A Thousand Stars: Episode V, Part 13

[matril]

A quick interlude shows us Luke post-battle, watching the Falcon take to the skies before getting board his own ship. It's then we're finally assured that Luke remembers his delirious conversation with ghost Ben, and he's following his instructions to find Yoda on Dagobah. It's now Luke's turn, rather than Threepio's, to have exchanges with beep-and-whistle-language of the astromech droid. Artoo is nervous about this turn of events, but Luke seems quite sure of himself.

Things are much shakier with our heroes on the Falcon. They've ended up right in the middle of multiple Star Destroyers. When Han confidently prepares to escape into hyperspace, we're presented with a feeble engine sound, then...nothing. The characters' reactions are everything here, with Han's stunned confusion, Leia's tense impatience, and even Threepio's frantic flailings. I think we're in trouble is a massive understatement.

If you've ever listened to the director's commentary on Episode V from Irvin Kershner, you'll know that he was very excited by the idea that the motion of the Falcon could be simulated by having the actors all lunge in a certain direction. He'd never done any kind of effects film before; it's rather charming at how much it fascinated him. Anyway, it's worth appreciating how much the actors need to do to sell the illusion of being on a rocking ship instead of a soundstage. Moments like this, when the crowded chaos is really emphasized by how Han is struggling to maneuver around the cockpit's other occupants. As we cut from exterior to interior shots and back again, we rarely question that it's all part of a seamless scene.

Next, flying straight into madness...

Comments

[krpalmer]

The departure of the last Rebels from Hoth can be a sort of counterargument for me against interpretations that "their best efforts crumbled in the face of overwhelming Imperial might, as befitting a 'dark' movie..." Luke conversing with Artoo via a screen in his X-wing seems a way to not downplay "Threepio as translator," although there I'm afraid I get reminded of a book I once flipped through that argued that since we don't see people reading books in the Star Wars movies, everyone in them is to be regarded as functionally illiterate. I guess it's been a while since I listened to the commentary tracks, because I was a bit surprised at Irvin Kershner's excitement at "lurching in unison." On the other hand, I suppose I'm more familiar with Star Trek than he was...