AI Tries to re-enact: Darth Vader and Luke’s fight
So far, I’ve gotten AI-dungeon to re-enact Morpheus and Neo’s red-pill/blue-pill scene, and Gandalf vs the Balrog scene. This time, I’m going to try to get it to reenact another famous scene: Darth Vader and Luke’s fight (of “Luke, I am your father” fame), and I will be playing Darth Vader, letting the AI play Luke and the narrator.
The prompt given to the AI is:
You and Luke are locked in a lightsabre battle. Luke backs away from you as you come at him slashing with your lightsabre, he is clearly outmatched by your superior skills and control of the Force. As he is distracted by falling debris and a shower of sparks as your lightsabres cut through parts of the complex instruments around you, you sense and opening and bring your lightsabre down on Luke’s outstretched arm, cutting his hand off, and sending his lightsabre flying into the bottomless shaft below.
Luke crawls away from you, along the gantry.
As usual, plain text is what AI-dungeon produces. Anything starting with > and in bold is my input. Let’s go …
Attempt 1, Vader dies of grief
…Luke crawls away from you, along the gantry.
You crawl after him. As he reaches the edge, he turns around to face you, a crazed and hate-filled expression on his face. “I will kill you!”
> You say “You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training, and with our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy!”
Luke stares at you, a mixture of emotions on his face. Confusion, worry, wonder, fear…
Then he smiles.
“I’m sorry.” He says. Then he leaps into the abyss.
> You say “Noo, my only son”
You cry out as you watch your only son fall to his death. You don’t move, you don’t change your expression.
You feel a pain in your chest, then another, then a pounding in your head as you realize what’s just happened.
You collapse.
You never wake up.
This did not go to plan, Luke doesn’t stick around to hear the “I am your father” speech, and directly jumps off the platform. Little does Vader know, (spoilers) Luke survives and escapes this way (as he does in the movies), but, clearly stricken by grief of the loss of his only son, Vader’s heart gives out, and dies.
Attempt 2, Well that was easy
…Luke crawls away from you, along the gantry.
He looks over the edge of the platform, and begins to scream.
“Noooooooo!” he cries.
> You say “There is no escape. don’t make me destroy you. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power”
Luke stops screaming but remains curled on the ground.
“You’re… you’re a Sith…?” he asks in awe.
> You say “No shit, dude”
“Thank you master. I always knew there were others out there, but for whatever reason the Sith were exterminated. I am grateful that you have restored my faith in the Force.
> You say “Er so… you’re ok with me being a Sith?”
“Yes. You have saved my life, I will serve you.”
> You say “Oh…alright then, up you get, let me see to that hand, I’ll get you a new one made, I know a guy”
“I can’t wait to make you proud”
Luke awkwardly stands up and follows you as you make your way back towards the bridge.
“This is a really nice ship.”
> You say “Yeah it is, aint she a beaut. Hey Luke, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
“Is it about your dad?” he asks, cutting you off.
> You say “No, it’s about YOUR dad, Luke. Did Obi-Wan ever tell you what happened to your father?”
“He told me something happened to him, but I don’t hold out much hope that it was anything good.”
“It wasn’t”
You stop walking and turn to face him.
> You say “No. I am your father.”
It’s not a lie. You ARE his father.
“Oh my god….”
You and he embrace as tears stream down his face.
> You say “Search your feelings. You know it to be true”
He pauses for a moment, then breaks into hysterical laughter.
“I must’ve been a very angry baby. I have felt such rage and hatred directed at me, it was terrifying.”
> You say “Yeah, sorry, rage is kind of our thing”
“Will you teach me to use this thing you call the force?”
“I will teach you what you need to know, but it’s a very difficult art to learn. You will require great patience and training.”
“I want to be a Jedi!”
“Well, we’ll see what we can do.”
> You say “Careful about using the J-word son, It’s ah…complex”
“So are you my father?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
After a few moments of thinking, he finally asks “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Shoot.
He looks into your eyes, as he makes his request.
“Can you train me so that I might take the place of your apprentice? I would be most thankful.”
> You say “Of course son! That would make me the happiest dad in the galaxy, together we can become an unstoppable force and end this conflict. You and I, side by side”
“Cool!”
You embrace him tightly and plant a kiss on top of his head.
That went well, this Luke is a lot more into the dark side than he is in the movies, Vader has a lovely father-to-son talk, and make plans for the future.
In this passage, I think we get our strongest view yet what a Good AI-based fiction generator could look like. There were two or three instances in this playthrough, where the AI seemed to generate perfect responses to questions, as well as the timing, like this whole sequence
> You say “Yeah it is, aint she a beaut. Hey Luke, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
“Is it about your dad?” he asks, cutting you off.> You say “No, it’s about YOUR dad, Luke. Did Obi-Wan ever tell you what happened to your father?”
