11 Facts About “Return of the Jedi” That You Might Never Know About

Released in 1983, Return of the Jedi was a ground-breaking film for its special effects, drama, and space action. This third installment of the original films has also been acclaimed for successfully completing a trilogy, whereas other film series fall short.

The behind-the-scenes aspects of the movie are as interesting as the finished version. Here are 10 facts you may not know about Return of the Jedi. 

1. Revenge of the Jedi

Interestingly enough, the original title for the third film was Revenge of the Jedi, not Return. This title reflected the initial script and almost made its way to the big screen.

Luke would save his friends but have Vader, the Emperor, and Grand Moff Jerjerrod competing for control over him. 

As this discussion board indicates, the creators even “printed posters” with “Revenge” on them before George Lucas decided it was the “wrong word choice for the Jedi.”

Vengeful Jedis would probably have sounded more Sith-like, even though “Luke did get his revenge,” as another fan pointed out. 

2. Animatronics and Jabba’s Palace

Jabba’s Palace came to life because of animatronics. As this article specifies, “Jabba himself was a huge animatronic that took 6 people to operate.”

While three people worked Jabba’s arms, head, tongue, and tail, another lay underneath controlling the mouth. They used two radio operators to control the eyes.

This was an innovative, pre-CGI way to bring the action alive. 

Star Wars is known for being at “the cutting edge of special effects,” and Return of the Jedi sparked the creativity of future animatronics artists.

Gustav Hoegen saw the film as a young child and inspired him to pursue this line of work that brings “life into a rubber skin.”

3. Han Almost Didn’t Return and Nearly Died

Harrison Ford was hesitant about returning for a third move and almost didn’t. While Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher had contracts to return, Ford did not.

Thus, we may not have had Han Solo in Return of the Jedi.

Also, Solo may have died in the third film. Ford has spoken about his dislike for this character and recommended that Han be killed off in Return of the Jedi, or even in The Empire Strikes Back.

We would have seen a very different movie if Han had met his demise, including perhaps a relationship between Luke and Leia and a depressing ending. 

4. The Ewoks Came Late

Viewers young and old alike probably associate the Ewoks as one of the top character choices in Return of the Jedi. Yet, they were not originally part of the action.

The main battle was initially planned “to happen on the Wookiee planet.” We may have seen Wookiees on Kashyyyk instead of Ewoks on Endor. 

Lucas’s first choice was to use Wookiees, but he realized that he had already set up Chewbacca as a pilot in the previous movies. So, Return could not have his species appearing less advanced.

This late change is reflected in how “Ewoks” did not appear in the script’s dialogue. 

5. Evil Luke

Luke redeemed his father at the end of Return of the Jedi. But Luke could have been evil instead. The ending would have Luke “defeat Vader, take his mask, and declare himself the new Vader.”

Luke would have also attacked the Rebels–quite a turnaround. 

Mark Hamill disagreed with Lucas’s decision to make Luke resist the dark side. Hamill thought the ending of Return was “so predictable and pat.”

Yet, he ultimately agreed that Lucas made the right move, given the audience. 

6. The Unmasking of Vader

The climactic ending scene with Vader’s unmasking was kept a tight secret.

Actor Sebastian Shaw who played Vader in this scene was not allowed to tell anyone about the decision to cast him, including his family.

Those on set did not even know why he was there. 

Bodybuilder and actor David Prowse had played the physical role of Vader, but Shaw was brought in for the emotional scene with Luke.

Shaw gave expression to Vader’s “final and only unmasked lines.” 

7. Old New Lightsabers

Luke has a new flashy green lightsaber in the movie, but it was a re-used prop. Luke’s lightsaber was “originally one of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s” from the first movie.

Likewise, Vader’s lightsaber had been Luke’s in The Empire Strikes Back. We can see how the light and dark sides intersect even with props.

On a related note, fans may know that Luke was supposed to have a blue lightsaber in Return, but that color blended in with the background of the sky during the Sarlacc Pit Battle.

The green color stands out brilliantly in this scene. 

8. Yoda Was Almost Left Out

When Luke returned to Dagobah, audiences got to see the return of Yoda. However, Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan’s script planned to have the movie start after Luke had finished his training, so Yoda was almost left out.

Luckily, director Richard Marquand recommended that Yoda be in the film. Lucas came around to see how it would be important to have Yoda give the final word that Vader was Luke’s father.

That decision ended up being a key part of the drama, and audiences love having Yoda on board. 

9. The Empire’s Homeworld

Return of the Jedi was supposed to include an Empire homeworld called Had Abbadon, a world much like Coruscant from the prequels.

The climactic lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader was even set there. The creative team “worked on this Imperial City a long time,” artist Ralph McQuarrie stated, but the idea ended up being unfeasible, given the 1980s technology and related expenses. 

As a city-planet orbited by two incomplete Death Stars, Had Abbadon would have been a sight to see in the third trilogy.

The planet also included an imperial palace with the Emperor’s throne room surrounded by a lava lake for the ending of Return. Conjures up some images of Mustafar too.

10. Luke and Leia Were Not Siblings

Luke and Leia were not going to be siblings in the final original film. Yet, since Han and Leia’s relationship was moving ahead and Lucas wished to end the film series with Return, they became brother and sister. 

Originally, Lucas had a grander 12-part movie plan and indicated that he had not fully planned out Luke and Leia’s relationship before Return of the Jedi.

Then, Kasdan and Lucas flushed out the story as we know it today, helping to complete and extend the Skywalker saga. 

11. The Time Chewbacca Was Almost Mistaken for Bigfoot

Here’s one of those behind-the-scenes stories that feels like it has to be a myth—but it’s actually real (well, mostly). While filming Return of the Jedi in the forests of Northern California, Peter Mayhew, the actor behind Chewbacca, was given one very serious instruction: don’t wander off. Why? Because the crew was genuinely afraid that local hunters might mistake him for Bigfoot and try to shoot him.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Force Unleashed project leader and Star Wars writer Haden Blackman recalled that “Peter Mayhew… always had to be accompanied by a couple guys in brightly colored vests so that he wouldn’t accidentally get shot by somebody mistaking him for Bigfoot.” Even Blackman admitted the story is somewhat apocryphal, since the production was kept extremely secret. Still, the logic kind of tracks—when you’re a nearly 7-foot-tall man covered in fur, tromping through the woods during hunting season… yeah, it’s not hard to imagine someone getting the wrong idea from a distance.

Worst-case scenario? A confused hunter sees Chewbacca, panics, and things could’ve gone horribly sideways. So yeah, Chewie had an unofficial safety escort—just in case someone thought the Rebellion brought Bigfoot to Endor.