Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
Dir. Richard Marquand. By George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. Perf. Mark Hammill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and David Prowse. Lucas Film, 1983. DVD.
The galaxy is at war, the forces of the Empire and the Rebels clash at every turn and the flames of war threaten to overwhelm both sides but since the destruction of the Death Star, a space station fortress with the power to destroy entire planets, the Rebels now have a fighting chance to defeat the evil Empire. Meanwhile the Empire begins construction on a new Death Star that is many times larger and stronger than its predecessor, which they will use to crush the Rebels and maintain their iron grip on Imperial space. The protagonists, Luke, Han, and Leia, reunite after the group saves Han from the gangster Jabba the Hutt and soon they regroup with the rebel fleet which is en route to destroy the Imperial super weapon before its completion. They arrive in the Endor system where they find the Death Star but it is shielded and it cannot be attacked until the shield generators have been destroyed. Han leads the ground team to destroy the shields on the surface of Endor while Lando Calrissian leads the fighter attack on the battle station. Luke then surrenders himself to Lord Vader, his father and dark apprentice to the evil Emperor, who then takes him before the Emperor who seeks to corrupt the young warrior and turn him to the Dark Side. Luke resists and the Emperor tries to kill him but upon seeing his son fight for what he believes Darth Vader turns on his master and kills him instead, saving his son and causing the downfall of the Galactic Empire.
The theme of light vs. dark is very prevalent throughout the film. Luke and the Rebels represent all that is good, such as friendship, love, order by law, etc., while the Empire represents darkness with themes such as hatred, corruption and ruthlessness. The theme of light vs dark also appears in the struggle between the Jedi, a faction of warriors who use the Force for good and help to keep the peace, and the Sith, dark lords who only wish to use the force for personal gain and power. But ultimately at the end of the film the evil Emperor is killed and Darth Vader turns from the darkness showing that above all else and against all obstacles, good will prevail.
