Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back

PLOT

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia, has set up a new base on the ice planet Hoth. The Imperial fleet, led by a merciless Darth Vader, hunts for the new Rebel base by dispatching probe droids across the galaxy. Luke Skywalker is captured by a wampa while investigating one such probe and dragged into the creature's cave, but manages to escape using the Force to retrieve his lightsaber. Before Luke succumbs to hypothermia, the Force spirit of his deceased mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, instructs him to go to the swamp planet Dagobah to train under Jedi Master Yoda. Han Solo discovers Luke and manages to keep him alive by placing him inside the body of his dead Tauntaun mount, and the two are rescued by a search party the following morning.

The probe alerts the Imperial fleet to the Rebels' location. The Empire launches a large-scale attack using AT-AT walkers to capture the base, forcing the Rebels to evacuate. Han and Leia escape with C-3PO and Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon, but the ship's hyperdrive malfunctions. They hide in an asteroid field, where Han and Leia become romantic amidst the tensions. Several bounty hunters, summoned by Vader, assist in searching for the Falcon. Meanwhile, Luke travels with R2-D2 in his X-wing fighter to Dagobah, where he crash-lands. He meets a diminutive creature who later reveals himself to be Yoda; the Jedi master reluctantly accepts Luke as his apprentice after conferring with Obi-Wan's spirit. Luke learns more about the Force from Yoda, who lifts his X-wing out of the swamp using the Force.

After evading the Imperial fleet, Han's group travels to the floating Cloud City on the planet Bespin, which is governed by Han's old friend Lando Calrissian. Bounty hunter Boba Fett tracks the Falcon and, with Vader, forces Lando to hand the group over to the Empire. Vader plans to use the group as bait to lure Luke, intending to capture him and turn him to the dark side of the Force. Luke experiences a premonition of Han and Leia in pain and, against the wishes of Yoda and Obi-Wan, abandons his training to rescue them.

Vader intends to hold Luke in suspended animation by imprisoning him in carbonite, selecting Han to be frozen as an experiment. Han survives the process and is given to Fett, who plans to collect a bounty on him from Jabba the Hutt. Lando, still loyal to Han, frees Leia and Chewbacca, but they are too late to stop Fett from departing with Solo. Under attack from stormtroopers, they fight their way back to the Falcon and flee the city. Meanwhile, Luke arrives and engages Vader in a lightsaber duel that leads them over the city's central air shaft. Vader severs Luke's right hand, disarming him, and tempts him to embrace his anger and join the dark side. Luke claims that Vader killed his father, but Vader reveals that he is Luke's biological father. Disbelieving the truth, Luke drops into the air shaft and is ejected beneath the floating city, where he grabs hold of an antenna. He reaches out telepathically to Leia, who senses him and persuades Lando and Chewie to turn back. After Luke is brought aboard, they are chased by TIE fighters towards Vader on his Star Destroyer and find that the Falcon's hyperdrive has been sabotaged, but R2-D2 reactivates it, allowing them to escape.

Luke rejoins the Rebel fleet and his severed hand is replaced with a robotic prosthesis. Lando and Chewbacca begin their quest to save Han, as the other rebels watch the Falcon depart.

CAST

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker: A pilot in the Rebel Alliance and Jedi in training

Harrison Ford as Han Solo: A smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon

Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa: A leader in the Rebel Alliance

Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian: The administrator of Cloud City

Anthony Daniels as C-3PO: A humanoid protocol droid in the Alliance

David Prowse (body) and James Earl Jones (voice) as Darth Vader: A powerful Sith Lord in service to the Emperor of the Galactic Empire

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca: Han's loyal Wookiee friend and copilot

Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astromech droid in the Rebellion and C-3PO's counterpart

Frank Oz as Yoda: A diminutive, centuries-old Jedi Master living in self-imposed exile

While Prowse physically portrays Darth Vader, James Earl Jones provides the character's voice. Oz provides the voice and puppetry for Yoda, with assistance from fellow puppeteers, including Kathryn Mullen, David Barclay, Wendy Froud, and Deep Roy. Alec Guinness appears as Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a Force spirit following his death at Vader's hands.

Denis Lawson reprises his role as Wedge Antilles from the first film. John Hollis plays Lobot, Lando's personal aide. Julian Glover appears as General Veers, a general who leads the Empire in the battle of Hoth. Kenneth Colley portrays Admiral Piett, the Empire's top admiral. Michael Sheard portrayed Admiral Ozzel, Vader's previous admiral. Michael Culver appears as Captain Needa, one of the Empire's captains who failed to catch the Millennium Falcon. John Ratzenberger portrays Major Derlin, one of the officers who leads the Rebels in the Battle of Hoth. Bruce Boa appears as General Rieekan, Princess Leia's military advisor on Hoth. Christopher Malcolm plays Rebel snowspeeder pilot Zev Senesca, who finds Skywalker and Solo on the surface of Hoth. and John Morton portrays Dak Ralter, Luke's gunner in the battle of Hoth who was killed by an AT-AT. Richard Oldfield portrayed Rebel pilot Hobbie Klivian. Morris Bush portrays the bounty hunter Dengar, Alan Harris portrays the bounty hunter Bossk and Chris Parsons portrays the robotic bounty hunter 4-LOM.

Jeremy Bulloch portrays Boba Fett, a bounty hunter hired by Vader. Jason Wingreen provided Fett's voice. Multiple actors have portrayed the Emperor, the evil ruler of the Galactic Empire, who appears via hologram. Clive Revill provides his voice, while actress Marjorie Eaton portrays him physically, wearing a mask.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

the second film in the Star Wars film series (and the fifth chronologically) and the sequel to Star Wars (1977)