A thrilling sequel opened up the
Star Wars universe back in 1980 for better or worse with many underwhelming chapters then following
When The Empire Strikes Back was released 40 years ago, it was simply the sequel to Star Wars. It was not yet Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, the middle chapter of a nine-film “saga” told in three trilogies. It was not yet subject to the obsessive tweaking that George Lucas started to do with the special editions two decades later, with their digital polishing, retconned bits of storytelling, and added characters and dialogue. And it was not yet freighted by spinoff projects, a splintered fan culture, and a mythology that’s complicated by the incompatible, sometimes contradictory visions of multiple film-makers and a corporate parent fussing over its investment.
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