Misplaced Pages

#941058

122-592: A Hutt first appeared in the film Return of the Jedi (1983), and was designed by Phil Tippett . Jabba the Hutt is a crime lord that keeps an imprisoned Han Solo as a trophy. Only mentioned in the original releases of the first two Star Wars films, he reappeared in a deleted scene that was completed for the Special Edition of A New Hope in 1997. In The Phantom Menace (1999), Jabba appears alongside Gardulla

244-670: A bassoon . He is the estranged older brother of Figrin D'an, and resents the success of his brother's band, The Modal Nodes . He travels to Tatooine to join the Nodes, who are nowhere to be found after his arrival. Barquin stays to perform with local musicians and eventually joins the Max Rebo Band; unaccustomed to the depravity he witnesses in Jabba's Palace, he flees after Oola 's gruesome death. After Jabba's demise, he quits music altogether and starts an import/export business. Barquin

366-407: A "very nice person who worked well with actors". Marquand did note that Lucas kept a conspicuous presence on set, joking, "It is rather like trying to direct King Lear – with Shakespeare in the next room!" The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Lucas (with uncredited contributions by David Peoples and Marquand), based on Lucas's story. Kasdan claims he told Lucas that Return of

488-459: A 'true Jedi should never seek revenge' and returned to his original title. By that time thousands of "Revenge" teaser posters (with artwork by Drew Struzan ) had been printed and distributed. Lucasfilm stopped the shipping of the posters and sold the remaining stock of 6,800 posters to Star Wars fan club members for $ 9.50. In 2005, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith , released as part of

610-575: A 12-inch club mix, a dub mix, and a cover by Meco —as well as a later recording by vocalist/lyric writer Joseph Williams as Urth, which incorporates lyrics he wrote for Return of the Jedi ' s " Ewok Celebration ". The original members of the Max Rebo Band make several appearances in Star Wars Expanded Universe literature. Max, Droopy, and Sy are featured in John Gregory Betancourt 's short story And

732-444: A cafe, he sings along. Impressed with his voice, Orbus signs Yowza, who performs for food and shelter, while Sy gives him his new stage name. After Orbus's death, Yowza joins the band on Tatooine after a successful audition for Jabba. The group disbands after Jabba's death and Yowza travels to Mos Eisley, where he finds a job on a small passenger liner and performs with its house band in exchange for free food and transportation throughout

854-419: A canine-like snout and hooded eyes. He works as a spy and a guard for Jabba while performing as a drummer with the Max Rebo Band, and stays behind at Jabba's palace during the failed execution of Luke, Han and Chewbacca. After he is free following Jabba's death, Umpass-stay elects to become a servant for another Hutt household. Like Ak-rev, Umpass-stay's drumming was inspired by Taiko. His Special Edition actor

976-474: A commercial theater. Lucas and his employees could not hear many of the sound effects they had mixed. To make matters worse, the background noise in the theater muffled the majority of the film's sound, which played through the theater's normal commercial sound system. Many theaters at the time had poor room acoustics with mono sound. Lucas would solve the problem by creating a new cinema audio company, THX , and ensuring that all theaters playing his movies would use

1098-720: A counterattack by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to infiltrate the shield generator. Meanwhile, Lando Calrissian and Admiral Ackbar lead the Rebel assault on the Death Star, finding its shield still active and the Imperial fleet waiting for them. The Emperor reveals to Luke that the Death Star is fully operational and orders the firing of its massive laser, which destroys a Rebel starship. He invites Luke to give in to his anger and embrace

1220-541: A day in Death Valley . The other was a special Steadicam unit shooting forest backgrounds from June 15 to June 17, 1982, for the speeder chase near the middle of the film. Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown personally filmed these shots at less than one frame per second . By walking at about 5 mph (8 km/h) and projecting the footage at 24 frame/s, the motion seen in the film appeared as if it were moving at around 120 mph (190 km/h). Vader's funeral

1342-523: A different song in Jabba's throne room, the modification of the sarlacc to include a beak, the replacement of music at the closing scene, and a montage of different alien worlds celebrating the fall of the Empire. The runtime of the 1997 Special Edition of the film and all subsequent releases is approximately five minutes longer than the original theatrical version. The film was re-released theatrically by 20th Century Studios on April 28, 2023, to commemorate

SECTION 10

#1732773228942

1464-466: A feast for the eyes and a delight for the fancy. It's a little amazing how Lucas and his associates keep topping themselves." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film four stars out of four and wrote, "From the moment that the familiar Star Wars introductory words begin to crawl up the screen, Return of the Jedi is a childlike delight. It's the best video game around. And for

1586-541: A primitive race of small creatures) defeating an armed ground force comprising the Empire's "best troops". Lucas has defended the scenario, saying that the Ewoks' purpose was to distract the Imperial troops and they did not really win. His inspiration for the Ewoks' victory came from the Vietnam War , where the Viet Cong prevailed against the technologically superior United States . The novelization of Return of

1708-460: A record for a nationwide release on an inflation-adjusted basis for 36 years until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. It finished first at the box office for six of its first seven weeks of release, only coming in second once behind Superman III in its fourth weekend. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 80 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run. When it

1830-510: A sequel to The Empire Strikes Back was swiftly put into production. As with the previous film, Lucas personally financed Return of the Jedi . Lucas also chose not to direct the film himself, and started searching for a director. Irvin Kershner , who previously directed The Empire Strikes Back , declined to direct after spending two years working on the previous film, choosing to direct Never Say Never Again . Although Lucas's first choice

1952-406: A slave and forced him to join his band due to Snit's musical talents. Following Orbus's death, he is freed and given his familiar stage name by bandmate Sy Snootles. After the band flees Jabba's barge following his death, Droopy quits the group and wanders off alone into the desert to search for other members of his race. He is never seen again, but rumors among Tatooine's moisture farmers claim that

