STAR WARS - Everything You Need To Know About Colin Trevorrow's Scrapped EPISODE IX: DUEL OF THE FATES

With rumours swirling that the Rey-led Star Wars movie will be titled "A New Beginning," we're revisiting our breakdown of the leaked screenplay for Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX: Duel of the Fates...

By JoshWilding - Oct 25, 2023 11:10 AM EST

Filed Under: Star Wars

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker disappointed fans when it was released in December 2019, primarily because it tried to make everyone happy. J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm went into damage control mode after the mixed response to The Last Jedi, leaving the trilogy a victim of two different filmmakers' clashing visions.

Way too much story was crammed in - don't even get us started on the attempted fan service - and we were left with an underwhelming end to the Skywalker Saga. However, prior to Abrams' return, it was Jurassic World helmer Colin Trevorrow who was tasked with ending the story.

His Episode IX would have been vastly different; there was no Emperor Palpatine, no redemption for Ben Solo, and a very different reveal about Rey's parents. While Trevorrow's screenplay has never been released in its entirety, we've scoured the internet for everything that is known to bring you a breakdown showing what might have been.

Simply click on the "Next" button below to check it out or head to SFFGazette.com to read it on a single page.

The Title And Opening Crawl

Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX would have been titled Duel of the Fates, and that's seemingly a reference to the iconic piece of music that played over the battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.

The opening crawl, meanwhile, was set to have read as follows:

The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.

Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.

Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom...

A Daring Mission

From there, the action would have kicked off at the Kuat Shipyards where Rose Tico and BB-8 were attempting to infiltrate one of the First Order's ship factories in an effort to deliver another blow on behalf of the Resistance.

Finn and Poe also would have been present, and their plan involved destroying the power shaft which supplies raw ore to the factory from the orbital ring below the Moon they're on.

Unfortunately, things go wrong and the First Order is able to contain the blast. A character named Admiral Vaughn dismisses the Resistance's tactics as "pitiful," but the tide soon turns in their favour.

Rey's New Weapon

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Disguised as a Tusken Raider, Rey reveals her new weapon, a double-bladed lightsaber that's a hybrid of her staff and Luke Skywalker's blade (the one destroyed in The Last Jedi).

A battle ensues and our heroes manage to escape with a Star Destroyer! It's then that the Knife 9, a ship carrying the Knights of Ren, arrives. Rather than being sidelined, we'd have seen what they're capable of when one of them kills the Admiral for his failure.

Return To Coruscant

The once vibrant city now looks very different as the planet has become a stronghold for the First Order. General Hux is now Chancellor Hux and the traitor who helped the Resistance steal that Star Destroyer is executed before him.

He then meets with other members of the First Order and a variety of alien warlords who are all too aware that there's a "last Jedi" making problems in the Galaxy. This council demands to know the location of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, but all Hux can say is that he's off searching for something of great power that will help them.

Oh, and at some point, we'd have also learned that Captain Phasma survived!

A Haunted Kylo Ren On Mustafar

Kylo Ren, who now has stubble and looks a little worse for wear, is alone on Mustafar (except for a droid that's said to be similar to Darth Maul in appearance) and haunted by the Force Ghost of his uncle, Luke Skywalker.

They argue back and forth about Ren's path leading him to little more than an empty tomb, but the villain vows to become more powerful than any Jedi. It's then that he finds a Sith Holocron which reveals a message from Emperor Palpatine. It was meant for Darth Vader as a contingency in case Luke killed him.

We learn that Vader was to take Luke to see Tor Valum, a Sith Master and Darth Plagueis' teacher. However, after the Holocron scans Kylo and realises he's not Vader, it releases red lightning and explodes, burning his face.

Rey Still Wants To Save Kylo Ren

Back at the Resistance base, everyone is shocked to see a Star Destroyer land on the planet, and there's a funny moment with Rey using a Jedi mind trick on officers who were still on board.

Talking to Finn, she admits that she's not sure she has what it takes to be a Jedi, especially when so many people have such high expectations of her. Talk turns to Kylo Ren and she's unable to explain their connection after telling Finn about nightmares she's been having about him.

