Summary
- George Lucas’ original sequel plan went unused by Star Wars after its Disney acquisition, but there are still several things that are known about it.
- Some of these things are similar to the sequels made by Disney, but other ideas are vastly different, and could have been controversial.
- Unexpected characters, such as Darth Maul, would have played much larger roles in Lucas’ sequels.
George Lucas wasn’t the creator of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but 11 concepts from his unused scripts show what could have been in his sequels. When Disney bought Star Wars, they quickly announced that they would be putting out a sequel trilogy of their own, marking the first of Star Wars movies and TV shows that weren’t led by Lucas. George Lucas already had a 12-movie Star Wars plan, which many were eager to see, but it seemed unlikely that Disney would follow it.
Ultimately, George Lucas’ and Disney’s Star Wars sequels were quite different. While different doesn’t necessarily mean better, it’s interesting to imagine what could have been had Lucas remained the creative mind behind the sequel movies. 11 concepts from George Lucas’ unused scripts in particular show how different the Star Wars sequel trilogy almost was.
Related
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Ahead Of Rey’s Return
Rey’s return in the next Star Wars movie has the potential to be great, but some harsh realities become clear upon rewatching the sequel trilogy.
11
George Lucas’ Sequels Would Have Centered On Leia Rebuilding The Republic
In The Disney Sequels, The New Republic Is Destroyed
Leia Organa
Alliance
Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Resistance
Although the Star Wars sequels show some aspects of the New Republic and Leia’s political involvement in it, as do Star Wars TV shows such as Ahsoka, the New Republic’s rapid demise in Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn’t leave much room to explore the political system’s history or ins and outs. In fact, despite thirty years passing, which would have offered ample opportunity for the Republic to become established, it is decimated quickly and not restored throughout the trilogy. By the beginning of The Force Awakens, Leia was also much more focused on the Resistance than on politics.
Leia’s role in this would also have been particularly meaningful, given that she would have been following in the footsteps of both Bail Organa and Padmé.
George Lucas’ plan for the Republic would have been very different. In Lucas’ sequel trilogy, Leia would have built the Republic back up on the heels of her very successful leadership of the Rebellion. This, no doubt, would also have provided a more detailed look into how the galaxy recovered after the Empire had created such severe schisms, which would have proven interesting. Leia’s role in this would also have been particularly meaningful, given that she would have been following in the footsteps of both Bail Organa and Padmé.
10
Luke Skywalker Would Have Rebuilt The Jedi Order In George Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
In The Disney Version, Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple Falls
Even more disappointing than the quick destruction and subsequent absence of the New Republic in the sequel trilogy was the revelation that not only had Luke Skywalker not brought about a new Jedi Order, but also his Jedi Temple had fallen apart. Return of the Jedi ended on such a high note that it seemed almost certain Luke would bring the Jedi’s true return, restoring them to what they once were. However, the Star Wars sequels could not have been further from that.
That wasn’t always everyone’s plan, though, as George Lucas intended to give audiences what they expected in Luke Skywalker’s sequel story. In this version, Luke would have successfully re-established the Jedi, recruiting a number of younglings to be the Jedi’s future. While this Order would have had its own flaws or issues, it would have been a positive change to get at least some screen time of Luke as a proper Jedi Master.
9
George Lucas Would Have Made Darth Maul The Main Villain In His Sequel Trilogy
Disney Had Darth Maul Die In Star Wars Rebels
Darth Maul
Alliance
Sith/Shadow Collective, Crimson Dawn
Although originally assumed to be quite dead after Obi-Wan Kenobi chopped him in half in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul shocked viewers by making his return in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He then re-appeared in Star Wars Rebels and returned to the big screen in Solo: A Star Wars Story, showcasing the once Sith apprentice’s longevity in the franchise. In George Lucas’ sequel trilogy plans, Darth Maul was going to become even more important.
In Lucas’ sequel scripts, Darth Maul would have become the main villain, working as a sort of crime overlord as well as a Sith. Interestingly, Solo set that up, with Darth Maul leading the syndicate Crimson Dawn. While that drove rumors that the Star Wars sequel trilogy would be removed from canon, that doesn’t seem to be the case with all of Star Wars’ upcoming movies. Even so, this may very well have been a popular direction for the trilogy.
8
George Lucas’ Sequel Movies Would Have Included Darth Talon As Darth Maul’s Apprentice
Darth Talon Isn’t Star Wars Canon…Yet
George Lucas intended Darth Talon to be the sequels’ Sith apprentice, which would likely have been a popular choice. Although Darth Talon isn’t currently a canonical character, when she was introduced in Star Wars: Legacy, she was. Darth Talon is a Twi’lek Force-sensitive dark side user who proves to be a genuine threat in Legacy. Given how mixed responses were to Snoke and Kylo Ren as the sequels’ master and apprentice duo, audiences may have favored Talon. Of course, she could always appear in future projects.
7
The Stormtroopers Would Have Led Their Own Rebellion In George Lucas’ Sequels
In The Disney Sequels, The First Order Still Has Stormtroopers
One of the criticisms the Star Wars sequel trilogy faced was that it recycled plotlines from the original trilogy. This argument holds water; the First Order mimicked the Empire in many ways, down to Starkiller Base mirroring the Death Star (but bigger) and Kylo Ren’s explicit Darth Vader inspiration. The First Order similarly maintained stormtroopers.
