What If... The Death Star Wasn’t Destroyed?

The force sees all.  Not just this world, but other worlds too.  It peers into a vast multiverse where a single choice can change the fate of a universe.  Watch these new realities unfold with a single decision, and ponder the question-What if?

Chapter 1

Luke Skywalker was a simple farm boy.  In a matter of days he was thrown into this vast conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.  One side wanted freedom.  The other, nothing but order and control.  And to gain this they have created the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of fear.  Capable of destroying entire planets, soon the Galaxy will bow before it.  But not if the rebels have anything to say about it.  That’s why Luke is here.  The Rebellion has launched a daring mission to destroy the Death Star by attacking a weak point in it.  If they succeed, there will be a new beacon of hope for the Galaxy.  Failure, however, will destroy them all.

Luke flies through a trench in the Death Star, his X-Wing along with several other rebel ships-2 more X-Wings and a Y-Wing.  All the others have been shot down.  Three Tie Fighters chase after him, their leader, Sith Lord Darth Vader fires upon them.  Evaan Verlaine, a Y-Wing Pilot, and Wedge Antilles, an X-Wing pilot, have already pulled out.  Only Luke and Biggs Darklighter, the remaining X-Wing pilot, remain.  It is up to them.  And then up to just Luke.  An explosion rocks beside his ship as he watches Darth Vader shoot down Biggs.  He is the last pilot.

Tears are streaming down Luke’s eyes.  He’s lost his family, his mentor, Ben Kenobi, and now one of his best friends.  The fate of the Galaxy is his.  And then he hears the voice.

“Use the force Luke.”

It’s Ben.  The legendary Jedi was speaking to him from beyond the grave. Luke looks around, expecting to see his friend somewhere, but is still alone, only with his faithful astromech droid R2-D2.  The voice whispers again.

“Let go.”

Luke looks at his targeting computer as he zooms ever closer to the exhaust port that will destroy the entire super weapon if shot down.  Turning it off would make it near impossible to hit the exhaust port.  The force couldn’t help him.

“Luke.  Trust me.”

He listens to the Jedi and pushes a button on his control panel.  The targeting computer monitor folds away.  The response is almost instant.

“Luke, you turned off your targeting computer.  Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

R2-D2 beeps at Luke as they continue flying through the Trench.  Darth Vader watches him through his own targeting computer.  A laser fires out from his ship, striking R2.  The droid screams as part of it explodes.  Luke turns to see R2-D2’s smoking body.

“I’ve lost R2!”

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the man who has been put in charge of the entire Death Star watches the battle from a computer.  An electronic voice booms over an intercom.

“Rebel Base in Range.”

Tarkin lifts a small communicator to his lips.  His words are cold and without remorse.

“You may fire when ready.”

The TIE fighters continue chasing down Luke, never breaking formation. Darth Vader locks his ship on Luke’s.

“I have you now.”

He fires.  The S-Foil is hit.  The ship’s engine is damaged.

“No.  No, no.”

Luke is forced to pull out of the Trench.  There’s nothing he can do.  The TIEs continue to shoot at him.  He’s having trouble dodging their attacks.  Then it happens.  A blast of neon energy fires from the Death Star, striking Yavin 4.  The explosion is massive.  The entire moon is reduced to ash.  He sees the destruction from the window.

“Leia!”

But he can’t even mourn.  The empire is still firing down on him.  He closes his eyes.  A Tie Fighter bears down on him.  It is suddenly shot out of the sky.  Evaan Verlaine flies down in her Golden-painted Y-Wing, shooting at the other Ties.  Wedge follows behind her.  Wedge destroys the second tie, leaving only Vader.  The Sith Lord perform a roll, flipping his ship over.  2 laser bolts fire out of it.  Evaan Veraline’s ship explodes in bright light.  Wedge manages to dodge the attacks from Vader.

“Luke, we’ve got to get out of here now.”

“No!  We need to kill them!  They need to pay!”

“If you want to make them pay, this isn’t the time.  Live to fight another day.”

Both ships fly away from the Death Star.  Darth Vader continues firing at them, but both ships disappear into Hyperspace.  Han Solo was meant to save Luke from Darth Vader, allowing him to fire his Proton Torpedoes into the exhaust port, destroying the Death Star.  But this universe’s Han chose not to help the Rebel Alliance, favoring fleeing.  He chose not to help, and instead to survive.  His choice caused Luke and Wedge to escape, but every other Rebel has died.