If you ask the vast majority of Star Wars fans to name their favourite entry into the entire movie franchise, most will quickly name one film – 1980’s follow-up to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back.

In the 40 (!) years since its release, the iconic sequel has lost none of its lustre as a daring, visually stunning sequel that improves upon its predecessor and served up the schematic for the «bigger, darker sequel» that still endures today.

But the film’s production was such a colossal undertaking amid impossibly high expectations that there’s probably plenty you still don’t know, even today, about the movie’s creation.

From nixed original ideas to the high fee a certain actor received for their short screen time, arguments over the opening title crawl, and everything in-between, these are the 20 facts about The Empire Strikes Back you absolutely need to know.

You won’t look at the film quite the same way ever again, but should have an even greater appreciation for the blood, sweat, and tears that went into bringing the endlessly ambitious sequel together…