movie.
I see what you did there 👀
Lmao palpatinable
It was a loooong 3 years when you are a youngster!
The dude really described getting married as a way of wasting time while waiting for the new Star Wars movie lmao.
That’s hilarious lol, their costumes were on point as well
I was waiting for a dirty look from his bride, but it didn't happen.
Not all heroes wear capes.
It was a different time a more care free time.
Absolute legend!!!
My ROTJ memory: I was 13 years old in 1983, we went to see the movie after it had been out a week or so. The anticipation was killing me. When I finally got to see the movie in a theater, the film broke right before the battle of Endor. We had to wait 30 minutes for them to get the movie going again. Longest half hour of my life.
Same happened to me after The Phantom Menace was released. I don't remember exactly when the movie broke, but I was sitting there thinking "come ooooon, do something".
I also was 13 in 1983...and if that had happened in our theatre, i think i would have gone NUTS!
What i think is interesting is this revisionist history idea that ROTJ was a disappointment to fans after ESB. That's insane. NOBODY (at least no young person) at the time was disappointed in ROTJ. It was our favorite because:
1) it answered all the cliff hanger questions we had been debating for THREE fkn YEARS;
2) we got to see Vader get saved from the dark side; and
3) we got to hear "Nub Nub", the greatest song in the history of science fiction.
@@Nkosinati That revisionist history is an example of how history tends to get edited these days. (who ever is guilty of this is up for debate)
My dad and his friends were teenagers when Jedi released and they loved it. And yes, they loved the Ewoks was well.
I was 10 in 1977 the Month Star Wars was released.
@@davidmorse2310 same. I saw Star Wars 9 times in the summer of 1977. My parents would drop me off every Saturday that summer with a $5 bill. Paid for the ticket, Whoppers, and a few games of Night Driver after the movie.
Nothing ruined the Satr Wars experience if you were alive then especially as a kid. The were master pieces that changed the world and that energy in the air will never be repeated.
same here. you could taste it in the air.
I was 8 and loved seeing it in the theatre. However, Darth Vader as this crusty old man was a letdown to be honest. He was pathetic. Nonetheless, I loved the movie. Star Wars was such HUGE part of my childhood and still is to some extent.
@@sbladbyu yeah they really dropped the ball with that one, or the first time they show the Emperor in a hologram. Now that Chistensen is getting older they should edit his face into that scene and make him look a bit older, he even looks a lot more like Luke than that dusty old vampire looking guy.
The plan was for Leia to rescue Han, but Jabba ruined it, so plan B was Luke talking him into relesing them (Jedi mind trick)
But since that dident work either they had to improvise.
Luke was powerful enough to chop his way through all of Jabba's minions, save Fett, with his laser-sword without the pretext. That begs the question why hide it in R2, unless the real plan was to take down Jabba once and for all.
But the plan is to let Chewie and the droids stay with Jabba in the process.
Nah, each of them had a small step. If they all did it at once, it wouldn't work. First the dropped Lando in to get Intel and have a man inside. Then they send the droids as a warning and a good faith offer. That having failed, Leia came in, earning a lot of trust by delivering chewie. Leia was there to free Han, which makes things easier. They knew jabba would lose it, altho they didn't expect Leia would get caught. She was supposed to be another agent inside. But either way, Han is Freed. Then Luke rolls in and goes from there.
Lando was probably feeding him all the Intel from start to finish. It was a good, flexible plan!
Nothing really failed in Lukes plan.He knew what was needed to happen. It all added up for them to get captured and be taken away from the place and lure Jabba out in the middle of nowhere for the execution. Letting him think he won. The team all accomplished what was needed to do. Everyone was exactly in the right place at the right time. Hence why he was still warning Jabba and continued to warn Jabba to free them or die, even at the pit. Jabba's, guards wasn't even ready for the attack, watch them panic trying to get their weapons ready. The element of surprise is powerful, thats the theme there. Luke could have just lightsabered in but didn't. Jabba had all sorts at his disposal at the palace. Look at Lando, letting Leia know it's ok when Luke fell in the Rancor pit. Sure it was risky and dangerous but thats the price to pay in a criminal underworld. Lucas theme throughout the OT, the bad guys where overly confident, over looking their weaknesses. That was Jabba's, down fall and The Emperors. It was even Lukes lesson in Empire Strikes Back.
@@RobTalks1138 Did Luke account for the Sarlacc Pit possibility? What if Artoo didn't get to go for example? What if they had searched him and found the lightsaber?
Though I agree that the scene would’ve ruined the mystery behind Luke’s original entrance, I wonder if the scene could’ve been re-engineered or displaced somewhere else in the movie where it could’ve worked. For example, maybe Vader could try and contact his son after Luke and the others had settled on Endor with the Ewoks? Perhaps just before Luke tells Leia that she is his sister?
I’m perfectly fine with the movie as it is, but it’s an interesting thought.
Yeah I had actually just responded to someone else’s comment with this exact idea. I think it would have been better to have a scene like this before Luke goes to seek out Vader on Endor
You have to remember that there was 48 minutes cut from Empire strike back. And it would have definitely added more depth to the show
@@StarWarsAnalyst I was thinking the same thing. and to work it in somehow so it fit in perfectly with the Empire capture the rebels.
exactly what i thought ! i thought it was cool scene
Less is more somtimes. Do we even need to know what happens to Obiwan? Not really, but I'm sure it will be a good pay day for someone.
Idk why but the thought of Luke creating his lightsaber out of Quigon's is so touching to me
Right!
Well it's the master of his master so
I would still like to see the entire 3 half hour movie
@@scotcompston Does that make Qui-Gon his grandmaster?
I'm pretty sure Luke actually created his lightsaber out of obi wan's it looks very similar to the one obi wan had in a new hope
I was 7, and the theater was packed we couldn't get seats next to each other. I was alone several rows away, which added to the anxiety I was having already. When the film started I forgot all about sitting alone and was sucked into the film. When Luke's lightsaber sparked to life and was that beautiful green will be a moment I will never forget.
