Star Wars Episodes IV–VI: Key Facts

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Full titles: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Directors: A New Hope: George Lucas; The Empire Strikes Back: Irvin Kershner; Return of the Jedi: Richard Marquand

Lead Cast: Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

Supporting Cast: Kenny Baker, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones (voice), Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams

Writers: A New Hope: George Lucas; Empire Strikes Back: Story by George Lucas, screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan; Return of the Jedi: Story by George Lucas, screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas

Producers: George Lucas, Gary Kurtz

Genre: Science Fiction

Language: English, various extraterrestrial languages

Awards

A New Hope, 1978 Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score, Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects.

The Empire Strikes Back, 1981 Academy Awards: Best Sound, Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects

Return of the Jedi, 1984 Academy Awards: Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects.

Date of release:

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, released May 25, 1977; Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, released May 21, 1980; Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, released May 25, 1983

Setting (time & Place): A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Major conflict: The conflict between the brave but outgunned Rebel Alliance and the mighty Galactic Empire serves as the backdrop to the struggle within Luke: should he remain true to the noble but difficult way of the Jedi, or give in to his anger and desire for revenge—give in, that is, to the dark side of the Force?

Rising action: As Luke grows in power and understanding of the Force (and of his own past), he and his friends take part in the struggle against the Empire, first rescuing Princess Leia from captivity, then leading the assault on the Death Star, then fleeing from the ice planet Hoth as the Empire counterattacks, and finally regrouping, after a detour to save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, for a final assault on the Emperor and his rebuilt Death Star.

Climax As Luke faces his father, Darth Vader, before the Emperor himself, in a battle of wills over Vader’s soul, Vader at last remembers the Jedi Knight he once was and destroys the Emperor, saving his son but losing his own life.

Falling action: The new Death Star is destroyed, the friends are reunited, the galaxy is freed of the Empire, and Luke gets a glimpse of his father’s spirit, now freed from captivity to the dark side—Darth Vader no longer, and once again Anakin Skywalker.

Foreshadowing: C-3PO calls Luke “Sir Luke”; Obi-Wan tells Luke that their destinies lie along different paths; Luke sees his own face in Vader’s helmet in his vision on Dagobah; Yoda reminds Obi-Wan that if Luke fails, “there is another”