Star Wars Fans Discover a Unique Detail About The Empire Strikes Back

45 years after its release, Star Wars fans have made an interesting discovery about The Empire Strikes Back—it is the only core film in the saga without a major character death.

A recent discussion on the Star Wars Reddit community has highlighted this overlooked detail, sparking conversation among fans. While Empire Strikes Back is widely regarded as the best Star Wars movie and one of the greatest films of its era, even its most dedicated viewers had never noticed that it breaks the franchise’s long-standing trend of significant character deaths.

Every other installment in the Skywalker Saga features at least one major loss. A New Hope saw the deaths of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Grand Moff Tarkin, while Return of the Jedi included the demise of Yoda, Palpatine, and Anakin Skywalker. The prequels followed suit, with Qui-Gon Jinn (The Phantom Menace), Shmi Skywalker and Jango Fett (Attack of the Clones), and Mace Windu, Count Dooku, and Padmé Amidala (Revenge of the Sith) all meeting their ends. The sequels also continued the trend, with The Force Awakens killing off Han Solo, The Last Jedi seeing the deaths of Luke Skywalker and Snoke, and The Rise of Skywalker delivering the loss of Leia Organa, Ben Solo, and Palpatine (again).

Despite this anomaly, The Empire Strikes Back is still considered one of the darkest chapters in the saga, proving that a Star Wars film doesn’t need a major character death to be emotionally powerful.