2074-718: A story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. The film follows the ongoing struggle between the malevolent Galactic Empire and the freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance . As the Rebels attempt to destroy the Empire's second Death Star , Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father, Darth Vader , back from the dark side of the Force . The film stars Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Billy Dee Williams , Anthony Daniels , David Prowse , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , and Frank Oz . Steven Spielberg , David Lynch , and David Cronenberg were considered to direct

2196-699: A subject of numerous parodies in popular culture, often invoking the creatures as symbols of obesity, gluttony, greed and corruption. Of particular note is " Pizza the Hutt " from the Star Wars spoof film Spaceballs , Peter Griffin 's portrayal in the Family Guy episode " He's Too Sexy For His Fat ," and Sally Struthers ' portrayal in the South Park episode " Starvin Marvin in Space ." Return of

2318-640: A time when ILM rejected about 30,000 metres (100,000 ft) of film when the film perforations failed image registration and steadiness tests. John Williams composed the film's musical score and performed it with the London Symphony Orchestra . Orchestration credits also include Thomas Newman . The initial release of the film's soundtrack was on the RSO Records label in the United States. Sony Classical Records acquired

2440-496: A trapdoor to be eaten by a rancor . After Luke kills the beast, Jabba decrees that he, Han, and Chewbacca will be fed to a Sarlacc , a deadly ground-dwelling creature. Luke retrieves his new lightsaber from R2-D2 , and the group of friends battle Jabba's thugs aboard his sail barge. During the chaos, Boba Fett falls into the Sarlacc's pit and Leia strangles Jabba to death with her chains. The group escapes as Jabba's sail barge

2562-506: A truly amazing array of creatures, old and new, plus the familiar space hardware." Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "is fully satisfying, it gives honest value to all the hopes of its believers. With this last of the central Star Wars cycle, there is the sense of the closing of a circle, of leaving behind real friends. It is accomplished with a weight and a new maturity that seem entirely fitting, yet

SECTION 20

#1732773228942

2684-583: Is a lingua franca of galactic organized crime. The language is a constructed language, with many distorted English words, most having the same syllables as the English. Its phonology is said to be based on the Quechua language . Non-Hutts also speak Huttese, including the Max Rebo Band , Bib Fortuna , and C-3PO . Due to Jabba's iconically hideous appearance, the image of the Hutt species has been

2806-434: Is a play on the words " cerulean elephant." He was portrayed by Simon Williamson in both versions of Return of the Jedi, and the character was a puppet constructed from the waist up by ILM. Sy Snootles is a robust female Pa'lowick who is the lead vocalist and original member of the band. She had an affair with her Yuzzum groupie, Clayton. She is angered at Max's acceptance of Jabba's contract, and after attempts to rework

2928-532: Is actually using them as pawns in an assassination attempt against Bingo after they discover explosives hidden inside their speakers. They make their getaway by superimposing holograms of themselves from a past performance onto the stage, which Bingo realizes just as the explosives detonate. Though Jabba had blatantly endangered their lives, the band nonetheless chooses to avoid his wrath by returning to Tatooine. In Dave Cooper 's Stop That Jawa! (part of Star Wars Tales 2 published by Dark Horse Comics in 2000),

3050-537: Is derived from the Japanese art of Taiko . His Special Edition actor was David Gonzalez. Doda Bodonawieedo is a green-skinned Rodian musician who plays a slitherhorn, a fictional wind instrument similar to a heckelphone . Orphaned at a young age after his family was killed by bounty hunters, Doda held an affinity for classical Rodian music and crime. His connections with the Tatooine underworld led him to Jabba

3172-575: Is destroyed. As the others rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance, Luke returns to Dagobah to complete his Jedi training with Yoda , who is dying when he arrives. Before Yoda dies, he confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father, the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and that there is another Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi 's Force spirit tells Luke that Leia is his twin sister, and that he must face Vader again to finish his training and defeat

3294-462: Is his sister, and that Vader is their father. Luke surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought before Vader, but fails to convince him to reject the dark side of the Force. Luke is brought to the Emperor, who intends to turn him to the dark side. He also reveals that Luke's friends on Endor and the Rebel fleet are heading into a trap. On the forest moon, Han's team is captured by Imperial forces, but

3416-519: Is the capital of Hutt Space, the species' empire . The primary moon of Nal Hutta is Nar Shaddaa. Before the establishment of the Old Republic , the Hutts were the dominant species in the galaxy, although they never built up an extensive empire; their dominance focused instead on trade and economic empires. The Grand Hutt Council is the de facto ruling body of the Hutt species, and by extension,

3538-488: The Star Wars Databank as a "less-dated piece of music". In both versions of the film, the group follows the singing number with festive instrumental tunes, during which only Max is shown up close. The fate of the trio is unclear following the explosion of Jabba's sail barge after his attempted execution of Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , and Chewbacca . Other versions of the song "Lapti Nek" exist, including

3660-489: The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition . Along with the two other films in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi was rereleased on March 14, 1997 (moved up one week from its original announced release date of March 7 due to the box office success of The Empire Strikes Back the month prior), with a number of changes and additions , including the insertion of several alien band members and

3782-599: The Band Played On: The Band's Tale, from the 1995 anthology Tales from Jabba's Palace . According to the story, the band begins as a quartet called " Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers." They arrive on Tatooine in three years after the Battle of Yavin depicted in A New Hope , one year before the events of Return of the Jedi , for a gig at the Mos Eisley cantina, but regular in-house band,

