"WAT" -Darth Vader 1977 *THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK* is already posted over on Patreon for Full Length! www.patreon.com/professorreactions

Someone else mentioned this already, but a LOT of changes were made between the original theatrical release of this movie and the eventual DVD and digital releases we have available now. For starters, the movie was only called Star Wars when it was released, and A New Hope was tacked on later when they started work on more films. Anything CGI you see in these were added after the fact when the technology became available, and some scenes were altered entirely, most notably Han shooting Greedo, but also the whole scene with Jabba the Hutt was initially a deleted scene where Jabba was played by a human. It was removed for the theatrical release, but then added back in with a terrible CGI Jabba for one of the home video releases. George Lucas had a weird Kanye-like obsession with going back and re-editing his prior work to “improve” it, and the results vary. Sometimes you get added backgrounds and cool visual details, sometimes you get ugly CGI lizards and Greedo shooting first. But for all their flaws, the original trilogy are still some of the most creative and unique films ever conceived.

Originally, Lucas made this as a stand-alone movie since Lucas and no one else knew how well it would do. The episode marker and the title “A New Hope” was added when it was re-released in 1981 after The Empire Strikes Back was released the previous year. Lucas wanted to suggest that we were watching the middle of a saga, just like the Saturday morning matinee serials he used to watch when he was a kid. At the time, he wasn’t even considering making the prequel stories.

30:26 The cannon towers on the Death Star had no homing because they were made to repel large scale attacks. The Empire didn't see fighters as s threat to the station when it was built.

Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin) and Carrie Fisher had problems working together. He was so nice and supporting to hr she could not act angry with him.

When the film appeared in cinemas, it was called just Star Wars. Only then did the addition New Hope and episode 4 appear.

Yeah, Vaders armor is also a walking life support iron lung. It's the suit breathing automatically. He can stop it briefly but he's basically holding his breath.

You'd be surprised how few props and masks they had to make for the bar scene. They actually just raided the props department, there are costumes and masks from like two dozen different movies in that bar. Thank god for all those "creature features" from the 50s and 60s that no one remembers, they made the famous "Star Wars Cantina" possible. Even the music is some old experimental jazz tune from the 1930s or 40s.

"The Force will be with you, always." Fun Fact: The first movie to make over $300 million domestic box office. It was also the first movie to cross $500 million worldwide in its initial release. Action Star Fact: Stunt doubles were not used for the scene where Luke and Leia swing to safety in the Death Star. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher performed the stunt, shooting it in just one take. CGI Over Practical Fact: All the CGI was added in the late 90s and NOT part of the original release. I don't mind the changes, except for originally Han Solo (Harrison Ford) shot Greedo (Paul Blake) before the bounty hunter could do anything. Gun Enthusiast Fact: The weapons the stormtroopers used were essentially the Sterling L2A3 9mm SMG (sub-machine gun), a military weapon developed in the late 1940s in the U.K. and adopted by the British and Canadian Armies in the 1950s. The curved left entry side mounted magazine was removed, and that was as much as it was modified for the movie. The longer sandtrooper weapon was the MG-34 machine gun from Germany. Location Location Fact: The Tatooine scenes were filmed in Tunisia. There is a town in Tunisia's rural south named Tataouine (Berber for "eyes") and George Lucas liked the name so much, he adopted it for Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) home world. Some of the interiors and the courtyard of Luke's house were filmed in a hotel in Matmata, Tunisia. One can visit this two-star hotel and see some pictures and the painted ceiling of what was used for the Lars' dining room. When Luke goes out of the farm, he appears in a flat deserted area, while the reality, when you get out of the hotel, there are a lot of other houses, small stone hills, and a lot of prickly pear cacti (a variety very common in Tunisia). The skeleton that C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) passes belongs to a Tatooine creature called a Greater Krayt Dragon. This artificial skeleton was left in the Tunisian desert after filming and still lies there. During filming of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002), the site was visited by the crew once more and the skeleton was still there.

These are actually some of my favorite reactions, when people like yourself that haven’t watched certain types of movies because they thought they wouldn’t like them. Then at the end absolutely love the movie.

You are right a new hope was first. The way George Lucas did it was 4,5, and 6 as a trilogy. Then you go to prequel trilogy 1,2, and 3. Then Disney bought Lucas film and made 7, 8, and 9.

