The Empire Strikes Back is not only the best Star Wars movie, it’s also the darkest.
Luke Skywalker nearly freezes to death; Han Solo gets encased in carbonite after his friend betrays him; Darth Vader cuts his son’s hand off; and the bad guys win. Yay! To offset the downbeat tone, a new final shot was added months after filming had wrapped — and it became one of the most iconic moments in Star Wars history.
On Twitter, Mark Hamill was recently asked, “We could inquire to Mark, did you guys re-shoot the Medical Bay scene at the end of Empire after principal photography had already wrapped?” The Star Wars legend replied, “Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, 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.”
Thus, The Empire Strikes Back ends with Lando and Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon to find Han and Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO looking out at the stars, getting ready for their next move. It would, as we find out in Return of the Jedi, end up being a ridiculously convoluted plan that somehow works.
Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, 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. https://t.co/VIMbC3YprU pic.twitter.com/MG41dr8fgu
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 8, 2022
(Via IGN)