Hutt (Star Wars) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3904-564: The Battle of Endor. On April 7, 2015, Walt Disney Studios , 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. Return of the Jedi was released through the iTunes Store , Amazon Video , Vudu , Google Play , and Disney Movies Anywhere on April 10, 2015. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment reissued Return of the Jedi on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on September 22, 2019. Additionally, all six films were available for 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos streaming on Disney+ upon

4026-423: The Death Star shaft; the latter change drew sharp negative criticism. Several deleted scenes from the film were included as special features, including a completed scene in which Vader communicates with Luke via the Force as Luke assembles his new lightsaber before infiltrating Jabba's palace, a sandstorm sequence following the sarlacc pit rescue, and a scene featuring Moff Jerjerrod and Death Star officers during

4148-405: The Emperor down a shaft to his demise. Vader is fatally wounded and asks Luke to remove his mask in a moment of reconciliation before he dies. After the Rebel strike team destroys the shield generator, Lando leads fighter ships into the Death Star's core. While the Rebel fleet destroys the Imperial command ship, Lando and X-wing pilot Wedge destroy the Death Star's main reactor and escape before

4270-423: The Empire. The Alliance learns that the Empire has been constructing a second Death Star under the supervision of the Emperor . The station is protected by an energy shield on the forest moon of Endor . To destroy its generator, Han leads a strike team which includes Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca. Once on the moon, the team gains the trust of a tribe of Ewoks after an initial conflict. Later, Luke tells Leia that she

4392-411: The Hutt on Tatooine . They were sent as a goodwill gift by Luke Skywalker , who hopes to negotiate with Jabba for Han's release. Disguised as a bounty hunter , Princess Leia infiltrates the palace under the pretense of having captured Chewbacca . She releases Han from the carbonite but is caught by Jabba and enslaved. Luke arrives to bargain for the release of his friends, but Jabba drops him through

4514-409: The Hutt . The original lineup consists of the blue-skinned Ortolan organist Max Rebo , the plump Kitonak woodwind player Droopy McCool , and Pa'lowick lead singer Sy Snootles , while additional members were inserted into the later-edited Special Edition of the film . A great deal of further information about the band and the personal histories of its members is found in various literature of

4636-488: The Hutt and the Max Rebo Band. Doda remains at Jabba's Palace during the execution at the Sarlacc; when he hears of Jabba's death, he steals several valuable statues from the palace and disappears. Nelson Hall played Doda in the Special Edition, but was not included in the credits. Barquin D'an is a Bith musician from the planet Clak'dor VII who plays a Kloo horn, a fictitious wind instrument that resembles

4758-514: The Hutt, speaking only in grunts. Marvel Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film by writer Archie Goodwin and artists Al Williamson , Carlos Garzon, Tom Palmer , and Ron Frenz . The adaptation appeared in Marvel Super Special #27 and as a four-issue limited series . It was later reprinted in a mass market paperback, as well as collections of Marvel's self-titled Star Wars series . Marvel Super Special #27

4880-480: The Hutt, the prior owner of main character Anakin Skywalker and his mother, Shmi . She is explained as having lost them while betting on a podrace with junk dealer Watto , and reappeared in The Clone Wars episode " Hunt for Ziro ". Jabba's infant son Rotta is featured in The Clone Wars film ; other Hutts feature in the series. The Twins referred to a Hutt brother and sister who were crime lords during

5002-497: The Jedi Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ) is a 1983 American epic space opera film that is a sequel to The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It is the third installment in the original Star Wars trilogy and the sixth chronological film in the " Skywalker Saga ". It is directed by Richard Marquand based on a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from

Hutt (Star Wars) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5124-429: The Jedi "by far the dimmest adventure of the lot" and stated, "The joys of watching space battles as envisioned by wizards in studios and laboratories are not inexhaustible." Pauline Kael of The New Yorker stated, "Some of the trick effects might seem miraculous if the imagery had any lustre, but Return of the Jedi is an impersonal and rather junky piece of moviemaking." Christopher John reviewed The Return of

5246-566: The Jedi in Ares magazine #15 and commented that " Star Wars may not be dead, but Return of the Jedi is a failure, and is a cheap and tarnished crown for the series which shook the world of film when it started out . . . a long time ago, in that galaxy far, far away." Colin Greenland reviewed Return of the Jedi for Imagine magazine, and stated that "You would think a series like Star Wars , fuelled by public adoration, coasting along on

5368-441: The Jedi remains an entertaining sci-fi adventure and a fitting end to the classic trilogy." At Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 24 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In his review of the 1997 Special Edition re-release , the film critic James Kendrick called Return of the Jedi the weakest of the three original films, saying it depended "too much on

5490-451: The Jedi was "a weak title". Kazanjian said the same, and the title was changed to Revenge of the Jedi one or two days later. The screenplay itself was not finished until rather late in pre-production , well after a production schedule and budget had been created by Kazanjian and Marquand had been hired, which was unusual for a film. Instead, the production team relied on Lucas's story and rough draft in order to commence work with

5612-400: The Jedi was written by James Kahn and was released on May 12, 1983, thirteen days before the film's release. A three-hour radio drama adaptation of the film was written by Brian Daley with additional material contributed by John Whitman and was produced for and broadcast on National Public Radio in 1996 (over a decade after the radio adaptations of the first two Star Wars films). It

5734-520: The Jedi , the original Snootles puppet was replaced with a computer-generated version, and nine new band members were added with live actors and computer animation digitally composited into new and existing footage. "Lapti Nek" was additionally replaced with a new track titled "Jedi Rocks". The Max Rebo Band made their debut in Return of the Jedi during the scenes set in Jabba's palace on Tatooine . In