I remember vividly the day I saw the greatest cliffhanger in cinematic history! The packed theatre, the buzz of the crowd, the smell of popcorn and the roar when that legendary scroll began! I still have the poster and collectors edition book that was sold to those who arrived early! Though the poster's seen better days, I'll cherish it always!
And yet they still cut 48 minutes from empire strike back. Because it was actually called a dramatic change and dark picture at the time
What an incredible lame story.
I never questioned if Luke went dark in the beginning of the movie, so that scene wouldn't have altered any perceptions for me.
I just felt he was more mature, serious, seasoned.....not dark.
Except that a force choke was a sith technique. And yes, Anakin used force choke frequently as a Jedi. But we all know how THAT ended...
@@DGTubbs Nobody knew shit about Anakin this was the 1980s.
@@DGTubbs yoda also knew all of these abilities to why is it so hard for people to understand yoda taught him both sides of the force before he was ready to take on vader and sidious?
@@DGTubbs but it is a great way to tell someone to back off, as well as show them your power. He released the guard immediately after he proved his point.
@@SellsZac You don't need to know who Anakin was to know that a force choke is a sith ability.
I remember like it was yesterday. We were not able to get tickets for the 7pm show. My aunt got us tickets for the 1130 pm show. I was so happy that she allowed us to go to the movies that late. I was 10 yrs old and 1130 was waaaaay past my bed time. I got up the next morning at about 7am and ran through the woods pretending I was on a speeder bike! When ever I run through wooded trails I still pretend I'm chasing through the woods of Endor!
Damn dude this sounds incredible!!
I can't help but smile when Luke spring boards and R2 shoots his lightsaber out. The music, the killing, the Boba, it's amazing
Luke just swinging his light saber like a baseball bat in a bar fight, no fancy shit just straight up murder.
i luv ths scene but Boba is the highlight of it fr me idk why
@@troppie7823 me too
Except he doesn't actually kill Boba?
@@TheNaroCroc the killing, the boba. Not killing the boba.
I was 10 years old in 1983. My mom took me the day it opened, after school. She was just as excited as I was. There was already a big line. We were there after 3pm. We didn't get in until the sun had set. I think it was after 8pm. By this point, my uncle showed up, not even knowing we were there. So he hung with us in line. I remember the excitement in the air that day. It was amazing. When we finally got in to see the movie, there wasn't an empty seat to be had. And I remember some guys and girls standing in the back of the theater, along the aisles just to see it. And when the 20th Century logo came on, the theater went nuts. Applause, whistling, cheers..it was a party. And when each character made their first appearance on the screen, people cheered and whistled. It reminded me of when we went to see The Empire Strikes Back. Although during that viewing, when Vader said his unforgettable line, "I am your father." The entire audience sounded like we all took a unanimous gasp. I remember some guy behind me shouting, "Oh! No way man!" There was like a faint garble of voices all taking the moment after Vader made that statement. By the time Luke shouted "No!!" The audience fell silent. When people got up from that, people seemed to be stunned and in disbelief. All anyone leaving the theater talked about was, is Vader Luke's father, will they be able to get Han back from this Jabba the Hutt, and who was the "other" Yoda spoke of to Obi-Wan that could be their last hope. By May of 1983 there was a fever pitch for Return of the Jedi, and all the answers we were looking for. I will never forget that time and that era. It was all so magical and fun. I'd give anything to go back to that time in my life.
Interesting point that showing his green saber too early could have been too revealing too soon and made it less suspensful. Personally, when I first watched this movie, it never even crossed my mind that Luke could turn evil!
Yeah, people WAY overthink the whole bit about him wearing black and Force choking the guards. We all just thought Luke looked bad-ass in all black, not "Is he turning evil??" And in 1983 nobody knew or gave a shit about if abilities were "Jedi" or "Sith", they just were.
@Pull_Fx When Yoda said that he was thinking about Vader turning back to the light
@@legionarybooks13 Yes, when I saw it in 83, I thought the black suit was the uniform of a Jedi. We didn't know back then that Ben's robes weren't desert clothing, as they did look like a smarter version of Uncle Owen's or even Tusken Raiders garments.
@@chrisparkes2179 It was basically retconned that way, although arguably the retcon comes in Jedi itself, with the ghost of Anakin appearing in the same robes as Kenobi.
2:35 I heard that originally Luke’s lightsaber was going to be blue, but they made it green instead, due to lighting issues when filming the Sarlac scene. 3:28 This idea really helps explain the green blade, if it’s true.
Yeah think that's in the special edition somewhere, just like in the original theatrical release of ESB you can see through the cockpit of the snowspeeders due to blocking issues of white snow.
Yeah, I like the idea lukes lightsaber is built out of Qui-gon’s lightsaber parts found in Ben’s cave.
@@xiniks I like that idea as well and I hope that’s the case. Unfortunately though, the Obi-Wan series didn’t show anything that even hints that Obi-Wan even still has Qui-Gon’s lightsaber.
The director was worried that his blue blade would be lost due to the blue sky background in the scene where they are fleeing Jabba. So they changed the blade color to green so it would stand out more. In that world though it was explained as Luke finding a synthetic kyber crystal and using that to build his lightsaber from a diagram he found in Obi-Won's home.
This was before Episodes 1, 2 and 3 came out so they may have changed the details of how he came to build it. But I still think it makes sense because Luke never really learned much before Kenobi died or before he left Yoda. A diagram on how to build a lightsaber makes the most sense to me as opposed to Luke guessing how to construct one.
Indeed it was. It's still blue in some of the early ads and teasers released at the time, using incomplete special effects footage (they did the same thing with some of the previews for 'Empire'). Notice how the blade appears blueish in the original movie posters, too, granted that paintings are a bit more stylized. I also distinctly remember that my toy 'RotJ' Luke action figure came with a little plastic blue lightsabre, but that doesn't mean much, I guess...the khaki Luke from 'Empire' had a yellow one. ?
