Line #51 Awesome/TheEmpireStrikesBack


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7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atat_walkers.jpg]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350:[[RootingForTheEmpire The Empire's]] [[VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII finest hour.]]]]
9	* In the first film, all we really saw of the Force was mental; influencing minds, creating illusions, seeing without one's eyes, that sort of thing. Even the Force-choking of Motti by Vader could have been along these lines rather than telekinesis. Then we see Luke trapped in an ice cave with a wampa, hanging upside-down by his feet. He can't reach his lightsaber, so with great concentration, he manages to pull it to him, free himself, and de-arm the wampa. And he taught himself to do this!
10	* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLUTOGpJ2es first appearance]] of the ''Executor''. We see it eclipsing the light on multiple ''Star Destroyers! LIKE THAT BEHEMOTH FROM THE INTRO OF THE PREVIOUS FILM!'' Even its engine exhausts dwarf the escorting Destroyers. The same sequence debuts a new piece of music for ''Empire'', one that would count among the most iconic of the franchise, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic the Imperial March.]]
11	** To truly put this into perspective, normal ''Imperial''-class Star Destroyers are approximately 1,600 meters long, or about 1 mile. Super Star Destroyers are 12 times longer than normal Star Destroyers, at ''19 kilometers'' long. The ''Executor'' is the length of Manhattan!
12	** Remember how ''Film/ANewHope'' opens with a spaceship being chased down by an ''[[MileLongShip even bigger]]'' spaceship? The first true appearance of the Empire in this film is that big spaceship being eclipsed by an '''''even bigger''''' spaceship! Imagine seeing that when the film originally came out in 1980 and having your mind blown.
13	** The above is immediately followed by a shot of the back of Darth Vader's helmet, as he surveys HIS fleet of massive ships. Keep in mind, this is the first time in three years that audiences have seen the Dark Lord on film, and you'll understand why crowds in theaters worldwide burst into friggin' CHEERS.
14	* Minor one for General Veers. It takes NervesOfSteel to not react in the slightest when [[TheDreaded Darth Vader]] turns around and raises his voice at you when you're half a foot away from him.
15	* [[WinterWarfare The Battle of Hoth]]. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis ALL! OF! IT!]] The Rebel soldiers are about to be badly outgunned and face the Empire's crushing might, the scary quadrupedal [[WalkingTank All Terrain Armored Transports]] (Imperial Walkers) above all, but they still bravely hold the line to buy time for the evacuation of Echo Base, and even inflict quite a bit of casualties to the Imperials. And the valiant pilots of the Rogue Squadron (including Luke Skywalker) do their darndest to provide aerial cover with their Snowspeeders. It also doubles as a crowning moment of filmmaking due to the expert use of miniatures on both the AT-AT's and the Snowspeeders that hold up phenomenally well. The battle is made even more awesome by the use of real life [[BackedByThePentagon Norwegian army reservists that played the soldiers in the battle]]. ''The Empire Strikes Back indeed!''
16	** Upon finding out that the Snowspeeders' laser guns can't do anything against the armor of the [=AT-ATs=], Luke devises a tactic to bring them down using the aircrafts' towing cables to entangle their legs. ''On the spot''. He can't do it himself after his [[GuyInBack gunner]] gets killed, but Wedge Antilles manages to pull it off perfectly. And another Snowspeeder caps it off by shooting and destroying the downed AT-AT now that it's immobile.
17	** Luke single-handedly takes down another Imperial Walker, by himself, ''on foot'', with just a GrapplingHookPistol, his lightsaber and a grenade. At that, you'll understand why the Emperor is so concerned about this kid; as in, "If the boy can do that with barely a few days instruction from Obi-Wan Kenobi, what could he do once he is properly trained?"
18	** The Rebels manage to disable a Star Destroyer with their ion cannon, creating a gap in the Imperial blockade for the Rebel ships to escape through.
19	--->'''Rebel PA Announcer''': [[DangerDeadpan The first transport is away.]]
20	--->''Rebels at the base start cheering''
21	** One for the AT-AT of General Veers -- the Snowspeeders are pretty fast but he manages to shoot one down ''up close'' with his Walker, at a quite extreme angle for the bulky war machine.
22	** Echo Base is falling, the Imperials are advancing almost unopposed, and the command center has been hit, but Leia is ''still'' there, calmly directing the defense to buy time for the evacuation. Han practically has to drag her out of there, and she still sticks around long enough to tell the crew there to send the final evacuation signal and to get to their transports.
23	* After the Battle of Hoth, the Millenium Falcon is making its escape from not one, not two, but ''three'' Star Destroyers, outmaneuvering the Star Destroyers with a twisting dive. The colossal ships can't readjust their positions in time, and so we're treated to the sight of two of the three Star Destroyers ''nearly colliding in space''.