5856-764: The Legends continuity. According to Legends, all members of the species are hermaphroditic . Hutt Space is a "special autonomous region" of the Star Wars galaxy on the border between the Mid Rim and the Outer Rim Territories, and located to the galactic east of the Core Worlds. It encompassed the Si'Klaata Cluster, bordered on the Tion Hegemony, and consisted of a thousand inhabited worlds. Hutt Space

5978-594: The Lost Ark had made him an even bigger star. Kazanjian said that Han was frozen in carbonite in Empire because the filmmakers were unsure whether the character would return. He also claimed that Lucas did not expect Ford to return, and that Han was initially not in the script. However, Kazanjian—who also produced Raiders of the Lost Ark— convinced Ford to return. Ford felt that Han should die through self-sacrifice in

6100-461: The Max Rebo Band." Star Wars creator George Lucas stated that the scene featuring the band was intended to be an elaborate production, but the crew "never really had the time" to film it. Lucas commented, "I thought [it] would be funny [to have a musical number] in the middle of a Star Wars film." The original band members—Max, Sy, and Droopy—were puppets designed by Phil Tippett of Industrial Light and Magic 's Creature Shop. Timothy D. Rose

6222-484: The Modal Nodes , objects to the presence of a second group, and Orbus is killed by Nodes leader Figrin D'an following a scuffle aboard an airbus. Droopy and Sy elect Max as their new bandleader, and the trio secures an audition with Jabba the Hutt, who is pleased with their performance of "Lapti Nek". He offers the band a lifetime contract paid in food instead of money, much to Max's delight and Sy's disdain. However,

SECTION 50

#1732773228942

6344-588: The New Republic Era. They were cousins of Tatooine crime lord Jabba. Adult Hutts are similar to shell-less gastropods in appearance and movement. In the novelization of Return of the Jedi , it is mentioned that Hutts were born bipedal , but their "rump legs" fused together over time due to lack of movement. Hutts are extremely long-lived and reproduce asexually , nursing their young in pouches like those of marsupials . Hutts have separate sexes in canon, no longer being hermaphroditic as they were in

6466-532: The Outer Rim. Joh Yowza appeared as a computer-generated image, but his voice actor was uncredited. The Yuzzums were originally slated to appear as a second race on Endor in the original version of the film, but were axed due to high production costs. Only one Yuzzum puppet was constructed, and was included in the background of Jabba's palace. Evar Orbus is an eight-tentacled, beak-mouthed Letaki singer and musician who made his first canon appearance in "And

6588-508: The Sony digital re-mastering, which minimally improved the sound heard only on high-end stereos, this 2004 release is essentially the same as the 1997 RCA Victor release. Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983. It was originally slated to open on May 27, but was subsequently changed to coincide with the date of the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film. With a massive worldwide marketing campaign, illustrator Tim Reamer created

6710-564: The Weequay god of thunder before moving to Tatooine to serve as one of Jabba's skiff guards, simply in order to mingle with other members of his race. He becomes a part-time drummer for the Max Rebo Band, and after Jabba's death, Ak-rev and fellow percussionist Umpass-stay attempt to flee to Mos Eisley, but the pair is ambushed by Tusken Raiders and Ak-rev is beaten to death. According to the Star Wars Databank , his musical style

6832-523: The animated series Star Wars: Droids titled "The Lost Prince", in which they performed in Doodnik's Café on the mining planet of Tyne's Horky. The trio also featured in the video games Star Wars: Demolition (2000) and Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005). In May 2003, nearly six years after the rerelease of Return of the Jedi , Star Wars Insider published brief biographies of the band's new members for an article called "Jabbapalooza: Who's Who in

6954-417: The art department. When it came time to formally write a shooting script , Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand and Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas; Kasdan used tape transcripts of these meetings to then construct the script. The question of whether Ford would return for the final film arose during pre-production. Unlike Hamill and Fisher, Ford had not contracted to do two sequels, and Raiders of

7076-456: The band at Jabba's palace. She meets her hero but is later enraged at his death during the skirmish at the Sarlacc pit. Lyn and Greeata head out into the desert on a stolen landspeeder and rescue Max, Droopy, and Sy from Tusken Raiders before making off with their Banthas. She initially vows to take revenge on Han, Luke and Leia for their part in Fett's death, but then drops her vendetta. Lyn Me

7198-485: The band's rescue by driving off a group of Tusken Raiders and stealing their Banthas , which they ride to Mos Eisley. Greeata was played by Smuin Ballet creative director Celia Fushille in a Rodian bodysuit and mask for the Special Edition. Lyn Me is a blue-skinned female Twi'lek dancer and backup vocalist in the Max Rebo Band. She becomes infatuated with Boba Fett and follows him to Tatooine , where she joins

7320-438: The band. Following a brief gig for Lady Valarian, Sy dissolves her relationship with Max and begins her solo career, but her subsequent recordings sell poorly and she is relegated to touring Outer Rim dives under different stage names. During production, Sy Snootles' nickname was "Ms. Snooty." In the original version of the film, the character was a marionette -like puppet operated by puppeteers Mike Quinn and Tim Rose; Quinn

7442-423: The criminal in a sabacc game and frees them from slavery. After relocating to Tatooine, she joins the Max Rebo Band as a backup vocalist and dancer. Rystáll is briefly seen flirting with Boba Fett prior to the arrival of Boushh . Rystáll was portrayed by Canadian dancer Mercedes Ngoh in full-body makeup, which took four hours to apply for her lone day of shooting. Umpass-stay is a Klatooinian drummer with

SECTION 60

#1732773228942

7564-443: The dark side of the Force. Luke attacks him, but Vader intervenes and the two engage in a lightsaber duel. Vader senses that Luke has a sister and threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not join him. Enraged, Luke attacks Vader and severs his prosthetic hand. The Emperor orders Luke to kill his father, but Luke refuses. In response, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning . Unwilling to let his son die, Vader throws

