Before there were Gungans, before there were whiny, emasculated future Sith Lords, before there were midichlorians, even before there were Ewoks, there was an epic and glorious Empire. If Star Wars: A New Hope gave the world its first glimpse of the creative potential of a blockbuster sci-fi movie franchise, The Empire Strikes Back was that potential realized. As the best entry of a trilogy that was the inspiration for a cultural movement, it is possibly both the greatest and most important geek film of all time.

The fact that George Lucas had less to do with it than any of the other Star Wars films is probably not a coincidence. His story might have laid the groundwork, but the screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (and perhaps Hugo Reyes?) crystallized it and gave it form. Lucas didn’t direct it, either. That task went to Irvin Kershner, whose passing this week was the inspiration for me to reflect and pay tribute to him, and this landmark entry in pop culture history.

One of the things that’s most striking about George Lucas’ direction is that there isn’t any. Looking at the prequels it’s especially noticeable how he can take otherwise great actors like Ewan McGregor, Sam Jackson, and Natalie Portman and turn them into monotonous cardboard cutouts of themselves. Kershner was able to coax actual performances out of Empire’s cast. (And let’s not forget it’s a cast that included what was essentially a green piece of foam latex.) For the most emotionally mature of the films, the one that became the template for all dark second acts, this was crucial.

As the new director of the sequel to a cultural phenomenon, Kershner had a lot of hurdles to overcome, and somehow he did. He was able to build on Lucas’ sense of fun and adventure, but also infuse it with a deeper sense of urgency. Everything about the film was enhanced. From the AT-AT battle on Hoth, to the asteroid chase, to the Jedi training from the aforementioned latex, to the fantastically staged and emotionally charged final lightsaber duel on Cloud City, all these elements had precedents in the first film, but all were improved upon, as is only to be expected in a sequel. The fact that Empire is basically responsible for creating that expectation for sequels should not be overlooked.

Of course, none of that kind of analysis entered my brain as I went to see it for the first time as a kid. I was just incredibly stoked that after the three longest years of my life I would finally be able to revisit this world and these characters again. Aside from the awesomely mind-blowing trip it wound up being, what I most remember from that first time was that it made me angry.

I mean, how dare they?

How could they possibly end the greatest movie I’d ever seen … with a cliffhanger? My poor dad wouldn’t hear the end of it for hours on the car ride home. I have to wait three years to find out what happens next? Are you kidding me?

I’m fairly certain that it was this paradoxical combination of agony and excitement that actually helped foster my love for comic books, whose very business is more or less based on their ability to keep you hooked and coming back with a well-constructed cliffhanger.

While Kershner never went on to match the success of his one contribution to that galaxy far, far, away, his influence will continue to be felt from it for generations upon generations of geeky filmmakers and fans. So here’s to you, Irvin. And, as George might say these days, may those little sea monkeys in your blood be with you.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Thursday in Action — Men in Black Gets Three, The Puppet Renaissance, and Behind the Empire
• Tales of an Ancient Empire
• It’s All Geek To Me — Ice, Ice, Baby! Five Geeky Ways to Beat the Summer Heat
• Star Wars Episode 7: Return of the Missing Scene
• It’s All Geek To Me — The Problem with Prequels
• It’s All Geek To Me — The Top Ten Geek News Stories of 2010