Lovers Quarrel
Han Solo and Princess Leia bicker in the Hoth bases's south passage (ahem). He’s pissed because she won’t admit she wants him to stay. She’s adamant that she wants him to stay to help with Rebel cause – not because she has feelings for him. “You’re imagining things,” she retorts… Amazing chemistry.
Wampa!
Alright, so it’s a man-in-a-suit, but that’s exactly why we love the wampa snow monster who kidnaps Luke at the beginning of Empire . And the rudimentary effects (take note, George) don’t stop the wampa’s unveiling from being a wholly effective boo scare – his slaying of the tauntaun is nothing short of nightmarish.
This is no cave
Han and co discover that they haven’t landed in a cave on an asteroid at all – they’ve actually just gone straight inside a massive space slug, which isn’t too happy about all the shooting that’s been going on in its belly. Cue lunatic flying antics and a brisk escape from gnashing teeth.
Water Woes
R2D2 falls off Luke’s X-wing once they’ve landed on Dagobah and ends up in the water. R2 hums to himself as he begins to extricate himself from the bog, only to be grabbed by a water-dwelling beastie. He’s soon spat out, seeing as there’s not much meat on him, and begins puking up bog mud. Delightful.
Meet n Greet
Han Solo and co are met at Cloud City by Lando, who pretends to be angry with Han. “You got a lot of guts coming here after what you pulled,” spits Lando. Han offers his best innocent look, then reacts as Lando leaps at him – for a hug. This is also where we discover the Falcon used to be Lando’s, which is a neat little detail.
No, there is another
“That boy is our last hope,” intones Ben, as Luke flies off to Cloud City. “No, there is another,” replies Yoda ominously. At the time it was a bit of cryptic foreshadowing, but with hindsight we know he’s referring to Leia. Would they really have trained Leia if Luke had died or was lost to the dark side? Sadly we never get to find out.
Nerf herder!
Insults in the Star Wars universe don’t make much sense in our system, but as takedowns go, Leia’s is one of the most quotable: “Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder!” To which, naturally, Han replies: “Who’s scruffy-looking?” Guess he doesn’t think Nerf herders are all that bad.
Boba Fett
Quite frankly the coolest bounty hunter in the universe. He’s a man of few words, but that’s Fett’s strength – he’s entirely focussed on the task at hand. He’s also the guy who tracks Han to Cloud City and puts a stop to his wild goose chase through the stars. Just don’t talk to us about what happens to him in Return Of The Jedi. Just don’t.
Cave Man
Luke ventures into a cave that is strong with the dark side, a trip that is witnessed by creepy reptiles that hiss and slither around our young hero. Then Darth Vader emerges from the darkness, slow-mo, breathing heavy. Things only get worse when Luke lops his head off, revealing who's behind the mask…
Black As Night
Much is made of the fact that Empire Strikes Back is the darkest film in the franchise, but it’s entirely true. Sure, Luke’s family gets burnt to a crisp in A New Hope , but Empire undulates with real menace – Vader’s offing his staff one by one, while Luke goes on a journey of self-discovery that takes him to literally dark places. And then there's that revelation. Which is what makes this the best of the entire saga.
Up And Away
“There is no try,” says Yoda, shortly before demonstrating what the Force is really capable of by levitating Luke’s X-Wing out of the swamp. It’s the first time we’ve seen the Force being used for something big, and leads to Luke exclaiming, “I don’t believe it.” Yoda’s sage response? “That is why you fail.”
Blast Off
In Cloud City, Darth Vader waits in a room for Han Solo and co. When Han opens fire, Vader blocks the blaster fire with his gloved hand. Which, in one fell swoop, discredits the scoundrel’s vow in A New Hope that “hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side”.
Battle Of Hoth
Empire opens with a bang as Imperial forces crack down on the Rebels on Hoth, sending out their stampeding AT-ATs. It’s a fantastic show-stopper, involving some seriously clever battle tactics - in particular Luke using his lightsabre by cracking open the underbelly of one AT-AT to chuck a bomb inside. Now that’s thinking with your head.
Bens Back
Obi-Wan may technically have been killed in A New Hope , but that doesn’t stop his spirit returning to nudge Luke in the right direction. His third appearance comes as Luke leaves Dagobah and help Han and Leia. “This is a dangerous time for you, and you will be tempted by the dark side of the Force,” advises Ben. But Luke’s having none of it. D’oh.
Sabre Duel
Luke and Vader clash lightsabres for the very first time. In a notable difference to the prequel trilogy – which was full of sabre duels – this is the only lightsabre fight in the whole of Empire . Which means it has real impact, especially as the last time we saw Vader fight somebody, it was Obi-Wan – which didn’t exactly end well, did it?
Irvin Kirschner
Yeah, yeah, Empire is the darkest film in the saga, yada yada yada. But while writers Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan took the Warsverse into thematically bleak terrain, it was director Irvin Kirschner who matched their script with luscious visuals. He gives the first Star Wars sequel a chilly sheen in places, and a gritty realism in others (see Dagobah). Hats off to the man.
Introducing Yoda
“Looking? Found someone you have, I’d say,” titters Yoda manically as Luke first encounters the little green man. It’s a brilliantly played intro to the character, as he goes from babbling baboon (giggling, rooting through Luke’s possessions, squabbling with R2) to wise old man in the space of minutes. Size matters not, indeed.
