Today, people have accepted that Episode VI is officially called Return of the Jedi. However, there was a time when the third film of the original Star Wars trilogy was being marketed as Revenge of the Jedi. So what caused George Lucas to make the change? Let's explore the several reasons behind the switch.
Back in 1982, Lucas announced that the third Star Wars film would be called Revenge of the Jedi. The title was carried by the movie's teaser trailer and legendary artist Drew Struzan even created a dark poster depicting Darth Vader fighting Luke Skywalker.
However, by December of the same year, Lucas decided to change it to Return of the Jedi reasoning that the Jedi would not seek revenge. As a result, Lucasfilm halted the shipment of Struzan's original posters and thousands were sold to Star Wars fans club members for a lower price.
We already know that Lucas changed the title for that reason but as ScreenRant points out, Return of the Jedi was actually the original title in the first place. Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan had convinced Lucas to change it because "Return" seemed like a weak title. It would also make sense considering that Luke was still a Jedi-in-training who was determined to save his own father from the Dark Side.
But is it possible that Lucas decided to go back to the original title to avoid conflict with another movie? It is believed that the Star Wars creator decided to go with the title to avoid comparison to Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan which was originally called Star Trek: The Vengeance of Khan.
The real reason behind the change may never be revealed but Lucas still managed to use "revenge" again several years later. He opted for Episode III to be called Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Looks like Kasdan's advice stayed with him after all.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Star Wars