No, Darth Vader Doesn't Say "Luke, I Am Your Father" in 'Star Wars' (What He Actually Says)

Everything you know is a lie. At least, that might cross your mind if you’ve spent your life believing that Darth Vader says “Luke, I am your father” in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — Episode V. 

It’s one of the most famous lines in cinematic history, and it shocked audiences to their cores when they first heard it in theaters in 1980. It comes near the end of the film, when Luke Skywalker is facing off against Darth Vader. But in the middle of the tense scene, the masked villain delivers something arguably worse than a death blow: an unexpected revelation about familial ties. 

The line he utters has become a famous reminder that nothing really is as it seems and the evil overlord you’ve been trying to destroy just might be your long-lost parent, as well as one of the most convenient dad jokes of all time. But what Darth Vader really says in this famous scene is not actually “Luke, I am your father.” 

What Darth Vader Actually Says

Instead, the line Vader utters through his voice-disguising mask is, “No. I am your father.” It happens in the middle of a conversation in which Vader is attempting to persuade Luke to join his team and embrace the dark side of the Force.

“If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father,” Vader says through his mask. “He told me enough! He told me you killed him!” Luke says. “No. I am your father,” Vader replies. 

Of course, this is not the only family-related revelation that Luke has to deal with in the original Star Wars trilogy. He later learns that Princess Leia—with whom he shared a kiss in The Empire Strikes Back—is his sister, and also the daughter of Darth Vader.

Why Do So Many People Remember Darth Vader Saying "Luke, I Am Your Father"?

The fact that so many people vividly recall Vader saying “Luke, I am your father” is a prime example of the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon that involves a large group of people improperly remembering something. It is named after the fact that many people remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, despite the fact that he lived until 2013. 

It is true that due to Vader's slightly warped manner of speech, it could be argued that what he says sounds a bit like “Luke,” which may be at the root of this popular misconception. Another reason why so many of us might misremember this line may be due to the fact that substituting “Luke” for “no” more immediately connects the quote to Star Wars, making the reference more obvious. Either way, the damage has been done and in popular imagination, the line will forever be, “Luke, I am your father.” 

This line is not the only misconception about Star Wars—many people often mistakenly believe Jedi knights are celibate, for example—but it is certainly the most commonplace. Some people are so attached to the way they remember the quote that they've even made YouTube edits that make it seem like Vader is saying “Luke.” But Snopes has confirmed the truth, and fortunately for people named Luke everywhere—or unfortunately, depending on how attached they've become to constantly being on the receiving end of this line—the line simply begins with the word “no.”

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