“Obi-Wan Killed Your Father”: How Empire Strikes Back"s False Twist Would Have Changed Star Wars Forever

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Summary

The original script for The Empire Strikes Back included a fake twist where Obi-Wan was revealed to have killed Luke's father, instead of Darth Vader being his father.
This alternate version would have changed the entire Star Wars universe, with Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader being two separate people and Obi-Wan portrayed as the true villain.
If Obi-Wan had been portrayed as the villain, Luke may have joined forces with Vader to take down the Emperor and create a new group of Force-sensitives, avoiding the mistakes of the Jedi Order.

Darth Vader's “I am your father,” line to Luke Skywalker is easily the most iconic twist in The Empire Strikes Back, if not the entire Star Wars franchise. Revealing the chief antagonist as the protagonist’s father was a stroke of storytelling brilliance on George Lucas’ part. Nevertheless, the shocking twist was a closely guarded secret between the higher-ups of the film’s production, such as Lucas and director Irvin Kershner. And to make sure the surprise twist didn’t leak to the public before the film’s release, a fake version of the script for The Empire Strikes Back was given to the cast.
One of the only cast members who was let in on the secret Vader twist in The Empire Strikes Back was Mark Hamill, who was told moments before shooting the scene. Aside from Hamill, almost all the other cast learned of Lucas’ shocking Vader reveal on the day the film came out. It’s no understatement to say Vader being Luke’s father changed the shape of Star Wars forever. Nevertheless, the unused fake script for The Empire Strikes Back actually contained a fairly shocking reveal of its own, one that would have massive implications for the franchise if it had been left in the final film.
Empire's False Twist Had Obi-Wan Kill Luke's Father Close In the fake script, Vader’s line was replaced from “I am your father,” to “Obi-Wan killed your father.” Instead of confusing Luke and the audience by revealing Luke’s parentage, the fake script would have turned the audience’s animosity from Vader to Obi-Wan. Much like the actual twist, the fake twist would have prompted many to rewatch A New Hope and carefully listen to Obi-Wan’s lines about Luke’s father. And at the end of The Empire Strikes Back—when Luke whispers to himself about Ben not telling him—it would have been in reference to Obi-Wan’s betrayal rather than Vader’s true identity.
The fake twist’s implications about Obi-Wan’s true agenda are certainly interesting, but the alternate version of The Empire Strikes Back also implied a much larger change to the Star Wars universe; instead of Anakin Skywalker being Darth Vader, they would have been two separate people. Anakin’s whole fall to the dark side in the Star Wars prequels would never have happened. He may never have left the Jedi or the Republic, and could have died as a hero in order to protect his wife and children.
Interestingly enough, the fake Darth Vader reveal about Obi-Wan killing Luke’s father technically still fits within Star Wars canon—from a certain point of view. In both Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader makes it clear Anakin Skywalker is dead. This seems true, as both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan thought Anakin had died. In a sense, Vader could believe Obi-Wan was to blame for Anakin’s “death” in Revenge of the Sith, and he could use this skewed truth to plant doubt within Luke’s mind. Nevertheless, it's still intriguing to consider what Star Wars would actually look like if Lucas had run with the fake twist.
What if Obi-Wan Was Star Wars' True Villain?

If Darth Vader revealed Obi-Wan was guilty of killing Anakin Skywalker, then the entire story of Star Wars would have to change. Of course, it would be easy for Lucas to rewrite Anakin’s death as a tragic accident; one Obi-Wan felt responsible for. This would explain why Obi-Wan is still a “good” mentor character who guides Luke in A New Hope. From Obi-Wan’s point of view, helping Luke would help atone for his past mistakes with Anakin. Nevertheless, George Lucas isn’t the type of writer who would resort to such a predictable explanation for his twist. Instead, Lucas would likely have rewritten Obi-Wan as the villain of Star Wars.

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