RE: The watch order, I strongly recommend watching in order of release date. A lot of people will probably suggest what's known as the the machete order (4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6), which is an interesting way to watch the movies, but IMO is a really bad way to watch it if you're viewing it for the first time. There's a few reveals/moments that are ruined and some context missing which can make the prequels confusing without seeing episode 6 first. I also personally think that it's much better to experience the films for how they were originally released (or at least as close as possible considering the amount of changes that have been made through the years), rather than with hindsight given from films that were made 20 years later.

7:43 I think the funny part was when you forgot during the movie who his father was after saying you knew it before the movie. Loved seeing the light bulb click when you remembered. I’ve had many days like that. 13:33 most of the footage is from 1977 but in the late 90s and into the mid 2000s Lucas did adjustments to the movie when the technology got to the point where he could do what he always wanted.

Man please continue this.This movie is one you appreciate a LOT MORE after you’ve seen the other ones. The next one is the best one no matter how u slice it and I know your reaction to this series will be GOLD

I originally didn’t think I’d like Star Wars either before I watched them and now I’m a huge fan. Looking forward to your reactions to the franchise!!

Its not that Storm Troopers are bad at shooting, its that the main cast has really good plot armor.

While Episode IV was added later, Empire Strikes Back did release as Episode V, which did confuse a lot of people. According to George Lucas, he wasn’t actually planning on making Episodes I, II, and III at the time; he just wanted people to know that this wasn’t the beginning of the story, but the middle.

It was such a big deal when this came out in 1977. I was 16 years old! This movie was really revolutionary in the effects, there was nothing like it!

I was 13 Years old in 1977 when i saw Star Wars in the Movie Theatre. The special effects were ahead of its Time. Episode iV was originally just called Star Wars and did not get renumbered IV until Episode V The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980. George Lucas did not know if he would be allowed to show more Star Wars movies, so he started with the first Movie of his second Trilogy!

You are, of course watching the remastered version. The scene where Han talks to Jabba The Hut was excluded in the '77 version. And there were no CGI effects in those days, so all of the spaceships were models filmed against a blue screen with a computer controlled camera which was developed for this movie. The effects were stunning for the time. I was a long-haired 17-year-old at the time and I went to see the movie several times in the theater. Good times!

27:31 or a sit down arcade video game that felt like you were inside the cockpit of an X-Wing and immersed in the sounds and music of the movie. It was so much fun!!!

At the bar/cantina scene , I suppose the droids would be loitering because they don't drink liquids , so therefore if you had a bunch of robots or droids in the bar, they would be just taking up space.... since the people or aliens can actually drink...lol

In 1977, when this movie was released, it was called 'Star Wars'. The 'A New Hope' was added when they added all the CGI in the 90s. George Lucas originally had a 9-part story (basically an outline or storyboards). Most people would tell you to watch Episodes 4-6; 1-3; 7-9, but there might be as much as 30% would say watch 1-9. My favourite fun fact is this: near the time they are in the trash compactor, a storm trooper walking the halls bumps his head. They didn't notice it until it was too late, so they added the sound effect when they updated the movie in the '90s.

Darth Vader speaking while he is breathing is still for me one of the coolest things in sci-fi. The suit he's wearing breathes for him and keeps him alive for reason you'll realize if you stay with the movies & find out more of the backstories of the major characters.

The special effects in the version you're watching are indeed updated. George Lucas updated them when CGI was going mainstream so he could get in shots of the ships flying where he wanted, and, as far as those bits went, it was worth it, but then there are other areas who just goes overboard, like having that tall alien creature walk in front of Obi-Wan and Luke while the Stormtroopers are interrigating them before they go into the Moss Eisley bar. That's just getting in the way of the scene.

