The Empire Strikes Back: 5 Things In The Original Script That Would Have Ruined The Movie

3. Everyone Got Away Safely, Including Han

The Empire Strikes Back is famous for its dark ending that, for once, doesn't end with our heroes saving the day. Luke gets his hand chopped off, finds out Vader is his father, and then Han gets frozen in Carbonite and delivered to Jabba the Hutt. In the original drafts of the film, none of these things actually happen and we're left with a much happier, definitive ending. The film ends with Luke, Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewie saying goodbye to Han, who is leaving in the Millennium Falcon in search of his stepfather, Ovan Marekal. Han's fate at the end of Empire remains one of the most iconic images in cinema history, and the revelations of the film give it its conclusion a foreboding sense of dread and anticipation. Not to mention, the lack of the familial twist, arguably the best and most famous film twist ever, is kind of a let down. Which brings me to my next point...