Is that Luke's hand falling down at the end of The Empire Strikes Back?

Question

Towards the end of The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke falls out of the chute and is hanging from what looks like an antenna, he sees something falling down towards the clouds. Is that his hand, or some other random thing?

(BTW, if this is his hand, wasn't it recovered in one of the books?)

The pic "could" be a pouch that was ripped off his utility belt, maybe a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol in holster? — user3072, Jan 04 '12 at 16:18
this question should be put on hold since the answer will likely be revealed in some measure on December 18 with the release of The Force Awakens — NKCampbell, Nov 25 '15 at 20:49

score 40 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 08 '13 at 09:56

40

You can see the screenshot below. I uploaded it in the highest resolution I could get, but it's from the DVD, so the resolution is set anyway (and SE reduced it anyway). I took out my blu-ray and watched the sequence, frame by frame, on my 57" HDTV (these days it's harder to get a sharper or larger image than that). This screenshot is of the first or second frame of the shot with this object falling. It's the largest and clearest view of the object. This screenshot is from the DVD "Limited Edition." The image on the blu-ray is similar. Since it's hard to see, here's just the object itself (which doesn't show up well here unfortunately):

enter image description here

While it's not stated definitively, I think it's intended to be his hand, still clutching his lightsaber. If you can find a good image, there is a cylinder stretching out on two ends from something in the center, as if it's a lightsaber held in a hand. But the main part of the object, the part holding the center of the cylinder, there's what looks like fabric fanning out from it and blowing in the wind as it falls. I suspect that's intended to be fabric from his sleeve, but his sleeve is long enough to cover his stump when we see Luke. (I suspect this is an intentional error to avoid showing a severed hand directly and thus allowing the movie to keep the PG rating - there's rumors Lucas made other changes along the way to keep a PG rating.)

When Luke is drawn into the air chute and sliding through it, there aren't signs of anything falling with him. Still, the shape is enough like something clutching a lightsaber that it seems likely it's intended to be his hand.

edited Oct 08 '13 at 09:56

bitmask

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answered Dec 21 '11 at 04:20

Tango

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With screenshot... Great :) – user931 Dec 21 '11 at 14:20
I assume you mean a PG rating? – Goodbye Stack Exchange Dec 21 '11 at 15:51
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Interesting. The DVDs are rated G and the film was rated PG. That would explain another rumor I've heard about Lucas. – Tango Dec 21 '11 at 16:05
No, it just explains the changing of the rating system- when older re-mastered movies are re-rated, they often change to more family friendly ratings. – Chuck Dee Dec 21 '11 at 16:56
Actually, I rechecked, because this reminded me of what I read somewhere. The DVDs for the original trilogy are PG (I misread another marking on the box). I was checking on it because of what I think I read about this: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/8070/did-lucas-dump-han-shot-first-for-the-mpaa-rating – Tango Dec 21 '11 at 17:36
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You know what would help here? Enhance it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxq9yj2pVWk – Ken Liu Dec 21 '11 at 21:21
I've heard (though I can't find a reference) that the rather gruesome scene of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's burned corpses was intended to give the movie a PG rating, since a G rating would have made it less popular. – Keith Thompson Dec 22 '11 at 04:41
Don't forget, we see his hand and sabre fall over the side when it's cut off. He obviously catches up with it. – aramis Dec 23 '11 at 07:13
@KeithThompson: That scene is a direct ripoff of the movie The Searchers, but then again, ripping off other movies is one of the things Lucas does best. – Tango Dec 23 '11 at 15:38
@Aramis - maybe he was calling to his hand with the force(subliminally) – Chad Aug 10 '12 at 19:59

score 16 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 22 '11 at 00:57

16

Like TangoOversway, I have not seen anything regarding this object in the rest of the movies or as a statement from Lucas.

However, in the expanded universe novels (The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn), there is some more information:

The Emperor somehow recovers Luke's hand and lightsaber, and stores it as a secret 'treasure' along with a collection of various other artifacts and machines. Luke eventually has to fight a clone produced from samples taken from his lost hand, while the clone is armed with the very lightsaber he lost at Bespin.

