George Lucas stood by Steven Spielberg's idea for Episode III's "High Ground" scene

Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard revealed that the High Ground scene from Episode III—Revenge of the Sith was Steven Spielberg's idea. George Lucas chose to stick with it despite everyone's disapproval.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin Skywalker battles Obi-Wan Kenobi. Image Credit: StarWars.com
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin Skywalker battles Obi-Wan Kenobi. Image Credit: StarWars.com

Star Wars stunt coordinator Nick Gillard revealed that Steven Speilberg actually created the 'high ground' scene in Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith.

According to GamesRadar, it was Spielberg's idea for Obi-Wan Kenobi to warn Anakin not to "try it" before he jumps, as Kenobi had the High Ground. This scene has been discussed and dissected for the past 19 years, and fans have grown to love it. Obi-Wan's exact line, "It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground," is probably one of the most famous lines in the saga now, and it might be Ewan McGregor's single most memorable dialogue as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, according to Nick Gillard, everyone hated the scene, but Lucas remained adamant about keeping it in the movie:

"It's just the way George [Lucas] hung onto it. We hated it, it's common knowledge we hated it. We had a different version for it. We campaigned as hard as we could to get it changed but George was having none of it."
Nick Gillard.

Considering the gravity of the situation, some may have found this line unserious. However, it can also be viewed as the final time Obi-Wan addresses Anakin as a friend and a brother, which gives it more meaning. Later on, as the scene takes a tragic turn, Obi-Wan refers to Anakin in the past tense and cries "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." This could indicate that up till the moment Anakin 'tried it' and jumped, resulting in Obi-Wan slicing his legs off, Obi-Wan had hope that Anakin would change his mind. He was proven wrong a few seconds later, as Anakin proved there was no turning back and lay defeated moments before his body burst into flames.

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have been close friends throughout their careers, and it's heartwarming how much Lucas values Spielberg's input. Whether Lucas made the right call is debatable, but this scene has certainly stood the test of time and continues to fascinate fans nearly two decades later.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is streaming on Disney+.