History Film / ReturnOfTheJedi

* HeroicSecondWind: Luke Skywalker's big counter-offensive during his fight against Darth Vader.

* SimultaneousArcs: The movie takes place around the same time as the [[VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017 2017 Battlefront game]], [[Literature/StarWarsBladeSquadron Blade Squadron]], [[Literature/TheLeversOfPower The Levers of Power]], and [[Literature/StarWarsLostStars Lost Stars]] for the Battle of Endor, in addition to Emperor Palpatine's visit to the Death Star II in the latter.

** Luke on Endor when he reunites with Vader. Luke's confident Vader's internal conflict means he won't kill him or hand him over to the Emperor and he turns away. But when Vader ignites Luke's lightsaber, Luke gets visibly nervous for a moment. He's gambling ''everything'' on his father being redeemable, but he also just played mind games with Darth Vader. So hearing that familiar snap-hiss clearly makes Luke fear he overrplayed his hand and Vader ''is'' going to kill him before Vader instead becomes thoughtful and conversational.

** "I know that laugh."
** Leia when she realizes what [[GoGoEnslavement Jabba has planned for her]]
** Luke when the Rancor emerges.
** A subtle one from Yoda on his deathbed when Luke asks if Vader is his father. Realizing Luke now knows the secret, Yoda tries to quietly weasel his way out of it before resignedly confirming it.

* ContrasticSequelSetting: The movie spends much of its time on the forest moon of Endor, contrasting both the barren wastelands of Tatooine and Hoth.

*** While downplayed, this also (retroactively) ends up backfiring on Luke when he and Vader reunite on Endor. Since Luke doesn't know the specifics of Anakin's fall, he's gambling he can reach his father with the "I Know You're Still In There" appeal. He's genuinely taken aback when he realizes Vader, if anything, is conciously choosing to reject any redemption.

* AllAcordingToPlan: TheEmperor is quite fond of this. He tells Luke that "everything that has transpired has done so according to my design."

* WarIsHell: A subtle example when a Rebel fighter crashes and manages to send the Super Star Destroyer crashing into the Death Star; while Admiral Ackbar's staff cheer, Ackbar himself just slumps sadly in his command chair[[note]]The ''Executor'', according to Wookiepedia, has a standard crew of over 280,000. If her full complement of ground troops were on board, add another 38,000 to that number. That's (roughly) between a quarter and a third of a million sentient beings that died all at once, in addition to the Rebel pilot who died in the crash.[[/note]]

'''Obi-Wan:''' Luke, [[WideEyedIdealist you]] will find that many of the truths we cling to [[GreyAndGrayMorality depend greatly on our own point of view]].

-->'''Luke:''' Obi-Wan? Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father.\\

-->'''Bridge officer:''' Sir, we've lost our bridge deflector shield.
-->'''Admiral Piett:''' Intensify the forward batteries. I don't want anything to get through...
-->''[sees an out of control fighter coming right at them]''
-->'''Admiral Piett:''' ''Intensify forward firepower!!''
-->'''Crynyd:''' [[DefiantToTheEnd RHAAAAAAAAA]]!!!!
-->'''Commander Gherant:''' '''''[[OhCrap TOO LATE!!]]'''''

-->'''Luke:''' I have accepted that truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father.\\

* ThanksForTheMammaries: While helping her recover from a blaster-bolt shot to the inside of her left elbow, Han Solo also briefly grabs onto Leia Organa's left boob, and for reasons unknown, Creator/CarrieFisher wasn't even informed about the situation until ''after'' the film's production was finished.
* ThatManIsDead: As far as Obi-Wan is concerned, Anakin Skywalker died and Vader was born when his former friend turned to the dark side and betrayed the Jedi. Vader himself denies he has anything to do with Anakin anymore. He's wrong.

* VillainsNeverLie:
** Creator/GeorgeLucas said that the reason Luke sought Yoda to confirm Vader's revelation was because discussing with a psychologist he learned that most people would assume that Vader ''was'' lying, and it was all just mind games [[note]] Indeed, Creator/JamesEarlJones' first reaction after he read [[LukeIAmYourFather the iconic line]] was, "Oh, [Vader's] lying!" [[/note]]. Luke, and by extension the audience, needed a respected figure to get proof.

* WalkThePlank: The way for prisoners to be fed to the Sarlacc.

** Sure, Leia's slave outfit is {{Fanservice}} in and of itself, but also consider that she's forced to wear this outfit as part of her slave duties with the lecherous Jabba the Hutt. Even worse when you consider she has almost nothing between her and [[{{Squick}} Jabba's slimy body]].

