I used to think RotJ was my all time favorite. Over time, I came to appreciate Empire Strikes Back more than ever. The way Lucas suddenly wanted Irvin Kershner to step off in favor of a director that would do Lucas’s bidding is pretty low. More toys were necessary over the quality of the story as it goes. It became a point in time for Star Wars where Lucas no longer saw interest in collaboration. It also suffers from steering away his original take on how scenes should move along in a quicker pace. First half really makes it jarring to join with the second half. And even the second half of the film, before the real action picks up, suffers with bad pacing too. Neither of these issues appear in A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. I personally may find A New Hope slightly ‘boring’, but that’s due to what I feel is a slow buildup, which isn’t really a fault and is different from Return of the Jedi’s Frankensteined editing job.
As cool as that Death Star II was, the more I think about it, it’s quite silly. Not because it’s something from A New Hope rehashed, but because the buildup to it isn’t threatening. It’s only used for sniping Rebel cruisers and never on planets. Damn, Star Destroyers could do that with that many of them.

STILL! I actually really do like Return of the Jedi. I have yet to see such a timeless and thrilling space battle. It captures a sense of urgency while keeping the action in focus and it flows nice for the viewer to keep up. Luke and Vader’s last duel is also the most emotional Star Wars duel in the history of Star Wars. Towards the end, Williams swelling piece of music really makes this confrontation impactful again and again.