7686-504: The deal prove futile, Sy resorts to secretly spying for over a dozen of Jabba's enemies to earn credits, but then works as a double agent by giving them false information provided by Bib Fortuna . She was also not above getting her hands dirty when she killed Ziro the Hutt to obtain for Jabba a book containing dirt on the other Hutt leaders. She teams up with Max as the Max Rebo Duo following Jabba's death and Droopy's departure from

7808-435: The defeat of the Emperor, the film was originally intended to end with Obi-Wan and Yoda returning to life from their spectral existence in the Force, along with Anakin Skywalker, thanks to Yoda being able to prevent him from becoming one with the Force. They would then join the rest of the characters in their celebration on Endor. Alan Webb was originally cast as the Emperor, but dropped out due to illness. Lindsay Anderson

7930-422: The entire company found it necessary to remain running 20 hours a day on six-day weeks in order to meet their goals by April 1, 1983. Of about 900 special effects shots, all VistaVision optical effects remained in-house, since ILM was the only company capable of using the format, while about 400 4-perf opticals were subcontracted to outside effects houses. Progress on the opticals was severely delayed for

8052-485: The execution of Han, Luke, and Chewbacca at the Great Pit of Carkoon descends into chaos as Jabba is fatally strangled by Princess Leia , and the band escapes from Jabba's barge sans instruments just before it explodes. Droopy quits the group on the spot after wandering off into the desert to join fellow Kitonaks he hears playing in the distance, and Sy and Max join forces as the Max Rebo Duo. The book's epilogue describes

8174-401: The film before Marquand signed on as director. The production team relied on Lucas's storyboards during pre-production. While writing the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas to construct it. Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light & Magic more time to work on

8296-432: The film's 40th anniversary. The original theatrical version of Return of the Jedi was released on VHS and Laserdisc several times between 1986 and 1995, followed by releases of the Special Edition in the same formats between 1997 and 2000. Some of these releases contained featurettes; some were individual releases of just this film, while others were boxed sets of all three original films. On September 21, 2004,

8418-488: The film's effects in post-production. Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to May 1982  ( 1982-05 ) . The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983. It grossed $ 374 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983 . The film was well received by critics, with strong praise going to the performances of the actors, John Williams's score,

8540-499: The film's first act. In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, she is voiced by Nika Futterman . Droopy McCool is the stage name of a slow-minded Kitonak musician and original member of the Max Rebo Band. He plays a chidinkalu horn, an instrument that resembles a clarinet . Droopy's actual birth name is a series of unpronounceable flute-like whistles, but he was renamed Snit by Orbus, who purchased him as

8662-521: The film, and was nicknamed "Jedi Rapper" by the filmmakers during production. Rystáll Sant is a colorful female "near-human" singer and dancer from Coruscant. Her mother was human, and her father a Theelin , but Rystáll is orphaned as a small child without ever knowing them and she is taken in by Ortolan musicians. She and her adoptive family are enslaved by a lieutenant in the Black Sun criminal organization, before Lando Calrissian wins them from

8784-465: The finished film where the heroes get caught in a sandstorm as they leave Tatooine. (This was the only major sequence cut from the film during editing.) For the rancor, Lucas wanted to use a stunt performer in a suit in the style of the Toho Godzilla films. The production team made several attempts, but were unable to create an adequate result. Lucas eventually relented and decided to film

8906-504: The first, second, and fourth episodes of the television series The Book of Boba Fett , which takes place five years after Return of the Jedi . He was shown to have survived the destruction of Jabba's sail barge. The original band has made minor appearances in other Star Wars media. The unfinished 1982 David Tomblin mockumentary Return of the Ewok showed them in Jabba's palace, and they briefly appeared in an October 1985 episode of

9028-545: The highest authority in all of Hutt-controlled space. The council was composed of the most influential and high-profile Hutt leaders, its members were responsible for the day-to-day affairs of Hutt Space. When dealing with a foreign power, they elect one of their own to act as 'Head of State'. Despite pretense of legitimacy, its kleptocratic "government" reflected the corrupt nature of its enterprises, being prone to instability as Hutt families engage in endless shadow wars against their rivals. The Hutts' native language, Huttese ,

9150-461: The highest single day gross. It would hold the record for having the highest pre- Memorial Day Wednesday gross until 1996 when Mission: Impossible surpassed it. The film made $ 23 million from 1,002 theaters in its opening weekend and grossed a record $ 45.3 million in its opening week. It set a new domestic opening weekend record, surpassing the $ 14 million opening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Its $ 22,973 per theatre average would stand as

9272-561: The hyperdrive of its own hyperboles, would get inexorably worse. It is not. It is getting better." In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 1997, for the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (re-titled Episode IV: A New Hope ), Lucas released

9394-415: The image for the movie poster and other advertising. At the time of its release, the film was advertised on posters and merchandise as simply Star Wars: Return of the Jedi , despite its on-screen "Episode VI" distinction. The film was re-released in 1985. The original teaser trailer for the film carried the name Revenge of the Jedi . In December 1982, Lucas decided that "Revenge" was not appropriate as

9516-431: The movie has lost none of its sense of fun; it bursts with new inventiveness." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post said, " Return of the Jedi, a feat of mass enchantment, puts the happy finishing touches on George Lucas's Star Wars saga. It was worth the wait, and the work is now an imposing landmark in contemporary popular culture—a three-part, 6¼-hour science-fiction epic of unabashed heroic proclivities." The film

9638-401: The new characters, "Lapti Nek" was replaced with "Jedi Rocks." Lucas insisted that the revised sequence added more atmosphere and quality to the film. Max Rebo is the stage name of Siiruulian Phantele , a stocky Ortolan keyboardist and eponymous leader of the Max Rebo Band. He plays a Red Ball Jett keyboard, which is similar to a circular reed organ with clavinet characteristics. Max

