"Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (SPOILER ALERT)

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Now that "Rogue One" has explained the backstory on how R2-D2 and friends obtained the plans for the Death Star, it's time for us to accelerate into "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back", which begins three years after the Death Star was destroyed. After watching the original Star Wars movie, one might think it's all over with the destruction of the Death Star. However, there is still an ever so powerful elephant in the room and he goes by the name Darth Vader. He and his fleet are on a mission to locate the Rebel Alliance. whose base is now on the ice planet, Hoth. I enjoyed seeing such a contrast between Hoth and the other planets. It appears to quite chilly on Hoth!

Luke Skywalker is located and captured by a wampa. The wampa is yet another example of the endless creativity that just keeps going and going in Star Wars. Luke manages to escape, retrieve his light saber, and injure the wampa. While lying there in agony, the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi visits Luke and advises him to go to the planet of Dagobah so that Master Yoda can train him to become a Jedi. Eventually, Han Solo finds Luke and saves him. 

As the Empire launches an attack, the Rebels are forced to evacuate. After they start to fly away, the hyperdrive function malfunctions. Thankfully (they believe), Han Solo is able to locate someone he knows from his past, Lando Calrissian. Han Solo believes Lando, the original owner of the Millenium Falcon, can repair it. They are able to find where Lando is and go there for what they assume to be safety. In one way Han Solo and Leia are skeptical of Lando because of his past, but on the other hand, Han Solo believes Lando will help them.

Not so much! It turns out Darth Vader, dressed in his signature black getup, is waiting there for the Rebels, sitting at what looks like a pure white dining room table in a pure white dining room. The stark contrast between Darth Vader and the purity of the dining room is impressive and impactful. 

Deep down, this is not how Lando wanted things to go. But Darth Vader being Darth Vader forced him to lure the Rebels there, as he knows Luke will come to their rescue. And he does, but not before going off with R2-D2 to visit with Master Yoda, as instructed by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Darth Vader seems very interested in capturing Luke specifically, which we saw in Episode IV is the new hope for the Rebels.

While Han, Leia, Chewy, and C3-PO were flying off to seek refuge, Luke was flying off with R2-D2 to the planet of Dagobah to meet Master Yoda and a parallel story begins to take shape. It is here one of the most iconic characters in, if not the most iconic character, in Star Wars is introduced to the world. He's far from being human, yet he has human-like qualities. His digs are pretty icky, and in the beginning, Yoda appears to be somewhat of a misfit. He behavior is quite comical at times. Luke seems to think he's just a silly little green guy, only to find out this is the Jedi Master Obi-Wan advised him to find and learn from. 

The interaction that Yoda has with Luke in this movie is one of my favorite parts of the entire saga. I could do an entire blog post on notable Yoda quotes, and one day soon I just might. For now, let's just say Yoda is extremely mindful and wise. Probably my favorite Yoda quote is, "That is why you fail." He says this in response to Luke saying, "I don't believe it."

While on the planet of Dagobah, Luke has a vision of Han and Leia being in trouble, so he sets off to save them even though his Jedi training is incomplete. Obi-Wan's spirit and Yoda warn against such action, but Luke goes anyway. Obi-Wan makes a comment that Luke is their only hope, but Yoda says that there is another. In this movie, we do not find out who this other hope is, leaving the door open for a sequel.

Luke goes off to help the rest of the Rebels, but Han Solo is captured and frozen. This is supposed to be a test to see if it will work on Luke. Han Solo survives, but remains frozen in time. Darth Vader gives a bounty hunter the go ahead to take him away and collect his bounty from Jabba the Hutt. All of the Rebels, except for Luke and frozen Han Solo, escape. Luke is then met face to mask with Darth Vader, who after another really cool light saber battle, reveals that he is Luke's father. 

Devastated, Luke chooses to fall into an apparently bottomless chute. However, he survives and hangs on to an antenna for dear life until he and Leia have a spiritual connection through the Force, she realizes where he is, and the crew swings back around to rescue Luke. Whew! 

Lando and Chewy go off to find Han Solo at the end of the movie, and again the door is left open for a sequel. The other unfinished business is that Luke now knows that Darth Vader is his dad, but Luke doesn't tell anyone. What will he do with this new information? There has to be a sequel. This is also the movie where we meet Darth Vader's boss man, Emperor Palpatine, through a hologram. This is the first time we see Darth Vader answering to someone else, which means Palpatine is likely even more powerful than Darth Vader. 

I almost forgot to mention there was some kissing in this movie. Leia kisses Luke. While Luke is pleased with the kiss, there doesn't appear to be too many romantic feelings, especially not on Leia's part. Leia and Han also kiss, as the romantic spark between them ignites. She confesses her love for Han Solo just before he is frozen and he simply says, "I know." This was a brilliant improvisation on Harrison Ford's part. It's so very Han Solo.

While the love story between them is growing, it isn't a major part of the movie. It think it was just right, otherwise it might have detracted from the main plot.

It is so rare for a sequel to be as good as its predecessor, but "The Empire Strikes Back" it. "Empire" is the heart of Star Wars, as it goes far beyond the eye-catching visual effects, spot on musical score, and creativity in the characters. It gives Star Wars a kind of quality, a Force, if you will, that movies rarely possess today. It's a movie that is not just seen and heard, but also felt and experienced. "Empire" is the reason why the Star Wars saga is what it is today, 45 years after the original debut.