What if The Father Sent Anakin, Obi-Wan, & Ahsoka to The Battle of Hoth

Darth furist rise. [music] What if the father from Mortise sent Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka to the Battle of Hoth? Let's explore the depths of it in the video. >> And you must replace me. Replace you? I can't stay here. But this is yours. It has been foretold. The chosen one will remain to keep my children in balance. [music] >> No. >> If you [clears throat] will not stay to take my place, you must see what you become. >> See what I become? What are you talking about? >> Before Anakin can demand answers, the father raises his hand. Reality fractures around them. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka cry out as brilliant light consumes everything. The three Jedi feel themselves pulled through something beyond hyperspace, beyond the force itself. Time and space twist around them like a whirlpool. Then silence, cold, biting wind. Anakin opens his eyes to a world of white. Snow stretches endlessly across a frozen wasteland beneath gray skies. His breath fogs in the frigid air. Beside him, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka stagger to their feet, disoriented and shivering. Where are we? This isn't Mortis. >> Master, what just happened? What did that be do to us? >> Anakin scans the horizon. One hand instinctively going to his lightsaber. Something feels wrong. Different. The force itself tastes strange here. Darker somehow, like a wound that never healed. Obi-Wan's eyes widen with recognition as he studies the distant ice formations and the massive energy shield generator visible in the distance. By the force. I know this place. These ice formations, the atmospheric readings. This is Hoth, the sixth planet of the Hoth system. Hoth? That's in the Ano sector. Why would the father send us here? The question dies in his throat. In the distance, massive shapes move across the snow. Armies. Explosions blossom orange against the white landscape. The sound of artillery fire reaches them seconds later, carried on the howling wind. But something about the combatants sends ice through Anakin's veins that has nothing to do with the temperature. Those aren't battle droids. They're humans fighting humans. >> Master, those soldiers. They're not clones, but that armor. >> It's based on clone armor. Modified, but the design is decades advanced from what we know. Anakin's stomach twists. The father's words echo in his mind. >> See what you become. What kind of future did he send them to? The battle intensifies before them. Towering mechanical walkers advance on a rebel outpost. Their four legs carrying them inexraably forward like massive predators stalking prey. They're unlike anything in the Republic arsenal. AT-ATs, though the Jedi don't know to call them that yet. Small craft zip around the mechanical giants like insects, trailing cables. Can you feel it through the force? Which side were meant to help? Ahsoka and Obi-Wan nod. The sensation is unmistakable. Those soldiers in the ragtag gear defending the outpost desperately. They're the ones fighting for something worth protecting. The army in clone style armor radiates cold purpose. Imperial efficiency. Without another word, the three Jedi move. A snow speeder banks hard, its pilot fighting for control as he lines up another attack run on the nearest walker. Luke Skywalker grits his teeth, hands tight on the controls. His gunner, Dak, keeps up a steady stream of covering fire, but these AT-ATs are virtually indestructible from the front. Rogue 3 to Rogue Two. I'm starting my approach. He brings the speeder around, dropping low. The harpoon gun is ready. All he needs is one clean shot at the walker's legs. Wrap the cable around them. An explosion rocks the speeder. Warning lights blaze across his console. Behind him, Dak screams once, then goes silent. >> Dak. Dak, talk to me. >> Nothing. His rear viewport shows only sparking equipment and his gunner's slumped form. Luke's heart hammers. He's alone now, trying to trip up a walker the size of a building with a gun he can't operate by himself. Then someone lands on his wing. Luke jerks the controls in surprise, nearly sending them into a spin. A man in brown robes crouches on the speeder surface, dark hair whipping in the wind, one hand extended. The force, the stranger, is force sensitive. The figure wrenches open the rear hatch with impossible strength and slides inside. Luke hears movement. Then the stranger's voice crackles over the internal comm. >> Don't worry about me, pilot. Just focus on that walker. I'll handle the gun. >> Who are you? How did you >> Questions later, that machine in 3 2 1. Now >> Luke doesn't hesitate. He's been trained by Ben Kenobi to trust the Force. He banks hard, drops altitude, and lines up the shot. Behind him, the mysterious Jedi works the controls with practice efficiency. The harpoon fires. Cable unreels. The speeder loops around the walker's legs. Once, twice, three times. Cable out. Let her go. He releases the toe cable and pulls up hard. Behind them, the AT-AT's legs tangle. The massive walker stumbles, crashes forward into [music] the snow with ground shaking force. An explosion blooms from its exposed underbelly. Yes, we did it. Anakin climbs forward into the cockpit, grinning despite everything. For a moment, he's just a pilot again, exhilarated by the victory. Then he sees Dak's body, and the grit fades. I'm sorry about your friend. >> Me, too. Thank you for the assist. I'm Luke Skywalker. Skywalker? That's quite a coincidence. >> Something stirs in Anakin's chest. An inexplicable pull towards this young man. He shakes it off. They're in the middle of a battle. On the ground, Ahsoka sprints through the snow toward a cluster of injured rebel