UPS
Marvell
Empire Strikes Back's Fake Twist Would Have Made Star Wars Much Darker
The act 3 plot twist in The Empire Strikes Back changed the course of the Star Wars saga, and while its secrecy was protected with a fake revelation, the trilogy could have been much darker if it was the real twist. Darth Vader’s infamous dialogue, which reveals that he is Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, is iconic enough to be known by those unfamiliar with the Star Wars franchise, but it wasn’t simply a twist for the sake of being unexpected. Vader’s revelation completely recontextualizes A New Hope and informs some of the most dramatic and poignant moments in its sequel, Return of the Jedi. What isn’t nearly as iconic, however, is the “twist” told to Mark Hamill duringEmpire’s filming, which would have taken Star Wars in a drastically different direction.