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'78 interview with David Prowse [spoilers] :) he reveals Vader is Luke's father

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 (Edited)

I don't know what to make of this.

http://www.retroist.com/2010/11/08/1978-style-star-wars-spoilers/

When the first Star Wars movie came out, my family was living in Sunnyvale, California. My mom quickly realized that, at 7 years old, I was a huge Darth Vader fan. Prior to seeing the movie, I incorrectly thought he was Darth Fader (allowing him to fade through walls and attack his victims). For this particular 7 year old, who had heard his friends speak of the movie, and tell of various Force powers, this fading ability made sense.

Anyway, my mother was good to keep an eye out for Star Wars news – and when this particular item showed up in our local paper, she cut it out for me. I still have it to this day. And, it was my first introduction to spoilers. In late 1978, David Prowse revealed that he was Luke’s father – two years before Empire Strikes Back hit theaters. In retrospect, I wonder how George Lucas felt about this. Since there was no internet in 1978, he probably never knew that David was running around spilling the beans. This article was quite the shock to my 7 year old system. Could this be correct? Were they related? Was David playing a joke? Was the post-Watergate media trustworthy? I had to wait two years to find out.

These days spoilers are pretty much inevitable. But, in 1978, this was big news. Eventually I decided that I believed the article, and shared the news with my friends. They mocked me for making up such a crazy idea. Luke related to Vader – simply impossible. A while later we moved, so I never got to gloat that I was right about this when Empire hit the theaters. They probably forgot all about it. But I was right. I have the article to prove it. Why didn’t I think of showing it to my friends back in 1978?

This article was published in 1978 and Prowse clearly already knows Luke is the son of Vader. Doesn't this go against everything that has been said about Prowse being kept in the dark as far as the big reveal ie the line of dialogue used on set being Obi Wan was your father etc?

If this is true I can see why the Lucas/Prowse grudge exists.

"Well here's a big bag of rock salt" - Patton Oswalt

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I think he was just talking out his ass and happened to be right. The theory popped up in other pre-Empire articles too, it was all speculation. It was actually one of the least kooky things people came up with.

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Wow, that is kooky, especially if the interview was made BEFORE they began shooting on "Star Wars II"...

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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I think George stole the idea from David. "Hmmm, Vader is actually Luke's father? Now people will really think my work is genius. DAVID STOP GIVING THE FANS SPOILERS OR I WON'T PAY YOU. I DON'T CARE IF I PROMISED TO USE YOUR VOICE IN STAR WARS!!!"

 

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

<span> </span>

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It reads to me as though that was his idea for Star Wars III, so that they can both still be in Star Wars IV. 

Baron is correct.  People were coming up with stuff regularly back then.  Everyone involved had a take. It was all just guessing. 

The article is a perfect example of what it was like for us before the internet.  You got your nerd news in small newspaper & magazine blurbs, and you took whatever you could get your hands on.  And you saved it in a drawer, to reread constantly - at least I did.  Nerddom moved at a snail's pace back then.

 

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It reminds me of when Marvel came up with the idea of the Empire building a new Death Star before the release of ROTJ and they were 'forced' to adjust the idea.

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I guess the vader thing wasn't a huge leap from the theories being thrown around on a million playgrounds every day for 3 years. ObiWan is Luke's father, Luke's father is still alive, Luke's father is is the Emperor, Han and Luke are brothers, etc. Some mook probably even suggested Vader built C-3P0. Before getting pelted with BBQ CornNuts.

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While I certainly was fortunate enough to be a kid prior to the these internet machines I wasn't around in 1978 so thanks for putting some perspective on the speculation back then oldtimers.

 

"Well here's a big bag of rock salt" - Patton Oswalt

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see you auntie said:

*Today's "Make Frink Feel Old" Post*

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He was guessing for sure. I am pretty sure he or Kershener said that Prowse was saying: "Obi Wan killed your father" in the Bespin scene and he didnt find out the truth until the premiere.

I thought the grudge with Lucas comes from the fact that Prowse was rather possessive of the Vader part. He wanted to do the voice and be the face under the mask and make appearances in the costume.

I read  (I think it was from a  Hamill interview) that he would prance around the set in full Vader gear, MH was annoyed with him for not giving credit to the guy doing the fencing (Bob Anderson?)...Apparently he and Christopher Reeve, who Prowse trained for Superman, also had some falling out.

One interesting anecdote Prowse told (assuming its true lol)  was that on Jedi they didnt want him to do the bit with picking up the Emperor and so they had rigged all sorts of things for a stunt man to do the lifting that didnt work-and finally they relented and he just went over and picked up the Emperor in one hand with no problem.

I think Prowse is right that Vader was the most iconic part in SW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It seems he was pretty specific, that the reveal would be Vader confessing to Luke during a lightsabre duel.  I'm thinking he knew what the current scripts contained.

 

(The bit about it being in Part 3 instead of 2, I would surmise is because the reporter mixed up what Prowse was precisely talking about when he described the scene.)

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 (Edited)

It's fairly well documented that no one knew that plot point until they were ready to shoot the scene, nearly a year after that newspaper piece.  Prowse delivered a different line during filming, which was later dubbed (obviously).

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Anchorhead said:

 

It reads to me as though that was his idea for Star Wars III, so that they can both still be in Star Wars IV.