The movie was made in the late 70s, but people forget that Lucas and ILM came back to the films in the 90s to touch them up. They actually re-released the trilogy in the 90s in a VHS box set which had all the new edits that Lucas decided to make. The biggest changes I remember in episode IV were that they made Greedo shoot at Han first when in the original cut, Han just shot him in the bar before Greedo could pull the trigger. They also added that entire Jabba scene, which really wasn't necessary. The majority of the other changes were just additional scenes added to give a little more size and scope to the surroundings and CGI added to touch up some shots. Things I remember being added are the initial scene when they pull back the camera to show more of Mos Eisley (when the Jawa falls off of his giant alien steed swinging from the reigns and the camera pulls back to see more of the city) and storm troopers riding giant lizards was new. They also touched up the scenes where the rebel fighters are launching from Yavin. They essentially added more ships taking off in the foreground and background. They also touched up the shot showing the fighters when they first get into space just to make it look a little more polished, and they added the shockwave ring and some sound effects to the deathstar explosion. I'm sure there are more changes than that, but those are the ones that I most distinctly remember. Some of the changes legitimately just make parts of the movie look nicer or give you a better idea of the size and scope of the environment. Other additions like the Jabba scene and adding Greedo firing at Han first in the cantina are just unnecessary and take away from the film imo. The whole Greedo shot first thing was supposed to make Han look like more of a good guy, according to Lucas, but Han is supposed to be a shady smuggler working for gangsters. It's in his character to shoot first to save his own neck when we first meet him in episode IV.

In the beginning, when you were trying to think of the word for C3PO (the golden copper one)'s voice, the word is "camp" :D he is often described as a "camp english butler robot" in the fandom

I enjoy your sense of humor. “Why can’t they make copies of the plans. And put it in the cloud. “ “All the freakazoids in this bar and he draws the line at C-3PO. “. You are hilarious with your quick wit. Keep up the good work my friend.

Fun Fact: When the Stormtroopers enter the room in which Artoo and C3PO are hiding, one of them whacks his head on the door frame. Funner Fact: When they did the updated special edition, not only did they not fix it, they added a sound effect for it.

You started in the right place. First time reactors should always watch in release order.

At age 7 I saw this in theaters in its initial release. I’m rubbing my 53 year old brain cells together, but I believe originally the opening scroll did say episode 4 but a new hope wasn’t added to the title until video release after empire strikes back came out. Back then this movie was only Star Wars.

Darth Vader talks over his breathing because that isn't his breath you hear; his suit is actually a form of life-support, and what you hear is his automated ventilator that pumps air into and out of his body.

The actor playing the villainous Grand Moff Tarkin is the great Peter Cushing. He starred in a lot of the great Hammer Horror films of the 60's and 70's. He worked a lot with the equally great Christopher Lee who will also be appearing in the Star Wars prequels as Count Dooku. He also plays Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films.

The reason the music's so incredible is because it's John Williams. :-)

Fun Fact about the age of this film: Its theatrical release date is CLOSER to the end of WWII than to today & it's NOT close.

welcome to Star wars!! i am glad you liked it. the next movie will answer a couple of your questions. defintely watch these in release order too at this point. 4,5,6 than go back and do 1,2,3 as it is a really great way to go. originally lucas had 9 episodes as the iniital ones were of obiwan and lukes's father) but before the empire an thought it would be boring so he started off in the middle. there was no number initially in its first release becasue they didn't know if it would be successful or not, once it made a gazillion dollars they went ahead and made sure to do the rest of the trilogy. then 16 years later the technology came up to Lucas's standard to do what he wnated in the prequels for visuals. there was a few CGI things added like a few extra cretures in a handful of scenes, some digitially enhanced through better color but pretty much everything you see 95 plus percent of this is how it looked in the 70s

This is so fun to watch you experience Star Wars for the first time!! 😊

"You've taken your first step into a larger world." I hope you like it. It gets nutts.

Remember, this was considered at the river to be an Indy movie. They studio really didn't even want to do it. It originally released as just Star Wars. There was no A New Hope

I´m just gonna say I´m so glad there is no sequel trilogy, that never happened, it was only a bad dream we all had. Disney only made 1 movie and that was Rogue One

Young people always underestimate the quality of older movies. There have been movies for over 100 years certainly there have been some gems in the past that you need to see. And YES it was made with the thought that it might very well be the only Star Wars movie. It was a real gamble. I had just graduated from High School and saw this movie several times that summer. The lines for it were legendary and the surprise popularity of the movie was amazing. I've never seen anything like it since. Never again will there be such a huge hit outa' nowhere.😢

18:18 Bluff. Audience: He doesn't know the Empire.

