Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back(1980)
20th Century Fox May 21, 1980 | Limited
After the Empire overpowers the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker begins training with Jedi Master Yoda, while Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett pursue his friends across the galaxy.
Releases
Original Release | May 21, 1980
1982 Re-release | Nov 19, 1982
1997 Special Edition | Feb 21, 1997
2020 Re-release (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) | Jul 10, 2020
Box Office Results
All Releases (4)
$292,753,960
$257,262,126
$550,016,086
$126,952,520
$126,952,520
Current Showtimes
Your Location or
(U.S. Only)
Director & Top Cast
Gallery
Technical Specifications
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Imperial fleet, led by Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), dispatches probe droids across the galaxy in search of the Rebel Alliance. One probe locates the rebel base on the ice planet Hoth.A Wampa captures Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) before he can investigate the probe crash site, but he escapes by using the Force to retrieve his light-saber and wound the beast. Back at the base, the smuggler-pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford) announces his intention to leave the Rebels and pay the debt he owes to the gangster Jabba the Hutt, much to the displeasure of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). After Han discovers that Luke has not returned from patrol and with the temperature dropping rapidly, he delays his departure and leaves the base to search for him on an ostrich-like creature called a Tauntaun.Before Luke succumbs to hypothermia, the Force spirit of his deceased mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), instructs him to go to the swamp planet Dagobah to train as a Jedi Knight under the Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz). Han Solo (Harrison Ford) discovers Luke and insulates him against the weather inside his deceased Tauntaun mount until they are rescued the next morning. Luke is taken to the medical bay to heal from the wounds he received from the Wampa. In his recovery room he's met by Leia, Han and Chewbacca. Han jovially reminds Luke that he's rescued him twice from certain danger.Sometime later, when ground scans detect an object outside the base perimeter at Zone 12, Han and Chewie, investigate, and find an Imperial probe droid that transmits the location of the Rebel base to the Imperial fleet before firing upon Chewie. Han hits the droid with a low-energy blast but the droid activates a self-destruct function and explodes. On the bridge of Darth Vader's massive flagship, the droid's transmission is picked up by Captain Piett (Kenneth Colley), but his superior, fleet Admiral Ozzel (Michael Sheard), dismisses the message until Vader sees the transmission and realizes it is the Rebel base. He overrules Ozzel and orders the Imperial Fleet to the Hoth system.Later, as the Fleet emerges from hyperspace, Vader is informed by his infantry commander, General Veers (Julian Glover), that the Rebels have set up infantry trenches and a powerful energy shield to protect them from the Empire's orbital bombardment. Ordering Veers to launch a surface attack, Vader is furious that Ozzel has clumsily given away the element of surprise by bringing his ship out of light speed too close to the planet, and he communicates this displeasure to Captain Piett as he promotes him to admiral while Ozzel is given Vader's own fatal brand of reprimand.The Empire launches a large-scale attack using AT-AT walkers. Realizing that their blasters cannot damage the heavily armored walkers, Luke devises an attack plan that has his squad using their towing cables to bind the legs of the walkers to trip them, making them more vulnerable. A few walkers are destroyed but the Imperial forces eventually overpower the Rebels and destroy the generator powering the energy shield, capturing the Rebel base, forcing the rebels to evacuate the base. Han, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) escape aboard the Millennium Falcon, but the ship's hyper-drive malfunctions.During the confusion, they enter the nearby Hoth asteroid field, pursued by four Imperial TIE-Fighters. Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon deeper into the field, and the four pursuing fighters are destroyed by the flying rocks. Han lands the Falcon inside a crater on one of the larger asteroids to hide and make repairs. Han and Leia grow closer amid the tension.The Star Destroyer 'Avenger' moves through the massive asteroid field, searching for the Millennium Falcon. They release high-yield concussion bombs on the surface, trying to scare out the Falcon. The noise awakens Leia, who has fallen asleep in the cockpit. Vader later confers with the powerful Galactic Emperor Palpatine, about a new threat to the Empire, namely Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader suggests that if Luke could be turned, he would become a great ally to the Imperial cause.While resting in the Falcon's cockpit, Leia is scared by an ugly creature on the ship's windows. Leia notices that the ground of the asteroid has a strange consistency and Han suddenly shoots one of the beasts Leia saw off the ship. As he suspected, they are Mynocks, parasitic creatures feeding on the Falcon's power cables. When Chewie tries to shoot one and misses, the whole cave rocks with a loud rumble. Suspicious, Han shoots the ground, and the cave becomes more unstable. As they board the ship and race out, they see that the mouth of the cave is actually the jaws of a titanic space slug. Han manages to escape as the creature takes another hungry snap at the ship.Vader summons several bounty hunters, including Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), to find the Falcon. Falcon is again chased by a Star Destroyer, but Han evades pursuit cleverly and stealthily: after soaring into an attack position, he flies directly over the bridge of the star destroyer and hides the Falcon on the massive ship's surface, attaching to it with the Falcon's landing claws. They go undetected while Han figures out an escape plan. He surmises that the fleet will dump their refuse before jumping to hyperspace and they can float away unnoticed. Han checks his navigational log and realizes he's been in the area before and that a planet called Bespin is nearby and that they'll find one of his old smuggling buddies there who will offer them refuge.Evading the Imperial fleet, Han's group travels to the floating Cloud City on the gas planet Bespin, which is governed by his old friend Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). Fett tracks them there, and Vader forces