In the Marvel universe we have the What If…? series, where we get to see different realities—sometimes the villains become the heroes, and the heroes turn dark. But did you know we also have our own kind of “What If” in Star Wars?
Yeah, there are stories that explore alternate timelines, and some of them are absolutely wild. One of the coolest moments happens around the time of A New Hope. Instead of staying in exile, Yoda comes back for revenge. He takes the Death Star itself and crashes it right into Coruscant, aiming straight for Palpatine, and for a brief moment the galaxy actually knows peace.
And today I want to bring you that exact story, where our Grand Master Jedi takes his revenge on Emperor Palpatine. You can find it in Star Wars Legends: Infinities – Epic Collection (TPB Part 1), which gives us this incredible alternate reality moment.
Table of Contents
The Death Star Survives Yavin
In this alternate timeline, everything starts out almost exactly like A New Hope. Luke meets Obi-Wan, they rescue Leia from the Death Star, and soon after he’s flying alongside the Rebels at the Battle of Yavin. You’d think the story ends the same way—with Luke firing those famous proton torpedoes into the exhaust port.
But here’s the twist: his shot fails. The torpedoes detonate too early, leaving the Death Star completely intact. With the superweapon still online, Tarkin wastes no time. He orders the station to fire, and right before Luke’s eyes, Yavin IV is obliterated. Luke believes Leia and countless Rebels have all perished in the blast, not knowing most of them actually managed to evacuate just in time.
Shaken by rage and grief, Luke completely loses control. Fueled by his emotions, he goes on a rampage in space, tearing through waves of TIE Fighters with a fury that looks more Sith than Jedi. Han has to pull him back, trying to talk sense into him, but Luke is too far gone. At one point, he even threatens Han with his lightsaber, ready to fight him.
That’s when Obi-Wan’s Force ghost finally appears. Ben reminds Luke that his training isn’t finished and warns him that giving in to his anger will only lead him down the wrong path. Calming down, Luke listens, and Obi-Wan directs him to the Dagobah system, where Yoda still waits to complete his training. With no other choice, Luke asks Han to take him there, setting this new reality on a very different course from the one we know.
Leia Becomes Vader’s New Apprentice
Back to Leia—there’s a scene where Vader brings her, now a prisoner, to Coruscant, the heart of the Empire. He presents her to the Emperor, and to our surprise, Palpatine orders Vader to train Leia in the ways of the dark side.
Vader’s first lesson is something you wouldn’t believe. If you remember the duel between Vader and Obi-Wan on the Death Star, Obi-Wan vanished before Vader’s eyes, leaving behind only his cloak and lightsaber. Vader kept that saber. Now, he hands it to Leia.
Leia ignites the blade, and without hesitation, she charges at Vader—fueled by raw emotion. Her anger isn’t just personal, it’s deeply tied to everything the Empire did to Alderaan. And Vader knows this. He uses that pain to push her forward, letting her attack him with everything she has. She goes toe to toe with him in a short but intense lightsaber fight. Vader blocks every strike with ease, not retaliating, only testing her. Then, with a quick gesture, he uses the Force to pull the saber from her grip.
That’s when Vader makes his pitch. He tells Leia that the Emperor is old and dying—and that together, the two of them could rule the galaxy. He paints a future where she could finally bring peace, her way. Strangely, those words reach her. Something in what he says resonates, and just like that, Leia agrees. She accepts the path he’s offering—and begins her training under Vader.
Luke Finish his Training
Back on Dagobah, Han and Chewie dropped Luke off and left the planet, leaving him to continue his training with Yoda. The two of them returned to their normal lives—until they discovered something strange. The Empire was celebrating Victory Day over the Rebellion, but this year, it wasn’t some Imperial officer giving the big speech.
It was Leia.
Han and Chewie couldn’t believe it. There she was, alive, standing on a stage on Coruscant, speaking to a crowd of Imperials. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing they had to deal with—Jabba the Hutt still had a bounty on Han’s head, and that brought its own trouble fast.
Meanwhile, Luke continued his training with Yoda on Dagobah. We see a lot of what we already know from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi—he runs, meditates, trains with his lightsaber, and eventually enters the infamous Dark Side cave.
But this time, it plays out a little differently.
The first time Luke enters the cave, it mirrors what we saw in The Empire Strikes Back. He sees Vader, draws his saber, and cuts him down. But when the helmet falls and splits open—he doesn’t see his own face inside. He sees Leia’s.
Later, Luke returns to the cave for a second test. This time, Yoda tells him to leave his lightsaber behind. Luke listens. He walks into the cave unarmed. Again, Vader appears—but Luke doesn’t fight. Instead, he reaches out through the Force, searching for the person behind the mask.
And this time, he sees it all—Vader’s past, Anakin’s fall, the pain, the loss. Everything.
At that exact moment, Han shows up.
He explains everything that happened after he left Dagobah. How he and Chewie survived, how they saw Leia, and how she’s now serving the Empire on Coruscant. That she’s still alive, but she’s not the same.
Yoda then finally tells Luke the full truth—Vader is his father. Leia is his twin sister.
Faced with everything, Luke makes his choice: he’s going to save her.
And this time, Yoda doesn’t stop him. In fact, he’s ready to join the fight. He tells Han Solo to fire up the Falcon.
Yoda Crash the Death Star on Palpatine
Alright, we’ve come a long way—and now we’re finally at the last arc of the story.
Yoda, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Jedi apprentice Luke Skywalker make their way toward Coruscant. But before they land, Yoda tells the others to drop him off directly on the Death Star.
Once aboard, Yoda wastes no time. He uses a Jedi mind trick on the Stormtroopers and orders them to bring him straight to Tarkin. In Tarkin’s quarters, Yoda works his mind trick again—this time taking full control of Tarkin. And just like that, Yoda seizes command of the entire Death Star.
Meanwhile, Luke and Han sneak into the Imperial palace on Coruscant. But before they can reach Leia, they have to fight off a squad of Imperial Royal Guards. After they win, they’re met by C-3PO, who offers to guide them to Leia. But it’s a trap—Leia had reprogrammed C-3PO to lure them in.
Inside the throne room, Luke and Han walk straight into a confrontation with the Emperor, Vader, and Leia. But this time, Luke refuses to fight. He doesn’t want to raise his saber against his sister. That’s when he tells Leia the truth: they’re twins.
For a long moment, everything stops. Leia is stunned. And for Vader, everything hits at once—Luke is his son, which means Leia is his daughter.
Back in orbit, Yoda, now fully in control of the Death Star, uses it to blast down multiple Star Destroyers surrounding Coruscant.
On the ground, Leia turns back to the light. But just like in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine won’t have it. He lashes out with Force lightning, torturing both Luke and Leia.
Vader can’t take it. Seeing his children suffering, he finally steps in and turns on Palpatine. At the same time, Yoda sends a message to the Emperor—he’s now controlling the Death Star. His final move is a sacrifice.
With Luke, Leia, and Han escaping on the Millennium Falcon, Yoda crashes the Death Star into Coruscant—aimed straight at Palpatine.
The explosion wipes out the Emperor and the heart of the Empire in one final, massive blast.
And that’s where the comic ends.