He believes that Rey should shut him out as he can't change, though the Jedi reminds him that Finn is proof it's never too late to become a different person.

A Plan Starts To Form

That Star Destroyer could help turn the tide for the Resistance as it still has most of its weapons...they just need an army to use it! Rey, meanwhile, has been studying the Jedi texts from Ahch-To and discovers that there's a communications system called a Force Beacon beneath the Jedi Temple in Coruscant that could be used to reach out to allies across the Galaxy.

The kicker is that the First Order will be powerless to stop it as it predates even Empire technology.

Rey Gets Angry

Luke also appears as a Force Ghost to Rey and just as he's pushing Kylo Ren to embrace Ben Solo, he's pushing Rey to get stronger. Kylo, meanwhile, has had smelted Mandalorian armour applied to his face to cover his scars and proceeds to belittle Hux before ordering him to deal with the Resistance while he takes care of Rey.

Rey asks Luke what it means for there to be balance in the force, as "The dark suffocates the light, light extinguishes the dark. Over and over and over again." She's clearly doubting herself and Luke can sense that she's angry; their exchange boils down to him trying to convince her to remain on the path she's on and not give up on the Force or becoming a Jedi.

The Story Takes Shape

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One team (Rose, Finn, R2-D2, and C-3PO) head to Coruscant to light the beacon, while another (Rey, Poe, and Chewbacca) are travelling to a planet where Rey is looking for someone to help her figure out what she should do (that's as specific as this description gets, unfortunately).

Before Rey leaves, she tells Leia - who remains at the base overseeing the Resistance - that she believes there's still good in Kylo Ren, something even his mother doubts. All Leia wants Rey to know is that her story is her own and that she shouldn't let anyone, including Luke, tell her what to be.

Vader's Mask Is Destroyed

Kylo Ren fully seems to be embracing the Dark Side at this point, taking Darth Vader's mask and saying he finally understands him now: "You allowed love to cloud your judgement."

He proceeds to take his grandfather's helmet and throws it from a balcony, shattering it.

War Is Waged In The Galaxy

Things start to get a little vague at this point, but the First Order tracks down its stolen Star Destroyer and the Resistance is forced to go on the run. That first team manages to turn on the beacon in the Jedi Temple and we then see people around the Galaxy receiving the signal (including Bossk).

The second team, meanwhile, is being pursued by the Knights of Ren to a planet called Bonadan.

Kylo Ren Meets Tor Valum

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Kylo Ren arrives at Remincore and comes face to face with Tor Valum. He's an alien of unknown origin who is 7000 years old and said to be very "Lovecraftian" in appearance. Kylo begins training with him and in a throwback to The Empire Strikes Back's cave scene, Ren comes face to face with Darth Vader and loses what is described as a brutal battle between them.

Poe, meanwhile, has taken Rey to a Seer who is able to pull information from her memories, including a star chart of some sort from her visions with Kylo Ren. The Knights then show up and a lightsaber battle ensues in which Rey is ultimately victorious (throughout the film, they'd have been taken out by her).

Pieces Start Falling Into Place

Eventually, Rey and Kylo Ren arrive on Mortis, while Leia recruits Lando to organise the smugglers and take the fight to the First Order. Rose (who reportedly had a much larger role in this film) is captured and tortured by the villains but makes her escape and rejoins her friends.

Finn, alongside R2 and Threepio, manages to start a citizens' uprising on the ground on Coruscant (and even recruits some of his fellow Stormtroopers). It's around this point that Hux takes his own life with one of the many lightsabers he's collected from the fallen Jedi, while those Finn found hiding in the Jedi Temple make use of old tech to take the fight to the First Order and finally end their reign.

Leia also brings her forces to Coruscant for the final battle with the First Order and fights ensue both on the ground and in the sky. Chewbacca ends up flying an X-Wing, while back on Mortis, Rey and Kylo squaring off in a battle that's seen him become more powerful than any Sith before him (he can now absorb the life energy of others).

