Lucasfilm's original plan for the new
Star Wars trilogy was for a different director to take the helm of each instalment. That's why J.J. Abrams took charge of
The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson was handed the reigns to
The Last Jedi, and
Jurassic World helmer Colin Trevorrow was hired to direct the finale (no great surprise after the success that movie managed to find).
Ultimately, the director would part ways with the studio over "creative differences," and now thanks to
Making Star Wars, we have some intel on what he had planned for
Episode IX.
From the truth about Rey's parents to whether characters like The Emperor and Lando Calrissian were still set to appear, it certainly sounds like it would have been a very different movie with Trevorrow writing and directing, and The First Order's plan, in particular, sounded pretty out there.
To check out these details, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button below!
Ben Solo's Redemption
We'll begin with the ending. Apparently, the final battle wasn't on the Death Star or some sort of newly introduced planet; instead, it would have taken place in the Solo family home.
Surrounded by his family memories, Kylo Ren would have once again become Ben Solo and used his powers to save Rey. This iteration of
The Rise of Skywalker would have also dropped any sort of hints about a romantic relationship between the two and mostly consisted of Kylo chasing her around the Galaxy as he tried to force Rey to join the Dark Side.
Rey, meanwhile, would have still been trying to bring him back to the side of the angels.
Rey's "Nobody" Parents
In a rather strange sounding twist, it was going to be revealed that Rey's mother was a cool housemaid, and one-time nanny to Ben Solo. As small children, Ben and Rey actually grew up together and she was like his little sister (why neither of them appear to remember that is hard to say, but it seems likely that Kylo Ren was concealing this from her).
The site isn't sure what led to that relationship ending, but it's implied that Rey's parents fought in the Battle of Jakku, so something clearly led to them returning there. Perhaps they witnessed the Force connection between the two children and it freaked them out so much that they wanted to get rid of their daughter on the planet they first met Leia's family?
The First Order's New Plan
We don't really know what The First Order is up to in
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but common sense says they'll be all too willing to serve the returning Emperor Palpatine.
In Colin Trevorrow's version of the movie, there was going to be a rather unusual subplot with the villains erasing people's memories and then reprogramming them. Clearly, this was meant to shed some light on the creation of Stormtroopers and the site notes that "there was going to be some Manchurian Candidate type stuff going on in the background of the story."
The Emperor Was Going To Stay Dead
J.J. Abrams claims that the seeds for Emperor Palpatine's return were sewn in The Force Awakens, but Trevorrow actually had no intention of bringing the iconic villain back in this movie.
However, Lando was still expected to appear (which could explain him receiving a "Story by" credit) and Leia was going to be killed off due to Carrie Fisher's tragic passing. Leia was going to wield a lightsaber, though, and while the movie was set to include Red Stormtroopers, they wouldn't have been the Sith Troopers we've seen in this iteration of
Episode IX.
Don't Expect To See Any Of This In The Film
According to the site, none of these ideas have made it into
The Rise of Skywalker so don't get too excited about any of this playing out on the big screen later this month.
With any luck, Trevorrow will one day shed some light on what he had planned for the movie because it would be fascinating to know how the "Skywalker Saga" could have ended...and what led to the filmmaker parting ways with Lucasfilm and Disney over those infamous "creative differences."