Return to 'Return of the Jedi' one more time

Posted Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 3:21 PM Central
Last updated Friday, November 6, 2015 at 10:30 AM Central

by John Couture

Can you believe that it's been 30 years since the release of what was then the ultimate Star Wars movie? It's true. Return of the Jedi hit theaters on May 25, 1983 and ever since that day, we were torn with the finality of the film and our desire for further adventures from Luke and the gang.

Thanks to Disney, we will finally see Luke, Leia and Han back on the big screen starting in 2015, but sometimes it's good to go back and honor the past. This milestone sort of crept up on me as the glee and excitement of new Star Wars films had me looking ahead instead of back.

While sure, The Empire Strikes Back remains my favorite Star Wars film by far, there's something special about Return of the Jedi that will keep it near and dear to my heart. It's the first Star Wars that I actually remember seeing in theaters.

My parents tell me that I saw The Empire Strikes Back in theaters at the ripe old age of 5, but I don't have a personal recollection of it. Interestingly though, I do recall seeing it on video as it was the first film that we ever rented on VHS back in the day. But, that's a story for another day.

This story is about Jedi and that special moment where you finally realize that watching a film in a theater is right of passage. That it is an indelible experience that is unchallenged by even the greatest of home theater installations. So yeah, you could say that Jedi, despite being a flawed film, is still pretty special to me, Ewoks and all.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Fanboys director Kyle Newman, who is one of the biggest Star Wars fans on the planet, has apparently put together a short film called "The Return of Return of the Jedi: 30 Years and Counting." In it, he talks with celebrities about their recollections of Jedi.

I'll be honest, those blinders looking forward to Episode VII are pretty strong because this is the first that I've heard of this project. The official Star Wars YouTube channel posted a mini trailer that you can see below.

A few hours later they posted a second mini trailer.

According to TheForce.net, the full short film will debut tomorrow on Entertainment Weekly's web site. I'll keep an eye out for it and update this story as needed.