Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Revealing mistake: When Luke is being fed to the Rancor, in Jabba the Hutt's dungeon, there are black outlines around the beast's legs, from the composite's blue screen special effect. This was edited out in the special edition rerelease.

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Suggested correction: This was not a "mistake". The outlines showing around the beast's leg were due to the limited CGI technology at the time the film was made. With advances in special effects in the following decades, the filmmakers were able to enhance the CGI quality in later releases.

raywest

But it is a mistake to show that the Rancor is not real, and the outlines show that. It's certainly not intentional.

lionhead

Not sure what you mean that the rancor is not real. Of course it's not real. The issue is, at that time, it was not technically possible to show the beastie without the lines showing. I classify a mistake as something that was not intentional. In this case, it was, due to the limitations of CGI in the 1980s.

raywest

Revealing mistake: When Han Solo lifts his hands up and he spots the Walker that Chewie and two Ewoks are in, one of his hands is transparent, and the trees are visible through his hand.

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Suggested correction: They are not transparent. What you are seeing is glare from the bright sky in the background. You can see other ghost images matching the bright white portions of the shot. Besides, there would be no reason for it to be transparent. It appears to be a fully on-location shot with no compositing.

Completely not true. You can see the trees through his hands; therefore, they are transparent.

Look closer. There is a white ghost image that matches the bright white sky, offset to the left and rotated slightly. And why would the hand be transparent? This is not a composite shot.

While it's not a composite shot, that would mean that the shot of the imperial officer yelling "freeze" in the original version wouldn't have been transparent. But it's not a composite shot too, therefore, they are transparent.

Vector9061138

This comment makes no sense. What Imperial officer are you referring to and what does it have to do with this shot? And if this isn't a composite shot, which you seem to be admitting, why would the hand be transparent? Do you think Harrison Ford's hand actually became see-through?

Continuity mistake: When Luke removes Vader's mask, Anakin's eyebrows have been removed in the 2004 DVD. However, a part of his left eyebrow can still be seen in some shots, and it even changes size a few times. (01:55:50)

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Suggested correction: It's not part of his eyebrow. It's a shadow.

Trivia: When Luke and Obi-Wan are talking after Yoda's death, Luke refers to him as Obi-Wan. This is the only time in any of the movies that he uses that name instead of Ben.

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Suggested correction: If you are saying that this is the only time Luke refers to him as Obi-Wan, then yes, this is true. But if you are saying this is the only time Luke has ever said Obi-Wan, then you are incorrect; Luke uses the name Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first movie when explaining why he was so far from home.

Trivia: Anakin Skywalker's first name is first mentioned in this film. His name comes from a friend of George Lucas, British film director Ken Annakin.

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Suggested correction: Actually his first name first revealed in Empire Strikes Back when he is on call with the Emperor. He says, "I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin's name was not used in the original release of "The Empire Strikes Back", therefore the trivia is correct. George Lucas retconned the special edition release and added "Anakin." Originally Luke was referred to as the "son of Skywalker."

Bishop73

Revealing mistake: After the Rebels break into the bunker, a Rebel in the background punches an officer. But if you watch closely or play it in slow motion, the Rebel's hand never comes into contact with the officer's face. (01:33:25)

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Suggested correction: If you have to use slow motion to see something, it's not a mistake.

Sacha

It says "if you watch closely OR play it in slow motion." It is perfectly visible at normal speed.

Catwalk

Stupidity: Leia was carrying a handheld bomb. Yet she doesn't think to bring it with her later on while freeing Han.

Rob245

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Suggested correction: Novels from the Expanded Universe make it clear that with the exception of guards, nobody is allowed to carry weaponry in Jabba's Palace.

LorgSkyegon

Stupidity: When trapped in the net, Luke asks Han if he can reach his lightsaber. Han says that he can, but turns out he can't. Luke has the force. Why doesn't he just use it to make the lightsaber fly into his hand instead of having Han reach for it in vain?

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Suggested correction: The way they were stuck in the net, Luke's hands weren't free for him to force reach, he would not have been able to grab the lightsaber had he used the force.

Jedi don't need their hands in order to Force-reach. Most of them just choose to do it, as a way of focusing. Luke later lifts C-3PO in front of the Ewoks (to make them think the droid is a god), even though he is tied to a stick.

True, but read the whole comment, Luke's hands weren't free to grab the saber so a force reach would have been pointless.

Suggested correction: They were in it for mere seconds before R2 cut the rope, and they fell. Luke just didn't have time to think of forcepulling it.

lionhead

Then it makes it a stupidity if Luke doesn't think to use the force.

Bishop73

In those few seconds they were in the trap? Hardly.

lionhead

If Luke had enough time to ask Hans if he could grab his lightsaber, then yes.

Bishop73

Close enough.

Vector9061138

Revealing mistake: In many of the scenes taking place in outer space, if you look closely you can see polygon borders surrounding space vehicles (X-Wings, Star Destroyers, and even the Death Star) indicating the objects being superimposed into the outer space background. [This mistake may only apply to the Blu Ray version.]

Phaneron

More mistakes in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Yoda: When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.

More quotes from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Trivia: When they were filming the scenes on Endor, Peter Mayhew was told to stay close to the set so no one would mistake him for Big Foot and attempt to shoot him.

More trivia for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Question: How come this movie barely showed anything about Luke and Leia's mother? Luke doesn't even ask anyone what her name was (maybe that was hidden from Leia, but he can probably guess that Yoda or Obi-wan would know). I know we can assume that she was discussed off-screen, but they could have revealed a little more about her.

Answer: The Jedi are shown to have something of a blind spot in regards to matters of the heart. Note that when Luke confronts Obi-Wan over lying to him about his father's fate, Obi-Wan's response is haughty and defensive, and gives Luke nothing in terms of regret or apology. They're focused on their mission, not on how Luke feels. Why waste time, in their eyes, telling Luke about his mother? If they had their way, he wouldn't even know about his father. The prequels would make this more explicit, showing that the Jedi are conditioned from the beginning to let go of all "passions" because they could so easily be corrupted, and their inability to understand Anakin's emotions just contributes to his downfall.

TonyPH

Answer: Why can we assume that she was discussed off-screen? Luke's got more important things to talk about than who his mother was. Yoda dies shortly afterwards and Luke's understandably more interested in how Darth Vader, given that he's got to go up against him, can be his father when talking to Obi-wan's ghost shortly after. Not a lot of time for general chit-chat. Behind the scenes, at that point, very little would have been decided about their mother, as it would be irrelevant to the plot of the trilogy and to discuss her on-screen would have wasted time and slowed everything down.

Tailkinker

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