Anna Daniels
Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, took a big risk by creating a second Death Star as a major threat, and the risk was simply repeating the heroic fighter run of A New Hope. By the time the Battle of Endor actually unfolds, though, it’s clear that risk paid off.
This battle, like the Battle of Scarif before it, depends on success both on the surface of Endor and in space above it, as Han Solo and his team of Rebel soldiers (with a little help from the Ewoks) try to deactivate the Death Star’s shield generator long enough for Lando Calrissian, Admiral Ackbar, and the Alliance fleet to destroy the station. That alone is enough to create a tension-filled climactic sequence, but then our heroes come face-to-face with Emperor Palpatine‘s trap. The Empire is prepared to meet the Alliance with both a legion of stormtroopers and a massive fleet of their own, and for a little while it truly does feel like it might be the end of the Rebellion. But of course, our heroes pull through, and they do it in spectacular fashion. The Super Star Destroyer crashing into the Death Star’s surface — showing us the scale of the Imperial war machine even as it falls — remains an unforgettable sight.
Written by: Looper
