Return Of The Jedi provides a big-screen conclusion to tie up all the loose ends from the saga. Once again, Vader proves his credentials as the Emperor's evil henchman by strongarming the work crew on the new battle station. But the gang of heroes which includes Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) proves equal to his menace in a stunning finale.
In the digitally remastered new edition, the gangster gourmand Jabba the Hutt gets several new scenes. Jabba's palace contains a few more dancing girls (can't have too many dancing girls) and a pair of additional boogie-woogie numbers. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) on the other hand gets the butt end of the deal. While Jabba enjoys even greater opulence, Han actually sees the sharp edge of the Sarlacc pit, including the monster which had previously been hidden in darkness. The dénouement of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi also extends the victory party on Endor across various planets in the Empire, Millennium Eve-style.
Although this episode may be the last in plot terms, fans will know that there is more, much more. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has the early story of the Force, explaining how Darth Vader turned towards the dark side.
When the movie opens, Princess Leia is in trouble, Luke is mourning the loss of his hand and Han Solo is in deep freeze. Han has been brought in by sinister Boba Fett and then sold on to Jabba the Hutt. "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum: fearless and inventive."
The corpulent regional ruler now controls both Han and his sweetheart Princess Leia. Jabba is a throw-back, like a Bond baddie who tells the good guy what his plan is before he bumps him off in fiendish style. Via C-3PO, who speaks hundreds of space languages, he tells Solo of his doom.
Luke dispatches the two droids to release Solo, before the big finale and the battle with the Death Star.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is a Film programme that first aired in 1983 and has been classified a U certificate.
