5 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ for 45th Anniversary

image from the 1980 Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back. It is an overhead look at Darth Vader, dressed in black helmet, cape and armor, standing on the left. In his right hand he his holding his lightsaber, which has been turned off. His left arm is reaching out toward Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), on the right of the photo. Luke is clinging to the edge of a bridge-like structure, below which is a far drop. He is listening in shock as Vader communicates to him that he is his father. — © 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. ™ & © Lucasfilm. Courtesy Everett Collection

A little heart-to-heart father-son talk between Darth Vader (David Prowse) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in *The Empire Strikes Back*

Regarded by many as not only the best Star Wars film of the original trilogy, but also the best of them all, The Empire Strikes Back — the second installment in George Lucas’ space opera franchise (Episode V overall) — made its wide release in theaters on May 21, 1980, and unsurprisingly became the biggest hit of the year.

The film opened at No. 1 over Memorial Day weekend 1980, bringing in over $6 million during the four days of the holiday, and mostly stayed at the top throughout the summer. Like its predecessor, 1977’s Star Wars, Empire had a very long theatrical run — 32 weeks — which helped it ultimately take in about $209 million at the domestic box office during its initial release (over $810 million in today’s dollars!).

advance poster for the 1980 Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back. It is a vertical poster, and the backdrop is the black of space with stars. Silhouetted against this, in the center, is a large outline of Darth Vader's black helmet. On either side of this, and smaller, Imperial spacecraft go whooshing by. Above Vader's helmet, in white text in the Star Wars title font, reads: "The Star Wars Saga Continues". Just below the helmet is the film's stylized title treatment, below which is a list of the major credits. At the very bottom of the poster, in white text (using standard font), reads: "Coming to your galaxy this Summer."

Empire introduced new fan-favorite characters that kids could play with/as via new Kenner action figures that were tied in with the film, like Jedi master Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch). (The Emperor was also seen and heard for the first time via a hologram; not sure how much of a “fan-favorite” he is, but he’s certainly a key player in the story!).

Also making its first appearance in Empire was composer John Williams’ classic “Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s theme), which is a character in its own way. The kick-ass music that has quickly become an aural representation of evil of all sorts (it’s even been played in association with Mr. Burns on The Simpsons from time to time) first kicks in when Darth Vader (David Prowse; voice of James Earl Jones) makes his initial appearance, accompanied by a fleet of Star Destroyers massing for an attack on the rebels.

At first, even Vader seems to be kind of listening to his background theme, savoring it and thinking, “Man, this is cool.” If the Dark Lord of the Sith ever woke up one day happening to need inspiration to do his sinister job, this theme would do the trick!

Beyond just this theme, Williams’ overall score for Empire is his best in the franchise, truly sweeping and even operatic at times (space operatic, of course).

This blockbuster also remains one of the technical high points in the Star Wars franchise in terms of visual effects, which still look great 45 years later (especially the scene where the Millennium Falcon is pursued by TIE fighters through an asteroid field, accompanied by another thrilling musical moment from Williams).

Despite all that coolness, The Empire Strikes Back grossed less than Star Wars, and less than the third installment that came three years later, Return of the Jedi.

Some people may not have expected (or liked) how, befitting its sci-fi serial inspirations, Empire ended on a cliffhanger, with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) reeling from the shocking revelation by Vader that “I am your father” and a frozen Han Solo (Harrison Ford) being carted off by Fett to take to gangster Jabba the Hutt. (By the time the Han-sicle is taken away very late in the film, some audience members may have looked at their watches and thought, “There’s no way they’re going to have time to save him before the movie ends!” And they were right!)

Some viewers may generally not have liked the overall more downbeat tone of this more thoughtful follow-up to Star Wars when compared with the outright old-fashioned, high-spirited fun of that original. But that’s part of what makes this entry one of the more emotionally engaging ones in the franchise, even while being similarly exciting and entertaining in its own right.

Whatever the case, it cannot be denied that The Empire Strikes Back indeed lives up to its title. Despite having destroyed the Death Star, it is a dark time for the rebel alliance as Episode V begins. The Empire certainly does strike back, destroying the rebels’ hideout on the remote ice world of Hoth and sending them scattering in separate groups.

image from the 1980 Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back. Seated in the Millennium Falcon spaceship, from left to right, are Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Standing behind Han, and looking with concern at what he is looking at, are Princess Leia (Carrie Fishter, and, to her left, droid C-3PO (Anthony Daniels)

Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Han, Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) escape in the Falcon and are relentlessly pursued across the galaxy by Vader and his minions. They seek refuge with Calrissian, an old acquaintance of Han’s — only to find they’ve walked into a trap. Meanwhile, Luke, accompanied by R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), flies to the swampy world of Dagobah, where he begins his Jedi training with Yoda, but before long is compelled to race and try to save Han from his frozen fate.

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All of the above is all probably pretty obvious and familiar to even people who aren’t hardcore Star Wars fans. But below are five things you might not have known about The Empire Strikes Back:

1 Boba Fett originally had a different voice actor

medium shot of a scene from the 1980 Star Wars movie "The Empire Strikes Back." On the left is Darth Vader, dressed in his black cape and helmet; to his left, in the center and a bit back, is Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), dressed in a blue shirt and cloak, looking with concern at Vader; and to his left, near the front of the photo and looking at and speaking with Vader, is bounty hunter Boba Fett, brandishing a laser blaster in both hands and wearing a banged-up helment and multi-colored (gray/green/yellow/red) armored suit that has seen a lot of wear and tear.

Darth Vader is altering the deal … pray he doesn’t alter it any further

Although Boba Fett’s voice has since been redubbed by actor Temuera Morrison to match with Fett’s backstory in subsequent films, the bounty hunter’s voice was originally provided in Empire by uncredited actor Jason Wingreen.

2 The “Queen of Space Opera” contributed elements to Empire

An early draft for The Empire Strikes Back was written by “Queen of Space Opera” Leigh Brackett, who was one of the most prominent female writers during what is considered the golden age of science fiction (late 1930s to mid ’40s). So, another thing that was very fitting considering how a lot of the inspiration for Star Wars came from sci-fi works of that era. (Back in the day, Brackett, along with author William Faulkner, also contributed to an initial draft of eventually quite convoluted screenplay for the iconic 1946 film noir The Big Sleep, which adapted Raymond Chandler’s novel.)

3 A different key Muppets figure almost played Yoda

image from the 1980 Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back. It depicts a scene on the swampy world of Dagobah, where Jedi master Yoda, a short, green-skinned alien-looking being wearing a light tan robe, is standing on the left, instructing a sweaty and tired-looking Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who is seated on the right of the photo, looking somewhat dejected.

Lucasfilm Ltd./Courtesy Everett Collection

Jim Henson was originally offered the role of Yoda but was committed to other projects; he recommended fellow puppeteer Oz, and history, the rest is!

4 George Lucas’ swimming pool made a cameo appearance

The scenes on Dagobah where R2 is submerged in a muddy pool were shot in Lucas’ unfinished swimming pool. (The pool cleaners must not have been too thrilled when they showed up afterward.)

5 The Empire Strikes Back was technically an “indie” film

Although it was distributed by 20th Century Fox, the studio did not finance The Empire Strikes Back. Lucas bankrolled the $30 million production himself thanks largely to the famously shrewd deal he made where he acquired the merchandising profits from Star Wars, which, of course, turned out to be massive (especially those cool Kenner action figures). Lucas recouped his investment within three months of Empire’s opening, then was able to kick back and let the dollars from all the new Empire merchandise roll in.

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