Original Script For Empire Strikes Back was Radically Different

[Logan Westbrook]

Original Script For Empire Strikes Back was Radically Different

One of the most acclaimed trilogy of movies the world has ever seen could have been totally different had the original script of Empire Strikes Back been filmed.

Star Wars [http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-Versions-Widescreen/dp/B000FQJAJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1276714458&sr=8-1] series into a full blown epic sci-fi saga, packed with love, betrayal and revelations. But had the original script been filmed, the "truths" of Star Wars would have been significantly different.

In Leigh Brackett's version of the script, the galaxy was a very different place. Places and people had different names and histories, and the familial ties that are a hallmark of the series may never have existed.

So what was different? Well, Yoda was called "Minch" for one, Lando was a clone and Leia wasn't Luke's sister. Not only that, but the original draft featured a raid on the rebel base on Hoth by a group of disgruntled wampas - a subplot that nearly made it into the movie, but was dropped at the last minute.

It's weird to think that one of the cornerstones of geekdom might have been utterly different, but interesting at the same time, especially as some of the concepts made reappearances in later movies.


Source: io9 [http://io9.com/5539807/what-did-the-original-script-for-the-empire-strikes-back-look-like]


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[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Well that and originally the whole thing was supposed to be nine movies, Han Solo had a heroic sacrifice at the end of Return (which is why the line 'I feel like I'm never going to see her[the Millennium Falcon] again' was used) and originally Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine were different people.

There's a lot which never made it to the final product.

 

[CoverYourHead]

Thank god it's the same. This version sounds horrible, if not interesting.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Why the fuck are they telling us this now?

 

[MrGFunk]

How can Leia not be Luke's sister? Did she not get with Han in it?

 

[Danpascooch]

Why the fuck are they telling us this now?

Because Lucas want's to destroy Star Wars, it's been his mission since Phantom Menace.

Anyway, the name changes aren't a big deal, and who cares if Lando was a clone, a clone of who? And the raid would have just been a vestigial scene, not too much of a big deal.

The only big change is that Leia wouldn't have been Luke's sibling.

 

[Danpascooch]

How can Leia not be Luke's sister? Did she not get with Han in it?

Threesome perhaps?

Then in the third movie, Luke discovers they are siblings, and kills himself.

 

[Cryo84R]

Can we have one where the Empire wins? That would be totally awesome.

 

[CJ1145]

Lando's not being a clone was for the best. Considering he was the only black guy in the original trilogy, there's a good chance he would not have been played by Billy Dee Williams.

 

[rayskyrift]

I do not know who keeps pushing for these non-intelligent creatures in Star Wars. Luckily someone had the presence of mind to say no to rampaging Wampas.

 

[erbkaiser]

I've actually seen some of the footage of this, specifically the 'Wampa attack', think it was distributed on a (long lost) CD-ROM once.
One scene has C3PO remove the warning sign of a door behind which are some of the Wampas, with Stormtroopers then entering it and being taken care of.

Story changes like this are only logical though, it's not like Lucas had the entire story planned at first. The entire "nine films" idea with renaming of 'Star Wars' to 'Episode IV A New Hope' came only later.

I'm more sad about the changes to Episode VI: instead of Muppet Teddybears From Hell it would have taken place on Kashyyyk with Wookies fighting Stormtroopers. Finally seeing it in Episode III almost made the prequels worth it.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

http://www.cracked.com/article_16716_7-terrible-early-versions-great-movies.html

Am I really the first one? Yes! My memorisation of Cracked.com's article list comes in handy yet again!

 

[JaredXE]

How could there have been such a radically different script? Lucas assured us that he had written the whole series (all nine films) back in the 70's. Everything was planned out, so obviously this is a fake story, because Lucas would never lie about it all being done out before hand.


/sarcasm

 

[scnj]

I'd love to give it a read. That, and the original draft of Revenge Of The Jedi.

 

[WrongSprite]

the original draft featured a raid on the rebel base on Hoth by a group of disgruntled wampas - a subplot that nearly made it into the movie, but was dropped at the last minute.

I'm sure that was a level in Battlefront 2.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Episode 5 was the best because it was the only one not directed by George Lucas. Irvin Kirshner directed Empire.

Then, George Lucas fired the producers of Empire, and replaced them with a pair of people he knew wouldn't question any idea he pitched. Thus came about the time where nobody at Lucasfilm would dare question any of George Lucas' ideas for fear of being fired.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I stopped with Star Wars and gave anything I had that was related to it to my little brother.

Star Wars sitcom... pah

 

[UberNoodle]

Thank the gods that that version of the film never happened!

Then again, ... if it had, we'd be saying the same thing - 'and Luke and Leia were to be siblings; and Minch was to be called ... *scoff* ... YO-DA! LOL!!!!1111'.

 

[Littaly]

Well that and originally the whole thing was supposed to be nine movies, Han Solo had a heroic sacrifice at the end of Return (which is why the line 'I feel like I'm never going to see her[the Millennium Falcon] again' was used) and originally Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine were different people.

There's a lot which never made it to the final product.

Agreed. I don't really see how this is news ^^

Scripts evolve, that's the way it works. There are a couple of placews where you can read (or read about) old Star Wars scripts, it's all pretty interesting stuff. Actually, Luke and Leia weren't siblings even in the final version of the script, that wasn't decided until Return of the Jedi. Similarly to how Vader wasn't meant to be Luke's father in A New Hope.