For airing ‘Return of the Jedi’ spoilers 40 years ago, NPR had to issue an apology.
This week marks the forty-year anniversary of the release of Return of the Jedi, the third and most eagerly awaited Star Wars film.
Susan Stamberg, anchor of All Things Considered in 1983, requested a small boy to give us a sneak preview of the film at the time. You are about to read some spoilers for a movie that is 40 years old, so be forewarned. Let’s be honest, you should have watched it by now.
This was part of the boy’s review:
Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are about to go in the pit. And just as he was about to walk the plank, R2D2 fired a laser gun from his head, and Han catched it. And he blew up the whole ship. And the big guy — the boss of the monsters — well, he got choked and died.
In actuality, his assessment was off. R2D2 launched a lightsaber, which Luke Skywalker snagged.
However, these narrative specifics at the time truly infuriated NPR listeners. So much so that Stamberg apologised live on TV the next day.
