As Star Wars fans mourn the loss of acting legend James Earl Jones, many are recalling memorable quotes Jones made in his role as the franchise’s villain Darth Vader.
But Jones, who died on September 9 at the age of 93, never said one of the most popular quotes attributed to the insidious Lord Vader: “Luke, I am your father.”
Fans misremember the line from a famous fight scene between Vader and Luke Skywalker in 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Even if the quote is wrong, the statement hits the nail on the head.
The big twist of the scene is that Vader, a powerful leader of the evil Galactic Empire, creates the ultimate DNA reveal by telling the virtuous young Skywalker, who leads the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, that he is actually his father.
Vader wants nothing more than to lure the powerful young Jedi, played by Mark Hamill, to the dark side. But Skywalker, who was trained by Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, remains determined to use the Force for good.
The heartbreaking scene actually plays out like this:
Father: If only you knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Skywalker: He told me enough! He told me You killed him!
Father: NO. I am your father.
The news of the fatherhood is devastating for Skywalker, because he later learns that Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), who fights alongside him in the Rebel Alliance, is Vader’s daughter and therefore his sister.
The two ultimately have to destroy their own father to save their republic.
Fans new to Star Wars may not know that although Jones voiced Vader, he did not physically portray the character. Six-foot-tall British actor David Prowse donned Vader’s scary black costume in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Although Jones and Hamill once played rivals in space, the two were friends off-screen. Hamill affectionately called Jones “Dad” when he paid his respects to the actor in a memorial speech on Instagram on September 9.
Hamill posted an old photo of the couple embracing and wrote: “One of the finest actors in the world whose contribution to Star Wars was immeasurable. He will be greatly missed. #RIP dad.”
Hamill also shared the news of Jones’ death on X, writing “#RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji.
Star Wars creator George Lucas paid tribute to Jones on the franchise’s official Instagram account.
“James was an incredible actor, a unique voice in both art and spirit. For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret behind it all is that he was a wonderful human being,” Lucas wrote. “He brought depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, among the most important being the devoted husband of the late Ceci and the father of Flynn.”
“James will be missed by so many of us… friends and fans alike.”