9760-565: The new system. Meanwhile, special effects work at ILM quickly stretched the company to its operational limits. While the R&;D work and experience gained from the previous two films in the trilogy allowed for increased efficiency, this was offset by the desire to have the closing film raise the bar set by each of these films. A compounding factor was the intention of several departments of ILM to either take on other film work or decrease staff during slow cycles. Instead, as soon as production began,

9882-489: The now-noncanonical Star Wars Legends universe. The group are classified as "jizz-wailers", which, according to the Star Wars Encyclopedia , refers to a "musician who plays a fast, contemporary, and upbeat style of music." Max and Droopy were portrayed by actors in bodysuits, while Snootles was operated by two puppeteers stationed above and beneath the set. For the 1997 Special Edition of Return of

10004-551: The original Star Wars trilogy was released in a boxset on DVD with digital restoration and additional alterations made by Lucas. In this version of Return of the Jedi , Sebastian Shaw 's portrayal of Anakin's spirit is replaced by Hayden Christensen , who portrayed Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . All three films of the trilogy were released individually on Limited Edition DVDs on September 12, 2006, with

10126-461: The original unaltered versions included as bonus features. These were collected in a box set on November 4, 2008. A Blu-ray Disc version of the six-film Star Wars saga was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in September 2011, which incorporated more small changes to Return of the Jedi , including making the Ewoks blink and having Vader yell "No!" as he throws the Emperor down

10248-405: The original version, the trio performs a Huttese-language pop song titled " Lapti Nek " (Huttese for "Fancy Man"); the English lyrics (by composer John Williams 's son Joseph Williams ) are about dancing; Hardware Wars creator Ernie Fosselius helped arrange the song. The track was replaced in the Special Edition with " Jedi Rocks ", written by jazz musician Jerry Hey and described in

10370-562: The pair splitting up; Sy flops as a solo act while Max joins up with the Rebellion and uses his musical talents to entertain the troops. In the 2000 Dark Horse release A Hot Time in the Cold Town Tonite!, Jabba sends the puzzled trio to the frozen planet Hoth to play for a rival crime lord, Bingo Mehndra, who threatens to feed the band to his pet Wampa if he suspected any kind of trickery. The group soon discovers that Jabba

10492-563: The premature revelation of the secrets of the film's plot. Kalish kept her job, as did everyone else in the Sales Department, as the incident was apparently considered a simple mistake. Max Rebo Band The Max Rebo Band is a fictional alien pop music band in the Star Wars franchise, first appearing in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi as a three-piece group performing the song "Lapti Nek" for crime lord Jabba

10614-419: The prequel trilogy, alluded to the dismissed title Revenge of the Jedi . Return of the Jedi grossed $ 314.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $ 166 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $ 480 million, against a production budget of about $ 32.5 million. Return of the Jedi collected a total of $ 6.2 million on its opening day, beating out Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to have

10736-495: The previous film. The inclusion led Lucas to insert a scene in which Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father because, after a discussion with a children's psychologist, he did not want younger moviegoers to dismiss Vader's claim as a lie. Many ideas from the original script were left out or changed. For instance, the Ewoks were going to be Wookiees and the Millennium Falcon was going to land on Endor. Following

10858-568: The professional moviegoers, it is particularly enjoyable to watch every facet of filmmaking at its best." James Harwood of Variety called the film "a visual treat throughout," but thought that "Hamill is not enough of a dramatic actor to carry the plot load here" and Harrison Ford "is present more in body than in spirit this time, given little to do but react to special effects. And it can't be said that either Carrie Fisher or Billy Dee Williams rise to previous efforts. But Lucas and director Richard Marquand have overwhelmed these performer flaws with

10980-762: The rancor as a high-speed puppet. In April, the crew moved to Arizona's Yuma Desert for two weeks of Tatooine exteriors. Production then moved to the redwood forests of northern California. Forested private land near Smith River and at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park were used for the forests of Endor. The crew spent two weeks shooting the Endor forest exteriors, and then concluded at ILM in San Rafael , California, for about ten days of bluescreen shots. One of two "skeletal" post-production units shooting background matte plates spent

11102-408: The rights to the classic trilogy scores in 2004 after gaining the rights to release the second trilogy soundtracks ( The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ). In the same year, Sony Classical re-pressed the 1997 RCA Victor release of Return of the Jedi along with the other two films in the trilogy. The set was released with the new artwork mirroring the first DVD release of the film. Despite

11224-445: The segment was reduced in comparison to the original film. Visual effects supervisor Dave Carson described the process of creating Sy and new character Joh Yowza as similar to sculpting clay models, adding that CGI characters were more like puppets than cartoons and that animators "constantly find limitations: [the] characters don't bend right, or their mass isn't right," problems he claimed that confronted puppeteers. In addition to

11346-448: The service's launch on November 12, 2019. This version of the film was released by Disney on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray box set on March 31, 2020. According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of critics have given the film a positive review with an average rating of 7.30/10, based on 103 reviews from critics. The site's critics consensus reads: "Though failing to reach the cinematic heights of its predecessors, Return of

11468-456: The shoot. Working on a budget of $ 32.5 million, Lucas was determined to avoid going over budget as had happened with Empire . Kazanjian estimated that using ILM (owned wholly by Lucasfilm) for special effects saved the production approximately $ 18 million. However, the fact that Lucasfilm was a non-union company made acquiring shooting locations more difficult and more expensive, even though Star Wars and Empire had been big hits. The project