The Final Battle Begins

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During the fight, Ren even reveals that he killed Rey's parents at the behest of Supreme Leader Snoke, before the Force Ghosts of Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda ultimately appear to try and bring him back from the edge.

That comes after he blinds Rey, and while she's ultimately slain, it's Leia who gets through to her son and convinces him to bring her back. He does so at the cost of his own life, and her fate is left unknown to her friends. At the same time, Rey realises that she must find balance in the Force between the light and dark as embracing both is the only way to move forward.

However, we later find Rey Solana (Ben reveals her name as he dies) on a planet called Modesta where she's fully healed and training a new generation of Jedi alongside Finn and Rose who are now a romantic. The Resistance, meanwhile, finally won, restoring hope to the Galaxy.

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32 Comments

AmazingFILMporg - 10/25/2023, 11:06 AM

ROS was the worst star wars film in the new trilogy. So lazy! They brought back palpatine!!!!!

WTF 🤣

So awful.

This would've been a way better film🖖

Blergh - 10/25/2023, 12:03 PM

@AmazingFILMporg - it’s easy to give an unmade film props but it would still have to follow TLJ (IMO the worst SW film ever made) and carried its trappings.

And while the hate for JJ here is strong I ask you to consider Trevorrows past efforts, namely Jurassic World 1-3.
On paper this movie might sound better but in practice we’ll never know.
I at least have a better opinion of Abrams than Trevorrow (however little that might mean).

TLJ killed whatever ramp and lore TFA had built and felt like a film made to spite its franchise and stop it in its tracks, while not necessarily a flat out sabotage it achieved the same goal.
Aside of being written like a filler episode by splitting up the three leads into individual stories where none really carried any weight or consequence (Luke dying might have had consequence had we gotten to care for whoever that was supposed to be)

TROS was shit and a reactionary pile of garbage.
TLJ however carries the responsibility

AmazingFILMporg - 10/25/2023, 12:23 PM

@Blergh -

Put these ideas next to ROS ideas on paper and these ideas far surpass the garbage that is Ros 🤣

Nobody made JJ to bring back palpatine!!!!

That is unforgivable.

🤡

Blergh - 10/25/2023, 12:24 PM

@AmazingFILMporg - Johnson kind of did force his hand by killing the villain he established

AmazingFILMporg - 10/25/2023, 1:26 PM

@Blergh -

That is retarded logic. There is literally an article you're on with better ideas after TROS💁

How about they embrace the villain they have known as KYLO REN!!!!!

*MY FILM IS AWFUL BECAUSE THE LAST FILM WAS BAD SO I HAD NO CHOICE!!!😑*

ARE YOU FOREAL 🤣?

JohnPain - 10/25/2023, 6:24 PM

@Blergh -

They also has the Knights of Ren which they did nothing with.

MosquitoFarmer - 10/25/2023, 11:11 AM

Why would we "need" to know anything about the movie?

Patient2670 - 10/25/2023, 2:40 PM

@MosquitoFarmer - We don't. Besides, the script has been online for a long time now. If you felt the need, it's easy enough to find and read for yourself.

Gabimaru - 10/26/2023, 5:00 AM

@MosquitoFarmer - Because Josh needs the clicks

TheVisionary25 - 10/25/2023, 11:26 AM

While it could use work (though depends on the lack of details we have about this version) , I do think it sounds better as a conclusion to the trilogy then the mediocrity that was TROS.

I always thought embracing both the light & dark was always the way forward and was actually “true balance” rather then the binary way of the Jedi & Sith so I’m glad that’s what would have happened at the end.

However , doing that I guess would limit stories about the Jedi & Sith since the light & dark side wouldn’t really exist by the end which isn’t good for an ongoing franchise which I get but oh well.

Razorface1 - 10/25/2023, 8:33 PM

@TheVisionary25 - but it would contradict established lore. The light side IS the balance.

GhostDog - 10/25/2023, 11:28 AM

Josh has posted variations of this article dozens of times in the last 3 years

Usernametaken - 10/25/2023, 11:29 AM

Anybody could come up with a better story than the one we got.