soldiers [music] pinned down by Imperial fire. Blaster bolts sizzle past her mantrils. She ignites both lightsabers. The white blades humming to life. The soldiers stare in disbelief as she deflects incoming fire with impossible speed, redirecting bolts back towards their sources. Stormtroopers fall in seconds. She's created a protective perimeter. >> Can you move? >> You're a Jedi. An actual Jedi. >> Yes. And you're about to become a dead rebel if we don't move. Can you walk? >> She doesn't wait for an answer. She hauls the wounded to their feet, supporting those who can't stand, using the force to carry others. Her lightsabers weave a defensive pattern as she guides them toward the outpost. [music] Every instinct screams that something is wrong with this future. But right now, people need her help. That's enough. Obi-Wan moves more cautiously, analyzing the battle. His tactical mind catalogs everything. The walker designs, the armor modifications, the sheer brutality of the Imperial assault. This isn't the precise efficiency of droid armies. This is overwhelming [music] force meant to crush hope itself. A chill runs down his spine, not from the cold. Behind him, a lightsaber ignites. Red plasma blade humming with malevolent purpose. Obi-Wan spins, his own lightsaber snapping to life from the same heartbeat. Blue meets red in a shower of sparks. He barely catches the strike, his boots sliding in the snow from the force of the impact. The figure before him is nightmare made real. Black armor covers him from head to toe. A respirator masks his face with a mechanical skull. Red lenses stare with cold hatred. The lightsaber in his hands blaze with dark side energy so potent it makes Obi-Wan's skin crawl. This is Sith. Pure and concentrated. >> What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself, Obi-Wan. >> Obi-Wan's mind races. The Sith knows his name. The voice is wrong, filtered through machinery. But there's something hauntingly familiar beneath the mechanical tones. >> I was looking for an explanation myself. I have no idea who you are other than you're clearly Sith. >> Do not play games with me, Obi-Wan. >> The Sith surges forward. His blade crashes against Obi-Wan's with terrifying strength. Obi-Wan gives ground, desperately pairing a flurry of strikes that seem designed to overwhelm rather than outmaneuver. This isn't Mkashi finesse or Ataru acrobatics. This is raw power channeled through classical form five. Every strike a hammer blow. Vader's mind spirals. It's impossible. He killed Obi-Wan on the Death Star. Watched his empty robes fall. Heard his master's final words. Strike me down and I shall become more powerful than you can imagine. >> Is this what he meant? Some force projection? A younger version sent to torment him? The old man's final revenge? >> No, it doesn't matter. Illusion or reality? Obi-Wan dies again. >> He reaches out with the force. Obi-Wan gasps as invisible fingers close around his throat. He claws at his neck, lightsaber wavering, feet lifting from the snow. The pressure increases, his vision darkens at the edges. Then Anakin is there. He comes from nowhere. A force assisted leap carrying him between the combatants. His lightsaber ignites mid-arch. Blue plasma cutting towards the Sith's outstretched hands. Vader senses the attack a split second before impact and jerks his hand back. Not fast enough. Anakin's blade shears through a single finger. The black glove falls, smoking, revealing the mechanical joint beneath. Vader releases Obi-Wan, who collapses, gasping. The Sith Lord whirls to face this new threat. Red blades rising to strike, and freezes. Anakin freezes, too. They stand 3 m apart, lightsabers humming, neither moving. Anakin stares at the Sith's mechanical hand. His own right hand, the one replaced after Dooku severed it, flexes instinctively. Same side, same placement. But it's more than that. The force signature rolling off this armored figure. Dark, twisted, agonizing. But underneath, beneath the corruption and pain, something achingly familiar, like staring into a mirror and seeing a monster staring back at you. Who? Who are you? Vader's respirator rasps. Beneath the mask, Anakin Skywalker's ruined face stares at his younger self. His past standing before him in flesh rather than memory. Before Mustaphar, before the younglings, before everything burned. The force howls beneath them. Past and future colliding. >> This cannot be. >> Luke's voice shatters the moment. We need to go now. The base is evacuating. He grabs Obi-Wan, still coughing, and pulls him towards a nearby transport. Anakin backs away slowly, lightsaber still raised, eyes locked on the armored figure. Ahsoka appears from nowhere, her presence breaking Vader from his paralysis. >> Anakin, come on. >> She seizes his arm and they run. Vader stands motionless as they disappear into the chaos of the evacuation. Stormtroopers rush past him. Walkers advance. None of it registers. His mind can't process what he's just witnessed. A younger Anakin Skywalker here on Hoth defending Obi-Wan. How? The rebel transport lifts off with the three time displaced Jedi aboard. They stand in silence, surrounded by wounded soldiers and pilots. Everyone's too focused on survival to question the newcomers. Luke collapses into a seat nearby, exhausted and bleeding from a dozen minor cuts. A hologram projector activates. Luke's face appears in miniature blue light. >> Anyone receiving this transmission, head to the Millennium Falcon. Hans, getting it ready. Rendevu coordinates attached. >> The recording flickers out real time. Luke notices the three Jedi staring at him. You three fought like Jedi, are you? I thought you were all gone. Obi-Wan exchanges glances with Anakin and Ahsoka. How do they answer