It’s been over 40 years sinceStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Backhit theaters, and even after all this time,Star Warsfans (rightfully) gush over this climactic chapterin the Skywalker Saga. Not only didthe perfect 1980 sequelfeature a much darker tone than the original, but it had some prettymajor character revelations that shook up the entire series, paving the way for many prequels, spin-offs, and other adventures in the years to come. Yes, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father and that was always the case while shootingEpisode V, but did you know thatEmpire Strikes Backwas originally supposed to end there? It was only after some much-needed feedback thatGeorge Lucasdecided that the audience deserved more, and thus these changes were made.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
After the Rebels are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
According to Mark Hamill, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’s Iconic Ending Was Added Later
It’s hard to imagineThe Empire Strikes Backending any differently. Luke (Mark Hamill) had lost to Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones), who revealed our hero’s true parentage. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) was frozen in carbonite to be delivered to Jabba the Huttafter first kissing Princess Leia(Carrie Fisher). Leia,Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and the droids — C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) — barely got out of Cloud City alive, with Lando (Billy Dee Williams) switching teams at the eleventh hour. While Luke was always going to escape from the Dark Lord, Mark Hamill once explained that that’s where this Star Wars sequel was originally meant to end. Hoping to settle a debate between fans on X (formerly Twitter), Hamill took to the platform back in 2022 to set the record straight. Apparently,The Empire Strikes Back’s original ending just didn’t cut it, sothe final scene with Luke and Leia looking out into space from the medical bay was added in later.
“[The scene was] filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on [Empire Strikes Back],“Hamill explained. “It wasn’t a ’re-shoot’, it was an added scene.Concerned about the downbeat ending & thorough defeat of the protagonists, they wanted to add an uplifting moment of hope & rejuvenation to reassure the audience.” Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine this movie ending any other way. Almost everyStar Warsfilm ends on an upbeat note, with a Skywalker looking out over the horizon (often with two blazing suns). But back in 1980,the onlyStar Warsanyone knew was the 1977 original— and that one ended with an impressive post-Death Star victory celebration. Finishing out the long-anticipated sequel with the revelation that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, and then leaving us (and Luke) in that hopeless state wasn’t what audiences expected, and somewhere along the line, George Lucas agreed.
Of course, Star Wars has always been about hope. The original film’s official subtitle,A New Hope, is enough proof of that, and even in the darkest of times, Luke Skywalker rose above it all to help save the day. We’re talking abouta hero who nearly turned to the dark side, only to convert his father back to the light instead.Hope is ingrained in everything the originalStar Warstrilogy stands for, and the ending ofThe Empire Strikes Backproves it. But despite this monumental change, there would be even more changes made to this final medical bay moment by the time the film was to be released in the summer of 1980, changes that George Lucas thrust upon his crew only three weeks before its wide release. You thought Luke had it bad.
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ Was in Theaters Before George Lucas Tweaked the Ending
The Empire Strikes Backinitiallypremiered with a 70mm special engagementin about 100 theaters on August 18, 2025, less than a month before its much larger 35mm release. Though audiences were stunned by the picture (and how could you not be?), there was one factor that George Lucas and company hadn’t considered: how the audience might be confused. It wasn’t long beforeit became clear to Lucas that the ending wasn’t going to fly, but not because it was dark, because it was also confusing. As the film ends with Chewie and Landoflying off in the Millennium Falconto rescue Han (while Luke, Leia, and the droids deal with Luke’s severed hand), it became clear to Lucas that the physical geography of the scene wasn’t immediately digestible.
Where were Chewbacca and Lando in relationship to Luke, Leia, and the droids? Were they on the same ship or separate ships? Where was the Millennium Falcon in relation to the medical frigate where Luke was recuperating? After seeing it on the big screen, and receiving some feedback from audiences, Lucas knew he had to make a change. It wasn’t long beforeLucas called Industrial Light & Magic general manager Tom Smith, and asked for some additional material for the film. According to the official Star Wars website, Smith explained toJ.W. Rinzler, author ofThe Making of The Empire Strikes Back, that after Lucas had attended one of those early public screenings, he “realized that the end of the film was unclear.” (Ironically, the movie’sactual directorIrvin Kirshnerseemingly never had a say in the matter.) Determined to fix it before the movie’s June 18 wide release, Lucas and his friends at ILM got to work immediately.
Lucas convened a small group that included ILM camera operatorKen Ralstonand artist (and future filmmaker)Joe Johnstonat Lucas’ “Egg Company” office in Universal City. They quickly designed the new shots in Los Angeles before sending them to ILM in San Rafael. The bulk of the work consisted of three new shots: one establishing the Rebel fleet (including what are assumed to be refugees from the Battle of Hoth at the beginning of the film), another shot that moves the audience into the Millennium Falcon (better establishing that it is a very separate entity), and a third shot, moving from the Millennium Falcon to a port on the medical frigate. AsStarWars.comnotes, “There was a direct cut from the Falcon cockpit to the medical bay, with no visual cue to understand that Luke and Leia were aboard a separate ship.” Now, in Lucas’s final version, there would be a cut there to make it clear. “It was a real challenge that George had tossed us,” ILM manager Tom Smith explained, “and we wanted to show that we could do it.”
What order should I watch Star Wars in?
Ah, the eternal question that only gets more complicated with time (and more shows and movies).
George Lucas Continued To Edit His Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Into the 21st Century
Of course, these weren’t the only changes that the Star Wars creator made between the 70mm original version ofThe Empire Strikes Backand the 35mm wide release we all remember. In true Lucas fashion,there were other minor tweaks also, including added (or removed) dialogue. Nevertheless,the final changes toEmpire Strikes Back’s ending are a great example of Lucas’ pursuit of storytelling clarityand his desire for technological innovation. In this case, these changes were necessary and they worked. If only that had been the end of it. Over the years, it’s no secret that George Lucas continued to re-edithis originalStar Warstrilogy, especially as new CGI technologies became readily available. Aside from some remastering of the audio (thanks THX), the real big changes first occurredwithin theStar WarsSpecial Editions. After releasing the theatrical cuts one final time on VHS, Lucas returned to the cutting room, where he made some drastic changes.
With the release of the first Star Wars prequel,Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, eminent,Lucas used the miracles of 1990s filmmaking to build a bigger universe. Between CGI aliens, entirely new scenes, Han no longer shooting first, and the removal of the Ewok song atthe very end ofReturn of the Jedi, many believed that George Lucas had ruined Star Wars before they even saw the first prequel film. Over-dramatic? Sure, but fans were rightfully confused considering how out-of-place much of the material looked. Extra scenes are one thing. Heck, even enhancing some of the shots to remove imperfections (Lucas claimedEmpirewas the most heavily edited to remove compositing lines) makes complete sense, it just feels weird seeing a completely computer generated Jabba the Hutt slithering around Han Solo before we meet the puppet version again two movies later.
There’s no denying the fact thatLucas’ alternations started with a need to reduce audience confusion, but they ultimately ended with blinking Ewoks, which is pretty bizarre. Still, we’re glad that that final scene (and the tweaks needed to make it work) were added toThe Empire Strikes Back. Not only does it endthe original Star Wars sequelon a high note, but it gives the audience hope that everything will be alright in the end. No matter what came after the original trilogy, good or bad, we could rest watchingEmpire Strikes Backknowing that Luke Skywalker and his friends would save the day.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back(yes, the Special Edition version) is available for streaming on Disney+.
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