Essay, Research Paper: Star Wars Bloopers

CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: "Revenge of the Jedi"
SCENE: None
EVENT: "Return of the Jedi" was orginaly title "Revenge of the Jedi". If this done to help detect fakes in the blackmarket, or whether the film really changed names is debatable. It is said the the change was made because a Jedi does not take "revenge".
In 1982, "Star Wars" returned on April 10 and "Empire" on November 19. Both of these reissues featured identical "Revenge of the Jedi" trailers.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: I have a copy of the Trailer on my computer as well, but it is 7MB, and way to big to post. e-mail me if you would like me to e-mail it to you.
PROOF: Toy Advertisement Patch Sign Poster #1 Poster #2



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Blue Harvest
SCENE: None
EVENT: Because of the amount of curtiousity surounding the film, Lucas choose to film under the name of a different film, "Blue Harvest : Horror Beyond Imagination".
CONFIRM: [C]
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Unsanitary Employee
SCENE: Vader's shuttle leaves the Star Destroyer and is en route to the Death Star.
EVENT: The pilots of the shuttle contact the Death Star crew who check the credentials of the shuttle. Notice all of the crew in the control room are wearing black gloves. When the shuttle's identification checks out, we see a close up of a computer terminal. A hand reaches in and presses a button lowering the shields, and this hand is not wearing gloves at all.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Rapid Construction
SCENE: Darth Vader's shuttle is about to dock inside the Death Star.
EVENT: As we watch the shuttle land, on the shuttle's left hand side, you can see a large tower of what appears to be scaffolding. It reaches quite high. However, when we later cut to more close-up shots of the shuttle, that structure is no longer there.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: Luke at Obi Wan's
SCENE: This is a cut scene - before the andriod go to Jabba, luke sees them.
EVENT: A scene exists in Obi-Wan's hovel, where Luke receives a telepathic message from Vader and then sends the droids to Jabba after loading his new saber into R2D2's secret compartment.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This scene never got beyond the story board idea, it was never filmed.
PROOF: Storyboard Drawing



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: I know I've heard that before
SCENE: When the droids first enter Jabba's throne room.
EVENT: You hear a lot of alien voices murmuring... if you listen closely, one of them is Greedo's voice speaking the exact same dialogue he said to Han Solo in A New Hope.
CONFIRM: [M] (You can here a Rodian (Greedo's race) speaking, but it is very faint.)
NOTE: You get to see a Rodian later in the film when Luke, Han, and Chewie are sentenced to the Sarlacc.



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: R2-D2 vs. Stairs
SCENE: When the driods first enter Jabba's Palace
EVENT: The main chamber of Jabba's palace is connected to the entrance by a short flight of steps.When filming the scene where R2-D2 enters the chamber it was discovered that the droid could not roll down the stairs. In the movie we see R2-D2 approaching the stairs, then the camera moves to the left past the steps and the droid re-enters the field of view, having been manually hauled down the stairs.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: I heard a rumor that in the upcoming prequel, R2-D2 has a scene where he goes up some steps.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Jabba on rewind
SCENE: In Jabba's Palace, when R2 is giving Luke's recorded message.
EVENT: Soon after Luke's message starts there is a shot of Jabba where the film is actually running backwards - if you look closely, you can see the smoke from his pipe and the bubbles in his bong both moving downwards.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This may have been done intentionally to make the scene eerie looking.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Confusing Message
SCENE: Artoo begins to play the holographic message from Luke to Jabba.
EVENT: Look at the full body shot of the holographic Luke. Luke, who normally has his lightsaber clipped to his left hip, now has it hung from his right hip. As well, his hair, which normally has a part on his left hand side, is now parted on the right.
Afterwards, just before Artoo turns the message off, we get a shot from behind Artoo, and Luke's hologram is visible on the extreme right of the screen. Luke's lightsaber is now hanging from his left hip where it normally is.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This is a result of film being flipped in post production.
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Universal Translator
SCENE: Although not a blooper, this happens any time that Jabba speaks.
EVENT: During filming of the Jabba scenes, they were acted out in english. Later, Jabba's english lines were taken out, and substituted with his Hutteese language. But if you read the english subtitles and watch Jabba's lips, he is actually mouthing the english equivelant of the alien lines he's speaking.
CONFIRM: [C]
PROOF: Jabba Speaking English wav