While George Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have included stormtroopers, their arc would have looked very different. Rather than serving a larger system, as the clone troopers did the Republic, the original trilogy stormtroopers did the Empire, and the sequel trilogy stormtroopers did the First Order, George Lucas’ sequel trilogy stormtroopers would have started their own rebellion, desperately clinging to the remnants of the Empire and refusing to admit defeat. This would have been a fascinating twist, particularly given the stormtroopers’ fairly stagnant history thus far.
6
More Jedi Would Have Survived The Dark Times In George Lucas’ Version
Disney Has Several Survivors Of Order 66 But Less Than George Lucas Wanted
While there were Jedi who survived Order 66, they were few and far between. In fact, following Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, it seemed unlikely that anyone survived other than Obi-Wan and Yoda. That list has since expanded, but it doesn’t come close to the 100 that George Lucas wanted to survive Order 66 and the Dark Times. This would have been a massive shift for the sequels, particularly given that the second installment of the sequel trilogy is explicitly named Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Related
5 Differences Between George Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy & Disney’s (& 5 Things That Are The Same)
George Lucas’ plans for the Star Wars sequel trilogy were so very different to the ones made by Disney – here are some of the key themes.
5
Sith Force Ghosts Would Have Been Introduced In George Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
In Disney Movies And Shows, Only Jedi Have Become Force Ghosts
One of the more intriguing concepts, George Lucas’ sequel trilogy included Sith Force ghosts. While Force ghosts have grown in recent Star Wars projects, now including Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, Qui-Gon, Luke, and Leia, there have yet to be any Sith Force ghosts. This would pose an interesting question about the nature of the Force and who gets to become ‘one’ with it, and it may have even brought back characters like Palpatine in a less controversial way.
4
Luke Skywalker Would Have Taken On The Obi-Wan Role In George Lucas’ Sequels
Disney Sees Luke Skywalker Pass The Torch But Begrudgingly
The Star Wars sequel trilogy’s depiction of Luke Skywalker was highly controversial. In the original trilogy, Luke was full of hope and able to see the good even in Darth Vader, but the sequels showed Luke broken down and pessimistic, entering exile after his Temple fell. George Lucas’ version wouldn’t have given Luke that ending. In his trilogy, Luke would have taken on Obi-Wan’s role from A New Hope, passing the torch to the next hope. While Luke ultimately does that with Rey, his path to getting there is bleak.
3
George Lucas Would Have Made Leia The Supreme Chancellor
The Disney Sequels Don’t Restore The New Republic
Proving that George Lucas intended his sequel trilogy to center on Leia, Lucas planned to have Leia become the new Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. This would have been an incredible update to Leia’s story, particularly in light of how much of her life she had dedicated to the galaxy and defeating the evils that rose up. Leia lost her biological parents, her adoptive parents, her homeworld, and countless others to the war that dominated her life, and she never wavered in her determination to see things right. She, more than anyone, deserved to hold that office.
Leia lost her biological parents, her adoptive parents, her homeworld, and countless others to the war that dominated her life, and she never wavered in her determination to see things right.
2
George Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy Would Have Revealed Leia To Be The True Chosen One
Star Wars Canon Has Left The Chosen One Somewhat Ambiguous
One of George Lucas’ most fascinating sequel trilogy plans was to reveal Leia to be the true Chosen One after all. While there is some friendly debate about whom the Chosen One prophecy refers to, those debates almost always refer to Anakin or Luke, not to Leia. It would have been interesting to see how that played out, particularly considering that Lucas also intended Leia to be Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
This raises questions about how Leia would have brought balance to the Force and whether that would have meant her becoming a Jedi. This would also have been a nice touch even outside questions of the light side and the dark side. In particular, Leia never forgave her father, which painfully also meant she never came to understand how similar to him she really was. Having her be the answer to the prophecy once believed to be about him would have been a lovely full-circle moment.
1
George Lucas’ Sequels Would Have Brought Back Midi-Chlorians In A Major Way
The Disney Sequels Didn’t Use George Lucas’ Odd Midi-Chlorian Plans
George Lucas’ final unused Star Wars sequel trilogy plan shows that it’s quite possible the sequels would have been controversial even had Lucas been at the helm. In his sequel scripts, midi-chlorians would have had a major Star Wars return, with Lucas reinforcing their importance. This alone would have raised a bit of fuss because midi-chlorians weren’t a very popular concept from the time they were introduced.
Lucas also intended to make midi-chlorians even stranger. In George Lucas’ midi-chlorian sequels plan, he wanted to introduce the microbiotic Force world, suggesting a biological component to Force abilities. Given how that would have shaped perceptions of the Force, including recent confirmations that anyone can wield it if properly trained, as Sabine Wren did, this could have been to Star Wars’ detriment. While it’s nice to imagine what could have been had George Lucas been making the decisions for Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, even the maker himself may have made some odd choices.
All Star Wars TV shows & movies are available to stream on Disney+