that? >> It's complicated. >> I understand. Not my business. I learned about the Jedi from my old master, Ben Kenobi. Obi-Wan nearly chokes. Anakin grips his shoulder to steady him. Before we evacuated, I received a message from him through the force. He's he's passed on now, but he told me to seek out his old master, someone named Yoda on Deaba. The three Jedi exchange looks of complete shock. Master Yoda, still alive, but they're not. What happened to the order? To the Republic? How far into the future are they? Do you know who he's talking about? This Yoda? Anakin forces himself to breathe, to center himself in the Force? The father sent him here for a reason. They need to play along, learn what they can. Master Yoda will have answers. Yes, Master Yoda is the greatest Jedi who ever lived. If you're training to become a Jedi, he's your best option. Why don't we join you? We'll be able to identify him for you and help you with your training. I have some experience teaching. Really? That would be incredible. I'm still new to all this. Minutes later, they board a battered ship to carry the three of them, courtesy of Leia, and follow Luke to Daba. The ship breaks atmosphere. Hoth shrinks behind them, white and cold and bloody. The ships descend through Deaba's thick atmosphere. Fog obscures everything beyond a few meters. Ancient trees twist up from murky swamps. The dark side doesn't dominate here. But something about the planet feels heavy, watchful. In a small hut constructed from mud and salvage technology. Yoda's ears twitch. His eyes snap open. After all these years in exile, he knows every presence on this planet. Every creature, every plant. These new arrivals are different. Three, four signatures he hasn't felt in over two decades. Impossible. Arrived they have. But from where? He reaches for his [music] gimmest stick and makes his way into the swamp. Luke's X-wing and the trio's ship settle on a relatively stable patch of ground. The four Force users disembark into humid air thick with the sounds of unknown creatures. R2-D2 chirps nervously, his sensors struggling with the dense environment. Anakin's breath catches the weathered white and blue paint. That specific set of panel configurations or two. The droid's photo receptor swivels toward him. For a moment, nothing happens. Then R2-D2 releases a torrent of excited beeping and whistling that would make a protocol droid blush. The astromemech rolls off Luke's X-wing with complete disregard for safety, using his jets to slow his descent before slamming into Anakin with enough force to nearly knock him over. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka rush over as R2 spins in circles, bumping against all three of them repeatedly, his beeps reaching a frequency that sound almost like crying. R2D2, is that really you? >> How are you still operational? How long has it been? >> Luke approaches, smiling at the reunion, even if he doesn't fully understand it. R2 has been through a lot. He was in Princess Leia Orana's service before he found me. He's the one who led me to Ben Kenobi with a message from the princess. Obi-Wan freezes. The blood drains from his face. Ben Kenobi, my master. He was a Jedi who went into hiding after the Empire rose. He trained me in the ways of the Force until Darth Vader struck him down on the Death Star. Each word is a hammer blow. Obi-Wan Kenobi dead in hiding, training this boy. And that armored Sith Lord, Darth Vader, killed him. Anakin's mechanical hand clenches. That Sith knew Obi-Wan knew him well enough to be enraged by his presence and his force signature. He doesn't want to complete the thought. Ben [clears throat] said Yoda would be here somewhere, but I don't know how we're supposed to find him in all this. I suspect Master Yoda will find us when he's ready. Anakin walks ahead slightly, one hand on his lightsaber. The Force feels strange here, concentrated, like standing near the virgin on Mortise, but different, wounded somehow. His instincts scream warning a split second before a green blade ignites. A small figure launches from the trees, lightsaber humming. Anakin's blade snaps to life, meeting the attack with perfect precision. The force of the impact, impossibly strong for such a small attacker, drives him back a step. He parries twice more. His gem sew training taking over. The attacker breaks off, landing on a mosscovered rock. In the dim light, Yoda's ancient face is twisted with anguish. Come here. You should not, never, never. >> He prepares to lunge again, then stops. His lightsaber lowers slightly as confusion crosses his features. He extends his senses through the Force, truly examining Anakin rather than reacting. No darkness, no corruption, just a young Jedi Knight, confused and defensive, radiating light. Yoda's gaze shifts. Ahsoka stands behind Anakin. Montreal is taller than he remembers. But unmistakably, Anakin's former Padawan and beside her, Obi-Wan Kenobi, not old Ben, weathered by decades of exile and guilt. Young Obi-Wan, beard still red gold, eyes not yet haunted by failure. Yoda's lightsaber deactivates. His gimmest stick drops from nerveless fingers. >> Master Obi-Wan pad tunnel. You It really is. >> Tears stream down the ancient Jedi Master's face. 900 years old, and he hasn't cried since the temple burned, since he failed everyone. But here, against all possibility, stand three ghosts from his past. He shuffles forward and embraces Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master, always so proper, so composed, wraps his arms around the dimminionive figure and holds on like a drowning man. Forgive me. Forgive me. Beg you. I do. Saved you. I could not. >> Master Yoda, we don't understand what's happening. One moment we were on mortise and then the force. It