Dagobah Elimination Theory

The Dagobah Elimination Theory, or DET, is the theory that it was in fact Bigger Luke - wearing a copy of Darth Vader's armor - that was killed at the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, and not a force illusion as commonly believed. Since around 1995, this has been one of the most common views held amongst believers in the The Canon Luke Hypothesis.


Theory

DET posits that Bigger Luke was wearing Darth Vader's armor - presumably a copy - and residing within the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah around the time Luke was training with Yoda. Presumably, Bigger Luke at this point was in league with Yoda, willing to sacrifice himself in the situation that Luke had failed his test.

It is possible that this was a deliberate act on the part of R2-D2, who was at this point in league with Yoda, to test Luke and see if he could resist the temptations of the dark side, and therefore as his "final mission", per say, had him dress up in a copy of Darth Vader's armor to confront Luke as an illusionary form of Darth Vader. Luke, having attacked and killed "Bigger Luke Vader", failed in his mission, making Bigger Luke's sacrifice in vain.

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Could this be the face of Bigger Luke?

It can be assumed that any supposed instances of Bigger Luke after this scene and in Return of the Jedi can be chalked up to perspective or other causes.


How did R2-D2 remotely detonate the facemask of the doppelgänger Vader helmet whilst keeping Bigger Luke's face intact and undamaged?

Shortly after Luke Prime decapitates Bigger Luke Vader, his head falls and rolls across the ground before coming to a stop. Soon after, the facemask detonates, blowing a hole which reveals Luke's own visage after the smoke clears. Even if we take into account a galaxy full of advanced technology such as lightsabers, blasters, and faster-than-light travel, how on earth could such a localized yet fantastic explosion leave Bigger Luke's disembodied head with such a flawless face? If the explosion damaged Bigger Luke's visage, then Luke would not be able to recognize the person inside Vader's suit as presumably himself, thus eliminating the intended effect.

As it turns out, the technology for a directed explosion exists even within our own universe. This is known as a shaped charge. A shaped charge generally uses a metal cone to focus and channel the explosive power of a detonation to do damage to layered armor, and as armor does in fact exist within the Star Wars universe, it can therefore be posited that such technology exists in said universe.

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Perhaps a smaller, more compact version of a charge such as this was placed on the inside of Bigger Luke's faux Darth Vader helmet to detonate and blow away the face panels without damaging Bigger Luke?

R2-D2 therefore must have placed a compact, presumably flat shaped charge on the inside of the faux helmet, only to be detonated in the hypothetical instance that Luke were to kill Bigger Luke. Lucky for R2, despite fully decapitating Bigger Luke Vader, the rolling head stopped face-up, allowing Luke Prime to see the intended consequences of this discreet plan on the part of R2 and Yoda.


Perhaps the detonation and armor itself was a force illusion?

Another theory posits that, if a shaped charge was not used, perhaps the explosion - and indeed the suit itself - was an illusion, as perhaps R2-D2 did not have the technology to recreate an accurate rendition of Darth Vader's signature armor.


Criticism

Final Confrontation Confirmation

During the final confrontation between Luke and Vader / The Emperor, the latter's motivation seems to change inexplicably. While Luking however, all becomes clear. Initially, the Emperor wished to have Luke defeat Vader by turning to the dark side. However, this could ONLY be possible if it were Bigger Luke, due to his being far more powerful than his slightly smaller counterpart. Upon the Emperor realizing that Bigger Luke was NOT present, he proceeds to attempt to kill the impostor.

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