My fondest childhood memory is going to see ROTJ on the day that it opened in my town. My best friend and I were too young to go by ourselves. The theatre that was showing it was near my grandma's house and I knew it would be difficult to get tickets because I had seen all the news coverage of people camping out to see it. So my best friend and I slept over at my grandma's and, on my insistence, she took us to the theatre to start standing in line at 7:30 am (for the 1 pm show). We didn't need to have done that as we were the first people to get into the theatre and people who came at like 11 or 12 got in too. But my memory of my grandmother doing that for me is my fondest. And, of course, we had been waiting for this moving for 3 years so nothing else will ever come close to that anticipation.
I was a kid when Jedi came out. I remember me and my friends speculating on what would happen. I remember vividly talking about how Anakin physically became Vader. We talked about how the Emperor gave him the choice to live as Vader or die as Anakin. We figured he and Obi-Wan had already fought and Anakin had lost. We always figured Anakin had been severely injured by Obi-Wan and left for dead.
Man i always wonder what people thought at first.
Never heard that take before. I like it. Good job
I'm a child of the 90s, but as a child, I assumed Vader lost his body piece by piece as he hunted down various Jedi and they got some good shots in. I never imagined he took all those injuries at once. I'm not sure I like it better, to be honest.
No you didn't. 🤣
Lucas had mentioned in interviews at the time that Obi-Wan and Anakin had fought "at the edge of a volcano" and that Anakin had fallen in. Which is... pretty close to what he ended up with in Revenge of the Sith.
I concur that nothing today is anticipated like RotJ was; for a kid in 1980-1983, the wait was literally anguishing. What people today who weren't around then don't really understand, it makes no sense even, yet it's how it was, that after you saw something in the theater, there was no way to just watch it again once it was no longer in theaters. It wasn't on TV, there were no recordings or clips to watch, no social media with pictures and memes. I saw IV at 6 years old and I will never forget it as an experience, however the details were murky because I was so young. During the time before Empire, all I had to hold onto (while me and my friends played with all of the toys) was a vinyl record that had bits of the dialog and other audio from the movie. It was simply impossible for common-folk to see the film again until the 2nd theatrical release which I think occurred between Empire and Jedi. All you had was your memory and your imagination, and that's I think what cemented Star Wars into the psyche of everyone who experienced it then.
Great video! The argument certainly makes sense, but there's an equally compelling case that the deleted scene cuts the other way and heightens the ambiguity of whether Luke remained on the light side or surrendered to his father's wish that he turn. With that scene in place, the viewer would witness Luke force choke the guards, threaten Jabba, etc. and really be unsure of where Luke stands, which could make the reveal that he remained on the light side even more powerful.
I think having Vader and Luke talking telepathically at mid-conversation about the dark side of the force would've been nice and made it easier to trick the audience into thinking he's being trained. The reveal would've been much better in my opinion.
If done correctly, what you suggest might have worked well...
I was thinking the same. Luke force chokes the Gamorreans (but I don't think he kills them), threatens Jabba (but gives him 2 opportunities to let them go) and is quite cocky when talking to Han Solo about the rescue, although with a certain reassuring confidence (all iconic actions of Darth Vader but with a light side twist making you question everything). The whole scene at the pit of carkoon would be so much more powerful if you cut out the scene where he makes the saber. I think just Vader talking through the force to Luke trying desperately to turn him would be good enough pot-stirrer to fool a lot of people once they introduce Luke. That moment when Luke ignites his green saber would be the first moment of confirmation that Luke is a hero and an absolute badass at that.
@@lalxl until the dark times of KK and the New trilogy which is not cannon;)
The way vader tells him to join its like palpatine tortured him like join or im fucked
@@stephencollins9062 was the 4 billion dollars cash Lucas received to sell his IP non-cannon too?
I have to disagree about the thought that this scene would have detracted from the film. I feel that, if anything, it would have added to the uncertainty of Luke's entrance to Jabba's palace. I actually was there opening day in 1983 (fortunately the movie theaters in Enid, Oklahoma, didn't have lines camped out for days in advance), and I remember my initial sense upon seeing Luke coldly Force choking Gamorreans and mind tricking Bib Fortuna with no apparent qualms or regret was nothing more than confusion. He's supposed to be the hero, even if it's necessary for him to do these things, he should at least feel bad about them. Not once did my thoughts go to the idea that he might have given in to Vader and started to train in the Dark Side. However, if we actually HAD started with the scene of Vader reaching out to Luke first and trying to push him to the Dark Side, THEN because of the context my thoughts would have been "Oh, no! He did it! He went to the Dark Side just like Vader wanted!" As for the escape plan and the reveal of Luke's lightsaber, I actually really like the idea of watching him finish the construction of it on screen, and I don't think it takes anything away from the escape plan as long as we don't actually see him put the lightsaber inside Artoo. If we don't see him hide it in Artoo's dome, the implication would be that he had it with him and it was taken upon his capture, then during the escape we see Artoo pop it out and get the surprise that it was there the whole time. The trailers had already revealed that Luke had a new green lightsaber anyways (in fact, one trailer actually showed the shot of him catching it, just didn't show where it came from), so seeing the lightsaber earlier in the film doesn't spoil anything as long as we don't see where he hides it. In short, far from detracting from the film, I think this scene would have made it better, giving context and further development to a couple things that were confusing in the finished film. But that's just my opinion; you are still welcome to your own.
This comment is too correct for youtube.
I spent some time in Enid while going through pilot training at Vance AFB...saw the first prequel while stationed there.
Putting those scenes in would have been too much exposition, like your comment. No offense.
@@Synthwave89 Your opinion is invalid, much like you. No offense.
