Star Wars' best movies, and for good reason. This movie impressively concluded the original trilogy, and it did so with major plot twists, such as the death of Emperor Palpatine, the revelation that Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa are siblings, and the return of Darth Vader to the light side of the Force as Anakin Skywalker.
However, that does not mean that Return of the Jedi was a perfect movie. Rather, as with any piece of media, Return of the Jedi had its issues. One issue in Return of the Jedi in particular remains a major stain on Star Wars' history. Luckily, though, Star Wars has improved upon this issue considerably over the years.
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Return Of The Jedi's Slave Leia Did A Massive Disservice To The Character
Princess Leia is undeniably one of Star Wars' best characters, and her bravery and strength were evident from the very beginning with her introduction in A New Hope. In fact, Leia refused to betray the Rebellion even in the face of Darth Vader and Tarkin threatening to blow up her home planet, Alderaan, which also meant the death of her adoptive parents, Bail and Breha Organa. Even when the planet tragically was destroyed, Leia remained fierce and unwaveringly loyal to the Rebels.
The Empire Strikes Back reinforced this characterization of Leia, as she was clearly a leader in the Rebellion even at such a young age. The Empire Strikes Back also saw Leia come face-to-face with Darth Vader yet again, and once more, she did not back down even as she faced the loss of someone she loved. In this case, Leia had to watch as Han Solo was placed into carbonite, but she did not let her steely exterior fall even then.
Return of the Jedi took a sudden and very disappointing turn when it came to Princess Leia.
However, Return of the Jedi took a sudden and very disappointing turn when it came to Princess Leia. Although she had previously been depicted as a fierce Rebel and a true hero, Return of the Jedi saw Leia in an extremely revealing slave outfit, more or less a bikini, and strapped to the horrific Jabba the Hutt. In fact, Carrie Fisher herself had spoken about the discomfort she felt regarding this very sexualizing outfit and the knowledge that many Star Wars viewers found the outfit appealing. Truly, Leia's 'slave outfit' was a real disservice to the character and the actress.
Star Wars Has Turned Slave Leia Into The Huttslayer
However, over the years, Star Wars has revisited Leia's time being enslaved to Jabba the Hutt and has made the entire event much more empowering. While it isn't possible to change the outfit, Claudia Gray's book, Star Wars: Bloodline, canonized the term "Huttslayer" in reference to Leia single-handedly killing Jabba the Hutt by choking him with the very chain that had her trapped. This was an incredible revision to this dark period in Leia's Star Wars history, as it reinforced the character Leia had always been: a daring, powerful hero.
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In fact, the author of the book spoke about this very directly. According to MovieWeb, Gray explained:
"Not only did I like recasting that outfit as a memory of Leia being really strong and kick-ass, but think about it - for a human being to kill a Hutt with her bare hands? That's unbelievable. Anybody who would be able to pull that off would be ed for it. That would be legend."
Clearly, this reversal was very intentional, and it had the desired effect; Leia's sexualizing outfit has become so much more than a symbol of her slavery. Rather, it is a symbol of one of Leia's fiercest, most powerful moments.
Leia Now Even Fulfills Anakin's Dream
This moment with Jabba the Hutt also represents an incredible connection between Leia and her biological father, Anakin Skywalker. Although Leia seems to never have forgiven Anakin, which is understandable given all he had done to her specifically and to the galaxy more broadly, she did accomplish something that would have been very meaningful to Anakin. Specifically, Leia broke herself free from slavery, which would have had a major effect on Anakin, as a former slave himself.
Although father and daughter never mended their relationship, it is nevertheless a small comfort to know that Leia's triumphant Return of the Jedi moment was a beautiful connection not only to her father but also to the innocent young boy her father had once been. Many have pointed out that, had Anakin not turned to the dark side, he and Leia undoubtedly would have had a very special bond, as they were so similar. This connection is a great example of that. Surprisingly, then, Star Wars has done considerable work to improve this previously disappointing Return of the Jedi moment.
Source: MovieWeb
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
- Release Date
- May 25, 1983
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
- Director
- Richard Marquand
Cast
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo
WHERE TO WATCH
Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.
- Writers
- George Lucas
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Studio(s)
- Lucasfilm
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
- Budget
- $32.5-42.7 Million
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