10 Untold Behind-the-Scenes Facts About The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back, the sequel to the original Star Wars movie, is often regarded as the best film in the franchise.

Is this one of your favorite movies? Are you just interested in film trivia in general? If you answered yes to either of these questions, keep reading!

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 10 interesting facts about The Empire Strikes Back.

1. Harrison Ford’s Famous Ad-Lib

One of the most well-known exchanges in cinema history happens as Han Solo is about to be frozen in carbonite. Unsure she will ever see him again, Leia finally confesses her love for him, and he responds, “I know.”

The line was supposed to be “Just remember that, ‘cause I’ll be back.” Another version of the script had him responding, “I love you too.”

However, Harrison Ford didn’t think either line felt quite right for his character. So he obtained permission to come up with his own line.

When he ad-libbed “I know,” George Lucas didn’t like the line at first. However, it stuck as one of the most memorable lines which movie fans far and wide immediately associate with Star Wars.

2. George Lucas Paid for His Own Film

At the time he began working on The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas wanted to own all the creative rights to the film, and he took drastic measures to do so–he financed it by himself.

He did this using the profits from the original Star Wars movie and took out a bank loan to cover the rest.

This move paid off in a big way, as he earned back everything he put into the film and more when it hit theaters.

3. The Hoth Scenes Were Filmed in Norway

Hoth was shown as a cold, unforgiving planet. Though it looks like it could have been filmed in Antarctica, it was filmed in Finse, Norway, on a glacier.

When the cast and crew were on-location, the city was hit with one of the worst winter storms in its history. While much of the filming had to be done inside their hotel, Mark Hamill had to shoot the scene where he is escaping from the Wampa out in the middle of the storm.

The result, of course, is a realistic portrayal of survival in a driving blizzard.

4. The Big Secret?

Darth Vader’s big reveal that he is Luke’s father is arguably the most iconic moment in any movie.

This plot twist was kept under tight wraps–supposedly, Mark Hamill was the only member of the cast who knew about it. He was warned not to leak this spoiler because no one else, aside from George Lucas and director Irvan Kershner, was aware of it.

Apparently, though, another member of the cast also knew–and blabbed about it at a fan event two years before the movie hit theaters.

David Prowse, the actor inside Darth Vader’s suit, told fans, “Father can’t kill son, son can’t kill father,” as quoted by a newspaper following the fan event.

What’s more, anyone who read the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back, which was released a month before the movie, would have been aware of this “top secret” plot twist.

5. Han Was Frozen in Carbonite for Real-Life Reasons

The middle installment of the original Star Wars trilogy ends on a desperate note: Luke lost his hand and learned a stunning revelation, while Boba Fett took away Han, who was frozen in carbonite.

While these plot points worked from a storytelling standpoint–leaving fans hungry for more–there were also real, behind-the-scenes reasons for them. At least for Han being frozen in carbonite.

Following the original Star Wars film, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher signed on for two additional movies. However, Harrison Ford signed on for one sequel.

So, while The Empire Strikes Back was in production, no one knew for sure if Ford would return to reprise his role in the final film of the trilogy.

Having him frozen in carbonite and hauled off to Jabba the Hutt’s palace left the writers with options in case Ford decided not to return after The Empire Strikes Back.

6. Alec Guinness Spent One Day Filming

Sir Alec Guinness had a supporting role throughout the trilogy as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In The Empire Strikes Back, he appeared as a Force Ghost directing Luke to seek out Yoda on Dagobah to complete his Jedi training. He then convinced Yoda to train Luke and attempted to discourage him from leaving his training prematurely to face Darth Vader.

Guinness filmed all of his scenes for The Empire Strikes Back within one day, in about six hours. For this small part in the film, he earned millions of dollars.

7. Some Rebel Troopers Were Played by Women

While filming the Battle of Hoth scene in Norway, quite a few extras were needed to portray Rebel troopers.

The crew put out a call for extras, but not enough local people responded. So employees of the hotel they were staying at were drafted to the cause.

The production team took everyone they could get to fill the roles, including a bunch of women. Art director Alan Tompkins has provided photo evidence of this, as he took pictures of several lady rebels displaying their nail polish.

8. The Life-Sized Millennium Falcon

A full-sized model of the Millennium Falcon was built as a set for The Empire Strikes Back. The giant spaceship stood 16 feet tall and was 60 feet in diameter.

This set was only used in The Empire Strikes Back, when Han is shown working on the Falcon in the hangar on Hoth.

9. Yoda Could Have Been a Frog or Monkey

The original concepts for Yoda were different from the green-skinned alien that made it into the movie.

In one of the early drafts, he was a frog-like creature known as Minch Yoda. Instead of Dagobah, his homeworld was called Bog Planet.

At another point in production, Yoda was supposed to be played by a monkey wearing a mask and walking with a cane. However, the monkey kept pulling off the mask, so to save time and trouble, Yoda became a puppet instead.

10. Creative Genius

The special effects of the Original Trilogy are outdated by modern standards, but at the time they were originally released, in the 1970s and 80s, they were works of creative genius.

Many unique sounds and sights were combined to create the iconic moments we experience in The Empire Strikes Back.

For example, the fight scenes with spaceships and AT-AT Walkers were created using models and stop-action photography. Single frames of each scene would be shot at a time, with the models being moved incrementally between shots to simulate movement.

Additionally, the sounds used to make the noise of AT-AT Walkers in motion came from metal-working sites, where the sounds of sheet metal being cut were recorded. The noises of blaster fire were created by twanging metal wires.

Again and again, the makers of The Empire Strikes Back showed off their creative genius to make the film look and sound as believable and realistic as possible.

Sarah Hood

Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.