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Elephants, Nein Numb, and Feet
SCENE: ?
EVENT: Lucas used several linguists to create languages for the aliens. The one which Nein Numb speaks is based off a Kenyan dialect. By accident or design, one of his lines ends up sounding like, "One thousand herds of elephants are standing on my foot", but some people claim to hear "Hey, you, look over here."
CONFIRM: [?]
NOTE: While no scene was given for this blooper, I assume this was when they were playing right before Oola get thrown to the rancor.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Oola's failing costume
SCENE: Jabba's Palace. Right before the Twi'lek dacing girl goes to see the rancor.
EVENT: Oola, the green dancing Twi'lek girl in Jabba's palace, accidentally "falls out of her costume" when Jabba is trying to drag her towards him. Her breast can be seen for 1 or 2 frames.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Boba's neat helmet trick (& cape)
SCENE: In Jabba's palace
EVENT: When Boussh (Leia) in Jabba's Palace threatens everyone with the thermal detenator, in three sequences Boba Fett raises his gun, lowers his gun, and finally nods to Leia. During these shots Fett's costume appears reversed. His cape, which normally hangs off his left shoulder, is hanging off his right shoulder. More noticeable is the fact that his helmet sensor antenna, which is supposed to be on the right side of his helmet, is on the left side of his helmet.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Reversed film once again.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Lando's concussion
SCENE: Jabba's Palace. Just after Chewie is taken away by guards in Jabba's Palace.
EVENT: We get our first view of Lando in his skiff outfit. He bumps his head on the ceiling as soon as he walks onto the shot. just before he pulls his mask down the show the audience who he is. Its a very noticeable bump on the head because the mask cranks backwards for a second.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Inconsistency
SUBJECT: Han's change of clothes (There are a number of Events.)
SCENE: During the Scenes when Han is about to be frozen in Carbonite. Covers both The Empire Stirkes Back and Return of the Jedi.
EVENT #1: Before he is lowered into the carbonation chamber, Han has shackles around the upper part of is arms, which holds them to his body. However, in Return of the Jedi, when he is unfrozen, he no longer has them on his arms. (Do not confuse these shackles with the handcuffs that are removed.)
EVENT #2: Han's shirt is mostly un-tucked when he gets frozen, but tucken in when he is thawed out.
EVENT #3: Han is wearing a double breasted shirt upon being thawed, but when he is frozen it is a tunic-style shirt.
CONFIRM: [C] (All except for the shirt style, I couldn't tell the difference.)
PROOF: Shackles



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Easy to clean
SCENE: When Leia lets Han out of Carbon-freeze.
EVENT: When Leia releases Han from the frozen carbonite, he falls forward to the ground, soiling his shirt. In the next shot it is clean.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: Jumping Luke
SCENE: Luke in the Rancor pit
EVENT: There's an additional scene where Luke uses the Force to jump up and grab the trap door grating. Two Jawas come over from behind a few people and hit his hands with the stock of their rifle, forcing Luke to fall back into the pit.
CONFIRM: [C]
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Chewies moving bandolier
SCENE: Jabba's sail barge
EVENT: When Leia looks out of the barge at our 3 heros on the skiff the view changes to a close up of Chewie, Han, and Luke (left to right). Notice Chewies bandolier, it hangs from his right shoulder to his left hip. This is backwards from the way it should hang. It changes back when they arrive at "The Almight Sarlacc."
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Reversed film?



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Intereting Names
SCENE: Jabba's sail barge & skiff
EVENT: Among the aliens in Jabba the Hutt's entourage are ones named "Klaatu", "Barada" and "Nikto", after the command given to the robot Gort in "The Day the Earth Stood Still". The aliens are not referred to by name in the film, nor do they have any lines. Klaatu is the character who tries to push Luke into Sarlacc.
CONFIRM: [C]
PROOF: Klaatu Barada Nikto