The answer is that Lucas kept changing the story as they made the movies. Originally, Luke’s dad and Vader were two different characters. This changed when they made Empire Strikes Back.

In the fiction of the story, Vader can't breathe on his own, it has been automated by his suit. In the reality of the filmmaking process, Vader on screen is portrayed by British bodybuilder David Prowse for his hulking physical presence, and David did deliver Vader's lines on set, but they were dubbed over by the more sonorous, resonant voice of James Earl Jones, whose vocal performance as Vader is iconic.

I was 6 in '77 so my pop took me to see it and before the show dad wanted to get a righteous beer buzz before the show and slammed two Mickey's big mouths and fell asleep during the Tattooine scene! I sat there by myself, forever changed, while old pop snored way....

"They're getting Peter Straum'ed" lolll

"Star Wars": The Hero's Journey of Luke Skywalker. What will a grumpy, all-knowing, young Modern think of this "old, long, slow-moving, character-centered, no-DFX" movie? This Space Fantasy movie has a lot of language and lore for a first time viewer to process. 4:07 A Jawa collecting scarp metal and taking it to a Sand Crawler. 4:53 You are watching the George Lucre edition with DFX not seen in 1977; Imperial Storm Troopers are rising Dewbacks. The problem with knowing bits and pieces from later movies is to be expected, and diminishes the movie series' impact. 11:26 Dark Side Choke. 12:23 Now you know why The Galactic Empire is so feared. 13:20 The "most wretched hive of Scum an Villainy" is Bob Iger's Wat Disney company. 13:35 Jedi Mind Trick. 16:46 In the original trilogy, Jabba the Hutt didn't show up until "Return of the Jedi" (1986).

"We hid the kid from his father, with his literal next of kin family. Also, I changed my name to Ben, so we should be good on the whole hide out from Vader, on his own home planet plan." - Obi-Wan the Wise

Such a fantastic movie as a 9 year old in 1977… it still stands up in 2023.

"Lives to choke another day' Perfect prefiction 😂

The lore is doled out gradually enough in release order, such as this. You would have grown up around the exposition-heavy prequels and Clone Wars , which are dense as anime, and understandably intimidating.

Regarding Vader’s breathing, the sound isn’t him breathing, but his helmet filtering the air automatically.

1. IRL Sir Alec Guinness didn't want to play Obi Wan, He thought the entire premise was silly, but his wife talked him into taking it. The rest is history. 2. This episode of the saga was released first because Lucas felt it was the easiest one to make and provide an outstanding product with the technology they had at the time. 3. This movie came out way before CGI was available. The scene with Jabba the Hutt, the large critters outside the cantina and the ones being ridden by the stormtroopers are CGI and was put in later with the 25 years anniversary edition. 4. The BEST way to watch these are in the order they were released. Keep in mind that we had to wait years between episodes. there wasn't any internet or memes like. "No, I am your father" as spoilers. 5. The scene in the detention center where Han Solo ends up saying "how are you" is a goof on Harrison Ford's part. He forgot his lines. 🤣 6. In an appearance on Johnny Carson when this came Carrie Fisher said that Chewie is a 300-year-old Wookie. 7. Obi Wan didn't die. He went into the force. 8. The smirk and shrug Chewy gives Luke after he scares the little black droid is 🤣 9. Welcome aboard. You're in for a hell of a ride.

I saw Star Wars 37 times during the summer of 1977. I was 15. Movie tickets were only $3 and the movie played all summer long. Not like today, when a movie is in theaters for only a few weeks.

15:51 3po was zapped but Jawas, remember? It's pretty logical that he dislike them. They were also known as swindlers and had a musky odor reminding of a wet rat, so they had both bad reputation and a stench.

I don't want to be dramatic but I AM TOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS

There's been some CG updates, like adding in the Jabba scene and adding random droids and creatures in the background. Everything else is vintage 1970's and literally blew everyone's minds. Next one is Empire Strikes Back, which has the least changes from it's original release. Great reaction!

In 1977, there was no way to describe what we saw other than pure magic.

Great reaction, loved it and so glad you enjoyed it that much! I subbed and will be here for the ride! Cheers from Brazil!

