Tag: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Chat Pack: What is your favorite Luke Skywalker moment?

Welcome to Day 10 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s card asks: What is your favorite Luke Skywalker moment?

Oh man, there are so many! Here’s just a few that I love:

The Mandalorian entrance. As soon as I saw that X-Wing, I got excited. Is it really him? The black glove! It is him! When Grogu called out to a Jedi on Tython, I figured somebody would answer. I didn’t really think it would actually be Luke Skywalker. But really, who else was there at the time? Ahsoka had already said No thanks, Ezra was on Peridea, and who knows where Cal Kestis was. It was truly awesome to see Luke in his prime again, kicking some Imperial droid butt (even if it was a deep-fake; it still made me happy) and saving Din, Grogu and friends. Loved, loved, loved it.

Fighting Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi. This was truly a remarkable moment: Luke distracting Kylo Ren and the First Order so the Resistance could get away, and he wasn’t even really there. Force-projecting himself across the galaxy (I didn’t even know that was a thing! but of course it is, why not?) is a tremendously powerful thing to do, proving that Luke is at the height of his powers here. I mean, of course it took his life, but what a sacrifice! The most Jedi thing a Jedi can do: fight back without really fighting. The look on Kylo’s face when he disappeared is priceless.

Saving Han Solo and his friends from Jabba the Hutt. When we see Luke enter Jabba’s palace and negotiate for Han Solo, this is really the first time we see him so confident, so sure of himself, and it’s awesome. In A New Hope, he’s a green kid, in The Empire Strikes Back, he’s full of questions and doubts, but here there’s a new maturity and confidence in his powers, and it’s great to see. Wow, he really is a Jedi! Once he entered Jabba’s palace, the whole place was doomed, lol.

I love Return of the Jedi Luke, but my absolute favorite moment, from that movie and everything else, is this one right here (and I don’t think I’m alone):

When Luke throws his lightsaber away, refusing to kill his father and saying these words, he’s stepped into next-level Jedi. He nearly kills Vader, and “wins” the fight, but he realizes he’d pay for that victory with darkness. Just as his father did. Which is no victory at all. His true victory is resisting the dark side and standing up to the Emperor, basically telling him to do his worst (which he does, of course, nearly killing him, giving Vader the chance to save him). This act in itself brings Anakin back from the clutches of Vader; Luke saves his father with compassion. And that, my friend, is Luke’s greatest moment, in my opinion.

What’s your favorite Luke Skywalker moment? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Return of the Jedi Fan Art

I’m a little late with this, as the 40th anniversary of the release of The Return of the Jedi was last week on May 25th, but I thought I’d celebrate that iconic film with some fan art. Enjoy!

I love this art nouveau style poster for the film.

cryssy cheung art

Leia releases Han from carbonite in Jabba’s palace.

Couldn’t find artist info. Looks like a comic?

Luke constructing his green lightsaber on Tatooine before rescuing Han from Jabba.

No artist info, only Fantasy Flight Games.

A great scene of Luke on Endor with Rex, er, I mean Nik Sant, lol.

No artist, just Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game

A charming portrait of Leia with Wicket on Endor.

Jennifer Aberin Johnson

Han on Endor with stormtroopers and an AT-ST.

Ryan Valle

Luke holding his dying father.

A Father’s Sacrifice…For the Love of One’s Child by ChaosEmperor971

What do you think of these images? What’s your favorite part of Return of the Jedi? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Five Favorite Things About Return of the Jedi

Continuing my Five Favorite Things about the Star Wars movies, here’s my entry on Return of the Jedi.

Favorite Scene

Image result for luke and leia endor sister

Luke with Leia on Endor. I loved this intimate scene where Luke tells Leia that they’re siblings, and that he must leave to face their father, Darth Vader. It brings their relationship to a new level, as well as helps her understand what he needs to do and why. It’s also the most emotional and upset we’ve seen Leia onscreen, and reminds us that even though she’s tough as nails, she can also be vulnerable.

Favorite Duel

Luke defeats Darth Vader in their final confrontation.

Luke vs. Vader on the Death Star 2. All the films in the Original Trilogy showcase just one major lightsaber duel, and in ROTJ, this is it. And it’s wonderful and glorious and fraught with tremendous emotional weight, as father and son duel it out in front of the Emperor, who naturally cackles with evil delight. The stakes couldn’t be higher: Luke fights not only for the fate of the Rebellion and his friends, but for his very soul–and his father’s soul, as well. We see that he comes perilously close to the dark side as he gives in to his anger and slams away at Vader, nearly defeating him–but he realizes the cost and steps away. Which leads to….

Favorite Line

When Luke steps away from battle with his father and declares these words to the Emperor, then throws his lightsaber away, he shows us his true character: committed to the Light, to good, to the kind of man his father was before he was corrupted by the dark side. This is Luke’s pivotal moment, his most glorious hour. I love it.

Funniest Moment

Han Solo quippery. Of course.

“How we doing?” “Same as always.” “That bad, huh?”

Most Impactful Character

Darth Vader. Darth Vader’s return to the light and saving his son from the Emperor is clearly the most satisfying event in the movie, at least to me. The moment he picks up the Emperor, who is killing his son with Force lightning, and throws him down that shaft, is the most thrilling scene of the movie, the trilogy, perhaps the entire saga. With his sacrifice, Vader–or perhaps we should call him Anakin here–saves his son, and fulfills his destiny as the Chosen One, bringing balance back to the Force. It’s electrifying (if you’ll pardon the pun), deeply moving, and the perfect end to the trilogy.

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