What If...Luke had joined Vader at Cloud City? (Part 1)

Yep! It's another What If! This is one that's been thrown back and forth by Star Wars fans since 1980, I'm sure. We all know it by now, the iconic scene where Darth Vader defeats Luke Skywalker at Cloud City. Cutting off the young man's hand, him dangling over a bottomless pit, Luke was brought to his lowest point and then hit with the ultimate truth. Five little words that completely shattered the would-be Jedi's entire world view and the main reason he had engaged Darth Vader in combat in the first place: "No, I am your father."

Defiant to the last, Luke refused this with howls of rage and sorrow and was given a choice. Vader offered him a place at his side, that together they could destroy the Emperor and bring order to the galaxy. Choosing death rather than falling to the Dark Side, Luke let go of his anchor and fell down into that pit...

That, however, is but one way this scenario could have played out. In another world, another time, Luke took the hand that was offered to him. In this What If, we're going to look into that world and try to answer the question: What If...Luke had joined Vader at Cloud City?"

Now, would Luke immediately give in to the Dark Side? Not right away. Instead, after searching his feelings and finding what he knew to be true, Luke might in that split second get it in his head that he might be able to redeem his father as he does in Return of the Jedi in the main timeline. The difference here being that Luke has had time to reflect on things and come up with a better path in Return of the Jedi, whereas here he's making the choice in the spur of the moment, acting rash and reckless just as Yoda and Obi-Wan had warned him about. Youth and arrogant, he doesn't listen and decides to go for it.

Plus, he has a shot at destroying the Emperor, which would be a great boon to the Rebellion. In his mind, the choice is clear. So, when Vader tells him: "Come with me...it is the only way...", Luke actually does accept the offered hand and Vader pulls him up. Vader, of course, knows of Luke's intentions: Luke isn't knowledgeable or experienced enough to hide his thoughts from the Sith Lord under normal circumstances, much less after having a harrowing fight and trauma of getting a hand cut off as he just did. Nevertheless, Vader believes Luke's hatred of the Empire and thus the Emperor will be a great boon to his cause and so chooses to keep an eye on his son instead of confronting him with the knowledge.

As for the rest of the events at Cloud City: Han's carbonite slab still falls into the custody of Boba Fett, who escapes. Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 escape on the Millennium Falcon. Instead of the moment where Leia senses Luke's cry for help through the Force, she instead hears another voice entirely. It is a voice she has never heard before in her life, but one that she knows and implicitly trusts from the moment she hears it.

"Leia..."

It is indeed the voice of one Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. Merely his voice in her head rather than a projection, but it is enough to pass on a message to the Rebel princess. She must go to Dagobah to seek out Yoda...much as he did Luke only a short time ago. Because, yes, Leia is "another" that Yoda spoke of when Obi-Wan left. Lando thinks she's going crazy, but like in the main timeline when she insisted in going after Luke, Chewbacca trusts Leia enough by now to know that she's got her head on straight.

Plus at this point, Lando's some asshole who betrayed them, so he's not exactly on Chewie's Christmas card list. Oh, sorry, Life Day list.

Leaving Bespin, the Falcon does get to make the jump into hyperspace thanks to R2 repairing the hyperdrive. Because of Luke not being onboard, Vader doesn't make as much of an effort to catch it, either. He has what he set up the trap on Bespin for, the Rebels do not concern him and can be dealt with at his leisure. Instead, now onboard the Executor, he begins Luke's training in the Dark Side of the Force. Luke proves to be a resilient student, though Vader feels the teachings of Obi-Wan holding strongly in him.

Vader focuses on Luke's training and preparations to kill the Emperor. Luke gets a mechanical hand and, under Vader's guidance, constructs a new lightsaber to replace the one that was lost in their battle - this one exuding a crimson red blade upon activation. Vader is pleased with his son's progress, even if Luke is a stubborn pupil.

While this is going on, the Falcon lands on Dagobah in the same swamp that Luke first met Yoda in. Instead of having to look for him. though, Yoda is there to greet them all upon their arrival. He does not bother with the games or tests, seeing as yes - Leia is the only hope they have left. The time for games is very much over. Taking her to his hut, he asks for Lando, Chewbacca (who he does say he's happy to see given the last time they met), and the two droids to remain outside.

A few minutes pass, then an hour. It's clear that, whatever they're talking about in there, it's heavily detailed. Lando doesn't venture too close to the hut (and when he does, Chewbacca is there to remind him that his arms can be removed from his sockets at any time), but his ear seems to pick up both Leia and Yoda's voices...almost as if they're speaking to a third person. However, he can't quite pick up everything they're saying, particularly not the third person that he can't hear.

A short time later, Leia emerges while Yoda remains at the door. From the look on her face, stoic as she is, it's clear that she has been crying. Whatever Yoda told her has greatly distressed her. She hands Chewbacca a datacard: the information on where the Rebel fleet is meeting and how to reach them, taken from the database on Hoth.

"I have to stay here. There's work I have to do. Chewbacca, you and Lando get back to the Fleet. Try to find that bounty hunter and save Han. When the time is right, I'll rejoin you."

"Leia, you can't be serious! We can't just leave you here..."

"You have to...for now."

This sort of odd calm Leia's exuding catches Lando off-guard. He wants to protest, but another exclamation from Chewbacca convinces him otherwise. Chewbacca does accept the datacard, pulls Leia into a bear hug and leaves her with a transmitter to use when the time is right, and then leads the human and the two droids back onto the Falcon. As it takes off, Leia and Yoda watch from below. As the light of the Falcon's exhaust fades away in the clouds above, they are joined by another. At first, he's merely a voice, but soon forms as a blue specter that hovers nearby - an old man who Leia had last seen being cut down on the Death Star by Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has indeed joined them physically, or what passes physically for a Force ghost, at least. The three begin with Leia's training in the ways of the Force as well as a plan on how they might be able to save Luke from the darkness he has become embroiled in. . .if they can.

And that's where we're going to leave off for Part 1. A sharp left turn and we're in a very different galaxy than the one we left. How different is it going to get? Find out when we pick up with Part 2! Until next time. . .the Force will be with you, always!

Yeah, I'm not adding the disclaimers here anymore. You all know I have no ownership of Star Wars because, if I did, I wouldn't be posting crackpot theories on a backwoods internet blog about it.

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