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Obi Wan Vs Anakin - The Myth Vs The Reality

posted 3 years ago by FootOfDavros (6707)
6 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone else recall in times of yore when the battle between Obi Wan and Anakin - on the side of a volcano - just just a thing of myth?

I do. In this fascinating piece I recall back in my very early childhood (perhaps even pre-dating the release of ROTJ) that both myself and my friends knew and would chat about this showdown and what it may have been like.

I don't know where this information came from - presumably some TV / magazine interview with George Lucas which had been shared around eventually becoming common knowledge...

Anyway after the disaster of the prequels, it was bittersweet to finally see this moment on-screen, especially given the over cgi-ness of it all.

What's kind of amusing is that while we can all shake our heads in dismay at the non canon status of some of the stuff in the prequels, we always knew George had this set up, even although it too breaks canon as quite clearly Vader is not "but a learner" at this point. Although I guess a canon version of the story could exist with Obi Wan taking down a much younger Anakin.

[–] FootOfDavros (6707) 3 years ago

I found the source chaps! Right here:-
https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/george-lucas-the-wizard-of-star-wars-2-232011/

Straight from the horse's mouth in 1977 no less:-

"It’s about Ben and Luke’s father and Vader when they are young Jedi knights. But Vader kills Luke’s father, then Ben and Vader have a confrontation, just like they have in Star Wars, and Ben almost kills Vader.

As a matter of fact, he falls into a volcanic pit and gets fried and is one destroyed being. That’s why he has to wear the suit with a mask, because it’s a breathing mask."

So the volcano fight was there right from the start, before Vader was even Anakin...

[–] Martoto (4126) 3 years ago

Vader was given a mask so he could breathe while leaping from ship to ship in outer space "in the beginning".

It was all made up and changed around as they went along.

[–] FootOfDavros (6707) 3 years ago

Yeah, the stuff with Luke Skywalker fighting the wookie warrior was interesting as well!

I wonder if George Lucas still owns his original scripts / ideas or whether they are now the property of Disney. Would be interesting to see all this in a sort of Star Wars vault / archive book...

[–] Martoto (4126) 3 years ago

According to George, whatever winds up on screen IS the original idea and the one he was always going to do. Even if it's completely different from what he originally proposed and other people have contributed and added different ideas to it in the meantime.

[–] FootOfDavros (6707) 3 years ago

Well it's his (/ was his) baby I guess, so I guess he gets to do what he wants. My only issue is when what HE puts on screen contradicts what HE put on screen previously (i.e. pretty much all of prequels!).

I don't know if you read it (and I forget the name) but there was a pretty good graphic novel retelling of Star Wars using one of the early visions of the story. It's worth checking out if you haven't read it.

[–] Martoto (4126) 3 years ago

It was always his original idea to ruin and contradict what he previously put on screen. ;)