An imaginative Star Wars fan has recreated an iconic Return of the Jedi scene using actual electric currents. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is the final installment in George Lucas’s original Star Wars saga, signaling an end to the initial trilogy that would lead to numerous related shows, movies, and comics. Return of the Jedi was released in 1983 and proved to be a huge success at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of that year.
On top of concluding the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, Return of the Jedi features some of the saga's most memorable scenes. During the film's climactic moment, the Emperor orders Luke Skywalker’s execution after failing to turn him to the dark side, nearly succeeding in electrocuting him with Force lightning. Before he can finish the job, though, Darth Vader rescues his son, turning the Emperor’s own powers against him.
Now, a creative enthusiast has taken inspiration from this scene and used science to bring it to life. Wayne Keenan, a coder and self-proclaimed tinkerer, uses a Tesla coil and action figures to reenact Luke's climactic torture. Much like the Return of the Jedi original, blue-tinted bolts repeatedly strike a helpless Luke, and Keenan even manages to sync Darth Sidious's electrical shocks to the tune of "The Imperial March." He shared his creation on social media, and it quickly went viral:
Although the commemorative project recreates the moment that precipitated the Emperor's downfall, his death was not definitive - the character appeared again as the secret antagonist of 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. There was some controversy surrounding Palpatine's return, since it essentially nullified Vader's self-sacrifice, and it didn't help that the explanation for his survival was also kept fairly vague in the movie itself. The official Star Wars website later clarified that Darth Sidious had transferred his consciousness into a clone of himself before being killed by Vader.
The electric display is brilliantly unique and a fitting homage from a Return of the Jedi fanatic. Paplatine's power is shown in its full splendor, going the extra mile to recreate the film in a way far beyond the makers of the action figures could have ever imagined. His maligned involvement in The Rise of Skywalker might have undermined the Emperor's stature with Star Wars fans, but a video such as this is a good reminder of just how inspiring his villainy can be.
Source: Wayne Keenan
