100 Things You Didn't Know About The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire That Almost Was

The original first draft of Empire was written by Leigh Brackett, a prolific science-fiction author, in 1978. The plot of the movie? Just a bit different: “While Han Solo goes in search of his Father-In-Law, Ovan Marekal, who has political ties with Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker heads to the Bog Planet where he meets a frog-like Jedi named Minch, who teaches him the ways of the force.”

Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian was originally named Baron Lando Kadar.

Yoda was originally a frog thing called Minch. And Minch/Yoda’s home was the Bog Planet, and not the galaxy’s Everglades equivalent known as Dagobah.

Brackett wrote a scene where Solo, before going to Orbital/Cloud City, visits the planet’s surface and finds an ancient city occupied by Na’vi-like aliens called “Cloud People.” (Sigh.) These aliens are white-skinned, white-haired folk who travel by way of flying Manta Rays.

Our first insight into the Clone Wars – rather, their cloning process – would have been seen in this version of Empire. Ya see, younglings, Lando was revealed to be a Clone Trooper, using his blood to make himself new versions of, er, himself…

And, during the epic lightsaber duel, Luke sets his Midi-chlorians to “Badass” and unleashes the Force on Vader – Force tossing equipment off the walls at Vader and just kicking ass. The fight’s big twist? Vader is letting Luke win.

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With the help of Lucasfilm, The Star Wars Encyclopedia, IMDB.com, the original making-of journal, various Star Wars websites, the DVD commentary and our own IGN geek tank, we present to you 100 rounds of ammunition, for the next time you challenge that guy in line at Comic-Con to a geek-off.

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