was through time itself sent you. It has. >> He pulls back. Ancient eyes examining each of them. Then he sees Anakin, truly sees him, and fresh grief crashes over him. This Anakin Skywalker does not know what he becomes, what he does. The young Lingling's screams don't haunt his dreams yet. Yoda reaches up with one small hand and touches Anakin's face. Young Skywalker, so much potential, so much light. Master Yoda, what happened here? We encountered soldiers in clone armor fighting some kind of empire. And there was a Sith Lord. Inside come inside, you must. A long story it is, and painful. They crowd into Yoda's tiny hut. Luke lingers near the entrance, sensing this moment isn't for him. R2-D2 stays with him, beeping softly. Inside, illuminated by a single glow lamp, Master Yoda begins to speak. He tells them everything. Palpatines's true identity as Darth Cidius, the manipulation of the Clone Wars from both sides, the execution of Order 66 and the slaughter of the Jedi Order, the Republic's transformation into the Empire, and Anakin's fall to the dark side, his turn to Darth Vader after visions of Padme's death drove him into desperate measures. Obi-Wan's duel with Anakin on Mustafar. The horror of it, student against teacher, brother against brother, the volcanic planet, the lava. Anakin's mutilated body left to burn. Padme's death and childbirth. Her will to live shattered by Anakin's betrayal. The three-time displaced Jedi listen in complete silence. Ahsoka's face goes ashen. Obi-Wan buries his face in his hands. Anakin simply stares, his expression blank with shock so profound it transcends horror. >> Twins she bore. Luke and Leia, separated they were for their own protection. Strong in the force both of them are. What? Twins. He steps inside fully, his face pale. The others barely notice him. Anakin Skywalker, your dad, is it really you? Anakin turns slowly. The pieces click into place. That inexplicable pull he felt the force connection. This boy, this brave, determined young Jedi is his son, his in Padme. But in Yoda's timeline, Anakin never knew him, never trained him, never held him as an infant. >> Yes, young Skywalker, your father he is, or was before darkness consumed him. And Princess Leia Orana, your sister, she is. >> Anakin's breathing becomes ragged. His mechanical hand trembles. He thinks of Padme, beautiful and alive, working tirelessly on Coruscant, pregnant with their child, children in the timeline they left behind. And here in this future, she's dead because of him because he couldn't let her go. Couldn't trust in the Force. >> Anakin, no. We won't let this happen. We'll stop it. >> The Chancellor, we'll expose him the moment we return. We'll >> I killed children. The words hang in the air like poison. Obi-Wan reaches for him, but Anakin flinches away. >> Yoda said, "I killed the younglings in the temple. Children who trusted me. I murdered them." >> Tears stream down his face. Ahsoka moves to him and wraps her arms around her master. He stands rigid, unable to accept comfort for sins he hasn't committed yet. >> It won't happen again. We won't let it. Snips promises you. We'll fix this. >> Obi-Wan joins the embrace. The three Jedi cling to each other while Yoda watches with profound sadness. Luke stands apart, trying to process that the father he never knew, the hero Ben told him about, is here alive and devastated by the monster he might become. The grief transforms slowly, inevitably, shared sorrow transmutes into cold determination. Anakin pulls away from the embrace. His tears stop. When he speaks, his voice is pure durastile. This is why we're here. The father sent us to see this future so we can prevent it. We return to our time and we end Palpatine. No matter what it takes, he won't manipulate you again. We'll be watching. We'll see the signs. >> And the three of us together, we can take him. >> Yoda raises one hand, a gesture that commands attention despite his size. To defeat Palpatine, wise it may be, but trained young Luke must be first, and meditate on the Force, we must. A reason there is, that here you were sent. Not another time. The Force guides all things. He looks at each of them with ancient eyes. Time we have, train, we shall. What follows are days that blur together in exhaustion and discovery. The swamp becomes their training ground. Luke practices katadas with the three Jedi masters. Technically two masters in one knight, but Luke doesn't know the difference. Each offering different approaches. Anakin teaches offense form five mastery refined over years of combat. How to dominate through strength and precision. Luke struggles with the aggressive style initially, but Anakin recognizes his own raw talent in his son's movements. It's like watching himself 20 years earlier. Good. Now step into the strike. Don't just block. Redirect encounter. Your opponent's energy becomes your weapon. >> Luke follows the advice. His next parry flows into a repost that would have scored a hit on a real opponent. He grins, lightsaber humming. I felt it. The connection. That's my boy. The words slip out before he can stop them. Luke pauses mid form, looking at his father with an expression of wonder and longing. Anakin swallows hard and continues the lesson. Obi-Wan teaches patience, Sorosu defense, and tactical awareness. How to outlast an opponent. Conserve energy. Wait for the perfect moment. >> The best fighter isn't always the most aggressive, Luke. Sometimes victory comes from making your opponent overextend. Let them defeat themselves. But what if there's no time? What if people need me now? Then you die and help no one. I know it's difficult. Your father never quite mastered this lesson either. He says it with fondness. Despite everything, despite knowing what Anakin