8. Luke's Entrance Was Worth The Wait
Star Wars fans had waited a long time to see Luke Skywalker in full on Jedi-mode, and his entrance here, which pretty much begins the long, protracted sequence at Jabba's palace, finally delivered on the saga's promise to turn Luke into the most powerful warrior in the universe. It's a great entrance, the huge door to Hutt Castle slowly opening to let in a growing band of blinding light. Through the light walks a hooded figure - looking, it has to be said, like a Sith lord; a great bit of possible foreshadowing - stalking methodically down the entrance way. Then we see him, and it's Luke, who in another eerie moment of Sith paralleling, chokes two of Jabba's pathetic guards with a simple wave of his hands. Next, using the Jedi mind tricks he was so awed by when Obi-Wan used them in A New Hope, Luke persuades the hapless Bib Fortuna to grant him an audience with Jabba. Such magic fails to work on the slug himself, but the way Luke speaks to him - all talk of death and destruction should the Hutt not release Han Solo - is rife with allusions to Luke's mastery of his powers (it's also worth noting that Luke's tone resounds as far more Dark Side than it does otherwise). This is Skywalker as we've wanted to see him since Obi-Wan first spoke of the Jedi two films ago, and rewatching Return Of The Jedi reminds one that his entrance is just as powerful (if not quite as iconic) as Darth Vader's in that very film.