![]() With Yoda proving to be such a loveable proof of concept, George Lucas embarked on even wilder flights of fancy for Return of the Jedi. Yoda not only looked convincing in his scenes with Mark Hamill, but he also became one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise. It’s easy to forget what an experimental idea Yoda was in the late 1970s: could a puppet behave and emote convincingly alongside a flesh-and-blood actor? The Empire Strikes Back proved that it could. In many ways, Yoda was a victim of his own success. ![]() It’s all a far cry from the set of Return of the Jedi 15 years earlier, when animatronics and puppets were still the cornerstone of the movie… Industrial Light & Magic’s Creature Workshop, 1982 What was once a low-key yet appealing background moment in the movie’s first act had grown into a literal show-stopper-an in-your-face audio-visual spectacle that literally overshadowed the original hand-made effects. Vying for attention was Joh Yowza, a furry, squat creature known as a Yuzzum. The original rod-puppet Sy Snootles was now an all-CG creation who could cavort and pucker her lips for the camera. The original three-piece Rebo band was upped to nine members, including three backing singers. With the new song came new special effects. Gone is the off-kilter, disquieting beat of “Lakti Nek.” In its place comes an up-tempo rhythm-and-blues tune that sounds less unseemly hive of scum and villainy and more Star Wars on Broadway (it’s hard not to listen to “Jedi Rocks” and think of the song “Luke Be A Jedi,” the song Mark Hamill sang in a 1998 Simpsons episode-”Do it for the Ewoks and all the other puppets…”). “Jedi Rocks” changes the tone of the Jabba’s palace sequence completely. Luke left Tatooine a wide-eyed boy, but now he’s returned as a seasoned warrior. But by Return of The Jedi, Luke’s grown into a powerful master of the Force, meaning he can still handle himself in a place as unseemly and dangerous as Jabba’s palace. Whether Lucas meant it to or not, “Lapti Nek” immediately recalled that cantina scene in Star Wars, where Luke Skywalker was so young and out of his depth that he managed to inadvertently start a fight within minutes of setting foot in the place.
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