Baron is correct.  People were coming up with stuff regularly back then.  Everyone involved had a take. It was all just guessing.

The article is a perfect example of what it was like for us before the internet.  You got your nerd news in small newspaper & magazine blurbs, and you took whatever you could get your hands on.  And you saved it in a drawer, to reread constantly - at least I did.  Nerddom moved at a snail's pace back then.

 

Yes, he is speculating about Star Wars III and IV. He just guessed right about TESB's revelation (except that Luke's father wasn't "long lost").

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When 20th Century Fox took Universal to court over Battlestar Galactica I thought maybe there was more to it that met the eye.

At one point I was beginning to think that George has explained some of his saga plans (back when the myth that he had plans was still strong) to John Dykstra (to get him thinking about how to pull it all off) only to have him sell the ideas to a rival.

Look how many elements of Battlestar Galactica (cheesy as it was) ended up in the saga as a whole.

The rag-tag fleet, hordes of killer battle droids lead by a rebellious Count being used as a springboard for a war started by 'the devil' in the guise of a bringer of peace in troubled times.

Maybe the whole point of setting Star Wars a long time ago in a galaxy far far away was to get them to be our forefathers.

Nah...

It is ironic that many of the things we see in the PT were later done in a more compelling way in nuBSG.

The Cylon Centurions are much more menacing that the PT Battledroids.

The semi sentient Cylon Raiders are much better than the PT Vulture Droids.

The old Galactica was seen as a cheesy rip-off of Star Wars where as the PT is now seen as cheesy and the nuGalactica won critical acclaim and has more nerd appeal.

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Bingowings said:


When 20th Century Fox took Universal to court over Battlestar Galactica I thought maybe there was more to it that met the eye.

At one point I was beginning to think that George has explained some of his saga plans (back when the myth that he had plans was still strong) to John Dykstra (to get him thinking about how to pull it all off) only to have him sell the ideas to a rival.

Look how many elements of Battlestar Galactica (cheesy as it was) ended up in the saga as a whole.

The rag-tag fleet, hordes of killer battle droids lead by a rebellious Count being used as a spring board for a war started by 'the devil' in guise of a bringer of peace in troubled times.

Maybe the whole point of setting Star Wars a long time ago in a galaxy far far away was to get them to be our forefathers.

Nah...

It is ironic that many of the things we see in the PT were later done in a more compelling way in nuBSG.

The Cylon Centurions are much more menacing that the PT Battledroids.

The semi sentient Cylon Raiders are much better than the PT Vulture Droids.

The old Galactica was seen as a cheesy rip-off of Star Wars where as the PT was seen as cheesy and the nuGalactica won critical acclaim and had more nerd appeal.
My mind just exploded.

Star Wars Revisited Wordpress

Star Wars Visual Comparisons WordPress

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It is funny how as a kid my peers and myself would mock the many rip-offs of Star Wars but it may be possible now to retell much of the PT using clips from old Galactica, Starcrash, The Black Hole and Return Of Captain Nemo and it would possibly make more sense.

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Thomas Pynchon said:

Paranoia is the ability to make connections.

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Silly Tom, that's just thinking and speculation.

Paranoia is taking it too seriously and getting into a panic about it.

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That's what they want you to think, Tom.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

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Bingowings said:

It is funny how as a kid my peers and myself would mock the many rip-offs of Star Wars but it may be possible now to retell much of the PT using clips from old Galactica, Starcrash, The Black Hole and Return Of Captain Nemo and it would possibly make more sense.

I Vote we rename Starcrash "Star Wars Episode I" and the make two more films based off that one. Dibs on the Akton role.

Ray’s Lounge
Biggs in ANH edit idea
ROTJ opening edit idea

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I never watched the new Galactica. I was disappointed they jettisoned much of the Ralph MacQuarrie designs which must have been left over from his SW design work and shot it for cheap in Canada.

I'd rather watch Battle Beyond the Stars than a Star Wars prequel. Yes even with John Boy in it.

 

 

 

 

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Bantha Foodoo said:

I never watched the new Galactica. I was disappointed they jettisoned much of the Ralph MacQuarrie designs which must have been left over from his SW design work and shot it for cheap in Canada.

I'd rather watch Battle Beyond the Stars than a Star Wars prequel. Yes even with John Boy in it.

Most of those designs were never fully realised and those that did return in nuBSG in slightly modified forms later in the series as flashbacks.

As for Battle Beyond The Stars at least Shad followed a crazy old wizard's call to a damned idealistic crusade against the wishes of most of his people who wanted him to stay behind not get involved (and it's got Sybil Danning in kinky outfits).

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I liked the Lizard Man! Cayman of the Lambda Zone!

 

I wouldnt mind seeing a new SW rip off especially since Lucas really didnt keep with the style in the prequels.

 

These days it would be pretty easy to make 77 era sets and even better fx.

 

 

Saw this quote today:

'Star Wars creator Lucas added, "(Coppola) taught me how to write. He taught me how to direct."'

 

 

 

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Bantha Foodoo said:

 

 

Saw this quote today:

'Star Wars creator Lucas added, "(Coppola) taught me how to write. He taught me how to direct."'

 

 

 

(Coppola makes note to roll in grave immediately upon internment.)

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Well that explains Jack and his version of Dracula.