Why George Lucas Was Temped To Cut An Iconic Darth Vader Scene From Return Of The Jedi

Darth Vader’s biggest scene in Return of the Jedi was almost cut by George Lucas as the result of potential confusion from Star Wars fans. The heart of Lucas’ saga, the story of Vader is one of tragedy and triumph, overcoming the chains of the dark side through redemption by the love of his son. After destroying Emperor Palpatine and returning to the light, a dying Anakin Skywalker asked Luke to removed Vader’s helmet – a moment that nearly didn’t happen.

In an archival interview view StarWarsUpdate on YouTube, Lucas explained he considered avoiding removing Vader’s due to the potential reception of the public.

“After Darth Vader has become thrust into this huge persona that I never expected to have happen, do I still take the mask off and have him be this funny little man? Well, I came to the decision that that was the original story, that’s the way it should be, and if the public can’t deal with it, then what can I do about it? A lot of people have objected to the fact that there’s a human in there at all. But the film is about human frailties, it’s not about monsters.”

Lucas ultimately to chose to stick to his convictions, seeing his story through to the end as he deemed fit. The redemption of Darth Vader was ultimately very well received, with the pathetic nature of a frail man being within the suit a concept that resonated with generations of Star Wars fans.

How Would Star Wars Be Different Without Vader’s Helmet Removal?

It’s difficult to imagine an iteration of Return of the Jedi that omitted the removal of Darth Vader’s helmet. As Lucas said, the movie is about human frailties, and it was necessary for the audience to see what the penalty was for Vader’s turn to the dark side. More importantly, the scene provided a moment of closure for Anakin and Luke Skywalker that otherwise would’ve been lacking, despite the former’s return as a Force ghost at the end of the film. To remove the poignant Vader scene would be to deprive Star Wars of its natural conclusion.

Humorously, there were fans in 1983 who still believed Vader was a robot, in spite of the fact that he fathered Luke and was briefly seen unmasked in The Empire Strikes Back. For many, fan theories of the 80s will be difficult to track down, but Lucas’ subversion of potential expectations by seeing Anakin Skywalker return is greater than killing off Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel with Luke. Return of the Jedi cements the legacy of Lucas’ saga, bringing the story of a father and son full circle as they look upon each other with their own eyes.