24	* Yoda reveals that he is a Master - the ''last'' Jedi Master. [[LateArrivalSpoiler Not astounding these days,]] but when the movie was new, it was the ''second'' biggest twist in ''Empire.'' (More on the biggest twist later.) He immediately became a FountainOfMemes.
25	--> '''Yoda:''' Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you, hmm? And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must ''feel'' the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.\
26	'''Yoda:''' Do, or do not. [[ThereIsNoTry There is no "try."]]\
27	'''Yoda:''' "Great warrior"? ''(laughs)'' Wars not make one great.
28	** Yoda's second dialogue sounds even more awesome after you've seen or read what the Jedi (or any Force-sensitives) are capable of in the Prequel Trilogy, the current [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]], and in [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]].
29	* Even before revealing his true colors, Yoda is already dropping truthbombs, such as telling Luke straight out that [[WarIsHell "Wars not make one great"]] which becomes a bit of brilliance when you realize that Yoda actually fought in the Clone Wars and learned from experience that there is nothing glorious about war.
30	-->'''Yoda''': For '''800 years''' have I trained Jedi! My own counsel I will keep on who is to be trained!
31	* Luke informs Yoda that he's just not strong enough in the Force to raise his starfighter from the swamp. Despite Yoda's words of encouragement (see above), Luke just scoffs that Yoda wants [[AwesomeButImpractical "the impossible"]]. Yoda then raises the X-wing out of the swamp, accompanied by triumphant music and spirited beeping from R2-D2.
32	-->'''Luke:''' I don't-- I don't believe it!\
33	'''Yoda:''' ''That''... is why you fail.
34	* Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader for the first time.
35	--> '''Vader:''' The Force ''is'' with you, young Skywalker, [[PretenderDiss but you are not a Jedi yet.]]
36	** Above all, when Luke is clinging to that ledge, ''thoroughly beaten'' by Vader both physically and emotionally. Luke defies Vader's offer - "Come with me, it is the only way." - and [[DoomedMoralVictor steps off]] [[DrivenToSuicide the ledge]]. He didn't expect to survive, but it was the only course that could still win the larger battle. It was what Yoda had warned him about. Vader was not out to kill Luke, but to corrupt him to the Dark Side of the Force; when Luke showed that he ''would'' destroy himself rather than submit to that, Vader learned that his son's integrity was too strong for him alone.
37	** For Vader, when he starts picking up random pieces of machinery and tossing them at Luke in the middle of the fight. That's when you really understand that, yeah, Luke's pretty handy with a lightsaber, [[CurbStompBattle but he is]] ''[[CurbStompBattle way]]'' [[CurbStompBattle out of his league here.]]
38	*** The best bit is Vader isn't even doing any [[PstandardPsychicPstance psychic wavy-arms gestures that other Force users would be seen doing]], he's barely even making an effort. Imagine how brief it would have been if Vader had just wanted Luke dead. No wonder the Jedi were diminished because of him.
39	*** Further emphasized that while Luke adopts the standard two-handed grip on his lightsaber at the start of the match, Vader opens with a more casual one-handed grip and bats away Luke's initial attacks with what is clearly contemptuous ease, even knocking Luke to the floor by casually pushing against Luke's most powerful blow. Those first few strikes serve as the first inkling that Luke may have just bitten off a ''lot'' more than he can chew.
40	*** After Luke scores his hit against Vader, Vader roars in rage, and viciously renews his attack, ''immediately'' stopping any pretense of Luke being his equal, and in less than three strokes, ''effortlessly'' severs Luke's hand. There's even this slight pause before he does it, as if to silently say "[[IfIWantedYouDead You are not dead]], because I ''decided'' not to kill you."
41	** The setting for this particular duel was also amazing. The eerie, low-lighting of the carbonite chamber, the fog from the machines, and Vader's breathing grimly cutting in through the silence. As well as the eerily abandoned service halls and the massive chamber in the core of the city. A truly masterful set-up to the fight.
42	** When you think about it, Luke actually makes a decent showing, especially for his low level of training. When Vader begins the fight, he's just barely even trying. Then Luke evades his trap, and even manages to cause him some degree of pain with the coolant (if his cry of rage is any indication), and Vader resorts to [[CombatPragmatist throwing things at Luke using The Force]]. ''Then'' Luke lands a hit on Vader's shoulder, causing Vader to cry out in pain ''AGAIN''. Only when he chops off Luke's hand is Luke finally driven to his knees. Sure, he'd probably have lost eventually anyway, but considering how far his combat abilities are below Vader's, that's pretty impressive.
