This is what was SUPPOSED to actually happen to Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original “Star Wars”

Remember that scene in Star Wars: A New Hope when Obi-Wan is telling Luke to “trust his instincts” and “use the Force” and it’s one of the most powerful moments of the movie, since Obi-Wan has just met a grim fate at the hands of his former padawan, Darth Vader? Yeah, that almost never happened. In a newly released script page from the first Star Wars movie, Obi-Won doesn’t die.

Peter Mayhew, who has played Chewbacca in now five different Star Wars movies (he shows up quickly in Revenge of the Sith) has been sharing pictures of early Star Wars scrips with the hashtag, #ChewScript. His latest share, and the latest Star Wars revelation, is that Obi-Wan actually survived his encounter with Darth Vader on the Death Star. You know that scene: “Ben” has just finished deactivating the tractor beam so everyone can escape. In the chaos of trying to get back to the ship, Obi-Wan and Vader meet, and Luke — from a distance — watches Vader strike Obi-Wan down. Though, you know, by striking him down Obi-Wan becomes more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

In the script Mayhew has released, dated 1/1/76, none of that happens. Vader and Obi-Wan come face to face, and then in the chaos the two of them are actually separated. Obi-Wan makes it back to the ship with everyone else, and they get the hell out of the Death Star. The other script pages read just like the movie.

A New Hope started filming in March of 1976, so that means sometime in those three months, the script was drastically changed to kill off one of the most iconic Star Wars characters ever. And as much as we all still miss Obi-Wan today, it had to happen. Luke needed that little push to fully embrace the Force, and besides, it’s not like Obi-Wan is gone gone. He’s just around the Dagobah swamp corner whenever we need him.