Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Themes
Spirituality
The Empire Strikes Back is ground zero for our most enduring images of the Force, from Luke levitating rocks while performing one-handed handstands (a.k.a. Jedi Cross-fit) to Vader choking out his...
Friendship
Forget the lightsabers and Death Stars—Star Wars is all about the power of friendship. There's the bond between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, which has a classic little bro/big bro feel. There's t...
Fate vs. Free Will
There's no shortage of "destiny" talk in The Empire Strikes Back, but Luke Skywalker proves time and time again that this story is a choose-your-own-adventure. Some predict that Luke will become th...
Hate
It's taking a lot of restraint not to lead off with some lame "I am your father" joke, so let's just get started—in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker is locked in a no-holds-barred battle w...
Love
If there's one famous fictional couple that we ship unabashedly, it's Han Solo and Leia Organa. This is a classic case of opposites attracting: the high-minded princess falling for the rough-and-tu...
Family
George Lucas has described the Star Wars series as a "soap opera" about family issues, and we think he just might be on to something. After all, how much more soap opera-ish can you get than a myst...