becomes, Ahsoka brings practical experience, realworld combat applications, how to fight multiple opponents, environmental awareness. She grew up on battlefields, and it shows. >> Don't just track your target. Feel everything around you. That rock, a weapon, that vine, an obstacle, or a tool. The force connects all of it. >> Luke closes his eyes, extends his senses. The swamp pulses with life. Slowly, rocks begin to lift around him, orbiting gently. >> Excellent. Now throw them. >> But it's Yoda who teaches the deepest lessons, the living force, the balance between all things. Why attachment leads to suffering, why fear breeds anger, anger breeds hate, and hate breeds suffering. A Jedi strength flows from the Force. But beware, anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path forever, it will dominate your destiny. >> He looks meaningfully at Anakin as he says it. The younger Skywalker meets his gaze without flinching. >> I understand now, master. I won't let fear control me. Whatever happens to Padme, I'll trust in the Force. Easy to say, harder to live, but hope I have. Between training sessions, Anakin spends every free moment with Luke, teaching him piloting tricks, sharing stories from the Clone Wars, carefully edited to avoid revealing too much. Luke absorbs everything with desperate hunger. 20 years of absence can't be reclaimed in days, but they try anyway. One evening, Luke asks the question that's been burning in his mind. What was my mother like? Anakin's expression softens. He stares into the swamp mist, seeing Padme's face. beautiful, kind, the strongest person I ever knew. She believed in democracy and fighting for people who couldn't fight for themselves, she would have loved you so much, Luke, both you and your sister. Do you think in your timeline, if you go back and stop this, do you think I'll still exist? The question freezes Anakin. He hadn't considered that. If they prevent Padme's death, would she and Anakin still have the same children? Would Luke and Leia still be born? Or would changing the timeline erase them? The Force brought us here for a reason. It wouldn't show me my son just to take him away. I have to believe that. Luke nods, but uncertainty shadows his eyes. On the fourth day, Luke gasps during meditation. His eyes snap open, unfocused. I see them. Ahan and Leia, they're in pain. Cloud City. Vader has them. >> Yoda and Obi-Wan exchange looks Luke. Visions can be deceiving. showing one possible future or playing on your fears. They're in danger now. I have to help them. Patience, young Skywalker. Walk a dangerous path. You do to face Vader. Ready? You are not. I can't leave them. Han risked everything for me. And Leia, she's my sister. Even if she doesn't know it yet. >> Ahsoka steps forward. >> Then we go with him. Obi-Wan and I can extract Han and Leia while Anakin and Luke deal with Vader. >> Ahsoka, the risk. She's right. Luke's family, my family, is in danger. We don't abandon them. Besides, the Emperor won't expect us. We have surprise on our side. >> Yoda turns to Anakin. When he speaks, each word carries immense weight. >> Ready to face yourself? Are you? The version that committed atrocities, that slaughtered those you love. Strong your future self is, and twisted by decades of pain. >> Anakin's jaw sets. He thinks of those younglings, of Padme dying in childbirth, of Obi-Wan forced into exile, all because he couldn't control his fear. I'll do what I must. If I can reach him, the part of me is still inside that monster. Maybe we can turn him back. Use the Force's gift to save him, too. Then go, you shall. But together, stay. And may the Force be with you. >> Cloud City floats serene above Bpin's gas giant core. A utopia of white platforms and gentle lighting. Beautiful, deceptive. In its depths, Darth Vader has set a trap. The transport approaches openly. Luke flies his X-wing alongside. To Vader's sensors, it appears exactly as predicted. The boy comes alone and untrained to save his friends. Predictable, exploitable. What Vader doesn't sense are the three time displaced Jedi concealed in the transport's cargo hold. Their force signatures masked through techniques Yoda taught them. Luke walks into the carbon freezing chamber alone. The platform is cold, industrial. Steam hisses from the vents. Luke's hand rests on his lightsaber. He can feel Vader's presence like ice water in his veins. The Dark Lord emerges from the shadows above, cape flowing, his respirator echoes in the vast chamber. >> You were foolish to come here, young Skywalker. You cannot hope to defeat me. I'm not here to defeat you. I'm here for my friends. >> How noble. Your father would have done the same once before he learned the futility of sentiment. >> My father is here and he's going to save you. >> What are you? >> Anakin drops from an overhead catwalk, landing between Luke and Vader. His brown robes settle around him as he rises. His lightsaber ignites with a snap hiss that Vader knows in his very bones. The same crystal, the same construction, his own weapon. decades younger. The two Anakin Skywalkers face each other. Vader's respirator catches. Stutters. The mechanical breathing goes irregular for the first time in years. I know who you are. What you've done. What I become if I make the wrong choices. >> This is another trick. The Emperor's illusion. You cannot be real. >> I'm real. The Force sent me here. Sent me to see the future I create. If I let fear control me, if I don't trust in the light. Vader's fist clenches. His breathing grows more labored. >> You know nothing of what I've endured. The pain, the loss. Padme, >> I know. I know. Palpatine showed you visions of her dying. Used your love against you. Made you believe only the dark side could save her. >> And