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Lando's vanishing trick
SCENE: On Tantoonie. Luke is just about to jump into the Sarlaac's mouth.
EVENT: He nods at Lando to his right. The camera goes to other shots (such a R2 standing on the deck of the sail barge, etc.). The camera comes back to the skiff guard prodding Luke with his axe, so that Luke will jump. At this shot, check out who's in the background (which is Luke's left side). Yep, it's Lando. Next shot shows Luke jumping in, with Han and Chewie now on Luke's left, in the same position Lando was at.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Reversed film. You can tell because in the shot with Lando on his left, you can see the controls to the Skiff, which are in the rear of the vessel and Han and Chewie are standing in the front.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Luke can do it with one hand (or two??)
SCENE: When Luke is pushed (jumps?) Into the scarlacc.
EVENT: Luke jumps off the skiff and grabs the plank with one hand, but is seen grabbing with both hands in the next shot
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Han Has Been Cured
SCENE: Luke is jumping off the plank into the Sarlacc.
EVENT: After Luke grabs the plank and jumps back up onto the skiff, he flips in the air, and then grabs his lightsaber, which Artoo has shot over to him. Watch Han in the background. He is supposed to be blind, but he follows the action quite closely.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Exploding Gun
SCENE: During the battle on the skiffs over the Sarlacc pit just after Boba Fett rockets himself into the fight.
EVENT: Luke swings at the bounty hunter with his lightsaber and chops Fett's gun in two. But if you watch it in slow motion, Boba Fett's gun begins to explode one frame before Luke actually slices it.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Lando's A Vampire
SCENE: Luke is trying to avoid the laser fire from a second skiff.
EVENT: Luke takes a running leap from the skiff that he was brough out to the Sarlacc on, and jumps over to a second one. When the camera cuts to a wide shot of Luke jumping, look at the skiff on the right. You can see a matte painting of Lando hanging on underneath it. Although the skiff and everything else in this shot casts a shadow onto the sand, Lando's body does not.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Phantom Kick
SCENE: Boba Fett is hit by Han Solo and his rocket pack misfires sending Boba Fett flying into the sky.
EVENT: As we follow Fett's flight, we cut to a scene showing the front half of a skiff. Luke then kicks one of Jabba's henchman. He very clearly misses the man by a few inches, yet the man still tumbles to his doom none the less.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Lando's Gloved Hand
SCENE: When Lando is hanging onto the skiff to keep from falling into the Sarlacc pit.
EVENT: On all of the close up shots, Lando does not have any gloves on, but in the distance shots, he has black gloves on.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Hanging Han
SCENE: When Luke, Han, etc. were to be thrown into the Sarlaac's Pit on Tatooine, Han and Lando are standing on the levitating platform and one of Jabba's men fires a shot, hitting the vehicle, causing it to tilt at a precarious angle.
EVENT: As everybody scrambles to balance themselves, you see Han grab the edge of the ship with his hands, and is hanging over the edge. But, a few seconds later, they show him hanging by his feet!
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: If you watch carefully, when he goes out of view, you can see his shadow, and he pulls himself up, maybe to flip himself around and to hang by his feet.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Lando's Spear Trick
SCENE: When Han is trying to rescue Lando from the grasp of the Sarlacc.
EVENT: You should notice that when Lando finally grabs hold of the spear that Han offers him, he does so with his left hand. As soon as Han shoots the tentacle, Lando is no longer holding on to the spear. We then instantly cut to another angle where he is clutching the spear once again.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Pulling The Droid
SCENE: After Artoo rescues Threepio from Salacious Crumb.
EVENT: Threepio says the line "Well, I can't possibly . . ." and then Artoo pushes Threepio off of the edge. If you look closely, you can see several wires actually pulling Threepio off of the skiff.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Concealing Make-Up
SCENE: Luke orders Leia to point the giant laser canon at the deck of the sail barge.
EVENT: Leia runs from the right of the screen to the left, and turns her back to us. As she does so, notice her right lower back. She has a very noticeable brown birthmark there.
Later on, when Luke and Leia swing from the sail barge to the waiting skiff, you can tell this is a stunt double, as the birthmark is no longer there.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Lukes bum hand
SCENE: On the sail barge, after Leia has killed Jabba.
EVENT: Luke is on the deck of the sail barge. His hand gets shot. You can see that his hand is damaged. The next time you see his hand is when he is running to get the fallen rope so that he and Leia could swing to safety. His hand looks perfectly fine. About a second later, when he actually grabs the rope, we see a damaged hand again. Then, when they are actually swinging, his hand is fine again. And, then finally we see that his hand looks really bad when he is leaving Tatooine in his X-Wing.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Luke's Ventriloquist Talents
SCENE: Luke and Leia are about to swing to the skiff.
EVENT: You can hear Luke yell "Come on," to Leia, and yet his lips do not move at all. Luke only gestures.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Hold On
SCENE: Luke and Leia swing away from the soon to be destroyed Sail Barge.
EVENT: Leia grabs hold of her brother as they swing to safety. In the first set of angles she has her right arm resting on Luke's chest, and her left arm around Luke's back. But as they swing, her arms have magically changed positions. Her right arm is now clutching the rope, and her left arm is now around Luke's neck.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Impossible Swing
SCENE: Luke and Leia swing away from the soon to be destroyed Sail Barge.
EVENT: The swing that they take is physically impossible as there is no focal point for the rope to be attached to. You can tell by the angles from when they leave, and when they land, that the rope is attached to a point somewhere between the skiff and the sail barge. Only there is nothing there for it to be attached to.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: The Sandstorm
SCENE: After leaving Jabba to cook and before they enter space.
EVENT: This is a cut scene - On the way top their ships after blowing up Jabba, the heros run into a sandstorm and have to find their ships.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This was mostly a scene for Han to forgive Lando.
PROOF: Picture #1 Picture #1