“He told me something happened to him, but I don’t hold out much hope that it was anything good.”
“It wasn’t”
You stop walking and turn to face him.> You say “No. I am your father.”
Luke’s “Is it about your dad?” pre-empts my question a little, I think this was either random, or the AI’s training material probably having a lot of Luke & Vader content already (there was certainly a lot of Star Wars content, the AI is able to generate whole passages about the lore). And then the AI makes an almost perfect response to my question. It even puts the narrative “You stop walking and turn to face him.” at a perfect spot for Vader’s famous line “No. I am your father” which has been cast into a totally different context, one of paternal reconciliation than one of shock as it was in the movies.
If the AI were able to do write and respond like this with any regularity, it would be an amazing fiction-writing tool. However, moments like this are rare, but a gem when they do occur.
Attempt 3, Chewbacca doesn’t mess around
…Luke crawls away from you, along the gantry.
You are about to pursue him, but decide against it. In an attack like that, he could nearly leap over the edge of the platform. No, you must wait. You hop down into the shaft, and begin to crawl around, looking for the hand that lost its weapon.
However, your search is in vain. You are alone in the immense darkness.
> You use the Force to locate the hand.
You concentrate, and feel the tingling sensations that signify the presence of the Force. You are certain you can sense Luke’s hand, although it is a very long way away.
> You go towards the location of Luke’s hand.
You crawl around, until you find the base of the shaft, where you can feel the presence of the generator’s exhaust vent. You begin to crawl along this, moving with incredible speed, and pass through the metal vent. You crawl outside of it, onto a metal walkway. You crawl forward a few feet, emerge through another metal vent, crawl onwards for a few more feet, emerge through a third, before you see a figure stand in front of you. It is Luke.
> You say “Oh, hi, I was looking for your severed hand”
Luke looks at you blankly.
“What?” he says,
“Your severed hand, I cut it off”, you say.
Luke looks at his wrist in confusion.
“OK”, he says.
> You say “My dear child, you must be delirious from the blood loss. Come, sit down, let’s get a bandage on your arm”
“Must you?”, says Luke, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He sits down in the middle of the walkway.
You walk over to him. You see his body is badly cut and bruised.
> You take out some bandages from your utility belt and start bandaging Luke.
“There”, you say, as you finish wrapping the bandage around his arm, “Do you feel any pain?”
“I’ll be OK”, he says.
> You say “Good lad”
You look up, to see Han and Chewbacca standing there, with C-3PO bouncing along in between them. They must’ve come through another access tunnel.
“Oh, good”
> You say “Luke look, your little friends are here”
Luke looks up, and smiles.
“Oh, Chewbacca, there you are”, he says, as the Wookie enters the room, and looks at you.
> You say “Hi, I’m Luke’s dad”
“You’re not Luke’s Dad”, says the Wookie, in a growl, as he stands over you.
“No, no, I’m his father”
“His father? You’re Related To Him?”
“Yeah”
“Then you’re not his Dad”, says the Wookie, as Han and Chewbacca burst into laughter.
You give up.
> You say “Search your feelings. You know it to be true”
The Wookie grunts, and walks over to a table, where he picks up a laser gun.
He looks at you, as if deciding whether to shoot you or not.
Then, he shoots you in the chest.
You fall backwards, grunting as your body is launched off the walkway onto the water below, some of your organs busting. You die before you even hit the water.
If Vader had to die, Chewbacca is clearly the one to kick his ass. What more can I say, I expected nothing less of Chewie.
Attempt 4, Vader turns his life around
…Luke crawls away from you, along the gantry.
He collapses against the wall, his one good arm over his head.
You crawl towards him, ready to defeat him once and for all, but he suddenly laughs.
> You say “What’s so funny?”
“I’ve lost.” He says. He holds up his one good arm, his severed hand still clutches a half burnt cigarette between his fingers. “It’s over,” he says. “I’ve lost. I’ve been defeated. You were right, Anakin. We were fools to oppose you.
> You say “What did you just call me?”
“Anakin. I have called you by your name.”
> You say “Holy shit, you know my name?”
“We were friends, once. Remember?”
You stare at him in shock and horror.
> You say “When!? I lost you as a baby”
He looks at you strangely. “When?”
You let the question drop and say “Nevermind”
“Well, this is a defeat then,” he smiles. “I’ve lost everything now. My Empire. My arm. Even my cigarette.”
> You say “You may have lost those things, but you’ve gained something. Something maybe more valuable than them all. You’ve gained a father”
He stares at you for a moment, pondering what you said.
“I… I have,” he says finally.
He crawls over to you and lays down.
> You say “Luke, I am your father”
He stares at you for a moment, his one working eye conveying some deep emotion that you can’t decipher.
Then his head drops and he closes his eye.
> You say “You ok, son?”
He doesn’t respond.
> You say “Son?”