I failed. She died anyway. Everything I sacrificed, every choice I made, all for nothing. >> It doesn't have to be that way. I'm going back to our time. I'll stop him. I'll save her. And I can save you, too. Even now, that part of you that's still Anakin Skywalker, still my son's father, still me. He deactivates his lightsaber, steps closer, unarmed. >> You're drowning in guilt and pain. Palpatine kept you there. Kept you suffering because your anguish fueled your power. But you can let it go. You can come back. Vader stands motionless beneath the mask. Memories flood him. Padme smiling in the meadow. Obi-Wan teaching him as a Padawan. Ahsoka's laughter. The Jedi temple before it burned. Who he was. Who he could have been. Luke moves to stand beside Anakin, adding his presence to the plea. Vader's breathing becomes ragged. His shoulders shake. The dark side recedes slightly. And for a moment, just a moment, Anakin Skywalker resurfaces. I I've done terrible things. Unforgivable things. The younglings, the Jedi, entire planets. >> The Force wouldn't have sent me here if redemption was impossible. You can still make this right. Help us stop the Emperor. Protect Luke and Leia the way I never got to in your timeline. The Force itself is giving you this chance. Vader's hand rises toward his mask, trembling, almost touching it. Then he screams. The sound is inhuman. Torn from mechanical lungs in a shattered soul. The dark side crashes back into him like a tidal wave. Palpatines's conditioning. Years of hatred. The weight of every atrocity. It all detonates inside of him. He won't be controlled. Not by hope, not by the past, not by some cosmic force playing games with his broken life. >> No. His lightsaber flies to his hand and ignites. Red Blade blazing with dark side fury. He launches himself at Anakin with murder in every strike. Anakin saber ignites barely in time. The impact drives him back 3 meters. Boots skidding on the platform. Luke rushes to join him. Father and son standing together against the twisted future self. The three Skywalkers clash in a storm of blue and red plasma. Vader is powerful, terrifyingly so. Each strike carries the weight of decades of dark side mastery. The force bends around him, crushing, overwhelming. He doesn't just fight, he dominates. His rage fuels every moment. Anakin and Luke give ground. They're outmatched in raw power. Luke is barely trained. Anakin has skill and youth, but not Vader's sheer dark side strength. But as they fight, Anakin begins to see something. Vader is powerful, but he's predictable. His armor restricts his mobility. His breathing apparatus creates rhythm in his attacks. Inhale, exhale, strike. His fighting style is calcified over decades of relying on overwhelming force. He doesn't need finesse when he can simply overpower opponents. Watch his pattern. He commits too hard to each strike. I can barely block him. You don't need to beat him. Just don't lose. Stay mobile. >> They adapt. Instead of meeting Vader's power directly, they evade. Luke rolls under a strike meant to bisect him. Anakin sidesteps a force push and uses the momentum to slash at Vader's knee joint. Sparks fly, but the armor holds. Vader pursues, but his movements are fractionally slower. The heavy armor, the damaged lungs, age, and cybernetics taking their toll. Anakin sees it. His future self is mighty, but inflexible. Powerful but constrained. They can win this. Luke, high low. Now, >> they've been practicing this combination on Daba. Luke doesn't question. He goes high, forcing Vader to raise his guard. Anakin drops low and sweeps Vader's legs. The Sith Lord stumbles. Not much, just a fraction of imbalance. It's enough. Anakin's blade comes up. Vader's lightsaber goes flying, knocked from his grip by perfect Shen technique. The red blade deactivates mid-flight and clatters across the platform. Vader stands defenseless. His respirator wheezes with strain. Defeat. Anakin could kill him. Should kill him by every tactical measure. This is Darth Vader, butcher of the Jedi, enforcer of the Empire's tyranny. Instead, he deactivates his lightsaber and extends his hand. It's not too late. Come back to the light. Help us stop Palpatine. The Emperor dies today, with or without you. But you can be part of saving the galaxy instead of destroying it. Vader stares at the offered hand. That mechanical hand so like his own. His past self, offering redemption to the monster he became. Luke moves to stand beside Anakin, also extending his hand. Please, father, choose the light. Choose us. Vader's respirator rasps beneath the mask. Tears stream down ruined flesh. Two versions of himself, past and future, refusing to abandon him. >> You don't understand how powerful the Emperor truly is. He orchestrated a galactic war from both sides. Manipulated the entire Jedi Order for years without detection. I've tried to kill him before. He survived, became stronger. He is the dark side incarnate. >> Then we'll face him together. All of us, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, are freeing your prisoners as we speak. Three generations of Skywalker, united against Palpatine. He can't stand against that. Vader looks at his younger self, at his son, at the impossible hope they represent. Slowly, trembling, he reaches out and takes Anakin's hand. Slow, mocking applause echo through the chamber. Emperor Palpatine emerges from a doorway none of them noticed. His yellow eyes gleam with malicious amusement. Somehow, impossibly, he looks exactly as he did in the Clone Wars, just wearing different robes. How touching. The Force rebels against me, sending [laughter] phantoms from the past. Did you truly think I wouldn't sense your arrival? I am the master of the force, young Skywalkers, not its servant. Lightning arcs from his fingertips. Blue white electricity slams into Luke and Anakin. They scream, bodies convulsing, their lightsabers fall. Vader stands motionless, pulled between conflicting loyalties. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan burst from concealment. They've secured Leia and the others. Now they charge the Emperor, lightsabers blazing. >> Get away from them. Palpatine laughs, his free hand sending lightning toward the two Jedi. Ahsoka catches it on her white blades, struggling to contain the energy. Obi-Wan deflects it back, but Palpatine absorbs his own lightning without effort. The Sith Lord is a hurricane of dark side power. He moves between opponents with inhuman speed. Lightning and telekinesis flowing seamlessly. Ahsoka lunges. Palpatine catches her blade on a red lightsaber that appears from his sleeve. The impact sends her stumbling. Luke tries to rejoin the fight. Palpatine gestures negligently, his blade cuts through Luke's outstretched arm. His weapon hand falls, lightsaber still gripped in dead fingers. Luke collapses, screaming. Ahsoka rushes to protect him. Lightning catching her full in the chest. She spasm once and goes limp. Obi-Wan and Anakin circle the Emperor trying to coordinate. Palpatine is everywhere at once. His blade work is perfect form seven, unpredictable, aggressive, manic. His force attacks come from unexpected angles. Poor Obi-Wan, still so committed to your defense. But defense cannot win. You can only delay your defeat. He faints toward Anakin, then pivots. His red blade cuts across Obi-Wan's shoulder. The Jedi Master cries out, staggering. Anakin catches him before he falls. >> Master. >> Palpatine stands before them, barely winded. Vader watches from the periphery, frozen with indecision. This is the best the force can offer. Children playing at heroism. I have orchestrated the fall of entire civilizations. Your little temple anomaly is nothing but a curiosity. He raises both hands. Lightning builds between his finger, promising death. Then Yoda lands between them. The ancient Jedi Master's lightsaber ignites with a snap hiss that echoes like thunder. His force presence explodes outward, temporarily pushing back the oppressive darkness. Out of exile and retirement, I have come. A smile touches his aged features. Face me, you shall, Cidius, as should have happened long ago. >> Palpatines's yellow eyes widen fractionally. Then he smiles, expression twisting with genuine pleasure. Master Yoda, I hoped you would join us. This will be almost too easy. They clash in a blur of green and red. Lightning meets force push. Telekinetic attacks rebound off invisible barriers. They move too fast for normal eyes to follow. Trading blows that would kill lesser beings from the shock waves alone. Anakin pulls himself upright. Obi-Wan struggles to stand. Together, they rejoin the battle. Three Jedi against the Emperor. Yoda's centuries of experience. Obi-Wan's perfect defense. Anakin's overwhelming offense. They coordinate through the Force, each covering the other's weaknesses. Palpatine laughs wildly, genuinely challenged for the first time in years. His lightning arcs. Yoda redirects it. Obi-Wan presses the opening. Anakin strikes from unexpected angles. The Emperor blocks, but barely. His red blade catches Anakin strike, but the force of it drives him back a step. Yoda is immediately there. Green blade humming toward Palpatines's head. The Sith Lord ducks, rules, unleashes lightning at pointblank range. Obi-Wan takes the lightning on his blade and doesn't falter. They are pushing him. Truly pushing him. Palpatines's expression shifts from delight to rage. Unacceptable. He is the supreme power. He is the culmination of thousands of years of Sith planning. He will not lose. Dark side powers erupt from him like a supernova. All three Jedi stagger. Objects around the chamber begin to crumble. The metal groans. Anakin feels the darkness pulling at him, whispering, promising power to protect those he loves. Just one step into the darkness. Just embrace it for a moment. Save everyone. He looks at Luke, barely conscious and missing a hand. At Ahsoka, motionless on the floor, at Obi-Wan, bleeding and exhausted, at Vader, watching. No, you don't control me. You never will. He centers himself in the force. Not the light side, not the dark side, just the force itself. Balanced and pure, the way the father showed him on Mortise. His lightsaber blurs. He doesn't think, doesn't plan, just acts. Pure instinct channeled through perfect technique. Yoda feels the shift. Obi-Wan feels it. They move with Anakin. Their attacks synchronized on a level deeper than tactics. Palpatine raises his red blade to block Anakin's strike. Obi-Wan's blade cuts upward from below, forcing him to redirect. Yoda's attack comes from an impossible angle. The Emperor blocks all three, but his defense is fractionally slower. Anakin sees the opening smaller than a handspan. There and gone in a microcond. He strikes. His blue [music] blade punches through Palpatines's guard and into his chest. The Sith Lord gasps. His yellow eyes go wide with disbelief. >> Impossible. I am the culmination of the Sith. I am immortal. You're just a man and you lose. He twists the blade. Palpatine screams. Dark side energy explodes outward in a final death throw. Everyone is thrown back. Then silence. Emperor Palpatine, Dark Lord of the Sith, Architect of the Empire, lies dead on the floor of Cloud City's carbon freezing chamber. After decades of tyranny, defeated by three Jedi who shouldn't exist in this timeline. Slowly, painfully, everyone picks themselves up. Vader stands motionless. His master is dead. the man who saved him on Mustafar, who gave him purpose, who also manipulated, controlled, and