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Disappearing TIE Fighters
SCENE: Just before the Emperor's shuttle lands on the Death Star, and the Imperial fleet is flying in formation outside the docking bay.
EVENT: A stream of TIE fighters are circling the Death Star in a parade formation. In the first few seconds of this scene, two TIE fighter squadrons fly out from behind the camera towards the main group. Watch the first squadron. Just before it joins up with the main group, and just a moment before the scene ends, the squadron disappears from the picture.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: The "Choking Gag" redux
SCENE: This is a cut scene - right before Vader sees the Emperor and he tells him to go the the Endor
EVENT: There is a short scene with Vader choking two of the Royal Guards who won't let him see the Emperor, but Lucas felt that the trick was done-to-death (no pun intended) in "The Empire Strikes Back," so it was cut. It is said that Vader attacks them much more ferociously than his previous efforts.
Evidence Remaining is in the script, not the version printed in the Art of ROTJ. It appears in Chapter 5, page 90 of the Return Of The Jedi novel, although not exactly as it appears in the script.
Other evidence of the shot's existence on film appeared in the Star Wars Insider #24 as part of the "Star Wars" timeline article.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Emperor should have hit his head
SCENE: When the Emperor is leaving the Imperial Shuttle Craft, on board the Death Star.
EVENT: While walking down the ramp, his head somehow manages to go through the front of the Shuttle Craft, unscathed. (using the force I guess)
CONFIRM: [M] (It is an unusual angle and not a complete shot.)