I agree with this. Not once did the idea of Luke turning to the dark side because of that entrance cross my mind. I actually can't believe that anyone would have thought that way until seeing this video lol
Yes, the anticipation for Jedi in '83 was HUGE. Empire's cliffhanger made for an almost unbearable wait. That said, I did not camp out for Jedi, though there were massive lines and crowds when I saw it, maybe a week after its opening. Going to see it was an event, and I recall going with a large group of classmates. It was "the" thing to do then.
In 1983, I was seven years old. Star Wars usually came out in time for my birthday, but Return of the Jedi came out two days early. On the spur of the moment, my mother decided to send my aunt and I to go see it, and when we arrived, the line went from the theater to the small gas station down the road. We gladly waited and talked excitedly about what it the movie would be. To give you a bit of background, movies stayed in theaters so long as they made money, because VCRs weren't common, so I remember that Star Wars ran literally until it ran as a double feature with Empire Strikes Back. Also, most theaters then were one screen; two was revolutionary idea. This theater had two screens, and even still it took from the beginning time of the film to the second showing to even get to the theater. We paid, went inside, and it was a madhouse. When people came pouring out of the showing we were going to, we had to wade through them to get to our seats. It was a really magical time. The excitement we all shored was fantastic.
As a 12 year old in '83 (when it came out at least) I can assure you no one thought Luke had converted nor been trained in the dark side. We were excited and had seen enough trailers to know that wasn't a thing, at least at the start of the movie.
no one thought he turned to the dark side.. pretty sure this was just a way to get people to click on the video
I just said the same thing. I was 13 when it came out.
I agree, up until that point in the Star Wars universe only 2 movies had been made. No one had seen any other Jedi aside from Obi-Wan and Yoda. No one knew what a Sith was even after ROTJ. Luke never wore any traditional (by today's standards) Jedi robes. It was just another costume change for the new movie and nothing more. No one had any sense that Luke was going to join Vader, much of the "lore" in SW is revisionist history.
we also were not sure if the "i am your father" bit was true or just a trick
@@dogdriver70 I totally did! I thought for sure Obi Wan was gonna be his true father.
I personally believe they could’ve still used this scene later in the movie. Perhaps before Luke turns himself in to Vader. By tweaking some dialogue and subverting expectations by Luke not saying to anyone he’s going to confront Vader, just him growing more worried as the film progresses. Then when he finally turns himself in we think he’s going to join Vader, but then he reveals it is HE who’s here to turn Vader. Who knows tho haha ROTJ is great and this was a random talk by me :P
"Random", but insightful. Most insightful ;)
So, I have done some thinking over the years as well about what exactly the plan was, and I do believe I may have figured something out after all this time:
So, Lando infiltrates the palace disguised as a guard to locate Han and see what the situation is and reports back to Luke. Luke now knows Han is still in carbonite and located in the main chamber. Lando remains in the palace as Luke’s spy/lookout. This may also be where Luke and the gang learn of the bounty on Chewie.
At this point, Leia has the Boush disguise and the group comes up with a plan. Luke decided to send in the droids to deliver his message and hopefully negotiate, only telling R2 the plan because Threepio can’t keep a secret. Luke puts his lightsaber inside Artoo in case Luke has to get in and things get violent, since the guards would likely take his weapon. If the message is enough, Luke can come get Han and then Lando can sneak the droids out. If that fails, then they move to Phase 2.
Leia, disguised as Boush, sneaks in under the pretense of collecting Chiewbacca’s bounty and Threepio is there to translate. Collecting the bounty, she gets into Jaba’s good graces and can stay. This gives her her chance to free Han and escape with him while Lando can then hopefully get Chewie and the droids. If this fails, Luke himself is there last ditch, “Hail Mary” move.
Luke arrived at the palace to negotiate just as he said and attempts to negotiate, using his newfound Jedi powers to hopefully resolve the conflict without issue. When it becomes clear he can mind trick Jabba into submitting and the crime lord won’t back down, Luke is then forced to fight, but since Artoo isn’t there, he has to improvise and steal that blaster he grabs before the rancor pit incident. Then we all know how it goes from there.
In short, the TL;DR version is the whole thing was a multistage plan with backups. Lando sneaks in to locate Han. When found, Luke sends the droids to try and get Jabba to bargain. When that doesn’t work, they send in Leia in disguise with Chewie to get close enough to Han to break him out with Lando grabbing the others. And in a worst case scenario and the others fail, Luke comes in to rescue the others with some Jedi muscle
Thank you for this explanation!! After years and years it now finally makes sense!
@@StarWarsAnalyst you’re welcome! Trust me, I get it, it took me MANY MANY years of thinking and rewatching the movie to figure it out
very well explained!
@@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854 thank you!
That's exactly what it is!
"It's a way to waste some of the time"
Her smile fucking drops LOL
00:38 If you stood in front of the movie theater closest to your home at that time and saw this classic poster of the lightsaber held amidst the stars, anticipating the showing of ROTJ, YOU AND YOU ONLY have the ability to understand the singular experience and the shiver that was to stand in front of this poster as if looking at a deity. BEST POSTER EVER!
I like the facts and your opinions you put into your channel. It really makes me think about for example what return of the Jedi would have been if that scene was involved in the movie. Great job. Take care.
Thanks for the support 😎 May the 4th be with you!!
Just a few days ago I was wondering if you were gonna post anything again. Glad to see it!
Sorry man I’ve been so busy with my college final exams… I appreciate your support I’m glad I could give you guys something for May the 4th 😎
@@StarWarsAnalyst which stream
That light saber would look great on my wall in my class! The students would love it added to my star wars collections!
Luke had a flawless entrance. I completely agree that this deleted scene would have taken away from that.
Love how the guy who got married in line while waiting for tickets says: "this is a good way to waste the time" 😂😂😂
Haha same. That's funny.
too bummed to wait in like just like teenagers nowadays.