destroyed everything Anakin Skywalker once was. He's free. The thought terrifies him more than anything. Anakin limps to Luke. His son groans, coming back to consciousness. His right arm ends in a cauterized stump. Anakin cradles him carefully. I'm here, son. You're going to be okay. Did we win? Yes, we won. Ahsoka stirs. Obi-Wan collapses against the wall, exhausted, but alive. Yoda stands over Palpatines's body with an expression of profound sadness. No victory in war, only necessity. Princess Leia bursts into the chamber with Chewbacca and Lando. She stops short, taking in the carnage of the dead emperor. Luke missing a hand. Three unknown Jedi, one of whom looks at her with such overwhelming love and grief that she instinctively steps back. Leia, my daughter, >> I don't understand. Who are you people? >> We're from the past. Your highness is sent here by the force to prevent this dark future. Leia's eyes widen when she looks at Vader, still standing motionless in his black armor. Then at Anakin, who looks at her like she's the most precious thing in the galaxy. >> If you're my father, tell me about my mother. >> Her name is Padme Amadala. She was a queen at 14, senator of Nibou. She fights for justice with every breath. She's brave and brilliant and kind, and she would be so proud of you, Leia, a princess who became a rebel leader who fought against an empire. You're exactly like her. Tears stream down Leia's face. She doesn't fully understand, but she feels the truth in his words. She crosses the chamber and hugs Anakin fiercely. He holds his daughter for the first time and sobs. Luke joins them with one arm, leaning against his father and sister. Three Skywalkers together at last. Yoda approaches Vader. >> A choice you have now. Return to the dark or seek redemption. >> Vader's respirator wheezes. His mechanical hands clench. >> I have committed atrocities beyond measure. Younglings, civilians, Obi-Wan, how can I ever be redeemed? >> Not for me to decide. Put in exile with me. You may search, meditate on the force, find the Anakin Skywalker buried within you. Long, the journey will be painful. It will be, but possible. It will be. Vader looks at his younger self, surrounded by the children he never knew, the family he destroyed. >> I accept. >> In the days that follow, the galaxy transforms. Without the Emperor, the Empire fractures. Moffs and admirals scramble for power, but the rebellion gains ground. Princess Leia is instrumental in organizing the transformation to a new republic. She becomes one of its founding leaders, as was always her destiny. Luke recovers. Medical droids fit him with a cybernetic hand matching his father's. They joke about it darkly while recovering. At least we're twins now. I would have preferred you kept your hand. I know, but I'd lose a 100 hands if it meant saving you. Both versions of you. Anakin pulls his son into a fierce hug. On Cloud City's landing platform, the time displaced Jedi prepare to return to Mortise. The Force has begun to pull at them. Reality reasserting itself. Leia approaches Anakin one final time. When you go back, you'll stop Palpatine. Save my mother. Give Luke and me a real childhood. >> I swear it on everything I am. >> Then I'll never meet you like this. This version of you won't exist for me. >> You'll know me differently. Better is the father I should have been from the start. >> They embrace. Anakin whispers something in her ear that makes her smile through her tears. Luke receives lightsaber training advice from all three Jedi. Yoda reminds him that size matters not. Obi-Wan teaches him patience one last time. Ahsoka tells him to trust his instincts. Anakin gives him something more precious. His lightsaber. The weapon that killed younglings in another timeline. In this moment, he offers it as a symbol of hope. Redeemed. Keep this. Remember that even the darkest weapon can be turned to the light. That no one is beyond redemption. I will. Thank you, father, for everything. >> Vader approaches last. The two versions of Anakin Skywalker stand face to face. >> You saved me in every way that matters. >> Now you save yourself every day. Choose the light. Protect my children when we're gone. >> With my life. >> They grip forearms in the traditional warriors clasp. Past and future, united in purpose. Yoda stays behind with Vader, beginning the long journey toward redemption. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka stand together as the Force vortex opens. Reality tears like fabric. They wave goodbye to Luke and Leia, to R2-D2, beeping frantically, to the future they saved. Then they step through. The vortex swallows them whole, light and color and impossible sensation. When their vision clears, they stand on mortise, the crystallin landscape unchanged, the father waiting patiently. No time has passed. They left and returned in the same instant, but everything has changed. >> So, Anakin steps forward, his face is set with determination and newfound wisdom. I know now what I must do. The father smiles, a rare expression on his ancient face. You have learned. The force showed you darkness not to condemn you, but to illuminate the choice before you. You alone will determine which path to walk. he gestures. Reality solidifies around them. Mortise begins to fade. >> Remember what you saw. Remember what you felt. And choose wisely. Anakin Skywalker. The fate of the galaxy rests in your hands. >> They wake on their ship. The Mortise arc complete. But none of them will ever be the same. That's our theory. The Star Wars universe is a galaxy filled with exciting stories and possibilities, and we love exploring them. If you'd like to join us on this journey to a galaxy far, far away, then please like, share, and subscribe to our channel.