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Big Step For The Empire
SCENE: The Emperor has landed on the Death Star and he speaks with Vader as they walk past the legions of troops.
EVENT: At the very end of their conversation, we are tight on the Emperor. He is walking past a series of grey suited officers. But when we instantly cut to a wide angle shot, they are now in front of rows of stormtroopers.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Yoda's floating cane
SCENE: Luke and Yoda are talking in Yoda's house.
EVENT: As Yoda says "Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall." pay very close attention to Yoda's cane. Yoda sets it down as he gets into bed, but watch the way it falls over. It floats across the screen for a split second.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: Obi Wan & Owen
SCENE: After Yoda has died and Luke and Obi Wan are talking
EVENT: It is said that Obi-wan had a much longer monologue, revealing "Uncle" Owen to be his brother and other tidbits. As to whether the sceen was really film, or just part of a draft is up for question. Here is a copy of what the lines supposibly were:
"When your father left, he didn't know your mother was pregnant", Obi-Wan tells Luke. "Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible, for as long as possible. So I took you to live with my brother Owen on Tatooine... and your mother took Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan. The Organa household was high-born and politically quite powerful in that system. Leia became a princess by virtue of lineage...no one knew she had been adopted, of course. But it was a title without real power, since Alderaan had long been a democracy. Even so, the family continued to be politically powerful, and Leia, following in her foster father's path, became a senator as well. That's not all she became, of course...she became a leader of her cell in the Alliance against the corrupt empire. And because she had diplomatic immunity, she was a vital link for getting information to the rebel cause. That's what s he was doing when when her path crossed yours...for her foster parents had always told her to contact me on Tatooine, if her troubles became desperate."
-Sci-Fi Universe #1, p55
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Bad Briefing
SCENE: During Mon Mothma's briefing regarding the Death Star in orbit of the moon of Endor.
EVENT: The lights darken and a hologram of the moon and the Death Star erupt in the middle of the room. When the hologram begins, the Death Star orbits the moon of Endor in a counter-clockwise motion. During all subsequent shots of the hologram, the Death Star orbits in a clockwise direction.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Lando's moving bandolier
SCENE: When Han and Lando are talking in the rebel hanger right before the strike team departs in the stolen Imperial shuttle.
EVENT: Watch Lando, the gun belt strap across his chest changes sides between different cuts during the same scene.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Reversed film. This is evident by Lando's mock salute which is given with his left hand.
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Lando and the Millenium Falcon
SCENE: Right after Han tells Lando to take the Falcon.
EVENT: Lando Calrissian and The Millenium Falcon originally scripted to perish in the Death Star explosion, but this was changed after a poor preview audience reception. Note Han's line when Calrissian leaves in the Falcon: "...like I'm not going to see her again..."
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Inconsistency
SUBJECT: Admiral Piett's changing rank insignia
SCENE: Through out movie, but seen for the first time when Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and the droids are getting clearance to land on Endor.
EVENT: After Piett is promoted from Captain to Admiral in The Empire Strikes Back, his rank insignia is upgraded (from 4 red bars over 4 blue bars to 6 red bars over 6 blue bars), and remains consistent throughout the rest of the film. However, throughout Return of the Jedi, his insignia is three red bars over three blue bars, even though he is still an Admiral.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Fly Casual, Not Quick
SCENE: Our heros wait nervously in the stolen shuttle to see if their code passes to get past the Death Star's shields.
EVENT: Take note of the position of the shuttle and the Star Destroyer's bridge. The shots are very inconsistent in showing the position of the shuttle in relation to the bridge.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Park fence.....
SCENE: Right after the Rebels have exited the shuttle Tyderium.
EVENT: You can see a redwood fence in the background, of the variety commonly found in earthly national parks.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Too Quick Hot Shot
SCENE: The rebels have just landed on Endor and Han tries to take out the biker scouts.
EVENT: Han attempts to sneak up behind a trooper but steps on a twig alerting him to Solo's presence. The scout quickly turns and swats Han in the face. If you watch closely or watch frame by frame, you'll notice that Han actually begins to recoil from the hit, before the scout even touches him.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Waiting For Han
SCENE: Han's failed attempt to ambush the Imperials results in a fight.
EVENT: Two troopers leave on speeder bikes, and Luke and Leia follow. The camera comes back on Han. Notice in the very bottom right of the screen and you can see the trooper Han has been fighting with, and he is standing and waiting for his cue to re-enter the fight.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: See-Through Speeders
SCENE: Leia and Luke are chasing the fleeing imperial troops on speeder bike.
EVENT: You can actually see through the speeder bikes and their pilots, and see the forest scene behind them. This is very similar to the snow speeder bloopers from "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back".
This is best seen during the scene where Luke jumps from Leia's speeder to an Imperial speeder. It is also quite noticeable during the shots leading up to that when we have a high rear view of the back of the speeder bikes.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Luke isn't sure about his hand
SCENE: Endor Speeder Bike chase, after Luke aquires his own bike.
EVENT: Luke has taken care of one of the two Stormtroopers, he his fighting the second while flight right beside him. Then in the sequence before Luke can't move the Speeder Bike from in front of the oncoming tree, you can see from a short side angled shot, that Luke's glove is on his left hand. His glove covers his damaged right hand.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Very short shot, with the hands in question at very bottom of the screen.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Magic Spear
SCENE: Leia is laying on the ground unconscious and Wicket the Ewok has just discovered her.
EVENT: As Wicket approaches Leia, watch his spear. In the shots from in front of the Ewok, his spear is visibly in front of the hood over his face. When the camera angle changes to a shot from over his shoulder, his spear is underneath the hood.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Leia and her hats
SCENE: When Leia meets Wicket
EVENT: WHile talking to Wicket, Leia takes her hat off twice. Now we know why it scared him when she took it off.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Fast Food
SCENE: Princess Leia and Wicket are getting to know each other on the log.
EVENT: Leia asks Wicket if he wants some food. She holds it out to him in her left hand. However, in the next shot, the food has switched hands, and is now in her right.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Self Destruct
SCENE: Imperial troops have discovered Leia and Wicket slashes his foot.
EVENT: A second trooper boards his speeder and tries to escape. Leia shoots his speeder and it crashes into a parked speeder. If you watch this sequence in slow motion, the speeder it crashes into explodes a few frames before it is actually hit.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Ewoks who speak English
SCENE: Just after C-3PO sits up and the Ewoks start to praise him. C-3PO then says "Hello" in Ewok, there is then a shot of two Ewoks.
EVENT: If you listen carefully, one of the Ewoks says, "That guy's wise.", and then the one next to him says, "More than I am short."
CONFIRM: [C] (The first quote is very clear while the second is a strech.)
NOTE: Kind of funny that the next line is Luke who says: "Do you understand anything they're saying?"



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Oversized Ewok
SCENE: When Han is to become the main corse in C-3PO's honor.
EVENT: While Luke, Han, Chewie and R2-D2 are tied up, Peter Mayhew dressed as Chewie, sticks his head from the left side of the screen behind one of the Ewok huts.
CONFIRM: [?]
NOTE: Letterbox version only.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: That amazing R2-D2
SCENE: While Luke, Han, Chewie and R2-D2 are tied at the Ewok camp.
EVENT: There's a shot of Artoo untied when he hasn't been cut loose yet.
CONFIRM: [?]
NOTE: Letterbox version only.



