Return of the Jedi - Ending Explained

"Return of the Jedi" concludes the original trilogy's narrative with several major revelations and climactic events. After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, where Leia strangles the gangster with her own chains, the heroes learn of a second Death Star. The key twist is that, unlike the first, this station is already operational, and the Rebel fleet is flying into a trap set by the Emperor.

On Dagobah, a dying Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is indeed Luke's father and reveals there is "another Skywalker," whom Luke intuits is Leia. This reframes their relationship and establishes Leia's own connection to the Force. The film's climax is a three-pronged battle: Lando and the fleet engage the Imperial navy, Han and Leia's team battles on Endor to destroy the shield generator, and Luke confronts Vader and the Emperor. During their duel, Vader learns of Leia's existence and threatens to turn her to the dark side. This enrages Luke, who briefly gives in to his hatred and overpowers Vader, severing his prosthetic hand in a direct parallel to how Anakin lost his. Seeing what he is becoming, Luke casts his lightsaber aside, refusing to kill his father and fall to the dark side. The Emperor then tortures Luke with Force lightning. Unwilling to watch his son die, Vader lifts the Emperor and throws him down a reactor shaft, receiving fatal wounds in the process. A redeemed Anakin Skywalker dies in Luke's arms after asking to see his son with his own eyes. The Rebels destroy the Death Star, and the film ends with celebrations across the galaxy, as Luke sees the Force spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the redeemed Anakin Skywalker watching over him.

While the film's primary themes are quite direct, some elements have prompted alternative readings and fan theories.

• The Ewoks as a Vietnam War Allegory: One of the most prominent interpretations, supported by George Lucas himself, is that the battle on Endor is an allegory for the Vietnam War. A technologically inferior, native force using guerrilla tactics and knowledge of the terrain (the Ewoks) defeats a technologically superior, invading army (the Empire).
• The Ewok Holocaust Theory: A darker fan theory posits that the destruction of the second Death Star in Endor's orbit would have caused a catastrophic environmental event on the forest moon. The fallout and debris raining down—dubbed the 'Endor Holocaust'—would have wiped out the Ewoks and much of the moon's ecosystem, turning the Rebels' victory into an unintentional genocide.
• Cannibalistic Ewoks: Another grim theory suggests that the Ewoks are not as cute and cuddly as they appear. Evidence cited includes their initial attempt to roast Han Solo and Luke for a feast, and the final celebration where they are seen drumming on Stormtrooper helmets. The theory concludes that the victory feast may have included the defeated Imperial soldiers as the main course.