Star Wars: 10 Reasons Return Of The Jedi Isn't As Perfect As You Remember

2. It Ends On A Whimper

Say what you like about Rise of Skywalker, but it was certainly an all-out spectacle that gave the momentous franchise an ending it deserved. Confusing at points and muddled throughout, of course, but 21st-century cinematography allowed the Skywalker saga to bow out in the blaze of glory it had earned.

The original ending, though, not so much. After a strange and understated ground battle on Endor (why couldn’t the Empire send more troops!?) and a Death Star lacking the heart and tension of the original, Return of the Jedi just ... ends. Sure, Luke comes back to Endor, Vader’s funeral provides a bittersweet note and we see the Force Ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda and a now-reformed Anakin Skywalker, but the events don’t really seem to conclude.

In the remastered version, audiences are treated to shots of the galaxy celebrating the fall of the Empire, but their festivities seem quite presumptuous and premature. After all, The Force Awakens goes on to demonstrate just how frail the New Republic was, implying that Empirical outposts existed throughout the galaxy since the death of the Emperor.

The Sequel Trilogy’s First Order was more or less a continuation of the Empire, which begs the question: did the Rebellion actually win?