Forty years?  No way.  Forty years of Boussh.  Forty years of Boba Fett in the Sarlacc pit (sort of).  Forty years of the Rancor.  Forty years of Ewoks, force ghosts, AT-STs, Skywalker siblings, Lapti Nek, the Emperor thrown into a chasm, and a fully-realized Jabba the Hutt.  2023 was the fortieth year of watching and re-watching the original Star Wars trilogy’s third act, and to revisit it all, Titan is publishing a hardcover retrospective, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Special Edition, a souvenir and memento that will take you back to a franchise as it saw what was going to be its last movie chapter.  Full of great throwbacks and trivia, it’s available for pre-order now here at Amazon.  Take a look inside our preview below.

In 1983 nobody knew what to expect–that Han Solo would be saved, that we’d get to see Jabba the Hutt, that Luke would somehow quickly become a Jedi Knight.  That Luke and Leia were… siblings?!

The book has many of those images fans in 1983 will remember on posters, school folders, in fan magazines, and reprinted on trading cards, along with behind-the-scenes photographs and concept artwork.

It also has images you might not have seen–marketing photos featuring the denizens of Jabba’s sail barge, Ian McDiarmid without the Emperor’s hood, and Polaroid images of actors on the Endor set, and lots more.

There’s R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker in an Ewok suit as Paploo.  Then page after page of updates to Stormtrooper armor, plus the new Biker Scouts, ready for the special effects fly-by with Luke and Leia.

Ralph McQuarrie’s instantly identifiable concept art is found in every chapter.  It’s a reminder of the previews in magazines of the year leading up to the premiere.  It would also make a great companion to the vintage Return of the Jedi storybook/photo book kids could order through school book orders (you can still pick one up on Amazon here).

It’s a reminder of all we once didn’t know about Star Wars, a great nostalgia trip and amazing pop culture moment.  Who would have thought in 1983 the franchise would come back after the ending that was Return of the Jedi and be going strong 41 years on?  A retro fix for every Star Wars fan, pick up Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Special Edition, available for pre-order now here, arriving in stores during this year’s Star Wars Day week, the first week in May.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg