Return of the Jedi's title: Singular or plural?

After watching Return of the Jedi, my favorite SW flick, I realized that I did not know exactly who the "Jedi" in the title refers to. It could refer to the sole Jedi still alive, Luke, or it could just as easily refer to the Jedi Order returning and defeating the dark side.

My personal theory is that, since GL hadn't written a definitive story for post-ROTJ, and we didn't know that the Jedi would come back in the EU, that the title refers to Luke and his "return."

 

I agree. I believe it hints at the return of the Jedi Order after Skywalker defeats Vader and the Emperor is overthrown.

 

It's a three-way tie, since it can refer to Anakin as well.

 

I have heard three reasons as to why Lucas changed it from Revenge of the Jedi.

1. As a decoy so that when the movie came out pirated merchandise could be identified.

2. Wrath of kahn was originally called revenge of Kahn and Luca did not want to copy it.

3. He read a school report that Revenge is not a Jedi trait, so he changed it.

I bring this up because if he was truly going to call it Revenge of the Jedi then this would allude to both Luke taking revenge on vader in a personal fashion, and revenge being inflicted on behalf of Jedi that vader had slain in the past.

I think though that Lucas would say that Return means two things; Luke returning to his father, Anakin returning to the light.

 

Plural, I feel. Luke's survival and the fall of the Sith should lead to the Jedi coming back into existance.

 

I can tell you that #1 is a definite. It was to throw people off, both in terms of merchandising and just in general, a la "Blue Harvest". This is from the Annotated Screenplays.

 

A school report? A school report changed his mind? I think not!

 

Yeah,I think ROTJ means three things,

• The return of the Jedi order


• The return of Anakin Skywalker
• And the return of Luke to fight Vader

 

Since watching the PT, I alway felt the "Jedi" was Anakin's redemption, before that I thought it was Luke returning for another adventure!

 

Defintely plural.

Luke turns to the dark side briefly in ROTJ. At that point in time, there were no "good Jedi" in the galaxy.

Luke RETURNS to the light side just in time. Then Anakin RETURNS to the light side just in time. And then a few years later the Jedi RETURN to the galaxy. Plus, Yoda and Anakin RETURNED to the Force itself, which is where all life come from... those two Jedi were RETURNING the to basis of life.

 

is it really that important

 

Enough so to post in this thread, apparently.

Heaven forbid we should discuss Star Wars on these boards.

 

Luke returns to the light side, but not to the Jedi... he was only a Jedi once!

 

That depends on when you think he "confronted" Vader.

 

After having seen the whole saga from TPM, with the fall of the Jedi and everything, the title Return of the Jedi will definitely mean that the Jedi order is returning.
So I say plural!

 

the German translation of the title says it's plural. (in case you think translators possess any kind of authority...)
Nothing is more satisfying than a complicated but unambiguous language. ;-)

 

Unfortunately, the swedish translation says singular, but I interpret that as the phenomenon called Jedi

 

Return of the Jedi means the return of Anakin.

 

In 1983, it only meant Luke. Yoda says that Luke will be the last of the Jedi.
Now with the PT and as Star Wars will now be seen as a 6 movie saga, the title can also include Anakin.

 

Yoda says that Luke will be the last of the Jedi.

Right after that Yoda says "Pass on what you have learned." Luke is the last of the old Jedi and the first of the new at the same time.

 

" In 1983, it only meant Luke. Yoda says that Luke will be the last of the Jedi."

"Luke is the last of the old Jedi and the first of the new at the same time."

Agreed. What Yoda said was true....from a certain point of view.

 

Yoda didn't know that Anakin would return. So, from his POV, the return was just a revival of the Jedi order.

From an objective POV, ROTJ refers to Anakin's redemption.

 

Singular... the Jedi was Anakin.

RETURN of the Jedi... Luke was NOT a Jedi yet. ONLY person (that was a Jedi at any point) left that was alive was Anakin.

LUKE:

Then I am a Jedi?

YODA:

Ohhh. Not yet. One thing remains: Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be.



Who returned and was a Jedi?



ANAKIN.... who was the first hope and DID fulfill his role in killing the emperor.... he turned back last minute and killed the emperor... thus returning to the "light side".

 

Luke became a Jedi after defeating Vader. Hence, the Jedi have returned when Luke became a Jedi.

 

hal9k1, at the very least, the word "Jedi" is plural, as well as singular - therefore it can refer to the rise of a new Jedi Order - "Pass on what you have learned..."