The death of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope is still one of the saga's most iconic moments. It's where the famous line "strike me down, and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine" comes from, and it's a moment that propels Luke on his path to becoming a Jedi in his own right.
It's more than a little surprising, then, to learn that Obi-Wan wasn't originally set to be killed off by Darth Vader toward the end of the film. As revealed by Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew (who has been tweeting images of his original Star Wars script), at least one version of the script originally had Obi-Wan surviving and fighting Stormtroopers shoulder-to-shoulder with Luke.
In this version of the script, Obi-Wan escapes Vader by slashing a lock for a blast door, which then comes down between the former friends and separates them. That, however, leaves Obi-Wan alone facing an army of Stormtroopers.
Luke runs to the rescue, at first with his blaster and then, with his own lightsaber. The two fight side-by-side against the Stormtroopers. When Obi-Wan deflects a blaster bolt and is knocked down, Luke cuts down the remaining troopers and helps his mentor on board the Millennium Falcon.
It's a fairly dramatic change that would have completely altered the course of the films. With Obi-Wan still alive, the need for Luke to seek out Master Yoda would have been nonexistent. Luke could have learned much more about the Old Republic and his heritage from Obi-Wan as well. While Obi-Wan's presence is still felt in the trilogy thanks to his force ghost guiding Luke along, to have the old man still alive to fight the Empire would have been a treat.
That's not the only interesting tidbit to come from Mayhew's script, either. His version of the script also specifically uses the word "Sith" in reference to Darth Vader, a word that fans wouldn't hear used in the films until decades later in the prequel trilogy. It's a cool behind-the-scenes look.
Mayhew's earlier tweets reveal that Han did in fact shoot first, as well as a number of other differences into which fans will want to read. The actor's tweets are all building toward some kind of reveal, though Mayhew hasn't elaborated much beyond that. With our heroes fleeing the Death Star in Mayhew's most recent tweets, the script is reaching its end. Perhaps we will finally learn what surprise the actor has in store soon.
