After dazzling audiences worldwide with the first two installments in his Star Wars saga, George Lucas set  out to surpass even himself with Return of the Jedi. Doing so involved not only bringing the middle trilogy to a satisfying and dramatic conclusion, but also mustering forth the considerable capabilities of his oft-awarded effects facility - Industrial Light & Magic. Since the latest Star Wars entry involved more effects shots - and of  greater complexity - than either of its two predecessors, and since the work would be compressed into a somewhat shorter  time  frame, it was decided to split  ILM  into three primary effects units.  At the helm of each was a seasoned Star Wars veteran - Richard Edlund,Dennis Muren and Ken Ralston.  As the postproduction effort progressed,  each supervisor recorded a month-by-month  account of the work as it developed and changed, producing in  the process a fascinating account of how a major effects production comes together - the anticipation and planning, the crushing workload, the delights and disappointments.

Edited by Don Shay