‘Return of the Deleted Jedi Scenes’ Adds a Whole New Level of Stakes

Many fans believe that dividing the main battle into many parts has lessened its emotional impact. Of the three scenes depicted here, Luke and Vader’s fight has the most emotional weight. The Battle of Endor was criticized for the presence of the Ewoks and how their primitive weapons could crush the might of the Empire. As for the space battle… it seems pretty repetitive considering there’s another battle to take out yet another planet-destroying battle station. But a series of deleted scenes connects all three storylines together and helps give the final scene more dramatic weight.

An early scene would have established a power bond between Vader and Luke

Among the most infamous deleted scenes is the moment Luke finishes assembling his green-bladed lightsaber, which he uses in Return of the Jedilast fight. But this moment is part of a larger scene that connects with Return of the Jediopening. After Vader arrives on the Death Star II, he enters a secret room. There he once again repeats the offer made to Luke at the end The Empire Strikes Back: Join him and overthrow Palpatine. Luke chooses to ignore this and dates C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker).

Although it was a small stage, the weight behind it is palpable. There is a moment when Luke hesitates, as if he is actually considering his offer. Vader’s proposal also has a touch of tragedy: turning his son to the dark side is the only way he knows how to contact him. If it had been left in the movie, it would have made their final battle - especially the moment Vader turns on Palpatine and hurls him down the Death Star II reactor shaft - even more tangible.

Endor targeted by the Death Star

Through Return of the JediMoff Jerjerrod (Michael Pennington) is an Imperial officer who reports to Vader, and he seems to be completely intimidated by the Dark Lord of the Sith. This is understandable, given that The Empire Strikes Back it is established that most officers are promoted when their predecessors suffer Force suffocation at the hands of Vader. But the three cut scenes give the moff more solidity. In one of these scenes, Vader is about to kill Jerjerrod, but relents when Palpatine calls him off. Jerjerrod smirks and says “very good”. This scene was most likely cut to keep Vader’s threat alive.

Other scenes are more important. In one of them, Jerjerrod decides to turn Death Star 2power on Endor, despite the fact that there are imperial forces. And another showcases his final moments as the battle station explodes, taking him with it. If the Death Star were to target Endor, it would add more danger to Han, Leia and Lando’s respective missions - and even more weight in Luke’s duel with Vader. Also, he would neatly tie all three events together by adding a ticking clock to each hero’s goal.

In the end, Return of the Jedi remains a solid and often emotionally effective addition to the original star Wars trilogy - at least in the humble opinion of this author. However, it’s not hard to guess what the reaction would be if these scenes made it into the final cut.