2018 marks the 35th anniversary of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," the third film in George Lucas' initial -- and, for a while at least, only -- trilogy.

And while it's easy to get swept up in the nostalgia, especially since it perfectly coincides with the release of "Star Wars" that we knew and loved. It signaled the end in which fairly standard fairy tale tropes are deepened and complicated, lacquered with layers of New Age mysticism and Eastern philosophy, while officially ushering in the next phase of the franchise (more simplistic storytelling aimed more squarely at children). The cycle that began with the third film of the original trilogy has only recently been broken, thanks to the new "saga" films, in which directors raised on the material have been fearless in both reconstructing and deconstructing the series' mythology and its accompanying characters.

In short: "Return of the Jedi" was the beginning of the end.

But let's take it back a little bit.