11590-416: The slick commercialism" of the franchise but that it was still "a magnificent experience in its own right". James Berardinelli described it as the least enjoyable and least innovative film of the trilogy. He opined that the Special Edition was not saved by the alterations, but that it was nevertheless a "must-see" for fans as the conclusion of the trilogy. Fans are divided on the likelihood of Ewoks (being

11712-412: The sound of Kitonak pipes have been heard from the far reaches of the desert. Droopy was played by Deep Roy in a full bodysuit for both versions of Return of the Jedi. The following characters were added to the 1997 Special Edition version of the film. Ak-rev is a leathery-faced Weequay skiff guard and drummer from the planet Sriluur. He had played the sacred drums in a monastery devoted to

11834-491: The special effects and the action sequences. Several re-releases and revisions to the film have followed over the decades, which have brought its total gross to $ 482 million. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2021. A year after Han Solo 's capture and imprisonment in carbonite, C-3PO and R2-D2 enter the palace of the crime lord Jabba

11956-1208: The station explodes. Luke cremates Vader's body on Endor before reuniting with his friends. As the Rebels celebrate their victory, Luke notices the Force spirits of Obi-Wan , Yoda, and Anakin standing nearby. The cast also includes Michael Pennington as Moff Jerjerrod , Kenneth Colley as Admiral Piett , Michael Carter as Bib Fortuna (voiced by Erik Bauersfeld , who was uncredited), Denis Lawson as Wedge , Tim Rose as Admiral Ackbar (also voiced by Bauersfeld, again uncredited), Dermot Crowley as General Madine, Caroline Blakiston as Mon Mothma , Warwick Davis as Wicket , Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett , Femi Taylor as Oola, Annie Arbogast as Sy Snootles, Claire Davenport as Fat Dancer, Jack Purvis as Teebo, Mike Edmonds as Logray, Jane Busby as Chief Chirpa, Malcom Dixon and Mike Cottrell as Ewok Warriors, and Nicki Reade as Nicki. Additional Imperial officers are portrayed by Adam Bareham (Stardestroyer Controller #1), Jonathan Oliver (Stardestroyer Controller #2), Pip Miller (Stardestroyer Captain #1), and Tom Mannion (Stardestroyer Captain #2). Following discussions between Star Wars creator George Lucas and producer Howard Kazanjian ,

12078-399: The third film. Kasdan agreed, and said it should occur near the beginning of the third act , to make the audience wonder whether the other protagonists will survive. Gary Kurtz , who produced Star Wars and Empire but was replaced by Kazanjian for Jedi , said that Han died in an early version of the script. Kurtz has suggested that one reason Lucas may have rejected the idea of Han dying

12200-559: The trio has their instruments "salvaged" by Jawa scavengers outside the Mos Eisley cantina. They are then pursued by a droid bounty hunter who earlier overheard Sy badmouthing Jabba in the cantina. The bounty hunter is revealed at the conclusion to be a Derfian musician named Tik Tali Talosh, who pressures the Jawas into returning the instruments before proclaiming his adoration of the group and requesting an audition. Max Rebo appears in

12322-411: The unpleasant desert environment, even though his small size places him in constant danger of being eaten. Rappertunie leaves Tatooine to continue his career after Jabba's death, but his knowledge of computer technology leads him to employment as an engineer for a manufacturer of MSE-6 droids. Rappertunie was an 0.3 meter (0.98 foot)-tall puppet digitally composited into new and existing footage of

12444-531: The wake of Droopy's departure. After performing for Lady Valarian , the pair splits. Max joins the Rebel Alliance to entertain the troops, one reason being that "the Rebellion has the best food." After the Galactic Civil War , he quits the music business and opens a chain of successful restaurants throughout the galaxy. He retires to a life of wealth and luxury on Coruscant . In a nod to his physical appearance, Max's real name, Siiruulian Phantele,

12566-524: Was Steven Spielberg , their separate feuds with the Director's Guild led to him being banned from directing the film. Lucas approached David Lynch , who had recently been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Elephant Man in 1980, to helm Return of the Jedi. Lynch declined, saying that he had "next door to zero interest", believing Lucas should direct it since Star Wars

12688-411: Was a founding member of Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers, but after Orbus's death, he was elected the group's new leader. Like other Ortolans, Max is a glutton ; he ecstatically accepts a lifetime contract from Jabba that is paid in endless meals instead of money, which angers the rest of the group. With their contract terminated following Jabba's demise, Max and Sy team up as the Max Rebo Duo in

12810-462: Was a loose confederation of criminal families, mercenary elements, and front organizations. The Hutt Cartel were financially invested in every illicit enterprise in the Outer Rim; engaged in spice smuggling, slavery, gambling, extortion, and bounty hunting. The nature of this consortium prohibited any strong central authority. Hutts live on the planet Nal Hutta —"Glorious Jewel" in Huttese. Nal Hutta

12932-452: Was also featured on the May 23, 1983, Time magazine cover issue (where it was labeled "Star Wars III"), where the reviewer Gerald Clarke said that while it was not as exciting as the first Star Wars film, it was "better and more satisfying" than The Empire Strikes Back , now considered by many as the best of the original trilogy. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called Return of

13054-568: Was based on characters and situations created by George Lucas and on the screenplay by Kasdan and Lucas. Anthony Daniels reprised his role from the film as C-3PO, but Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams (who lent their voices to the previous radio adaptations) were replaced by newcomer Joshua Fardon and character actor Arye Gross , respectively. Bernard Behrens and Brock Peters reprised their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, respectively. John Lithgow voiced Yoda, and veteran character actor Ed Begley, Jr. played Boba Fett. Ed Asner voiced Jabba

