Star Wars: The best moments from The Empire Strikes Back
By Nik Edlund
The Empire Strikes Back best moments: Luke Learns the Truth
The most famous scene from The Empire Strikes Back is definitely the moment when Luke learns the truth about who Darth Vader is. This scene delivered the biggest bombshell in movie history and has yet to be topped.
Luke and Vader finally cross lightsabers at the end of Empire. They first fight in the carbon freezing chamber and then onto a platform that stretches over a chasm created by the floating structures that make up Cloud City.
Luke is able to hold his own against the Sith Lord for quite a while but then gets his hand chopped off and loses his lightsaber. He retreats to an outcropping and hangs on for dear life. He and Vader then have a brief palaver. Vader tells Luke that Obi-Wan never told him what happened to his father, and Luke replies that he told him Vader killed him.
At that point, Vader drops the bomb that he’s Luke’s father. Luke doesn’t believe it and screams out a no, but soon realizes it’s true. Vader then suggests they join forces and conquer the galaxy as father and son, but Luke instead ops to drop to what could be his death.
This scene was absolutely shocking and no one saw this coming. It completely turned the story on its head and set up an exciting and riveting finale with the next film.