If you're reading this and wondering if there was a typo in the headline, please rest assured that you read it correctly. The rare trailer included in the article is for "Revenge of the Jedi," which was the original title for the third "Star Wars" film before it was changed to the more positive-sounding "Return of the Jedi."
The "Revenge Of The Jedi" Trailer
The rare trailer for "Revenge of the Jedi" was released on Youtube by the Academy Film Archive to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the film, which was eventually retitled, "Return of the Jedi." The reason behind the trailer's rarity lies in the fact that it was released before the major title change from "Revenge of the Jedi" to "Return of the Jedi."
The "Return of the Jedi" trailer teases on the upcoming release of the third "Star Wars" film and features images of Luke Skywalker with Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3P0 and Chewbacca (via io9). The "Revenge of the Jedi" trailer is much shorter to current teasers being released, but the images may be enough to get people excited over the third "Star Wars" film back in 1983.
Old Revenge Of The Jedi trailer unearthed, features photo of Chewbacca https://t.co/uMEGrguvXS pic.twitter.com/6jlyc3E60b
— The A.V. Club (@TheAVClub) May 26, 2016
Why Change "Revenge Of The Jedi" To "Return Of The Jedi?"
Most "Star Wars" fans still believe that "Revenge of the Jedi" would have been a more awesome title for the third film, hinting on a more powerful comeback from Luke Skywalker. After all, the film was marketed heavily as "Revenge of the Jedi" up until a few months before its release on May 25, 1983. So why the name change? "Star Wars" creator George Lucas decided that the title would go against the Jedi principle since acting in revenge would mean giving in to anger. By December 1982, George Lucas changed the title to "Return of the Jedi." In honor of the name change, the last of the "Star Wars" prequel films was titled "Revenge of the Sith." Watch the "Revenge of the Jedi" trailer below.
