CT No....I am your father!

i can't recall being shocked/surprised, but my memories of seeing the star wars films for the first time are fuzzy. i was familiar with them from seeing random bits and pieces on tv, and from general exposure before actually sitting down and watching them start to finish. the line had been iconic for a while by then, so my guess is i already knew going in...

 

SateleNovelist11 wrote

When Luke is tested in the Cave of Evil, the evident conclusion to draw is that Luke is aware that he could turn. But there's something underlying that. Deep down, he knows Vader is his father. I believe on the Falcon he was 90% certain that Vader was being truthful. By the time Yoda confirmed it, the extra 10% was filled in.

I agree, the scene is so ambiguous that it deserves its place in the hall of fame of "Most Iconic Film Scenes of the 20th Century":

1. If Luke doesn't change his attitude he'll end up on the dark side and become like Vader
2. Luke is fighting himself from a metaphorical point of view
3. Luke could be related to Vader

The one thing I'd love to learn is when was this scene shot, i.e. before or after Lucas had decided to make Vader Luke's father.

In case that scene was shot before Lucas made his decision, I wouldn't exclude the possibility that option # 3 was a strong inspiration for George Lucas...

 

It was Lucas's idea that Vader be Luke's father. Kasdan did not come up with it.

 

I'm 99.96% sure Lucas had already decided the relationship between Luke and Vader well before shooting that scene. Such a film is not something you improvise or come up with by chance. You plan it, you review it, and finally you make it. It's even possible he had decided it even before A New Hope. It wouldn't surprise me!

 

panta1978

It was not before the ESB screenplay from April 1978 (the experts told me that the script from October 24, 1978 deliberately still reflected the one from April to keep it a secret) that Lucas had decided to make Vader Luke's father. And in the documentary From Star Wars to Jedi he (then / still) candidly admitted it was a premise change he made during the actual production of ESB,