'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith' Originally Had A Different Ending

Star Wars

Apr 1

Did you know that the Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’s climatic conclusion on Mustafar was originally very different? Even the infamous “high ground” line was a last-minute change. From Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fight to Padmé’s death, very little that occurred on the volcanic planet was shot as written.

So what ending could we have had?

Changes To The Fight Sequence

Anakin jumping on a droid and flying through the lava was improvised at the last minute. According to stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, this was added to the script on the day of the shoot. Many different aspects of the fight were taken out, including the Jedi bending pipes, using the Force to throw lava at each other, and climbing up the large arm that had fallen into the river instead of appearing at the top. There were also originally more Force moves, such as creating a lava wave, and using the Force to shield themselves from flying objects. The fight was altered at many stages, from the animated storyboard to the final stunt choreography and the edit. There were many cool ideas that we never got to see in the final product.

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The High Ground

Nick Gillard has said in interviews that the high ground moment was supposed to be an epic lightsaber move on the bank. Anakin would hold the defenseless Obi-Wan Kenobi by the throat. When Anakin delivered the killing blow, his former Master would steal Anakin’s lightsaber and cut off his arms and his legs in one circular sweep, leaving him for the creeping lava. This ending would have shown that Obi-Wan was the superior swordsman rather than winning through Anakin’s hubris, which is presumably why it was changed. Still, it would have looked very cool on screen.

Anakin Begs For Help?

Two different scenes were shot after Anaki was dismembered by Obi-Wan. This was to give Lucas the choice of the Sith screaming in hate or begging his friend for mercy. The version we didn’t see was Anakin crawling on his stomach saying “please help me, Master.” The line hinted that he had not turned away from the light completely. Ewan McGregor’s response was simply “I love you, but I can not help.” It was after this moment that Anakin’s eyes change from blue to Sith red, suggesting that Obi-Wan’s rejection was the final step in his fall.

The scene has a completely different feel to the one we saw in cinemas and might have been a bit jarring after all the audience has witnessed. George Lucas probably made the right call on this one by having Anakin scream “I hate you” in the final cut. Obi-Wan Kenobi probably gave us the moment that George was looking for, but it needed a bigger build-up.

Padmé Turns On Anakin

The biggest change to the ending of Revenge of the Sith was how Padmé was supposed to try to kill Anakin Skywalker. The idea even made it past the concept art stage and into stunt work.

Padmé was to arrive on Mustafar after having given birth, fully aware of what had transpired in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. She would be more similar to the feisty Padmé from Star Wars: The Clone Wars who values the Republic over everything else. Padmé would take out a knife and attempt to kill her husband and Anakin ended up Force choking her to death.

There is still a small remnant of this idea in the dialogue where Anakin accused Padmé of betraying him when she arrived. It felt a little odd because originally, she was carrying a weapon. There was also a version written where Anakin was already in the Vader armor when Padmé reached Mustafar and she tried to kill him, not knowing who the Sith Lord really was.

Both of these are a more convincing and fitting death than the one that Lucas gave her. However, Padmé’s belief in Anakin’s innate goodness (despite having just slaughtered a temple full of children) mirror Luke’s which arguably serves the story better.

Does It Matter?

There’s no doubt that Revenge of The Sith could have been a different movie. But at the end of the day, does it really matter? The debate about what they could have done is irrelevant. We all know Star Wars isn’t perfect, but the flaws are what have sustained the fandom. Say “I hate sand” or “I have the high ground” (arguably the two most nonsensical moments in the saga) to any fan and you’ll get a response. If not the rest of the quote, then one of the many jokes and memes flying around the internet. Star Wars has survived so long because we are all still mocking and debating what is the worst child-friendly alien, George Lucas’ dialogue, and who shot first.

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