13176-413: Was even the recipient of a 1983 Apex Award . For close-up shots, Sy's mouth was articulated using a nearly-invisible wire connected to a microphone stand. The puppet was replaced with a computer-generated image for the Special Edition re-release. The CGI was spliced in with shots of the original puppet and created a continuity error with the puppet Sy's headdress feather appearing and disappearing during

13298-410: Was filmed at Skywalker Ranch . Marquand and Anthony Daniels clashed somewhat, leading to the latter recording his ADR (dialogue overdubs) with Lucas instead. Carrie Fisher disliked working with Marquand, too; he often yelled at her, which caused her to burst into tears on one occasion, which ruined her makeup and required an hour-long redo. Lucasfilm encountered problems when it tested the film in

13420-411: Was given the working title Blue Harvest with a tagline of "Horror Beyond Imagination." This disguised what the production crew was really filming from fans and the press, and also prevented price gouging by service providers. The first stage of production started with 78 days at Elstree Studios in England, where the film occupied all nine stages. The shoot commenced with a scene later deleted from

13542-493: Was his creation. Lucas also offered David Cronenberg the chance to direct, but he declined the offer as he did not want to work on material written by others. Lamont Johnson , director of The Last American Hero (1973), was also considered. Lucas eventually chose Richard Marquand . Lucas operated the second camera on set a few times. Lucas has admitted to being on the set frequently because of Marquand's relative inexperience with special effects. Lucas praised Marquand as

13664-469: Was mistakenly released in April 1983, a month before the film itself, giving away spoilers to the film's plot. Hamill is a comic book fan and while he was in a comic book store, he discovered that the comic book was on sale there and alerted Lucasfilm. According to Carol Kalish who was Marvel's direct sales manager at the time, Marvel quickly recalled the book upon learning this mistake though it did not stop

13786-480: Was named for the Hutt species, who dominated the region. Hutt Space remain freed of Imperial rule owing to its trade of wealth, influence and cooperation with the authorities on Imperial Coruscant. Noted as being a haven of corruption, piracy, and home to the disreputable elements of the galaxy, the Galactic Empire considered Hutt Space an "open festering wound" carved across Imperial space. The Hutt Cartel

13908-433: Was offered the role, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Ben Kingsley and David Suchet were also considered. Alan Rickman auditioned for the role of Moff Jerjerrod, but Michael Pennington was cast instead. Marquand initially wanted a famous actor such as Laurence Olivier or John Gielgud to play the unmasked Vader, but Lucas was concerned that such an actor would be distracting for audiences. Kenny Baker

14030-518: Was originally cast as Wicket the Ewok, but he fell ill with food poisoning on the day of the shoot. He was replaced by Warwick Davis, who had no film acting experience. Filming began on January 11, 1982, and lasted through May 20, 1982, a schedule six weeks shorter than Empire . Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting as early as possible in order to give Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as much time as possible to work on effects, and left some crew members dubious of their ability to be fully prepared for

14152-546: Was portrayed by Don Bies in an uncredited role. Greeata Jendowanian is a female Rodian dancer and backup vocalist for the Max Rebo Band. She gets her start playing the Kloo horn on a luxury starship called the Kuari Princess, where she befriends Sy Snootles. They become a duo and eventually join up with Max Rebo. After Jabba the Hutt's death and the band's escape into the desert, Greeata and fellow singer Lyn Me come to

14274-439: Was portrayed by ballet dancer Dalyn Chew. Rappertunie is the stage name of Rapotwanalantonee Tivtotolon , a frog-like, potbellied Shawda Ubb musician who plays a harmonica -like instrument called a growdi, which is described in the Star Wars Databank as a cross between a water organ and a flute . He comes from the swamp planet of Manpha , and joins the band on Tatooine, but he confines himself to Jabba's palace due to

14396-454: Was re-released in 1985, it made $ 11.2 million, which totaled its initial theatrical gross to $ 385.8 million worldwide. During its re-release in 1997, the film grossed $ 16.29 million in its opening weekend. When it was re-released in 2023, for its 40th anniversary, the film grossed $ 5.1 million to place #4 in the weekend box office. Film critic Roger Ebert gave Return of the Jedi four out of four stars, calling it "a complete entertainment,

14518-532: Was stationed on scaffolding and controlled her upper body, while Rose moved her legs from beneath the set. The character's oversized ruby lips were suggested by George Lucas, who referred to them as " Mick Jagger lips." Sy was voiced in the original version of Jedi by Lucasfilm sound engineer Annie Arbogast, who also wrote the Huttese-language lyrics to "Lapti Nek." The track was recorded at Lucasfilm's Sprocket Systems (currently Skywalker Sound ), and

14640-414: Was that it would not be good for merchandising. Kurtz also has claimed that an early script ended with the Rebel forces in tatters, Leia grappling with her new duties as queen, and Luke walking off alone "like Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti Westerns ". Yoda was originally not meant to appear in the film, but Marquand strongly felt that returning to Dagobah was essential to resolve the dilemma raised by

14762-491: Was the puppeteer for Sy. Lucas was not entirely pleased with the scene, saying that the puppets were too static and motionless. Special Edition producer Rick McCallum concurred that the requirements of the scene were too complex, even for animatronics . For the 1997 rerelease of Return of the Jedi , Sy Snootles was recreated entirely in CGI and nine new musicians and dancers were added, while Max and Droopy's screen time during

14884-482: Was uncredited. Joh Yowza is the stage name of J'ywz'gnk Kchhllbrxcstk Et'nrmdndlcvtbrx , a short, furry Endorian creature known as a Yuzzum , as well as a lead singer in the Max Rebo Band. After he unknowingly stows away on a star freighter while searching for food, the captain keeps him aboard for cooking, cleaning, and other menial tasks. In return, Yowza is well-fed and taught Galactic Basic . While watching Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-wailers perform at

#941058