While George Lucas made some questionable creative decisions with the prequel trilogy and Disney’s rushed, made-by-committee approach to the sequel trilogy gave it fundamental flaws, the original Star Wars trilogy is pretty widely regarded to be a perfectly told story. Return of the Jedi is generally considered to be the weakest of the three, but it’s still an immensely satisfying ending to the saga.
But despite being a near-perfect trilogy, the initial batch of Star Wars movies wasn’t without its flaws. Amid the masterful traditional storytelling and groundbreaking visual effects are a handful of disappointing moments. Still, there are plenty more that satisfied fans.
Most Disappointing: Greedo Shoots First
This moment isn’t in the original cut of Star Wars, but the original cut is currently unavailable; only the controversial special editions can be found on Disney+ and in the home media market. In the original version, when Greedo confronts Han in Mos Eisley Cantina, following a tense standoff over Han’s debt to Jabba, Han predicts that Greedo is about to draw his weapon and beats him to the punch.
But in the special edition, Lucas added a little shot from Greedo’s blaster before Han’s shot, to imply that Greedo beat Han to the punch, somehow managed to miss at point-blank range, and then Han decided to shoot Greedo in retaliation.
Most Satisfying: The Destruction Of The Death Star
The original 1977 Star Wars movie has one of the most exciting climaxes in blockbuster history. Han Solo’s heroic return paves the way for Luke to deliver the death blow to the Empire’s superweapon.
Ben Kenobi’s Force ghost inspires Luke to turn off his navigation computer and instead use the Force to guide his proton torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port. The shot of the Rebels’ ships fleeing from the explosion of the Death Star stands among the most triumphant moments in movie history.
Most Disappointing: Jedi Rocks
This is another addition from the special editions, but it’s so horrible that it deserves a mention. In the original version of Return of the Jedi, the Max Rebo Band plays the Huttese classic “Lapti Nek.”
In the special edition, this is replaced by “Jedi Rocks,” a decidedly more excruciating song that belongs to the fictional Star Wars universe musical genre “jizz.”
Most Satisfying: Yoda Lifts Luke’s X-Wing With The Force
Yoda highlights Luke’s impatience when he’s training him to be a Jedi, but to be fair to Luke, his friends are being mercilessly pursued by the full force of the Empire, so he doesn’t have the years required to train properly in the ways of the Force.
When he decides to leave to help Han and Leia, Luke tries and fails to lift his X-wing from the swamp. He determines that it’s impossible, then Yoda closes his eyes and, seemingly effortlessly, lifts the X-wing himself.
Most Disappointing: The Ewoks Show Up
The Ewoks in Return of the Jedi aren’t as interminable as they’re made out to be, but they don’t improve the movie by any means. Conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie refused to design the Ewoks when it became clear that Lucas had only created them to sell merchandise and wanted McQuarrie to design something he could turn into a teddy bear.
It’s cool to see furry, forest-dwelling aliens taking on the Empire with weapons made out of sticks and rocks, but it might’ve been cooler if the battle had taken place on Kashyyyk and Chewie had been joined by his fellow Wookiees instead of a bunch of Muppets.
Most Satisfying: The “I Am Your Father” Twist
Arguably the greatest plot twist in movie history, Darth Vader’s revelation that he’s Luke Skywalker’s father in The Empire Strikes Back expertly raises the stakes of the story.
Vader was introduced as the faceless incarnation of evil in the first movie and throughout most of Empire, but this twist added a whole new layer of conflict, both in Luke fighting his own family and in the notion that there was a once-good man who could still be redeemed under that mask.
Most Disappointing: “Somehow, I’ve Always Known.”
The kiss between Luke and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back is creepy following Return of the Jedi’s revelation that they’re twins, but it’s forgivable because the filmmakers hadn’t decided that Leia was Luke’s sister yet.
What’s less forgivable is that, when this is revealed in Return of the Jedi, Leia says, “Somehow, I’ve always known.” So...she knew Luke was her brother when she made out with him?
Most Satisfying: Escaping From Jabba’s Barge
In the opening act of Return of the Jedi, every attempt to save Han fails. Leia gets caught unfreezing him. Luke is fed to the Rancor. Lando has infiltrated Jabba’s palace, but he’s not close enough to the inner circle to be able to free Han. Jabba manages to capture the key Rebel brass in his palace and takes them out into the desert to drop them into the Sarlacc Pit for his own amusement.
Then, Luke orchestrates a daring escape. R2-D2 tosses him his new green lightsaber and he shows off that since The Empire Strikes Back, he’s become a full-fledged Jedi Knight as he takes down Jabba’s crime syndicate and flees the scene with his pals.
Most Disappointing: Boba Fett’s Unceremonious Death
During the battle on Jabba’s barge in Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett’s jetpack malfunctions, and the trilogy’s coolest villain is given its lamest death as he flops into the Sarlacc Pit and the Sarlacc Pit proceeds to let out a comical belch.
This seems to have been rectified by The Mandalorian, as Temuera Morrison has been cast to play Boba Fett five years after he fell into the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi. But it’s still a pretty lackluster moment.
Most Satisfying: Darth Vader’s Redemption
Although the sequel trilogy would completely undo the emotional catharsis of Darth Vader’s redemption at the end of Return of the Jedi by having Ben Solo worship his abandoned Sith identity and bringing Palpatine back from the dead, Vader’s redemption originally provided the perfect ending for the Star Wars saga.
There’s an argument to be made that saving one family member doesn’t make up for years of genocide, but Vader’s redemption isn’t about being redeemed in the galaxy’s eyes; it’s about being redeemed in his son’s eyes. And in that sense, it’s a beautiful, heartfelt moment.