43	** Just about everything Vader does through this fight is awesome, when you realize that he was controlling both the pace ''and'' tone of that battle the entire time. He starts off by forcing Luke to make the first overt attack (which, by the way, is in direct contradiction to the Jedi Code that Yoda had just taught him, making it a nice TakeThat at the same time), then he almost playfully bats Luke around a little to show him what he's up against. In the second encounter, he does nothing but stand to one side and pummel Luke with Force thrown objects, showing him what a real adept is capable of, before knocking him onto the suspended walkway. And ''then'', he goes full bore berserk on the boy, and Luke switches from mildly out-of-his-depth action hero to full on [[OhCrap terrified]] and desperate to be ''anywhere else''. And Vader [[CurbStompBattle lays him out in about twenty seconds.]] And what does he do when Luke gives him some flack after all that? He takes off his fricken sword hand at the wrist with almost no effort at all. Only then does he start delivering his true BreakingSpeech. Pure badass.
44	* Also, when Vader kills Admiral Ozzel. Ozzel isn't even in the same room, and yet he easily Force chokes him through the view screen; distance is no object to Vader.[[note]]Although more to the point, distance is no object to the power of The Force.[[/note]] It helps that he had a very good reason for it: Ozzel's tactical blunders spoiled the Imperials' chance at a destructive sneak attack and bought the Rebels time to evacuate Hoth. "YouAreInCommandNow, ''Admiral'' Piett." He gives Piett his promotion ''before'' Ozzel hits the ground.
45	** Vader doesn't even acknowledge Ozzel at all, just rattling off his list of instructions to Piett. The urgency of his tone is ''all'' in stopping the Rebels here and now, nothing to do with the man he's murdering which, as noted in the Luke duel above, Vader's doing with no obvious motions or gestures. Even as he gasps his last, Ozzel is completely beneath Vader's notice.
46	** In the radio drama, Vader does acknowledge Ozzel, and his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech is both just as contemptuous towards the habitual screwup as his refusal to acknowledge Ozzel in the film and not even bothering to speak to him ''at all'' in the novelization, and extremely satisfying to those who have had to put up with similar levels of incompetence and/or stupidity from anyone else. Essentially, Vader is giving a voice to their frustrations. Even if it is [[DisproportionateRetribution extremely excessive]].
47	--->'''Vader''': Ozzel, the power closing about your throat is the Force. It is my anger reaching out to end your life. It would be pointless to merely ''punish'' someone so useless.
48	* When the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive finally works thanks to R2.
49	* Wedge and Wes being the only Rebels to actually take down an AT-AT with their tow cables.
50	* Boba Fett doesn't even flinch when Darth Vader gets in his face about the disintegrations.
51	** How about the fact that Boba is able to get semi-huffy with the Sith Lord and ''live''! Vader straight up ignores it.
52	* Han Solo after being tortured. When he finds out that this was all to lure Luke into a trap, he uses a bit of strength he has left to punch Lando before being restrained. Lando was trying to find a way out at the time, but the fact that Han's best friend putting his other best friend in danger being the last straw for him was pretty awesome.
53	* As Han Solo is lowered into the carbonite freezing chamber, Leia declares her love to him. She doesn't get the response she was hoping for.
54	-->'''Leia:''' I love you!
55	-->'''Han:''' I know.
56	** Especially since this line was an ad-lib by Harrison Ford, since he felt that the scripted "I love you too" was too out-of-character.
57	* "I am altering the deal. ''Pray'' I don't alter it any further."
58	** Luke jumping out of the carbon freezing chamber right before it can freeze him.
59	-->'''Vader:''' "Impressive... ''most'' impressive."
60	** Back when he was Anakin, Vader was ''always'' jumping around and barely avoiding death by the skin of his teeth. When Luke jumps free, Vader is basically going "He's ''definitely'' my son. I am impressed."
61	* The big reveal is some of James Earl Jones's best vocal work.
62	-->'''Vader:''' No. ''[[WhamLine I]]'' [[LukeIAmYourFather am your father.]]
63	** Not only that, it's possibly George Lucas's crowning achievement in scriptwriting. He had the idea, but then he set it up so that everything made sense, then delivered what could be considered '''[=THE=]''' twist in modern fiction. And don't forget Mark Hamill selling the impact and all four people who knew the twist and managed to keep it secret until the reveal on the big screen.
64	* Darth Vader just deflecting Han's blaster shots ''with his hand,'' no lightsaber necessary, then Force-ripping his blaster across the room. You think you're going to be able to just shoot Darth Vader? Please!
65	** Imagine yourself as Han Solo for a moment. You've just outrun a bunch of Imperials and finally made your way to a small out of the way planet for a chance to rest and repair your ship. You've met up with an old friend of yours and are on the way to a nice meal with the possibility of romancing Leia a bit afterwards. Seems like a perfect place to hide out and lay low for a bit. Then you open the door to find none other than [[TheDreaded Darth Vader]] waiting for you. Do you look in disbelief to the friend who betrayed you? Turn and hightail it out of there with Leia and Chewie in tow? No. Without a single second of hesitation you immediately pull out your gun and ''start shooting that motherfucker.'' Further proof that Han is the biggest badass to ever swagger across the galaxy; too bad Vader has more than enough power with the Dark Side to make up for that.
