Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker crammed in a lot of story, and that meant it moved at a breakneck pace. There was little room for character development or a thorough exploration of the many retcons J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm implemented after Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi drew a mixed response; the result was a movie full of fan service that left no one entirely satisfied.
As is often the case with movies like this one, though, some material was shot which ended up on the cutting room floor. That included an extended opening sequence with Kylo Ren travelling to Darth Vader's Castle on Mustafar.
In the theatrical cut, we saw the First Order's Supreme Leader battling non-distinct enemies on the planet while hunting down a Sith Wayfinder which would show him the way to Exegol. However, early plans called for him to encounter a mysterious creature known as The Eye of Webbish Bog (a being that's since been featured in Marvel Comics' Darth Vader comic books).
We're not entirely sure what was going to happen from there but a slightly deeper exploration of Sith mythology seems likely.
Now, in some newly revealed concept art by Adam Brockbank (first shared on SFFGazette.com), we see another wildly different take on Kylo Ren's arrival at his grandfather's former home in The Rise of Skywalker. As you can see, rather than fighting his way through a burned-out forest, the scene was going to take place outside a temple or castle which may well have been linked to Vader in some way.
Had Kylo ended up in Vader's old castle...well, what a moment it would have been for Star Wars fans.
Brockbank has also shared his take on Kylo Ren as the first Order's Supreme Leader and he makes for an undeniably imposing sight while sitting on a throne we're guessing once belonged to Snoke.
Lucasfilm still hasn't revealed that mysterious villain's origin story, though it's widely believed he was a failed Palpatine clone being puppeteered by the Emperor.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released in 2019. It's the third instalment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga".
Set one year after The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the return of the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine.
Despite initial reports that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson would write the script for Episode IX, in August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was hired to direct and write a script with his collaborator Derek Connolly; both ultimately retain story credit with Abrams and Chris Terrio, though Trevorrow left the project in 2017 following creative differences with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.
With a budget of $416 million, The Rise of Skywalker is the third most expensive film ever made, but after mixed reviews, it was the lowest-grossing sequel movie with $1.077 billion at the worldwide box office.