Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

The franchise's second film by release date and the fifth episode of the film saga; it premiered on May 21, 1980. Unlike the first film, it was directed by Irvin Kershner, with a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan based on a story by George Lucas, and Gary Kurtz served as producer. The music was again composed by John Williams; it was here that “The Imperial March” was heard for the first time.

Production was financed by Lucas himself, outside the usual studio arrangement, and was accompanied by budget overruns and difficult location shooting in Norway. The film's tone is noticeably darker and more intimate than that of the first installment, which caused controversy on release but over time earned the film a reputation as the high point of the original trilogy.

The action takes place roughly three years after A New Hope. The film introduces into the universe itself Master Yoda, Lando Calrissian, and the bounty hunter Boba Fett, as well as the ice planet Hoth, swampy Dagobah, and Cloud City on Bespin. For understanding how the Force works and how Jedi are trained, this film remains the central source in the original trilogy.