‘Return of the Jedi’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

Even popular movies like ‘Return of the Jedi’ have small mistakes that become noticeable if you know what to look for. These errors – from inconsistencies on the sail barge to strange props during the battle on Endor – are part of the final film and become apparent when you watch it again. Here are ten specific mistakes you can find the next time you watch, along with details about when and how they happen.

The sail barge kick that never connects

During the battle on the skiff near the Sarlacc pit, Luke attempts a high kick on one of the guards, but it’s clear he doesn’t actually connect. Despite the miss, the guard falls backward as if he were hit, and the scene continues. You can spot this moment right after Luke jumps onto the skiff and begins fighting. The camera angle makes it look like the kick landed, even though it didn’t.

Boba Fett’s wobbly blaster

During the skiff scene, Boba Fett’s blaster visibly bends when it strikes the deck and quickly returns to its original shape as he moves. The prop gun was made of a slightly flexible material, which is most noticeable when Han Solo stumbles around while still regaining his sight. The bend in the blaster’s barrel is brief, but very apparent if you’re looking for it.

Leia’s chain changes length

I’ve always been fascinated by the details in *Return of the Jedi*, and I recently noticed something interesting about the scene where Leia kills Jabba. It’s subtle, but the length of the chain around her neck seems to change depending on the camera angle! Sometimes it looks like she has a lot of slack, and in other shots, it’s wrapped much tighter around her neck. It’s most noticeable when the camera cuts between Leia and Jabba, and again when she finally pulls the chain – you can even see the platform shake a bit as she does it. It’s a small thing, but it really highlights the complexity of filmmaking.

Rancor composite outlines

In several scenes within the pit, the Rancor appears with faint outlines and slightly fuzzy edges. These are visual effects created when combining the puppet with the filmed background. You can notice this effect around its claws and shoulders as it reaches for Luke, and it’s most apparent when the Rancor is set against the brighter cave walls.

Han’s carbonite thaw continuity

When Han Solo is freed from carbonite, small details like his arm position and the frost on his face aren’t quite the same in every shot. This is because the close-up and medium shots were filmed separately, so things change slightly. You can notice these differences as the smoke dissipates and Leia helps him stand. Even the dirt and grime on his chest armor appear to shift between different camera angles.

Lando’s disguise gear that shifts

During the exciting scene on the sail barge, there were some visible errors with Lando’s disguise as a skiff guard. Specifically, parts of his costume – like the face covering and headwrap – seemed to change position or appearance from one camera angle to the next. This is particularly obvious when he’s hanging over the Sarlacc pit and calling for help, as his costume doesn’t quite look the same as it did just moments before.

An Ewok spear that bends on impact

During the battle on the forest moon of Endor, a scene shows an Ewok seemingly bending a spear while fighting a stormtrooper. This was actually a special effect used to ensure the safety of the actors during the stunt. If you watch closely, you can see the spear flex as the stormtrooper falls, and it returns to its normal shape after the action.

Stormtrooper armor details that swap

During the forest battle, some soldiers’ knee and shoulder armor pieces subtly shift position between shots. These pieces were quickly reattached between takes, causing noticeable inconsistencies. Watch for a soldier where the direction of their left knee pad changes when the camera angle switches. Additionally, scratches and dirt patterns on the armor appear on opposite sides in a few fast cuts.

The bunker door damage that resets

The damage to the Endor shield bunker’s main door changes inconsistently when the explosives go off. In wide shots, the door looks one way, but closeups show something different as the Rebels move in. A cracked section that’s visible in one shot is suddenly fixed in the next, and the scattered debris seems to move around between different camera angles.

Padmé memories that do not align later

Leia tells Luke she remembers her mother as both kind and sad, but this doesn’t quite match what we see in the movie ‘Revenge of the Sith’. Originally, this line was just meant to give some background on Leia, but the later prequel films make those memories seem unlikely. The line hasn’t been changed in ‘Return of the Jedi’, and many fans point to it as a continuity error in the Star Wars saga.

Let us know your favorite scenes from ‘Return of the Jedi’ in the comments below! Tell us which moments really stood out to you.

2025-10-16 23:45