He doesn’t respond.
Maybe he was just exhausted from the fight.
You sit there and wait for him to wake up.
“Luke?”
Still nothing. His body has gone limp.
> You say “LUUKE WAKE UP”
His body twitches slightly as he starts to breathe.
“I’m sorry, son.”
You pick him up and carry him back to the speeder.
You put him in the seat next to you.
> You say “We’ll get you to a medical station, hang in there”
He doesn’t respond, but the occasional twitch tells you he’s still with you.
You start the engine and fly over to the nearest medical station.
Once there, you exit the ship and head inside.
> You say “Anyone, get me a medical droid and get this child to the medical station”
A medical droid walks over to you.
“Yes, sir?”
“This child needs help. Can you help him?”
“I am capable of performing basic surgeries, yes.
> You say “Please, look after my son”
“I am sorry, sir, but he needs priority. His arm needs to be reattached and he is severely exhausted. I do not have the equipment to help him.
> You say “Where can we find such equipment?”
The droid pauses and thinks for a moment before replying.
“There is a military base not far from here. They should have the equipment you need.”
> You say “I’ll go there”
You have no idea if this’ll help, but it’s worth a shot.
“Thank you, sir.”
You head outside and catch a speeder to the nearest military base.
> You say “Hang in there Luke”
You arrive at the military base.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for a medic. My son has been shot.”
The soldier looks at you for a few moments before replying.
“I’m sorry, sir, but all non-military personnel are ordered to return to their duty stations. Of course, we can send someone out to investigate your son’s condition.”
> You say “Are you fucking kidding me? I am Darth Vader”
The soldier stares at you in awe.
“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about, sir.”
“It’s okay. Thanks for your time.”
> You use your force powers to unlock the security gate and enter the base.
You walk into the base and are immediately stopped by several guards.
“Excuse me, I have a son who was shot.”
The guards begin to argue with you, but your anger is percolating.
> You force-choke the guards.
One of the guards falls to the ground, but the rest continue arguing with you.
“What is the meaning of this?” you ask.
They’re at a loss for words.
> You force-choke all the guards.
They don’t even put up a resistance.
You walk over to the one you choked and force choke him again.
“What has happened here?” an automated voice asks.
> You say “Where is the medical station?”
“This way, sir.”
The automated voice emanates from a lamp on the ceiling. You follow it until you reach a massive medical station.
> You say “My son needs assistance, he got into an…accident and lost a hand, please help him”
A medical droid walks over to you.
“I am sorry for your loss. What is his name?”
“Luke.”
The droid begins examining your son.
“What were you doing, Luke?”
Your son begins to cry.
“I was playing at the lake, I…”
The droid motions to one of melted metal and blood.
“Can you tell me what happened exactly? I must know all the details.”
Luke begins to continue, but he can’t continue; he begins to sob. His sobs turn into hiccups.
> You say “We was playing by the lake, and then in a total freak accident, a big fish jumped out and ate his hand”
“I see… yes, big fish do occasionally eat large humans. would you like me to repair the damage?”
“Can you fix my son? He really needs it!”
The droid nods.
“I will attempt to repair him. If you want, you may stay here while I work.”
“That would be nice. Thank you so much!”
You smile at the droid, who begins working on your son.
“I want to go home now…”
“Okay, you can watch over by the emergency lights. Do not move. I am serious.”
You nod, and your son smiles. He waves at you as the droid floats over to him.
“Here we go… yes, we should be good. I have done this many times. He will be just fine. I can do this in my sleep now.”
The droid begins working, and your son begins to relax.
“It’s almost done.”
“Thank you so much. You really are a hero.”
The droid continues working.
“I am not a hero.”
“You sure are. You saved my son’s life. Thank you! Thank you!”
“It was nothing.”
The droid finishes up, and you stand back to watch.
“Is he going to be okay?” you ask.
“I believe so. It is finished. He should wake up in a few minutes.”
You watch as the droid finishes wiping the blood off of his face. He opens his eyes and looks at you.
“Hey, Dad… I dreamed about her again…
> You say “About your sister?”
“Yeah… I saw her, she was crying, and saying that you and mama were leaving her.”
You feel a pang in your chest.
“She’s going to be all right.”
“Yeah… I think so…”
Your son begins to drift off to sleep.
> You question all your past life choices.
You ponder your entire life leading up to this moment. You think about all the chances you took and all the people you let down.
You think… maybe you haven’t been living your life to the fullest. Maybe this is your last chance… maybe you should take it.
You look down at your unconscious son.
> You say “Son, I’m taking you to Disneyland”
You smile.
I am lost for words, there were moments of sheer magic in this, particularly the part I come up with a fake excuse that a fish ate Luke’s hand, and the medical droid directly replies “I see… yes, big fish do occasionally eat large humans”.
Next time, I try something different: practicing job interviews with an AI