But people in 1980's leveled it up and thought of getting married in line. Something we dont see in gen z & millenials nowadays 😆
Read or listen to the book "shadows of the empire". It has some great content on how Luke built his saber. He synthesized the crystal and that's why it was green. Vader also keeps messing with Luke's head every time he meditates on the force. It's pretty cool
I remember that scene very well. The book is great. It goes into a lot of detail about how Jedi make lightsabers. But, sadly, I read the book before I watched the prequels - where every man and his dog had a lightsaber, or two, or lightsaber staffs, or anything else that Zombie George Lucas thought looked cool. The book made sense. The prequels, unfortunately, didn't.
They deleted the scene to shorten time. They hardly considered Luke's questionable reveal, as many people were left with the impression that he has just become really adept in the force. Not that he went dark side.
The video is completely accurate. The deleted scenes are completely unessessary. But I think the editor's mindset was way different about it. Regardless of viewpoint, it's good they removed it. Way too much exposition for a intro that doesn't really need it. Modern movies can learn a lot from the decision to cut it.
It's awesome that you post these deleted scenes man, so cool to see the different ways the movies could have gone! Keep it up man
Thanks for the support! May the 4th be with you!
I was 19 when ROTJ came out.
I saw it, of course, the only thing I remember is hating the WAY-too-long Jabba's palace story (no bad per se, but it just seemed endless), and I hated the "space motorcycles" on Endor.
What I DID love, however, was the smarmy, slimy Emperor Palpatine. When he first came aboard the 2nd Death Star, I thought, "THIS? THIS shriveled old prune with a cane rules the whole empire? What kind of joke is this?". It didn't take long at all for him to win me over. Soon I was hanging on his every word. And, just before being yeeted over the reactor shaft in his moment of triumph, he delivers what to me was, and remains to this day, the greatest line ever uttered in movie history: a contemptuous, sneering "And now, young Skywalker...you will die.".
I liked the idea of Luke embracing the Dark Side, while staying in the Light Side. It made him seem more masterful in all aspects of the force.
"Embrace the dark side" it was Sidious said to Anakin, I don't think you can really embrace it without getting lost in it. It's like Heroine, you can't "embrace it" without getting addicted to it, but you can get away with it if you keep it at a distance for some people apparently haha
Return of the Jedi is perfect as-is, particularly Luke’s entrance and the reveal of his new lightsaber.
Completely agree
Hell Yes. I remember that as a kid like holy crap a green one! 😂😂😂. I believe they went with green because of the blue sky behind him & that a blue saber wouldn’t show up good on screen with that background.
The problem is, Luke could never have planned everything that happened in his rescue of Han, like being thrown to the Rancor, or taken to the Sarlacc. And why hide his lightsaber in R2 rather than carry on his person to defend himself from the start? And what if that serving tray had blocked the lightsaber from ejecting? Everything about the Jabba section of the movie involved very convoluted planning for events that Luke could never have predicted, and where one little thing that changes would've proven disastrous!
The thing is that seeing him catch the lightsaber and activate it during the escape from Jabba isn't the first time audiences had seen it though. It had already been revealed in the trailers, one of which actually showed that shot of him catching it (just not showing that it came from Artoo). I was there for the first show in Enid, Oklahoma, on opening day and had kept up with all of the trailers and information beforehand. Seeing him finishing the lightsaber up earlier in the film wouldn't have spoiled anything we didn't already know as long as we didn't see him hide it in Artoo's dome.
@@white-dragon4424 Thats just an assumption really. R2 has proven himself more than capeable. He def would falter at a table top. And it just shows how much Luke has grown in his powers to anticipate and adapt to the changing situation
I had the privilege of going to the Cinema to see this with my Dad and little bro back in 83. Still remember to this day watching the scene when Luke removed the mask. I was 7 at the time being born mid 70s and being a child of the 80s Star Wars was massive, my bro and I had all the figures and kids used to come over to play and bring all their ships and we'd have battles in the garden till the sun went down. I also recall going into Woolworths in Britain (equivalent to your walmart) and seeing walls upon walls of figures.
His nose is sideways
It would have actually tied everything together during their conversation in Return of the Jedi. The scene was deleted probably because of time not continuity.
This scene is included in the radio version as it doesnt ruin pacing and suprise as most people would have seen the film first. If I remember constructing a Lightsaber is one of the Jedi training tasks and has to be done a certain way, I know in the KOTOR games Tatooine Does have Kyber Crystals.
DUDE thats amazing! Plz make more vids like this.
I never realized how many cool deleted scenes the original trilogy had. It really gives a lot more context and shows the inspiration material for a lot of newer content
In the old EU the parts for a lightsaber were quite common and the crystal didn't need to be a certain type it just had to be flawless. Jaina Solo actually grew hers in her dorm at the Jedi Academy
How convenient
@@lucasoheyze4597 the parts were the easy part though as it's explained in I Jedi the way it's built is almost like a ritual using the Force to make connections at the molecular level.
The dialogue was a little corny, and the reveal of the lightsaber was too early, but I do like the idea this scene gives us that Vader has been constantly tempting Luke to the dark side.
I always thought Luke built his Saber from assorted parts Obi-Wan had been keeping specifically for Luke. As for how he gathered them I thought it would be a mix of him going off world on brief jaunts to old battlefields and Senator Organa acquiring parts in secret hand having them sent to Obi-Wan through trusted allies.
Going to the movies back then was such a different experience, people would camp out with no cell phones or internet. The popcorn was always fresh and so was the other food. Soda pop was made with real sugar and not that high fructose corn syrup (aka yucky death in a bottle). In the theater itself the audience was way more interactive, and would all cheer together or share a collective gasp. You could also smoke and drink beer, which pretty much everyone did back then.
"a way to waste some of the time..." How romantic.
Didn’t Luke have to create a synthetic kyber crystal?
And yeah I think it would be cool if they would put that in the kenobi series, and maybe even show a flash forward (opposite of a flashback) of Luke going into obi-wans home, and finding the lightsaber and all the other Jedi stuff, like obi-wan’s journals and Jedi books, maybe a holocron or two… maybe even show look working on his lightsaber at obi-wan’s place
Synthetic crystals are no longer canon, but that was the old explanation, yes.