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Darth Vader should have hit his head
SCENE: When the Vader has gone down to Endor to wait for Luke.
EVENT: While walking down the ramp of the shuttle craft, his head somehow manages to go through the front of the Shuttle Craft, unscathed.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Vader looks slightly disproportional in size to the shuttle craft.
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Mood Swing
SCENE: The rebels are outside of the Imperial bunker deciding what their next move will be.
EVENT: Han says "You stay here, we'll take care of this." Leia turns and she will be displaying a very large smile, even showing teeth. When the camera instantly cuts to a different angle of the scene, Leia is no longer smiling, displaying a deadpan look.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Invisible Jedi
SCENE: Vader takes a bound Luke to see his Emperor.
EVENT: Luke and Vader exit the elevator and begin to walk towards the Emperor. We watch them walk towards the steps from behind. As Luke gets closer to the steps, you can see right through his black tunic and see the steps and the blue light behind them.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Watch your head
SCENE: When Luke arrives in the Emperors Chambers
EVENT: The Emperor dismisses his guards and one of them hits his head on the door on his way out
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Quick Reflexes
SCENE: The rebel crew storm the shiel bunker on Endor and engage in combat with the imperials inside.
EVENT: An imperial in black appears from the right of the screen in front of the ledge with the railing. Han throws the container in his hands at the imperial. If you notice, the imperial actually begins to jump over the railing before the box even hits him.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Magically Appearing TIEs
SCENE: The space battle over Endor is just beginning, and the rebels advance towards the Death Star
EVENT: We see the view out of the Millenium Falcon as they approach the Imperial Fleet. If you pause the film and watch the advance of the TIE fighters frame by frame, take note of the area in the centre of your screen, about a third of the way up. Moments into the scene, four TIE fighters appear out of nowhere.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Space Walk
SCENE: Although not a blooper, the exact scene (if any) is known, but somewhere in the space battle above Endor.
EVENT: There have been several reports saying that during the long and tedious shooting of the tremendously complex space battles that to help "relieve the tension", that special effects persons put a tennis shoe in the rebel fleet. No one seems to have found the shoe in any of the scenes of the movie, and it's very possible that the scene with the shoe may have been cut and never saw the silver screen.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Cut-scene
SUBJECT: Hitting the Force Field
SCENE: When the Rebel fleet finds out it is a trap and they have to pull up quickly
EVENT: There was an additional scene where, as the Rebel fleet is coming out of hyperspace to attack Death Star II, several ships crash against the security shield before they break off the assault. This has been reported to me by several people since then, too. It has been said that this footage appears in a trailer for "Return of the Jedi." If so, it was not included among the trailers on "Star Wars Definitive Collection."
The sequence appears in the novel and in a storyboard that was printed in the Art of Return of the Jedi. However, I'm convinced that it died in the storyboard stage. The sequence in the movie is identical to the one described, the only change being that some of the ships crashed. It is such a minor difference that I find it hard to believe that the scene was reshot.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Magical Space Ships
SCENE: Right after the rebels arrive at the Death Star, and they figure out that the shields are still up, right after Admiral Akbar says "It's a Trap!" followed by Lando saying, "Enemy fighters coming in."
EVENT: As the Millennium Falcon flies directly at the audience, and leaves the screen (upper right), pause the picture. You will see 2 little white "H" shapes on the Falcon's underside, where space was reserved for 2 TIE fighters.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: The two ships in question are in fact in the film. You can see for yourself by placing two fingers (or any other markers) on the screen at the exact spot where the two "H" shapes appear on the Falcon's belly. Then go backwards frame by frame (this is, of course easier if you have a good Laserdisc player) or rewind a little bit and play the scene again, frame by frame. You will see that the two TIE's do appear in the film. They are in the deep background of the scene and are pretty much motionless, right where you have marked your screen. You can also go forward and see them but things are a little confusing.
There are quite a few scenes which includes poor mattes, and bad editing for the ships (primarily the multitudes of TIE fighters).



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: More Magical Space Ships
SCENE: During the attack on the Death Star
EVENT: In the scene where the streams of TIE fighters are girdling the Death Star, three enter from the right of the screen to join the group girdling the Death Star, except for they disappear before the scene is finished.
CONFIRM: [?] (I don't know the exact shot, but I assume it is they same scene as the one above.)



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: The Emperors "slugs"
SCENE: When Luke is watching the battle between the Rebel fleet and the Empire out of the Emperors window.
EVENT: Small black spots on the Emperors head, one notable one is on the left side of his head, on his hood, right next to his eye.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: These are known as the "Emperor's slugs", due to their sluglike appearance. Daniel Goldman [dgoldman@Xenon.Standford.edu] makes an educated guess as to the reason of their existence:
You will notice that the Emperor's eyes are lit by a soft sickly-green spotlight in that scene. The problem with normal spots, is that when you try to get them that tight, there is always a little spillover, which gets even worse if the subject is moving. Probably, the green light was lighting things that should not have been lit, like the back of the hood, or a part of his fact that had not been made up(ears or hair, perhaps). The optics crew then manually blacked out the 'overflowing' area's.



