29
On the ground level of the fight
Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan & Leigh Brackett
Director: Irvin Kershner
“Right now, I feel I could take on the whole Empire myself,” said Rebel gunner Dak Ralter as his pilot Luke Skywalker jumps into the cockpit of their snowspeeder. Three years removed from their victory at the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion has grown, but still hasn’t gained any footing. The Empire has chased them throughout the galaxy and the Galactic Civil War is still feeling pretty one-sided. It often feels like one against the many. And, as the pulpy title The Empire Strikes Back suggests, things aren’t about to get better. What is it like to be in this Rebellion? What was it like to face down those overwhelming odds and the stampeding Imperial Armada? What was it like to fight against the Empire? Just watch the Battle of Hoth.
The Battle of Hoth is not a victory for the Rebels, of course. It’s a desperate evacuation as the furious fist of the Empire strikes back and the storytelling comes front and center. This is our point of view to the conflict. Rebel Sergeant Major Trey Callum (a cameo for Bob Anderson, swordsman extraordinaire and stunt double for Darth Vader during the Episode V and Episode VI lightsaber fights) looks through his electrobinoculars and we are treated to a bone-chilling shot, displaying the theme the battle is built around. Through the binoculars, we see a large foot of a walker stomp down on the snow and Callum pans up to find the image of a dinosaur-like machine staring back at him. This is the might of Empire and we’re on the ground level looking up.
Most of this battle is experienced from the eyes of the overmatched Rebels. It’s desperate and raw. We hear the screams as equipment and soldiers are blown off the planet’s icy surface. It seems completely futile as we watch laser blasts from P-tower cannons smack harmlessly into the walkers. Luke Skywalker took out the Death Star, but now the armor of the Empire’s machines is too strong for the Rebels’ blasters. It’s overwhelming and chaotic. This is what the fight for freedom in the galaxy feels like. As ships fall from the cold sky and troopers begin to run away, we’re dismayed and can’t help but think this Rebellion was a lost cause all along. Was there ever really a chance at winning?
Yet our heroes have to learn something about themselves at this moment. Even the largest fights should teach us something about the characters we love. To survive this battle, and the war at large, the Rebels are going to have to do something different. Think outside the box and fight another way. So, they do. They adapt. And every time they chip away at their enemies, it feels hard earned.
When Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson manage to use a tow cable to take down a walker, we’re cheering along the Rebels charging toward the fallen walker. When Luke Skywalker escapes death and takes down a walker himself, we’re breathing a sigh of relief. This also means we’re feeling the losses as well. The death of Luke’s gunner Dak is one of the most visceral deaths in Star Wars. Now, with years of fandom under my belt, I can name you all of the Rebel pilots in A New Hope and explain why their deaths were important, but, for me, nothing eclipsed the dread I first felt when the body of Dak is crushed by the foot of a walker. Again, we’re right there for it. As Luke looks up, that foot is coming down on us. Everything about the Battle of Hoth stays with you.
It also stays with the franchise itself. There are echoes of the Battle of Hoth in so many other parts of Star Wars. The Imperial AT-AT walkers themselves have become their own kind of mythical beast with similar concepts and next or first-generation designs appearing on Geonosis, Scarif, and Crait. We meet Rey living in one. Similar shots pop up elsewhere as both fun homages to the great battle sequence that captivated us then, and a continuation of the story themes now. The First Order uses the Veers Formation on Crait in The Last Jedi, an in-story ode to the great Imperial general Maximillian Veers and leader of Blizzard Force on Hoth. The popular 1996 video game Shadows of the Empire is remembered by many for being the first chance to actually feel like you were in the battle. Yes, the Battle of Hoth lives on.
Yet every nostalgic image or creative wink and nod is not just a reminder of what we previously saw. It’s a direct line back to the feeling of the sequence. What is it like to take on the whole Empire? It’s desperate, dangerous and daunting, but when you dig deep and fight back, there is always hope.