The Empire Strikes Back, 30 Years Later

The second of six films in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back, was released on May 21st, 1980. Many regard this film as the best of the lot. Ars Technica takes a look back at this amazing film, including the reasons why it turned out the be so different from the others and some trivia you may not have ever heard.

Watch the opening scenes with Han Solo at Echo Base as Harrison Ford chews the scenery with glee. "Then I'll see you in hell!" he calls to another soldier after being told that it's suicide to go after a lost Luke Skywalker. Kasdan knew how to write for Ford's charms, and Han Solo steals the scenes he's in.

Mark Hamill suffered a car accident before filming began, which lead to the Wampa attack and healing process in the film to explain his scarred face. Skywalker seems lost in the movie, nearly dying on Hoth and fighting his impetuous nature during his training with Yoda. Near the end, he is soundly beaten by Darth Vader in their first confrontation, losing both his hand and a piece of his soul when he finds out why Vader has been hunting him with such single-mindedness.

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