@@sd80mac I'm glad that isn't Canon. Creating a synthetic kyber crystal sounds too much like a cheat. Good decision to not let it be canon. In the real world, a cubic zirconia will never have the properties on a real diamond. Synthetic Kyber Crystals shouldn't either.
@@christianmoya5268 I agree. I think the new Canon lore is pretty cool, having the dark siders bend the Kyber crystals to their will by making them “bleed”. Adds an extra level of evil that is perfect for them, haha
Kyber crystals are actually grown in caves such as the one Luke exited. Source, Knights of the old republic game.
@@williamgee6654 that's true. I recall seeing in the original clone wars cartoons (not the Canon series, but the 2 season series that came prior), a couple of Jedi were in a cave full of Kyber Crystals. In that episode, they had to be rescued by Yoda, as there was a cave-in. As well, Rogue One mentions the mining of Kyber Crystals by the Empire on Jedha.
"We got married just to waste time"
I think the scene without him building the lightsaber would add a mystery of did he join him. He’s wearing black and force choking people and we would be shocked later to find out he was a Jedi when he ignites it outside at his execution
The question of whether Luke would turn to dark side and join Vader in ROTJ was teased to fans in pre-release photos showing Luke dressed in black and standing next to Vader. I remember being horrified when I first saw these and thinking "NOOO!!!", and having debates with school friends as to whether he would or wouldn't. It REALLY was a big deal in the day.
I waited on line for 4 days! I was so excited. First night there was a fight and i got beat up. 2nd night i got robbed. . I got no sleep those 2 nights but i was determined. The 3rd night i was so scared from being robbed and beat up i didnt sleep again. I finally passed out and totally missed movie and woke up and got robbed again and my wallet was gone! Great experience!
Dude what 😭
@@StarWarsAnalyst it was rough! I just waited til it came out on tape. I never went to movie again.
My friends and I camped outside the theater waiting for the re-release of the original films in the late 90's. I was not old enough to see them in the theater on the original go round. It was a blast! We had had a camp stove and tents and the whole nine yards.
What did you think of the prequels ?
@@jimreily7538 Originally I really liked them, mostly because I was ravenous for anything Star Wars after the re-release of the OG movies. After watching them again and again, especially the Phantom Menace, I discovered two things: One, I HATE Jar Jar Binks, and what the Hell was he thinking with the accent, and two, the whole pod racing thing was just something to suck up an hour's worth of film. Over all, the acting was atrocious and it had no "real" feel to it. Like the interaction between the characters was forced. Every time I hear that line "Oh Anni, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine". It's vomit inducing. But I digress.😁
@@ericgardner3140 Lol, you're absolutely right. I remember seeing in one of the prequel Making Of documentaries, when Lucas presents one of the scripts, he says something like "I made sure to include lots of action sequences, to use up time". He was serious too. Yep, there's no question the Prequels are full of scenes, like the pod racing sequence, that do no service to the story (in fact, do the stories disservice), but are just there to fill time. I remember hating Jar Jar Binks too. And all the characters in TPM really. I either disliked or didn't care about them. Because none of them are likeable. Imagine if TPM had been the first Star Wars movie releases. Would ANYONE care about Anakin, or any of the characters ? It's only because fans know that the boy will become Darth Vader, that they care.
So in a way, it shows how a well written character can be so powerful - Lucas didn't or couldn't replicate that in the prequels.
Yeah, TPM sucked, and I honestly think that anyone who enjoys, or says they enjoy it more than the OT, it is making excuses. I tried to make those excuses, but I just couldn't. I can still remember the disappointment, it was that strong. After all the years I spent playing Star Wars MUSH and reading the books and watching the OT over and over, and just immersing my mind in that galaxy, and how keen I was to see the prequels, the disappointment was truly bitter.
I never really wanted the prequels anyway, I was only excited to see them because I had heard, in the internet's early days, that the prequels would be made and shortly after that, the sequels. It was the sequels, ironically enough, that I was really keen to see. But now, after the harm that has been done to Star Wars, I only view the OT, as worthwhile.
CGI can be good but without Ralph McQuarrie, you cannot have that same level of beauty and imaginative inspiration in my view. In truth, it is Ralph McQuarrie's galaxy, since he drew nearly all the set designs and concept art. Without his unique visual approach, you can never really return there, you can never make another movie that truly fits into the same galaxy as the OT - visually speaking.
But that's alright. I think, in lieu of someone with that type of talent coming along again, it's better to just ignore all the films except the OT.
Luke's force choke in ROJ hasn't been talked about enough in my opinion. Id
love to hear where he learned it because he never saw Vader do it.
Yeah actually that’s a good point I haven’t heard before
I remember when ROTJ came out. I was a young kid but the anticipation was amazing.
And I am glad those scenes didn’t make it in the movie. It would have killed that great opening
the guy getting married outside a theatre is so funny.
I saw Return of the Jedi on opening day with my family. We planned to get there five hours early so we could be at the front of the line. I was 14 at the time and volunteered to stand in line while the family found food and brought it back. We got to the theater and there was already 300 people in line, some of them had obviously been there overnight or longer. Fortunately, this was back when theaters had like 1000 seats so we easily made the first showing. It was a fantastic experience! Later that year we moved to Japan and I got to see RotJ on opening night for a second time (Japan got movies 6-12 months behind the US in those days).
Yeah, but remember in Japan we also got video games 6-12 months EARLIER than the US. 😁
I was the bane of my friends back in the US while stationed there.
Return was my favorite of the original trilogy given we're given a tad more of a look into Darth Vader from his backstory and his relationship to Luke. Plus this movie made me love Luke more especially with that green saber.
I love the deleted scenes, but often I understand why they get cut for pacing.
Qui-Gon's crystal in Luke's saber is incredibly poetic. I may cry
But it wasn’t his crystal in Luke’s light saber. It was a synthetic one. What are you talking about?