66	** Then there's Chewbacca's truly epic roar. It's a real shame he didn't do that more often in the series.
67	* John Williams' music is its usual awesomeness, but two aspects of this score particularly stand out. Firstly, the Imperial March, which makes its debut in this film; rarely has music been quite so badass. The second is at the very end of the film: The Rebel fleet has fled the galaxy after the destruction of their main base, Luke is psychologically shaken by the confrontation with Vader and learning the man is ''his father'' (not to mention getting his hand lopped off and having taken a huge beating before and afterwards) and Han has been frozen in a block of carbonite and taken off by a notorious bounty hunter to be sold to a wicked gangster. But as Lando speeds off to rescue his friend and Luke and Leia stare out at the stars, what music is blaring behind them all? [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Han and Leia's Love Theme]].
68	* "[[AsteroidThicket You're not actually taking us into an asteroid field, are you?!]]" Oh, hell ''yes'' he is.
69	* When Threepio points out the low chances of survival in an asteroid field, Han replies: "NeverTellMeTheOdds." Possibly the most badass line in the entire series.
70	* Han heading out into the snow to find Luke:
71	-->'''Technician:''' Sir, your Tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker!
72	-->'''Han:''' Then I'll [[SeeYouInHell see you in HELL!]]
73	* [[YouHaveFailedMe "Apology accepted, Captain Needa."]] This was also ''Needa's'' SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. Having just been outmaneuvered and out-bluffed by Solo, Needa is tasked with explaining his failure to Vader, and there's no question in anyone's mind how [[YouHaveFailedMe Lord Vader deals with setbacks]]. What does he do? He flies himself to the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executor_(Star_Wars) Executor]]'' to stand before Vader, take full responsibility, and fall on his sword, sparing his ship and crew from the Sith Lord's wrath. Vader's quoted line (and his audible amusement while saying it) seems to imply that even he was mildly impressed by Needa's actions. Compare Needa's execution to Ozzel's, whom Vader pointedly refused to acknowledge ''while choking him to death''.
74	* With Luke and Han both incapacitated in different ways, Leia calmly takes charge of two rescue missions, in a manner similar to her staying back at Echo Base on Hoth to direct the evacuation until the very last minute. In the previous film, Leia was the one who needed rescuing. In ''Empire'', she's the one who rescues Luke from almost certain death, even making (with the help of Chewie) Lando back down about the craziness of flying ''back'' to Imperial-occupied Cloud City. No DamselInDistress, our plucky Princess.
75	* In ''both'' Star Wars timelines, the hand and lightsaber are retrieved and the latter is used again by another Jedi. Let the logistics of that sink in a moment.
76	* With a bit of discreet signalling on his wrist communicator, Lando is able to arrange for his security forces to ambush the Imperial personnel escorting him and Princess Leia, allowing for the heroes to escape Cloud City (except for Han, who is taken away moments before they can rescue him). While he wouldn't fully redeem himself until the start of ''Return of the Jedi'', Lando's cleverness prevents the whole batch of heroes from being captured or killed by Vader and Boba Fett.
77	* Weird version that crosses with NightmareFuel. When the Falcon escapes at the end of the film, the entire deck crew clearly thinks Vader is in the mood to kill someone. But he doesn't. Because the crew was simply and sincerely outmaneuvered. And, unlike the previous time with Needa, there isn't any potential argument that someone screwed up. Everything happened right in front of his own face. He knows everyone did their job brilliantly, and the Falcon managed to slip away at the last possible second. No one really failed, and all he can do is skulk off.
78	* The SequelHook features a fleet of Rebel starships and fighters as Lando and Chewie set off to rescue Han. This is awesome on a couple of different levels: Plot-wise, it shows that the Rebels are not out of the fight, despite their defeat at Hoth. Special effects-wise, this is one of the largest fleet scenes we've seen in the franchise thus far, and certainly the largest collection of Rebel ships seen yet, showing that the Alliance has more than just transports and snub fighters.
79	** It also serves to [[CurbstompCushion soften the blow]] after the trouncing the heroes took throughout the film. It's a brilliant reversal of the first film's sequel hook. Instead of Darth Vader narrowly surviving and flying off to fight another day, now the heroes do. And [[BittersweetEnding despite the main party's struggles]], the Rebellion has clearly won the day simply by resisting the Empire's attempts to stomp them out for good.

Context Awesome / TheEmpireStrikesBack