Lando to surrender the group to the Empire, knowing Luke will come to their aid.Meanwhile, Luke travels with R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) in his X-wing fighter to Dagobah, where he crash-lands. He meets Yoda, a diminutive creature who reluctantly accepts him as his Jedi apprentice after conferring with Obi-Wan's spirit, saying that Luke is too old to begin Jedi training and that he hasn't learned the patience a Jedi requires. Yoda insists that Luke harbors much anger like his father, Anakin. Obi-Wan assures Yoda that Luke will learn patience and will complete his training.Yoda trains Luke to master the light side of the Force and resist negative emotions that will seduce him to the dark side, as they did Vader. Yoda brings Luke to an old, gnarled tree that sits atop a cave. Yoda tells his apprentice that the cave is powerful with the dark side of the Force and that Luke must explore it. Somewhat distrusting of his master, Luke takes his light saber with him. Inside the cave, Luke encounters a vision of Darth Vader, whom he fights. Luke cuts off Vader's head with his light saber, but then the mask bursts open, revealing Luke's own face behind it. The cave is another test, one that carries a warning for Luke to control his impulses and anger or he'll end up like Vader himself.Luke struggles to control his anger and impulsiveness and fails to comprehend the nature and power of the Force until he witnesses Yoda use it to levitate the X-wing from the swamp. Luke has a premonition of Han and Leia in pain and, despite Obi-Wan's and Yoda's protestations, abandons his training to rescue them. Although Obi-Wan believes Luke is their only hope, Yoda asserts that "there is another."Upon their arrival at Cloud City, Han's party is welcomed by Lando Calrissian. After agreeing to help Han repair his ship, Lando invites him and the others to a meal. C3PO is distracted from the group when he hears the familiar beeping of an R2 unit. Entering a small room, he is suddenly confronted by an unseen person why he's in the room. A laser blast cuts C3PO down as he babbles to his attackers. Only Chewbacca is suspicious, but he arrives on the scene too late to see what happened. When Han's party enter the dining room, they are captured by Darth Vader, along with Boba Fett who had tracked them to Cloud City. Lando insists he was forced to conspire with the Empire to prevent them from occupying the city.In captivity, Han is tortured to lure Luke to the city. Chewbacca is also tortured in his holding cell by an amplified screeching sound. Lando, disgusted by Vader's treatment of Han and his friends, protests that the deal they struck never included that as a condition any more than handing Han over to Boba Fett. Vader orders a carbon-freezing chamber prepared to freeze Luke, which will hold him in suspended animation for transport to the Emperor. The process is tested on Han Solo.Leia confesses her love for Han before Vader freezes him in Carbonite to test whether the process will safely imprison Luke. Han survives and is given to Fett, who intends to collect his bounty from Jabba the Hutt. Lando frees Leia and Chewbacca, but they are too late to stop Fett's escape. The group fights its way back to the Falcon and flees the city.Luke lands at Cloud City and is lured into the carbon-freezing chamber. Luke engages Vader in a light-saber duel over the city's central air shaft. Vader defeats Luke, severing his right hand and separating him from his light-saber. He urges Luke to embrace the dark side and help him destroy his master, the Emperor, so they may rule the galaxy together. Luke refuses, citing Obi-Wan's claim that Vader killed his father, prompting Vader to reveal that he is Luke's father.Vader tries to persuade Luke to join him, embrace the Dark Side of the Force, and overthrow the Emperor with him. Luke refuses, lets go, and falls off the platform into the abyss, signifying that he would rather die than join him. In free fall, Luke is sucked into an air vent, shoots out of the underbelly of the floating city, and lands on an antenna hanging beneath. He reaches out through the Force to Leia, and the Falcon returns to rescue him.They are attacked by TIE fighters but narrowly evade capture by Vader's Star Destroyer. As they leave Cloud City, they are pursued by Darth Vader's flagship. R2-D2, who discovered that the hyper-drive was merely deactivated while searching the city's central computer, reactivates it and the Falcon escapes into hyperspace. Aboard the flagship, Admiral Piett fears Vader will kill him for this failure, but the Sith Lord simply walks away silently.The fugitive and defeated rebel fleet has assembled in a point beyond the galaxy to decide their next move. Aboard a Rebel medical frigate, Luke is fitted with an artificial hand as Lando and Chewbacca set out in the Falcon to locate Han Solo with Luke arranging to join them when he is released from medical care. Luke and Leia watch the ship speed off toward the galaxy.
Storyline
- The legendary saga continues as the Rebel Alliance faces increasing challenges from the mighty Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa confront new trials that test their courage, friendships, and beliefs. The Rebel Alliance has established a hidden base on the icy planet of Hoth, where they hope to regroup and plan their next moves against the Empire. Luke Skywalker receives a message from a familiar source, prompting him to seek further guidance in understanding his connection to the Force. Han Solo and Princess Leia's journey takes them on a dangerous path as they navigate a galaxy under Imperial control. Their actions and decisions lead to unforeseen consequences that will impact the fate of the Rebellion. Meanwhile, the dark presence of Darth Vader looms as he relentlessly pursues the Rebels while dealing with inner conflicts of his own. — Evan Almindo The adventure continues in this "Star Wars" sequel. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi master's help will Luke survive when the dark side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader (David Prowse). — maschzentertainment Fleeing the evil Galactic Empire, the Rebels abandon their new base Zac Thru off saw in an assault with the Imperial AT-AT walkers on the ice world of Hoth. Ed Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO escape in the Millennium Falcon, but are later captured by Darth Vader on Bespin. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 follow Obi-wan Kenobi's posthumous command, and receives Jedi trainingWe W from Master Yoda on the swamp world of Dagobah. Will Skywalker manage seeduee e to rescue his friends from the Dark Lord? — James Pearce
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