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Stormtrooper disguise
SCENE: When they first attack the Bunker
EVENT: There is a slim possibity of a few trimmed sequences featuring a Rebel commando who eventually dons the uniform of a downed Imperial Biker Scout. It cannot be disputed that there are scenes in the finished film that show the actor before and after the costume change, but there is, as yet, no solid evidence to suggest that there was a scene filmed where he actually gets into the disguise.
Remember what happened to the last scout trooper (biker scout) guarding the entrance to the shield generator? He was captured by a group of Rebel commandos. Look closely at the commando with the beard. Remember his face. Now fast forward to when Han and the group walk outside and see all of the Imperial troops surrounding them. Now look to the left side of the screen. You will see, under guard, the bearded commando in scout trooper outfit with the face shield up. There might be a scene missing where we see him taking the biker scout's uniform off or something. I do have further evidence that it might have existed. It's from the novel, chapter 7:
"Back at the bunker, the last scout was undone. Subdued by Chewbacca, bound, stripped of his suit, he was being carried into the woods now by two other members of the strike team. The rest of the squad silently crouched, forming a perimeter around the entrance."
(farther down the page)
"Leia peeked inside. No sign of life. She motioned the others, and entered the bunker. Han and Chewie followed close on her heels. Soon the entire team was huddled inside the otherwise empty steel corridor, leaving one lookout outside, dressed in the unconscious scout's uniform. Han pushed a series of buttons on the inner panel, closing the door behind them."
If you scutinize the scene where the Rebels force open the bunker doors the first time, they all hesitate at the threshold before going in. Look in the space between Han's right shoulder and the Rebel trooper (in battle green) and you will see a biker scout (presumably a Rebel who has "borrowed" the outfit) adjusting his helmet and trying to look natural just outside the entrance. It's easy to miss.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Rebel In Disguise
SCENE: Although not a blooper, this scene is when the rebels are planting charges in the bunker but get interrupted by the Imperials.
EVENT: The rebels are escorted outside and we get a wide sweeping shot of the captured rebels in the forest, from left to right. You can see a circle of Stormtroopers around another stormtrooper with his helmet off. This person is a rebel in disguise.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Blaster Misfire
SCENE: The ground battle on Endor has just begun and Leia runs to the bunker as the doors close.
EVENT: Watch carefully because just after Leia enters the screen on the right hand side, she fires a shot. It smokes, but there is no colour nor sound from the weapon.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Then Kill The Emperor
SCENE: The Emperor is taunting Luke and Luke calls his lightsaber to his hand.
EVENT: Luke turns on his lightsaber and takes a swing at the Emperor. Vader ignites his saber and blocks the swing. However, when the camera cuts to a shot of the two lightsaber blades crossed in front of the Emperor, you will see that Luke's green lightsaber blade is behind Vader's. Therefore, it is closer to the Emperor and he should have been able to strike him down.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Han the pervert
SCENE: When the rebels are attempting to regain control of the forcefield Control Room and Han is attempting to hot wire the door.
EVENT: When Leia gets shot, Han grabs her and pulls her back to safety...watch his hand...he grabs her breast!
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Interesting that they decided to keep this shot.
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: Noted 'extras'
SCENE: Where is a scene where Chewie climbs on a Scout (Chicken) Walker and tosses out the occupants.
EVENT: One of these men is really the (late) Richard Marquand, the film's director, and the other is Robert Watts, the movie's co-producer.
CONFIRM: [C]
PROOF: Picture



