Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Question: Chewbacca says something to Han about Lando, and Han says, "That was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that." Has it ever been revealed what Chewbacca mentioned?

Answer: At the time of the film, it was suggested that Lando was upset because he lost the Falcon to Han in a game of Sabaac. Later (now) non-canon materials offer up other reasons Lando would hold a grudge (Such as the time Han set Lando up with the Tonnika Sisters, twin siblings that conned Lando into thinking they were a single person).

kayelbe

Answer: The movies never say. According to Wookieepedia, cybernetics or prosthetic limbs can be powered by batteries, with no further explanation.

Question: C-3PO tells Han that he noticed earlier the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. Didn't he try to tell Han this earlier?

Answer: Tried to, yes. But C-3P0 is so annoying and talkative that they tend to ignore him, especially in high stress situations.

Quantom X

Answer: The Emperor knows that Vader is aware of Luke. He contacts Vader to tell him to kill Luke when he is found. Vader, however suggests he be captured instead and turned to the dark side. The Emperor questions whether turning Luke is even possible to which Vader states "He will join us or die.", meaning if he fails he fully intends to go through with the Emperors plan of killing Luke.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: When the Rebels are evacuating from Hoth, Luke says goodbye to Han. Then we don't see him until he's running to his Snowspeeder. In that time, Vader has found out that Ozzel has messed up and promoted Piett, General Rieekan sends the transports out and one gets past. What was Luke doing in all that time?

Declan Murphy

Chosen answer: It's unknown what Luke was doing because nothing is shown. Any answer is speculation. Also, you are viewing the scene as a linear timeline, with events happening one after the other. In movies, the action often jumps back-and-forth and is unfolding simultaneously. The on-screen timeline can be more compressed than it appears.

raywest

Question: When Lando goes to check on Han after being encased in carbonite, he touches a panel on the side. What did he do to Han's "carbon case" after handling the panel?

Answer: He was checking the control panel readings that indicates whether or not Han survived the process.

raywest

Question: If I am correct, this movie takes place three years after "A New Hope." Why does Obi-Wan just now appear to Luke and tell him to begin training with Yoda? Why not send him to Yoda right after the Death Star was destroyed?

Answer: With all the running from and attacking the Empire that Luke has been doing the past three years, near-dying in a snowstorm might be the first time Luke's been alone and at peace enough for Obi-Wan's spirit to reach him.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: Is it true that George Lucas will not let any Star Wars books/media reveal Yoda's species, last name, etc.?

Answer: Yes, it's quite true - for reasons that he's never explained, Lucas has always maintained a strict policy of not allowing any information about Yoda's species to be included in any publications. While he has allowed some details of Yoda's personal history to be revealed, details about the species as a whole, what they call themselves, where their homeworld is, their history and so forth, have been kept under wraps.

Tailkinker

Question: Why did Obi-wan say to Luke "You will go to the Dagobah system" as opposed to "You must go"? Was he simply giving him an order? Seems strange considering Luke was very close to freezing to death when he said it.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Obi-wan's one with the Force at this point, so, given that the Force has been shown to grant precognitive visions, he may simply have seen that Luke survives and does go to Dagobah and is telling Luke that he will go there as a statement of fact. Or it could just be a bit poorly worded.

Tailkinker

Question: During the Battle of Hoth, why do the AT-AT Walkers have to land so far away? Couldn't a big ship just come right down close and destroy the base?

taylordan90

Chosen answer: They specifically had to come in under the deflector shield and destroy the generator before any ships could come in. That's why Vader doesn't show up until after the generator is taken out.

Garlonuss

Question: Why was Darth Vader so intent on finding the Millennium Falcon if Luke wasn't even on it? Not only that, how could he even sense it at all, if it was only Luke's presence he could feel through the Force? Was he actually sensing Leia but mistaking her for Luke?

Answer: There are two options with regard to the Falcon; either Luke's on-board, in which case Vader needs to track it down to capture him, or he isn't, in which case the people who are on-board will be excellent bait to draw Luke into his trap. Either way, he needs to find the ship. Jedi can sense the presence of living beings, not just other Force sensitives, so there's no particular reason why he shouldn't be able to sense the Falcon's crew. There's no particular indication that he's mistaking Leia's force sense for Luke's - if he was, then he'd immediately realise his mistake and, in all likelihood, that she's his daughter when he met up with her later in the film. Which he doesn't.

