The Empire Strikes Back - a general Random Thoughts thread — Page 6

Gandalf the Cyan said:

I see it as Vader trolling Han and Leia.

Also a valid interpretation

Yeah, Vader’s got a twisted sense of humour.

It’s subtle things like how Darth Vader refers to everyone by their rank, species (in the case of Chewie), or last names, even his own son. He mostly calls him “Skywalker” (until the end). Can you imagine calling your own son by his last name? It’s almost dehumanizing, showing how Vader views everyone as tools, objects. Not only that, it shows how much he has mentally disconnected himself from everyone around him. His ability to empathize with anyone (until his son, in sparse moments until his redemption) has gone cold. He’s separated himself so much from Anakin in his mind that it’s not awkward for him at all to refer to his son by just his own last name like it would be for a normal person. In his mind, he’s just Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker doesn’t have meaning for him (or at least, he acts like it doesn’t).

I love how the opening emphasizes Han and Luke’s friendship so well. Han is willing to die for a chance to save his friend, and they have such a good dynamic he’s not mad at Luke for Leia kissing him. It’s a great way to make the audience fear they may never reunite and show Han’s growth. From the veneer of callousness to a real friendship.

“Don’t you see what it means? Power! Power to rule! Power to make the world grovel at my feet!” - Jack Griffin, The Invisible Man

“If you only knew the power of the dark side!” - Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

My last rewatch (my birthday; good day to rewatch my favorite movie) has me convinced the movie takes place over a period of months or even a year. I don’t care what any external media tells me.

Vader was searching for the Falcon in the asteroid field long enough that he decided to hire bounty hunters to find them. He doesn’t seem like the kind to reach out for more aid until he’s tried himself for awhile. Sith ego and all that.

Luke goes through many different stages of his training, each one implied to have a decent chunk of time pass in-between.
Both of the time intervals in which the Falcon is getting fixed (in the asteroid field, on Bespin) probably take place in the span of weeks, not mere days. I can imagine repairing a spaceship’s got to be pretty time expansive. Think about how long it takes to fix a modern car.
The scene in which Luke leaves to save his friends actually takes place way after he first sees the vision. In the latter scene, he nods to Yoda saying, “You will destroy all for which they have fought and suffered.” He agrees and decides to stay. However, when he’s leaving, he says “I can’t keep the vision out of my head!” suggesting its been haunting him for some time and can no longer listen to reason.
Yoda also reminds him of his failure in the cave. Luke responds, “But I’ve learned so much since then!”
It sounds like months have passed since then.
Luke is very proficient with a lightsaber during the Bespin duel. I like to think he taught himself after ANH, perhaps using Jedi texts taken from Ben’s hut. Or again, his proficiency is due to actually training with Yoda for months, not just weeks. Or both.

Without a hyperdrive, it must’ve taken the Falcon forever to reach Bespin.

This further enhances the narrative IMO. Vader’s conquest for Luke is more ruthless and desperate, Luke’s training is more extensive, Han and Leia have had lots of alone time for their romance to blossom.

My interpretation:
We don’t know how long it actually took for Luke to reach Dagobah. Maybe a week? A month?
The rest of Luke’s training takes place in the next few months that it takes for the Falcon to reach Bespin.
During this time (likely the first month), Han & co. hide inside the asteroid for a week and escape. Vader eventually decides to hire bounty hunters, then the Falcon hides behind the Star Destroyer and heads for Bespin.
Luke receives the vision of Han and Leia in pain far before they arrive (otherwise it’s not a premonition 😄).
Luke leaves Dagobah around a week before Vader captures Han and Leia (let’s say Bespin is closer to Dagobah than Hoth).
No major time gaps after that, since Luke’s plot finally converges with the Han/Leia/Vader plot.