James Earl Jones is remembered for saying, 'Luke, I am your father.' But he didn't actually say that
As "Star Wars" fans mourn the loss of acting legend James Earl Jones, many are citing memorable quotes Jones uttered as the franchise's villainous Darth Vader.
But Jones, who died Sept. 9 at age 93, never actually said one of the most popular quotes attributed to the dastardly 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.”
While the quote is incorrect, its message is spot-on.
The scene's big twist is that Vader, a powerful leader in the evil Galactic Empire, pulls the ultimate DNA reveal by telling virtuous young Skywalker, who leads the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, that he’s actually his dad.
Vader wants more than anything to lure the powerful young Jedi, played by Mark Hamill, over to the dark side. But Skywalker, trained by Jedi masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, remains dedicated to using the force for good.
The heartbreaking scene actually unfolds like this:
Vader: If you only 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!
Vader: No. I am your father.
The paternity news is devastating to Skywalker, who later learns that Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), who fights alongside him in the Rebel Alliance, is Vader's daughter and thus his sister.
The two must ultimately annihilate their own father in order to save their Republic.
Fans new to "Star Wars" may not know that while Jones voiced Vader, he didn't physically play the character. British actor David Prowse, who stood well over 6 feet tall, donned Vader's scary black costume in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.
Though Jones and Hamill played one-time rivals in outer space, the two were friendly off-screen. Hamill sweetly called Jones "dad" when he honored the actor in a memorial tribute Sept. 9 on Instagram.
Hamill posted a throwback pic of the pair embracing, writing, “One of the world’s finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He’ll be greatly missed. #RIP dad."
Hamill also shared the news about 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 most unique voice both in art and spirit. For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being," wrote Lucas. "He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn.
"James will be missed by so many of us...friends and fans alike."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