Tailkinker

Question: Why does Boba Fett have a braid of blonde hair on one of his shoulders?

Answer: Those are Wookiee scalps he has collected in his years as a bounty hunter. He wears them as a "badge of honor", to prove that he is capable of taking down even very dangerous opponents in single combat.

Twotall

Answer: It's never made clear. The only rough indication of time is that, when discussing which system to hide out in, Han comments that Bespin is a long way but that he thinks they can make it, which suggests a flight of considerable duration. Given that we're talking about two different star systems (Anoat and Bespin), even if those stars are unusually close together, without the hyperdrive operational, the flight must be reckoned of the order of some months. This would also tie in with Yoda apparently having taught Luke a considerable amount despite considering him too old and too set in his ways to learn properly.

Tailkinker

Question: Does anyone know a website that details all the changes made in the special editions?

Answer: There's a fairly complete list located at Wikipedia. Here's the link.

Cubs Fan

Question: How come it takes such a long time for the Super Star destroyer to be able to catch the Millennium Falcon in the tractor beam? In episode 4 when Millennium Falcon is captured by the Death Star, it is caught in the tractor beam immediately, and from a much greater distance. I understand the plot requires the Millennium Falcon to escape, but this seems a bit illogical.

killin_kellit

Chosen answer: The sheer size of the Death Star and its colossal power generators would allow it to have a much more powerful tractor beam than any capital ship would be capable of supporting, giving it much greater range. The Millenium Falcon was caught quickly because they were unaware of what they were approaching - by the time they realised, they were already captured. With the Star Destroyer, they're aware of its presence and can take steps to avoid a tractor beam lock-on.

Tailkinker

Question: Why didn't Luke just stay in the cave and wait until the next morning to contact the Rebel base? Isn't the cave just as adequate a shelter as what Han dug for him?

Matty Blast

Chosen answer: There's still a very large and annoyed Wampa in there, and there could easily be others in the depths of the cave. Running out into the cold may not be the most sensible move in the world, but it's reasonably understandable.

Tailkinker

Question: When Luke is about to take off in his X-Wing while training on Dagobah to save Leia and Han, Obi-Wan says "That boy was our only hope," but Yoda says "No. There is another." Who is this "other" Yoda is talking about?

Answer: As we find out in Return of the Jedi, Luke's twin sister, Leia.

Tailkinker

Question: When Luke ventures into the cave on Dagobah the camera, for whatever reason, holds on a lizard of some kind hissing at him. Anyone know what species it is?

Answer: Kimodo Dragon (Varanus komodensis) The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard species. It is found mainly on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rintja, Padar, and Flores. There are only an estimated 1,000 to 5,000 of these monitor lizards living today. Reaching lengths of up to 3 m or more, and weighing up to 126 kg, these reptiles are swift runners and climbers with great appetites for deer and wild boar. The best website to find about this is at www.isidore-of-seville.com/komodo/.

iceverything776

Question: This is a question that applies to this movie and others - how do Anakin and Luke understand R2-D2, when in their respective starfighters?

DFirst1

Answer: As shown in the film, while in their fighters, a display screen shows a full translation of what the droids say.

Answer: The astrodroids are linked into the starfighter, the pilot can hear the astrodroid just as the astrodroid can hear them. Luke and Anakin and many others (like Rey) can understand the droid language they speak.

lionhead

Question: Vader tortured Han to lure Luke into a trap because he knows Luke will sense they are in danger and will come try to rescue them since they are his friends. How did Vader know Han, Leia, and Chewbacca were Luke's friends?

Answer: Vader would be able to piece together information from the time Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and Ben Kenobi were on the Death Star in Episode IV. Luke was Ben's apprentice, Luke escaped with Princess Leia and Han, so it's logical Vader would make the connection that they are friends and allies. Spies would also be feeding him information.

raywest

Visible crew/equipment: When C-3PO is on the conveyor belt, if you look in the reflection in his head you can see the camera crew. (01:26:40)

More mistakes in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Luke: All right, I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

More quotes from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Trivia: The Special Edition covers of Return of the Jedi and Empire Strikes Back are wrong. The picture of the Emperor on ESB cover is from 'ROTJ', and the lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader on the cover of ROTJ is taken from 'ESB' (notice Luke is in his fighter pilot suit, and Vader is fighting him one-handed)

More trivia for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

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