** When Threepio explains that the Ewoks think he is a god, Luke is seen trying not to laugh. Especially during the following exchange, where either Mark Hamill is {{Corpsing}} terribly, or Luke finds the whole situation hilarious:

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Luke and Vader's lightsaber duel.

** Leia also played a crucial part in ransoming Han Solo from Jabba's dungeon, as well as Lando, who is making amends for deceiving Han at Cloud City.

* LecherousLicking: Jabba, a slug mobster, gives the female lead a slimy lick when she's captured by him.

* LeitmotifUponDeath: After Vader saves [[TheHero Luke]] from [[BigBad The Emperor's]] attacks, his suit is badly damaged. [[RedemptionEqualsDeath When he is about to die]] a gentler, less sinister version of The Imperial March plays representing his return to the light side of the force.
** Earlier in the film, Luke visits Yoda and in the scene his theme plays during it. At the end, he succumbs to his old age.

* MeaningfulFuneral: Luke gives Anakin a Jedi's funeral on Endor, cremating his armor.

* MetaphoricallyTrue: Obi-Wan's explanation of what happened to Luke's father; as far as he's concerned, Anakin and Vader literally are two separate people that shared the same body, and the good man that was Anakin Skywalker died when he betrayed the Jedi Order, so he was technically telling the truth.

** The Emperor encouraging Luke to be aggressive and kill Vader is ''not'' this trope. While killing his father in a moment of passion might have worked, to do so deliberately and knowingly would have been more effective. However, his gleefully telling Luke to finish him does cause Luke to have his HeelRealization - and Palpatine [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith had no problems tricking people into the Dark Side before]] anyway.
*** The true mistake from Palpatine's side was believing Luke was like his father. Luke, while having some features of Anakin, was way more like Padmé. And seeing what Anakin had become helped Luke come into his senses. So truthfully, Sidious' attempt to turn Luke was doomed to fail from the beginning.
*** During the climactic duel between Luke and Vader, Palpatine can't resist cackling and applauding Luke each time he starts getting more aggressive--which just causes Luke to dial back the anger out of spite. After this happens twice, Palpatine shuts up for the rest of the duel, but after Luke cuts Vader's hand off, he just can't resist doing it again, thus prompting Luke--who now realizes how dangerously close he had just come to turning out like his father--to ultimately reject Palpatine's offer. Had Palpatine just kept his mouth shut, Luke may very well have finished Vader off in a fit of blind rage.

* PalatePropping: Luke used this trope on the Rancor with a large bone, albeit not very successfully due to its jaw strength.

* PassedInTheirSleep: Defied. Yoda heads to bed to try to avoid Luke's questions, then fights to stay awake to give him some last words of advice [[BigSleep before (literally)]] [[EverythingFades fading off]] [[KilledMidSentence mid-sentence.]]

* ProphecyTwist: The Emperor had it right when he foresaw that [[ExactWords Skywalker's compassion would be his undoing]]. His error was in misinterpreting [[PapaWolf which Skywalker his foresight referred to]].
** Similarly, there's also a retroactive instance here thanks to the Prequel Trilogy. The Prophecy of the Chosen One stated he or she would destroy the Sith. After Anakin became Vader, Obi-Wan and Yoda believed the Prophecy was wrong...until now. Anakin ''does'' destroy the Sith when he turns back to the Light Side. He tosses Palpatine down the reactor shaft and succumbs to his injuries, thereby taking the Sith teachings with him and ending their line. Of course, this is only within the context of George Lucas' films (as the Disney Canon invalidates this).

* SoProudOfYou: As the unmasked Vader dies, he tells Luke, "You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right." His smile says this trope more plainly than words ever could.
** This sentiment can also be seen in the faces of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin's force ghosts when they show up at the celebrations on Endor. None of them say a word, but the way they watch Luke, they don't need to.

* YouBastard: Leia's slave bikini is a subtle example of this. Yes, she looks hot in it, but keep in mind Jabba designed it to be as degrading and uncomfortable as possible, and [[WordOfGod according to Carrie Fisher]], was every bit as uncomfortable as it looked.

** It actually [[VillainRespect impressed Jabba, though not to the point of fifty thousand]].

* AndIMustScream: In the novelization, Han describes the carbon freezing as "not just sleeping, but a big wide awake nothing." Also, if you get eaten by a Sarlacc, you are slowly digested for 1,000 years.

* CookingTheLiveMeal: After capturing Luke, Chewie and Han Solo, the Ewoks carry them into their village [[TribalCarry tied to poles]] and place them over fire pits strewn with bones. As the Ewoks pile up wood beneath them, [=3PO=] (who is the only one to understand their language) informs Han that he is going to be the main course of the coming banquet. The Ewoks are just about to kindle the fire under Han when Luke scares them into submission by use of the force.