IShitYourPants - 10/25/2023, 11:30 AM

Do we really need this same article every few months Josh? Come on now, you're a hack but this is ridiculous

MarvelousMarty - 10/25/2023, 11:34 AM

I'm having Déjà vu reading this article.

AlexCorvis - 10/25/2023, 11:44 AM

On the search bar on here, I put in...

Star Wars Colin Trevorrow

...I then clicked on the 2nd thing down.

Which brings this article up from September 2022...

https://comicbookmovie.com/sci_fi/star-wars/star-wars-duel-of-the-fates---breaking-down-colin-trevorrows-original-much-better-episode-ix-screenplay-a196602

Yeah, the intro is different, but the rest looks the same.

EZBeast - 10/25/2023, 1:31 PM

@AlexCorvis - [frick]ing josh...

HashTagSwagg - 10/25/2023, 11:44 AM

Is it really something that we "Need To Know" when the film has already been scrapped?

knomad - 10/25/2023, 11:58 AM

Not sure this would have been much better than what we got. But at least it wouldn't have been much worse. The sequel trilogy sucked.

The coolest part of this is Rey's double-bladed saber-staff. That would've been sweet.

AnthonyVonGeek - 10/25/2023, 12:01 PM

So we’re doing reruns now? I feel like I’ve already read this same thing at least 3 times on this site? 🤷‍♂️

phoenixvici - 10/25/2023, 12:07 PM

KaptainKhaos - 10/25/2023, 12:09 PM

That's some cool fan fiction

PutinsGooch - 10/25/2023, 12:39 PM

TLJ is the best Star Wars film since Empire.

EnergyVamp - 10/25/2023, 12:48 PM

@PutinsGooch - If Luke didn't die and the Finn storyline was better, i would agree. If Luke was closer to the character we've all expected him to be in Ep.9, I think it could have been saved. Instead Luke is in the movie for like 2 mins...

theBlackSquare - 10/25/2023, 12:53 PM

OK, biggest, biggest problem with these films is that fact that the good guys won at the end of RotJ, and should therefore now be the higher power with all the money and armies etc. The bad guys/sith would be the scrappy rebels. The whole thing was just a reset to aNH. Complete dogshite.

ModHaterSLADE - 10/25/2023, 1:12 PM

Ren and Vader scene Could've been interesting at least.

Matchesz - 10/25/2023, 2:10 PM

Ironically this would have probably been the only Colin Treverrow movie I liked and it wasnt even made

Rosraf - 10/25/2023, 5:10 PM

@Matchesz - Eh, they would have screwed it up somehow somewhere. Wrong people, wrong time to be trying to make Star Wars movies.

TheSkank - 10/25/2023, 7:18 PM

Actually, all of the main plots points from TRoS are still here. There are some differences, but the main beats are the same. I can’t see how the reception would have been any different, tbh.

Arthorious - 10/25/2023, 11:03 PM

Can Star Wars move away from Storm Troopers and the Empire (or diet Empire for episodes 7-9)? Where is the creativity?

Himura - 10/26/2023, 3:11 AM

@Arthorious - This was my main problem with the sequel trilogy. Recreating the Empire pretty much nullified everything they fought for in the original trilogy.

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STAR WARS - Everything You Need To Know About Colin Trevorrow's Scrapped EPISODE IX: DUEL OF THE FATES

With rumours swirling that the Rey-led Star Wars movie will be titled "A New Beginning," we're revisiting our breakdown of the leaked screenplay for Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX: Duel of the Fates...

The Title And Opening Crawl

A Daring Mission

Rey's New Weapon

Return To Coruscant

A Haunted Kylo Ren On Mustafar

Rey Still Wants To Save Kylo Ren

A Plan Starts To Form

Rey Gets Angry

The Story Takes Shape

Vader's Mask Is Destroyed

War Is Waged In The Galaxy

Kylo Ren Meets Tor Valum

Pieces Start Falling Into Place

The Final Battle Begins

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