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: Vader's saber casts a shadow
SCENE: The beginning of the Luke and Darth Vader fight on the Death Star
EVENT: Just after Luke knocks Vader down the stairs and Vader gets up. Vader's lightsaber is casting a shadow on the ground.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Darth Vader's wonder cape
SCENE: After Luke knocks Vader down the stairs.
EVENT: As Darth Vader walks up the stairs his cape is hanging over his right shoulder. But upon reach the top of the stairs, right before he takes a swing at Luke, you can see that his cape is over his left shoulder.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: Vader's cape is loose and can easily swing over one shoulder or the other due to body movement, and this happens a number of time during the fight. But no movement took place to change the sides the cape overhung when Vader climbed the stairs.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Watch that hair
SCENE: The lightsaber battle between Luke and Darth Vader.
EVENT: Luke does a somersault jump up to a walkway. If you look at the hair of Luke while he is jumping you will notice that the stunt double's hair is much more blond than Mark Hamill's.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Quick Saber
SCENE: Luke does a backflip to avoid Vader and jumps into the centre of a ring of computer terminals.
EVENT: Vader walks towards Luke and puts his saber in the gap between two computer terminals. The camera cuts to another angle behind Vader, and his lightsaber is no longer visible anywhere near the terminals.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Wacky Lightsaber
SCENE: Luke has jumped up to a catwalk to avoid Vader.
EVENT: Vader says "then you will meet your destiny," and tosses his lightsaber up at Luke. Watch the toss in slow motion and as the lightsaber crosses in front of Luke, you can see that the lightsaber blade is actually coming out of the "handle" end of the lightsaber hilt.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Quick Reflexes
SCENE: The Imperials are fooled into leaving the bunker and they joyfully run out into the clearing.
EVENT: Han is leaning against the right wall of the bunker. After all the Imperials have exited the building, Han runs behind them into the centre of the screen. At the end of this wide shot, Han glances to our left. The camera immediately cuts to a close up of Han who is now facing forward again.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Cut Scene
SUBJECT: Where did Vader get Luke's light saber?
SCENE: During the fight between Luke and Vader on the Death Star
EVENT: When Vader is talking about... "A sister... so, you have a twin sister.... your feelings have now betrayed her too...". He is holding Luke's lightsaber in his left hand. It is said that A small part was cut here where Luke, not wanting to fight Vader threw his light saber to him. And when he attached Vader he used the force to get it back.
In the novelization of "Return of the Jedi", during the final confrontation between Luke and Vader, Luke retreats into darkness. He rolls his light saber out of the darkness to Vader's feet continually saying, "I won't fight you," or something close. Vader takes the surrendered saber and hooks it onto his belt and continues to stalk Luke. Then the fateful "sister" line is made and Luke uses the Force to reclaim his saber from Vader, ignite it and attacks vader. Obviously, what remains in the cuts we see today are Luke retreating into the dark, Vader stalking him, the "sister" line and Luke's attack.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Mis-cut
SUBJECT: More shadows
SCENE: The fight sequence between Luke and Vader.
EVENT: After Vader suggests that maybe Leia could be turned to the dark side of the Force, Luke attacks Vader. During one shot you can see shadows for both of their lightsabers.
CONFIRM: [C]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Blast Protection
SCENE: As the bunker on Endor is about to explode from the charges the rebels have set.
EVENT: As everyone is running away from the bunker, Han calls out "Move! Move!". As he runs away from the building, the second time he calls out "MOVE!", you can see Han's reflection behind him running in opposite direction.
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This is because there is a sheet of plexiglass between Han and the explosion used o protect the actors in case of an accident.



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: The Millenium Falcon
SCENE: The Attack upon the Death Star
EVENT: The Millenium Falcon's radar dish is knocked off when inside the Death Star, but is back on in some later shots.
CONFIRM: [?]
NOTE: Losing Dish



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Cleaning Service
SCENE: The Emperor is shocking Luke with electricity from his fingertips.
EVENT: Vader watches the action unfold from his position beside the Emperor. During ifferent camera shots of Vader, his helmet is sometimes shown cleaner than other times.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Elongated Arm
SCENE: Vader has just saved his son by tossing the Emperor into the reactor shaft.
EVENT: Vader tosses the Emperor and then collapses on some barrels next to the railing. Look at Vader's arm - the one with the severed hand. His arm is bent at the forearm in a way that arms just don't bend. This is because the actor's hand was inside an "elongated" arm to simulate it being chopped off. The actor was unable to keep his wrist straight, thus giving the appearance of a bent forearm.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Vader Changed Helmets
SCENE: Luke drags Vader's dying body to the ramp of a shuttle and Vader insists that his helmet be taken off.
EVENT: When Luke removes the top of the helmet and the "face" portion of the helmet, the mouthpiece area is still there. When Luke lowers his head in memory of his father's passing, Anakin's head is visible in the foreground on the extreme left of the screen, but this time, the mouthpiece that was there before is now gone.
CONFIRM: [?]



CRITERIA: Blooper
SUBJECT: Dennis vs. Denis
SCENE: The Credits
EVENT: Wedge is played by Denis Lawson, but in the Credits they have it spelled Dennis. For the last time, it is with only one "n".
CONFIRM: [C]
NOTE: This happened in Star Wars: A New Hope, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as well, Some people never learn.



CRITERIA: Trivia
SUBJECT: What is an Ewok??
SCENE: Credits
EVENT: The name "Ewok" is never used to refer to the teddy-bear creatures in the film, though it does appear in the credits
CONFIRM: [C]