"You can't hype up that it can tear off arms and then just give him a bitch-slap move" My, bloodthirsty aren't we?

when this movie was released, it's title was just "Star Wars" without any number, and it made sense to have the death star as grand finale of the movie. we discussed whether there might be sequels since vader had escaped, but nothing was confirmed for years ... After many people liked it and only when they released Part V, they also changed the title to what you see now, with the number IV and the "episode title".

The effects they made for this had to be created. From scratch. There weren’t computers back then to do this with. They had to literally build it all. What u see here is the beginnings of ILM. And the music is the superb John Williams.

Four of the biggest cinema reveals of all time. (Won't say in case you don't know) Sixth Sense twist, Saw body reveal, Psycho killer reveal and of course- Darth Vader being Luke's father. Odds are even if you haven't seen the movies, you know the twist through osmosis because they have been parodied so much. So you knowing the reveal isn't surprising. Good on you to admit it and just enjoy the rest of the film.

This IS the first Movie to come out in 1977. I find the best way to introduce someone NEW to Star Wars is in what's called "Machete Order" which is Episode 4,5, then Episode 2 and 3 from the prequels, and Finish off with Episode 6 from the Original Trilogy.

5:00. "We ain't found s**t!"🤣🤣🤣

i love seeing people watch this for the first time. As far as the special effects go just know that you watched the remastered version that came out in the 2000's not the original version from 1977.

16:11 The dislike for droids is explained in the Clone Wars movie and animated series.

Always great to see someone take the Star Wars journey. I recommend just going by release date order and I can't wait to see more Star Wars reactions. You got yourself a new subscriber because of it

It's definitely right to watch this one first!! I'm so excited for the rest of this series 😊🎉

"...Windows moviemaker transitions.." 😂🤣🤣💯 💖

GEN-X FLORIDA MAN HERE! Your dedication to refrain from false pretense (7:27) has earned you a subscription!

No, you have it right. Obi-Wan was playing a little fast and loose with the truth. And yes, you have the rtight release order: Iv, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII, IX, then Rogue One and Solo. You can also watch the various TV serieses that slot in various parts of the larger saga.

What's really crazy is this was made even earlier in 1974. Was released May 77. And watch in release order

From the beginning the story was written with 9 parts in mind. George Lucas decided to film part 4 first as it had the most action (it could be a stand alone film), however no one expected the film to be so successful so Lucas studio started filming part 5 soon after the first (#4) film hit the theaters. Lucas filmed #1-3 over 10 years after the original trilogy, George needed new technology (special affects) to be available before he could continue filming. Disney purchased the studio and filmed 7-9 and created all the TV shows.

Great reaction👍 I'd continue w/ release order 456123 but I'd watch Rogue One after 3 before 789. I agree Disney didn't do right by the series w/789, but I still enjoyed them. ~ You asked about what Lucas had planned after this one. Although he had the full story in his mind, he didn't expect this to be a hit. He didn't even go to the premiere. 😮 ~And you'll probably do fine w/the lore, don't forget many of us have seen these a thousand times. ❤ You've also questioned some things that would be answered by watching a "making of, behind the scenes" video. You'd probably enjoy it, but not til you finish 456.

Lucas wasn't sure he'd ever get the chance to make any more Star Wars movies, so he made sure this one was a complete story.

Definitely do release order! I'm so excited for you to continue this journey!! That plot twist you already knew makes it just as fun And weird as you can imagine Let's goooo.

Hi from France! I like your energy, your commentary and your honesty. It's very refreshing in the middle of the youtube "react game", full of fake emotions. I just subscribed and now I'll go see your videos about V et VI ! Can't wait for you to go deeply in the SW universe with the prelogy =)

25:35 Yup, ole Wilhelm screams at least once in most Lucas and Spielberg flics.

11:10 Yes the voice is uncle Mufasa, James Earl Jones, but the actor portraying Vader was David Prowse, an actor with a not so intimidating voice. There are videos on KZfaq that shows snippets with the original voice.

It will all make sense... from a certain point of view😊

"I can't believe I'm about to watch this." I can't believe there are still people in the world who haven't seen Star Wars.

