Why The Empire Strikes Back is the Greatest Star Wars Film

To say that The Empire Strikes Back is your favorite Star Wars film is sort of like saying Abbey Road is your favorite Beatles album. Even if your peers may differ in opinion as to which they think is objectively the best from either pop culture catalogue, there is no denying the impact of the aforementioned works. When it comes to the Empire Strikes Back, the second theatrically released film of the Star Wars Saga, there are myriad reasons as to why it is not only the best, but arguably the most important entry of the entire franchise. Empire is more than a monumental achievement for the series -- its release was a watershed moment for film history.

When Star Wars was released in 1977, it redefined what a blockbuster film could be. By borrowing elements from the works of Joseph Campbell, Akira Kurosawa, and E. E. Smith, the film remixed familiar elements from fiction spanning the previous half century and shaped them into something new which would set the stage from a new breed of “hero’s journey” tales for decades to come. But while the inaugural film in what would eventually become one of the greatest sagas ever told through the medium built a new foundation, The Empire Strikes Back, which was released three years later, would turn all the ground work laid before it upside down, creating a challenging story filled with flawed heroes and a structure that would not be confined to adhere to classic storytelling devices. The Empire Strikes Back was, and always will be, a very special film.

How It All Came To Be…

Despite a rough production, George Lucas wound up with a massive hit on his hands with the release of Star Wars, which meant that a sequel was pretty inevitable. Seeing the writing on the wall, Lucas outsourced a lot of help in creating what would become the next entry in the series. In 1978, he hired screenwriter and science fiction short story virtuoso Leigh Brackett to write the follow-up. Sadly, Brackett passed away before finishing the script with Lucas, who was left to rewrite subsequent drafts until hiring Raiders of the Lost Ark screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (who would go on to co-write The Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens and the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story) to develop the final script.

Filmmaker Irvin Kershner, one of Lucas’ former professors at USC School of Cinematic Arts, was brought in to take the reins as director. Kershner’s inclusion on the project is often cited one of biggest reasons why The Empire Strikes Back played so differently compared to its predecessor and subsequent installments. Kershner was known for smaller, character-driven dramas that were fraught with emotional turmoil and complex character motivations. With the director’s touch to an already stellar screenplay, what started out as a fun space romp with laser swords and robots quickly evolved into something much darker with more emotional weight. The characters fans fell in love with three years before were put in dire straits, and their fates, at least at the time, did not seem certain.

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Catching Up With Our Heroes (and Villain)

The gang is back together, baby! When Empire opens up, we find Han, Luke and Leia, along with our other heroes from the first film, hiding out on a Rebel base on the ice planet of Hoth. The stark change of scenery is one of the things that grabs audiences and also sets the tone for the entire film. Gone are the bright skyline of Tatooine and the bustling creature-filled cantina in Mos Eisley. Empire drops us off in a desolate, arctic tundra where our heroes, who were getting medals in a well-lit ceremony hall when we saw them last, are living in a constant state of fear. And boy, is that fear warranted.

One of the biggest shifts in character is Darth Vader’s rank within the Empire after the events of A New Hope. Before the destruction of the Death Star, Vader was basically just an enforcer for Grand Moff Tarkin. While he certainly looked cool and was a menacing screen presence, from what we could tell, his position was nothing more than that of an attack dog.

When we meet Vader again in The Empire Strikes Back, he’s much more than that. He has established himself as probably the biggest threat to our heroes in the entire Galaxy. Ostensibly, Vader is a man looking to settle a score and will let nothing stand in his way to do so. His mission is more than just “kill the Rebels.” He’s out for blood, both literally and figuratively. (Major spoilers for a 38 year old film forthcoming...)

Scoundrels and Jedi…

The core trio of heroes and Vader are not the only characters tangled up in the war between The Galactic Empire and The Rebel Alliance. A slew of new character are introduced in Empire, all of which would become icons in their own rights. After Luke escapes Vader’s grasp, he travels to train with exiled Jedi Master Yoda (puppeteered and voiced by Frank Oz), a character who would leave a lasting impact on Luke and fans of the series in equal measures and produce an irregular speech pattern that would weave its way into pop culture to the point of exhaustion. The antithesis to Yoda also first appears in Empire in the form of The Emperor, a mysterious figure who seems to be pulling all the strings. (And how!)

Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) also makes his debut in Empire, giving the franchise a likable scoundrel who is driven by more than greed and self-gratification. Lando might be one of the most complex heroes in the Star Wars Saga, and Williams utilizes his roguish charm and quick wit to build a character who is equal parts disarming and dangerous.

Rounding out the new additions is a slew of bounty hunters, spearheaded by Boba Fett, a character who had appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special two year prior in an animated segment, and would go on to become one most beloved villains in the series despite his minimal screen time.

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The New Normal…

Star Wars plays like an isolated film that can exist in a vacuum. The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, is structured as an episode in a larger picture. The film relies heavily on the viewers’ knowledge of the events of the first film, and does not follow your basic three act structure. The film begins with one of the best war scenes in the franchise, one that would be a playable event in myriad video games for decades to come. After the destruction of their safe haven, our heroes are immediately separated to go on very different paths. While Star Wars was all about the characters coming together, Empire is mostly about how they fall apart.

The dark themes of loss, regret and betrayal loom over almost every scene of Empire. Everyone has their baggage on full display in this film, and none of it goes unchecked. The slower pace of the middle section of the film lets the heroes stretch their emotional range and allows for some great performances, especially from Mark Hamill, who feels like he’s almost playing a completely different character from the boy we met in Star Wars.

THAT Iconic Scene…

The biggest splash made by The Empire Strikes Back is the revelation of Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father. It was a huge twist that became as intrinsic to film history as the ending of Planet of the Apes, or Rosebud turning out to be a sled in Citizen Kane.

This plot detail would shape the rest of the franchise. In that moment, Star Wars went from being a silly little space opera that sold toys and bed sheets to kids into a family saga about legacy and the sins of the past haunting those dwelling in the present (at least until the Ewoks showed up in Return of the Jedi).

Legacy…

And as if the hero who the audience identifies with most finding out the main villain is their father wasn’t bad enough, Han gets frozen in carbonite and spirited away by Boba Fett, Lando betrays everyone, C-3PO gets blown to bits, and oh, did we mention Luke gets his hand lopped off? And while audiences are waiting for some last minute Hail Mary save at the last minute, the credits roll, creating arguably the greatest cliffhanger in cinematic history.

The Empire Strikes Back was met with mixed responses from critics at the time of its release, which is understandable. It is a film that wasn’t made to please audiences -- it was designed to challenge them, to show them something new. The film has been a point of discussion for nearly forty years, the subject of countless critical analyses and think pieces. Despite the once constant tampering by George Lucas, Empire is the one film within the original trilogy that resembles its original version the most. Perhaps due to the fact that when it comes down to it, The Empire Strikes Back represents the heights Star Wars can reach to transcend the science fiction genre.