For all of its otherwise harmless flaws and mountain of hilariously cringe-worthy dialogue, theStar Warstrilogy that came about in the early 2000s was meant to be both a modern revamp of the franchise and the formal introduction of young Anakin Skywalker before his fated turn into main villain Darth Vader. Improvements in CGI also made way for larger battle sequences and new alien characters that fans either loved or hated. All in all, the trilogy probably remains the most talked about in all ofStar Wars, not because of any serious content (save for Qui-Gon Jinn’s noble death), but thanks in large part to its silliest moments, of which there certainly are many. However, one of the most iconic scenes in the entire trilogy was apparently fought over at the time of filming.
Star Warsstunt coordinator Nick Gillard revealed in a new interview withStar Wars Theorythat bothEwan McGregorand Hayden Christensen, who played Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, respectively, were not happy with the outcome of the well-known scene on the volcanic planet Mustafar inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith(2005). It was to the point that they confronted director George Lucas about changing the scene.
“Even the boys, Ewan and Hayden, went to George and said, ‘George, this!’ and he was having none of it,”
Gillard disclosed that even he and his crew were not entirely thrilled with the scene either but relented with laughter that it was likely meant to be given its now iconic status.
“We hated the high ground thing…You know, it has its place now.”
Related:George Lucas Originally Planned for Darth Maul to Return as General Grievous in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
The Alternate Cut of the Volcano Scene That Didn’t Happen
Gillard further described how the alternate ending of the scene they wanted still had Obi-Wan cutting off Anakin’s arms and legs but in a different way. Instead, they wanted it to seem like more of an accident through self-defense. From the moment that Obi-Wan lands on the side of the volcano, Gillard explains:
“Anakin just grabbed [Obi-Wan] by the - he disarmed him, grabbed him by the throat,” Gillard said. “He’s got him and Obi’s saber is down on the ground, and Anakin says, ‘I’m sorry it has to be this way, my master,’ and actually lets [the lightsaber] go. Obi hunches to get away from it, sucks his saber up. As he pulls his saber up, he cuts through Anakin’s arms almost by mistake and then chops through his legs almost by mistake, and the whole body fell off of his legs. It was more of a defense-gone-wrong kind of move. It was strong.”
Despite the disagreement over the scene, Gillard maintained that there were no hard feelings, saying, “we wouldn’t be having this conversation if it wasn’t for George, so I think it’s foolish second-guessing him.”