I would imagine it would be hard to do this if the hand had fallen into the gas giant (where it would have been damaged by the extreme pressures).

edited Dec 22 '11 at 00:57

Mark Rogers

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answered Dec 21 '11 at 05:11

HorusKol

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This sounds familiar. Was his new hand a fightin' hand? – NiceOrc Dec 22 '11 at 02:41
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This seems the best answer. What are the chances Luke's hand and lightsaber would end up at exactly the same location as Luke? There was a lot of debris generated from the lightsaber duel. More likely it was a chunk of metal from the gantry. – RobertF Dec 03 '13 at 05:15

score 5 · Answer 3 · edited Jul 20 '14 at 22:12

5

If his hand and light-saber both get cut, they would probably have ended up where he fell(before he got there). So when he falls he ends up with his hand and light-saber next to him. The chute then opens and all(him, his light-saber and hand) fall out, he then lands on an antenna and his hand/light-saber keep falling. This is my 2 cents regarding what happened.

edited Jul 20 '14 at 22:12

Pobrecita

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answered Oct 08 '13 at 07:10

the force

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score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 22 '16 at 18:58

My argument against this being his hand and lightsaber:

When his hand and lightsaber are cut off, they fly off to the left of the big fin Vader and he are fighting on. When Luke jumps, he pushes off to the right. Very unlikely that he would end up in the same tube.
Hand and lightsaber, if they did not dissociate in flight, would certainly have separated once they impacted somewhere prior to falling away. The object that falls appears to be one item.
Hand and lightsaber are -not- visible in the tube Luke falls into, nor do we see any object other than himself until the final fall where he lands on the antenna and the object in question falls into the clouds.
George Lucas was somewhat involved in what "could" and "could not" be done in the original Thrawn trilogy. I suspect he would have told Zahn not to clone Luke or enter his lightsaber if it could not be done. GL paid a lot more attention to continuity back then.

Just my pennies!

score 0 · Answer 5 · edited Jan 31 '17 at 20:26

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It is Luke's lightsaber falling, still clutched in his hand - if you freeze the scene at the right point you can see it. They don't have to have landed in the same spot as those were ventilation shafts and would all open at the same time. It is a big mistake by Disney in the new film. Even with sci-fi and space magic, there is no logical explanation as to how it could have been recovered. It is an error.

edited Jan 31 '17 at 20:26

Gallifreyan

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answered Jan 31 '17 at 20:15

Bhig Jhonson

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Could you provide a picture of this scene froze at the right point? – Gallifreyan Jan 31 '17 at 20:27
Check out the [tour] and [help] for info on what this site is looking for when posting. :) – RedCaio Feb 01 '17 at 09:41

score -1 · Answer 6 · edited Jan 03 '16 at 01:36

-1

Definitely his hand and saber - why else would Lucas include it in the movie? Serves no purpose otherwise. A segue to The Force Awakens.

edited Jan 03 '16 at 01:36

Wad Cheber

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answered Jan 03 '16 at 01:34

Sullybags

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score -1 · Answer 7 · edited Jul 20 '14 at 22:29

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Every time a Lightsaber falls to the ground in these movies, the creators go out of their way to show it. So I suspect you're right...that is his hand and the Lightsaber.

edited Jul 20 '14 at 22:29

Pobrecita

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answered Aug 01 '12 at 09:55

franky

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This is speculative and not really a good answer. – The Fallen Sep 27 '12 at 15:26

Jeff Dege · Answer 8 · 2014-10-03T17:35:04.493

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What happened to Luke's hand is definitively answered in Season 1, Episode 3 of Space Janitors.

For those who haven't watched the series, basically it lands on the floor where a janitor picks it up, doesn't understand what it is, and has a variety of adventures with it, like toasting his mush and accidentally cutting off the arms of his best friend.

As for where it fits in the canon, it fits solidly in the "should be, because it's too funny not to be" category.

edited Oct 03 '14 at 17:35

answered Oct 03 '14 at 16:33

Jeff Dege

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Link only answers are discouraged. You should usually summarize the relevant part of the link in your answer. Also, I have not watched Space Janitors, but since it is not canon I doubt this link is relevant to the question. – numaroth Oct 03 '14 at 16:50
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And what level of canon is Space Janitors? – phantom42 Oct 03 '14 at 17:13
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@phantom42 - Below Episode 1, but above the Holiday Special – Valorum Oct 03 '14 at 17:40
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Heh, I read this answer and thought to myself, oh god! here we go! taking on die hards, you've got some serious spaceballs there.. – CGCampbell Oct 03 '14 at 18:27

Is that Luke's hand falling down at the end of The Empire Strikes Back?

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