Thanks for sharing your insights with us. Everytime i hear Luke's new lightsaber ignite, i get chills running up my spine. that sound is just too perfect and so powerful. Cheers from Canada
“This Deleted Scene Almost RUINED The Star Wars Experience”
Disney: Hold My Beer.
Do we really consider that Star Wars tho? More like high budget fan-fiction
I always wondered if Obi Wan had left luke the kyber crystal from Qui Gon's saber. I doubt he traveled the galaxy looking for a green one. And I completely agree, this would have ruined the buildup and reveal. Great video as always.
That's a good point about possibly using Qui-Gon's saber - the fact that both blades are green lends some credibility to that idea
I'd seen that deleted scene before and always assumed he had built it somewhere else with tools and was just tweaking it to fit in R2's storage compartment
I'm sure you already know this - but Luke's lightsaber in RotJ was originally going to be blue, but there wasn't enough contrast with the bright blue desert day sky, so Lucas changed it to green for contrast.
Actually the first time I saw the reveal of the scene, its initial postwork over the raw footage was a blue blade. Just like the cover label for the SNES video game.
Comics had alluded to this, as did Shadows of the Empire in a scene where you as Dash Rendar must protect Luke from a gang of swoop bikers while he meditates and rests.
@@GTA2SWcity Was that when it was still called Revenge of the Jedi?
@@colonelb I think so.
Read shadows of the empire it details lukes saber construction.
@@GTA2SWcity man i gotta cop the comics
Fun fact: in canon, tatooine is one among a few planets in star wars that had a natural scource of kyber crystals. This is more than likely where luke got his. As for lightsaber parts, luke may have found some spares in obi-wan's hut or on the black market (yes, you can get lightsaber parts from there too)
Yep, black market is by far the best market for the *ahem* essentials to continue staying alive or completing to unalive those around u.
Oh, I thought he got them at the Kyber Crystal Corral.
@@karlhungus1569 the kyber crystal coral is legends. In canon, there were several planets besides illum that had a kyber crystal mine. There were a few planets on the list, but the ones i remember are jedah, loathal and tatooine
@@CT-1735 sorry, guess my napoleon dynamite joke fell flat.
You went a bit broken biscuits with your spelling there pal 😂
Epic video! Keep up the great work!
I was ten years old in 1983. I remember my family getting me right after school and we wanted in line through a whole screening to be able to see Jedi. I was obsessed and still am.
If I remember correctly, the novelization states that he did build his saber in Obi-Wan's house, and also that they used a 2 seater Y-wing as well as the X-wing and the Falcon. But they left the Y-wing behind.
I would love to see a short series based on if the story went in different ways (i.e. luke going darkside, anakin not going darkside, etc). Obviously it couldn’t be canon, but it would be interesting to see!
A What If? Yes, that would be good to see.
@@rennmaxbeta Dark Horse published some Star Wars 'What If' titles several years ago, that pondered questions such as what if Luke didn't blow up the first Death Star?
I think itnis insane that people don't realize Luke is a Dark Jedi. Not a Sith, but not a Jedi Knight either.
His school was doomed to fail.
I get that you're a star wars fan but your knowledge is only based from the films and you're asking questions that are completely answered in the novelization of ROTJ(and the audio drama that was released in the late 80s early 90s) which IIRC came out right before the movie was released. He was building a new lightsaber inside Obi-won's old hut using his tools and writings. The author got a script of the movie and worked on the book while filming was still in production.
You should try to get more into the lore, there's so much info that was written that has not been excluded as "legends" that would answer so many more of your questions.
Exactly the book explains it just like that and many other tidbits that get left out in the movies.
The novels you’re referring to are now considered Legends, but I still accept them as gospel truth
@@StarWarsAnalyst That doesn't matter, it's still lore, plus they used the script, just Lucas left parts out.
Cliff hanger? Hardly. I was 10 when Empire came out and 13 when Jedi came along. I spent 3 years wondering how they would ever top Empire (and they didn't, but at first screening I thought they did - other than the stupid ewoks), but me and my friends didn't spend one second wondering if Han would be back. Heck, the whole point of the carbonite was that he was still alive and perfectly preserved - even at 10 we didn't miss that!
Editing, when done right, is a craft that turns an excellent story into an extraordinary one. Thank you Marcia Lucas.
This explains Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Phantom Menace. Darth Vader, the ultimate villain, his master, the Emperor. Who knew the dark side of the Force, was unnatural. Sith Lord's are very powerful, hence Darth Vader was the most evil. This is why Luke lost his hand, defeated Jabba the Hutt, and saw Yoda one more time. Kenobi tells Luke what happened to Anakin and how he turned to the bad side. Luke isn't the chosen one, Anakin is. He over powers his master and throws him into the reactor. He restored peace to the galaxy. Far far away. But in Rise of Skywalker, the Emperor returned on a planet called Xegol The Sith planet, which was secret. Kylo Ren, and Rey Skywalker, join together to defeat the Emperor, Ben, dies at the hands of the Emperor, but comes back as a force ghost, and fights with Rey to beat Palpatine. 💓 Evil is defeated again, like Return of the Jedi.
The end is the beginning ✨️ 😌
I've always believed since the prequels that Luke modified Qui Gon's saber into his own for Return of the Jedi. However, I disagree that the deleted scene would have given away too much. Vader is shown communicating with Luke, and then we see a dark clad Luke force choking the guards. It would have actually reinforced the concern about Luke's allegiance, probably giving a better sense of relief and joy when Luke's plan is revealed.
Thank you, how did no one else see that! It wouldn't been perfect. Lucas just had to keep ruining it all
Honestly it can go both ways for me. On one side it gives a chilling intro to a power Vader has but on the other hand it also ruins the ambiguity with the Janna Palace scene
I have found a reinvigorated love of Star Wars thanks to you and channels like yours. Thank you!