The lightsaber duels just get better and better lol

not just living things but everything gives off a energy field

It was really weird that episode four was the first movie. It was a planned trilogy from the beginning, but the reason for the numbering system from what I was able to determine based on an interview I saw several years ago with George Lucas was in order to get to the first Star Wars movie. Obviously there had to be a bunch of backstory. Where Vader came from. Eventually leading up to the Civil War, etc.. but it was never showing on screen. So, after episode 6 came out, there was a 13 year gap until 1999 when episode 1 finally released, showing the backstory that led up to the first movie. The original movie, as many people are probably already said has been remastered, and then re-released as a special edition later on. A lot of things were cleaned up in the master and new sequences were added like some of the dogfight sequences on the final battle were redone a little bit. What you watched was the special edition where they added in the extra CGI so yeah, for the most part, the movie aged very well but it had a little bit of help because it’s been cleaned up a couple times since the original release. But at the time this far ahead of anything else. Like it literally changed the landscape of how things were made. And on top of that, Lucas also created visual and sound effects studios that have been sourced out to other movies as well. Industrial light and magic skywalker sound. ILM has been used by many studios for CGI and graphical effects including movies like Pearl Harbor as an example.

Always here for Star Wars reactions, regardless if you've seen them or not

So if you wanted to see the original theatrical series, it is only on VHS. George Lucas destroyed all copies of the original after reworking them in the 90s. There are fan projects who have recreated very good copies of the original from found film that are shot for shot to the original.

The plan was to make a trilogy but Lucas didn’t know he would be able to so he decided to do the Death Star destruction thing and have it feel like a complete story

So if youre warching this on Disney Plus, keep in mind these are the "Special Edition" reedits, which came out in the late 90s that added a bunch of CGI, and totally recut some parts.. like the Greedo / "Han shot first" thing... actually theyve changed even more since the 90s. If possible, seek out the "DESPECIALIZED EDITIONS" of the trilogy, which are pretty easy to find on the internet. This is the only way you can see the original apl-analog pre CGI cuts becuase Lucas has done his damndest to make sure thats impossible. Heres how you know if its the original 1977 edit... it doesnt say EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE in the opening crawl. That was added in the 1980 reissue.

about Vader and the breathing while speaking - I believe his breathing is actually mechanized and so it is possible for him to speak while the respirator breaths. This movie is responsible for a lot of stuff that is now standard - they had to invent new techniques to produce it - for example, they invented Go-motion-Animation to give greater realism. When this was made, Lucas wasn't sure it would be successful, so he started at a point he thought would have the greatest chance of success and planed to do a trilogy if it turned out to succeed. He also wanted to leave enough room for a trilogy of prequels and a final trilogy to end it all. Sadly, Lucas was not in change when the last three movies were made and they definitely where NOT what he had intended - not saying that makes them bad, but I would have preferred going with his ideas rather than what was done.

I always love seeing people watch my favorite movies for the the first time. I've been a fan of Star Wars for 20 years. The original trilogy is the best. You're in for a wild ride, my friend

Saw at the theater as a teenager! Thanks!

All movies that came out in the 70’s are definitely gritty compared to the ones today.

16:03 That droid situation at the cantine to not be allowed for entrance, reffers to Jim Crow Laws with black people in the South States of US.

Droids don't drink, don't get hungry or thirsty, and have no money... they are merely servants. So of course the bartender doesn't want them in there. People would bring their droids along to fetch drinks, etc. So if the bar has a capacity of 50 patrons (and allowed droids), then you'd have 25 paying customers in there drinking... and 25 droids taking up space and bumping into each other trying to fetch drinks for their masters. So yeah... you can't blame him for the 'no droids' policy.

Darth and the rest of us needs to learn to keep our secret documents off line and backed up

Dude, stop overthinking it. I was 10 years old when my mum took me and my brother to the theatres in 1977 to see this film and my life was changed was forever since... Please continue to react as we all will continue to witness...

You watched the movie in order!! Don’t worry❤ sooo glad that you loved it as much as I did as a kid. The prequel and original trilogies were my childhood, I really miss my first watch with my dad and having a crush on Luke, unconscious crush on Leia, and Chewie was my favorite character🥰

Magnificent video, many thanks Professor.

The mind probe droid had much more than a needle. It's a total torture device.