Summary

• George Lucas kept Darth Vader's true identity a secret from everyone except a select few, including Mark Hamill.
• Lucas believed he could have kept the reveal from leaking in the age of the Internet due to careful planning.
• Disney could follow Lucas's example to prevent Star Wars leaks by limiting who knows significant plot details.

The biggest spoiler in George Lucas already explained why even the Internet couldn't have discovered Star Wars' most shocking reveal. In 2020, StarWars.com conducted several interviews celebrating The Empire Strikes Back's 40th anniversary. These interviews covered a range of topics related to the movie, including behind-the-scenes insights. One of these interviews was with none other than George Lucas himself, regarding the Star Wars movies and shows' most memorable moment.

Toward the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker faces off against the villainous Darth Vader. During the scene, Darth Vader tells Luke that Obi-Wan Kenobi never told him what happened to his father. Luke states that Obi-Wan told him that Darth Vader killed his father. This is when Darth Vader made the most surprising confession in Star Wars history: "No, I am your father." This scene has gone down as one of the best-guarded and most shocking plot twists in cinema history, and Lucas explained how he pulled it off.

George Lucas Didn't Tell Anybody About The Surprise Reveal

The Secret Was Kept Amongst Everyone Except A Select Few

George Lucas kept the fact that Darth Vader was Luke's father under careful wraps. He was extremely selective about who he told, even when it came to the cast and crew. The only person who knew besides Lucas in advance was the director, Irvin Kershner. When discussing the secrecy around the plot twist, Lucas had this to say.

... I didn't tell anybody - anybody - about it. And it wasn't in any of the scripts. It wasn't even in the story treatments. I kept that aspect of it secret and I was the only one that knew about it. And it wasn't until the day we shot that we told Mark [Hamill] so he could react appropriately.

In a 2017 interview on The Graham Norton Show, Mark Hamill also discussed the moment, describing how Kershner went to his dressing room to slip him a piece of paper with the reveal. He describes the pressure he felt when Kershner told him that, "I know it, George knows it, and when I tell you, you'll know it, but if it leaks, we'll know it was you." Needless to say, Hamill kept the secret.

George Lucas Would've Been Able To Keep The Secret In The Age Of The Internet

Though Leaks Are Common Now, Lucas Would Still Be Able To Prevent Them

Because of the secrecy, Lucas stated in his interview with StarWars.com that he believed he would've been able to keep it from leaking in the age of the Internet - and he is right about this. Since it wasn't in the scripts, it couldn't have been spoiled even if they were preemptively released, and since the only people who knew in advance of the movie's release were the three people who had to know and those who shot the scene the day of, it was highly unlikely that anyone who knew would've told anybody. This was perhaps the most leakproof reveal in cinematic history.

Disney could learn from George Lucas to prevent further Star Wars leaks. Details such as casting announcements, set photos, and more from Star Wars productions leak time and time again. Even finished scenes sometimes leak, either due to a social media posting error or someone getting access without proper authorization. The digital age has made it harder and harder to preserve secrets, but it can still be done. In the future, Disney should take the approach Lucas took with The Empire Strikes Back for significant spoilers.

Source: StarWars.com, BBC