Quigon Jinn wasn’t even a spermcell of a thought in George Lucas’s cognitive balls in 1982.
I was shocked by this movie. Never forget my mom leaning over and asking me if it were true that Darth Vader was Luke's father
I came to this realization recently: What's perfect about the OT was that one could make a case that Luke, unlike Rey (who was always "lawfully good", so to speak) actually TURNS (succumbs / gets tempted) TO THE DARK SIDE in the second Death Star.
He does in fact turn after the "you have a sister" / "never" dialogue. Remember what Yoda said in Dagobah about once stepping into the dark side and not coming back/forever shall it....
That reinforces the idea of Vader / Anakin's redemption arc being what saves the day, not only saving Luke from Force Lightning, but from the Dark Side itself.
Luke is absolutely a Dark Jedi.
@@TheNaroCroc SubJedi. Ani is a MegaJedi
I really agree with George's decision to cut them out, the original reveal was great
I thought it was established that Luke's saber was made from a synthetic crystal precisely since he can't and doesn't know how to find a natural kyber crystal
Thank you for posting this deleted scene, for I wouldn't have known it existed.
I think this scene would also weaken the impact of vaders inner conflict within himself, it could turn his redemption to less convincing one in my opinion.
Luke’s fighting style is almost identical to his father’s.
Well, like Anakin, Luke improvised profusely using the force. Being as naturally gifted as they were, form 5 was very useful to each of them. They could easily defend when needed where the attack heavy form left them open for a counter strike. Unfortunately, after his looks were severed, Vader had to adapt the style to the limits of his new body. But he was still a formidable foe and a master strategist. Only Thrawn and Tarkein were anywhere near Vader's level.
He is a Dark Jedi for sure.
In ROTJ Luke uses force choke. A Sith ability.
@@TheNaroCroc No. His intuitive force abilities make using form 5 natural, like Anakin.
I went to see ROTJ for my 7th birthday one town over from where I lived. Back in the day, I would have had to wait another month to see it in my hometown. I still get chills when I think of the cheers that permeated the theatre when Luke flipped over his captors and ignited that green lightsaber for the first time. Cap lifting Mjolnir in Endgame was a distant third, with, of course, first place going to Darth Vader turning back to the light at the end of the movie.
Firstly, Luke didn't build his new lightsaber in the cave 5 minutes before ROTJ. Do you think he spent the year between movies lightsaberless, and then planned a rescue mission, and part of that plan was to build a weapon right before going in? "It looks like he's just tightening a few screws" yeah, one would assume he's just doing some maintenance on his weapon before giving it to R2, not constructing a new lightsaber "in some random cave"
As a big Star Wars fan myself, I’m a little torn on how I feel about the scene. I feel like the scene that was released does leave a mystery on if Luke did convert to the dark side until the action happens. But with the deleted scene I feel like it eludes more to Luke may have had some form of dark side training. As far as Luke’s green saber (had he fell to the dark side) it would have given false hope to everyone. Meaning, a lot of people would say “Oh it’s green and only Jedi use blue and green sabers.” But in the case of Anakin when he fell he continued to use his blue saber. That’s where I’m torn at lol. In the deleted scene it eludes to Luke have already somewhat fallen only for the audience to breathe a sigh of relief as the tale progresses. But the released scene is dark and mysterious… which we all know the dark side itself is dark and mysterious. By the way… you said to like and comment on this video for the giveaway so… here I am! 😂 Fingers crossed! 🤞🏻 Thank you for taking the time to make these videos and do a giveaway to Sith Lords (fans) such as myself haha. May the Force serve you well!
Yes but in RoTS Vader is continuing to use his old saber, however he would have abandoned it because it would remind him too much of Anakin, plus he would have to get another Kyber to make it bleed. Here you have a scene where Luke actually BUILDS his lightsaber which is the last part of Jedi training basically. The scene would have worked, had they not shown Luke finishing and igniting his lightsaber. Hell, even show him building it but don't show the blade's colour as that's giving away everything.
As I saw all three original movies in the theatre when released (have to admit, when the OG was released in 77' the same weekend as William Friedkin's Sorcerer, I went and saw Sorcerer and then Star Wars the following weekend), I have to bring up how massively disappointed most of my friends were with ROTJ. Empire was very good and much more adult orientated than New Hope so me and my friends thought the series would go in a darker, more adult direction and then...Ewoks! Lucas completely aborted the original draft for ROTJ which had been talked about since 1981 which had all this action on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk and not on some stupid puppet moon. Lucas made all these changes for one reason: marketing toys and products to kids. F the kids! I was 9 when New Hope was released and if they would have had the whole Ewok nonsense in NH I never would have watched another SW movie. IMO there are only two real SW movies: New Hope & Empire, the rest is just childish crap.
You think ewoks are bad...just wait.
Lucas had jar jar binks in his treasure chest of sh#t yet to be revealed.
Good old Lucas, ego bigger than the death star, and far more destructive!
bruh stop being so negative, it woulda been fine😂
Started watching Star wars some months ago and now i'm diving more into stuff like this, subscribed!
Maybe they can dedicate an episode of Tales of the Jedi (if they do a second season) of Luke in this scene, and show him using the force to assemble a lightsaber with Qui-Gon’s crystal in Obi-Wan’s old hut.
I need a Tales of the Sith series
@@StarWarsAnalyst That would be awesome.
Thank you for having a good honest title and thumbnail and having great interesting content without having to resort to cheap click bait tricks. UA-cam NEEDS more UA-camrs like yourself. Great videos and material 👍🏿. Keep it up. You've earned my subscription and thumbs up click.
Extra scene almost ruined Star Wars.
*Disney "Hold my beer"
1983, 13 years old sleeping outside theater over night in Anchorage,AK, To see Return of the Jedi, With the greatest of anticipation that I have not felt since.
I was 18 in 1983. My brother took me to the first showing on opening day of the movie at our local Long Island theater. Will never forget it.
great video!