Revenge of the Sith Game Writer Looks Back on Alternate Ending

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith turns 20 years old later in May, and for many, the film will bring to mind its tie-in game. One reason it holds a special place in fans’ hearts is its two endings: the canonical one where Obi-Wan defeats Anakin to begin the Original Trilogy, and an alternate one where Anakin kills his former master, then Palpatine, and becomes the new Emperor.

Talking to Inverse, game writer Jeremy Barlow revealed the ending partially came from an idea pitched by LucasArts. When developer The Collective scaled back its ambitions for separate Anakin and Obi-Wan campaigns into a single one with alternating perspectives, it opted to stick with that different take, and Barlow got to handle the specifics. To him, Anakin killing Obi-Wan was a “no-brainer,” since it’d prove he was the strongest Force user in the galaxy and give him the confidence to betray his childhood confidant.

“It totally fit in with the whole Sith ideal of the apprentice growing and killing the master, and we all went nuts for it,” said Barlow of the idea. The Revenge of the Sith game had a shaky development—The Collective replaced an entirely different studio and restarted development less than a year before its scheduled release—and Barlow said they had to “get the point as fast and seamlessly as possible. We only had like a [90-second] cutscene.” Despite the brief ending, he called it “rewarding [to see] it’s still in people’s minds and hearts. It’s not a reflection on me, but a reflection on just how powerful that idea was and what Star Wars means to people.”

If Barlow had his way, he’d explore the fallout of the Emperor Anakin ending. Under Anakin’s rule, he thinks the galaxy would be much worse off, since Palpatine at least “followed the rules in a weird way.” But the new paradigm shift would lead to some interesting family drama: how does Padme raise the twins while married to the most powerful man in the galaxy (who she’s already admitted to being terrified of), and how do Luke and Leia survive “being raised by these parents who have a public face together, but behind closed doors are obviously opposed?”

Lucasfilm may not provide the answers, but that’s what fanfiction’s for.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.