* DeadlyForceField: Narrowly avoided. Palpatine lured the Rebels to Endor with the hope of getting most of their fleet to crash into the Death Star II's deflector shield, which the Rebels thought Han's team had brought down. Lando Calrissian and Nien Nunb deduce that the shield is still up with seconds to spare and order the fleet to break off. According to the novelization, not everyone pulled up in time.

* FedToTheBeast: Luke getting trapdoor'd into the Rancor dungeon. Additionally, the Sarlacc pit serves as the current page image.

** As the Emperor tortures Luke with lightning blasts while the latter cries out for help, [[PrepareToDie "Now, young Skywalker, you will die,"]] the Emperor charges up a full blast to kill him once and for all, but Vader, seeing what is happening, can't stand to see his son in pain and hoists the Emperor into the air, causing the Emperor to zap himself with his own lightning, before being thrown to his death in the Death Star's reactor.
*** Palpatine also lets his success with converting Anakin to the Dark Side go to his head when trying to repeat the process with Luke (and while it was there in the original release in 1983, it's retroactively more evident thanks to the Prequels). Having sucessfully corrupted the Jedi's Chosen One, Palpatine clearly thinks Luke is just Anakin 2.0 and that turning him will be no great challenge. Palpatine's forgetting that he had 13 years to get his hooks into Anakin and slowly, carefully corrupt him. With Luke, he thinks all he needs is the work of an afternoon and it doesn't occur to him that what might've worked with Anakin won't necessarily work with his son.

* ItOnlyWorksOnce: The film doesn't directly state it, but the briefing room scene pretty much implies that the Exhaust Port weakness used to bring down the first Death Star isn't gonna work this time, forcing the rebels to make a daring suicide mission by having their starfighters fly directly inside of the unfinished space station to attack the reactor.

* NonActionBigBad: Subverted with Palpatine. While the previous movie established him as a Force user, he's an old man who moves slowly and needs a cane to walk, which would make the audience think he wouldn't do well on a battle, and keeps Vader around to do the actual fighting. Then he [[JustForPun shocks]] both Luke and the audience when he nearly kills Luke with Force Lightning, an extremely powerful never seen before Dark Side ability.

** The doomed A-wing pilot flying his own ship into the bridge of the ''Executor''. He succeeds in taking down the ship and taking fleet Admiral Piett with him (Piett is the last of the major villains in the film to lose; he barely outlives Anakin's redemption and the Emperor, though Anakin/Vader is the last villain to physically die, doing so after the ''Executor'' has already plowed into the Death Star and finished Piett off. No word on Moff Jerjerrod's fate).

** A few scenes later, Lando's optimism proves true with some much-needed interest for the Rebels when a struck A-Wing fighter piloted by Arvel Crynyd goes kamikaze on a Super Star Destroyer's bridge in its final moments and sends the battleship plummeting into the Death Star, freshly unprotected as Han has just disabled the force field generator.

** A few scenes later, Lando's optimism proves true with some much-needed interest for the Rebels when a struck X-Wing fighter goes kamikaze on a Star Destroyer's bridge and sends it plummeting into the Death Star, now unprotected as Han has just disabled the force field generator.

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Luke and Vader can sense each other's presence when Luke arrives at Endor.

* GenerationXerox: Palpatine's makes the same mistake Yoda made with Luke in the last film (and while it was there in the original release, it's retroactively more evident thanks to the Prequels). Having corrupted Anakin decades ago, it's clear Palpatine thinks Luke is just Anakin 2.0 and that corrupting the Son of Skywalker will be no serious challenge. He doesn't realize that while Luke ''is'' like Anakin in many ways, he's also not a carbon copy (and if anything, takes more after Padme).

*** Palpatine lets his success with converting Anakin to the Dark Side go to his head when trying to repeat the process with Luke (and while it was there in the original release in 1983, it's retroactively more evident thanks to the Prequels). Having sucessfully corrupted the Jedi's Chosen One, Palpatine clearly thinks Luke is just Anakin 2.0 and that turning him will be no great challenge and an afternoon's work. Palpatine's forgetting that he had 13 years to get his hooks into Anakin and slowly, carefully corrupt him. With Luke, he thinks all he needs is a few hours and it doesn't occur to him that what might've worked with Anakin won't necessarily work with his son.

* GenerationXerox: This is one of Palpatine's fatal mistakes (and while it was there in the original release, it's retroactively more evident thanks to the Prequels). Having corrupted Anakin decades ago, it's clear Palpatine thinks Luke is just Anakin 2.0 and that corrupting the Son of Skywalker will be no serious challenge. He doesn't realize that while Luke ''is'' like Anakin in many ways, he's also not a carbon copy (and if anything, takes more after Padme).