Summary
- Many debate whether George Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have been better than Disney Star Wars’ sequels.
- George Lucas’ sequels would have been different in several major ways.
- George Lucas planned 50-100 Jedi survivors of Order 66, Sith Force ghosts, and the introduction of Darth Talon in his sequel trilogy.
There has long been discourse about whether the Star Wars sequel trilogy would have been better had George Lucas been at the helm rather than Disney—here’s everything Lucas would have done differently. The Star Wars sequel trilogy remains highly controversial in the franchise, with many still perceiving the trilogy as being among Star Wars’ worst movies. In fact, Star Wars movies and TV shows have continued to be plagued by intense backlash since the sequel trilogy, with many in the fanbase still unhappy with Disney’s acquisition of the franchise.
While there have been successes, as many of Star Wars’ best TV shows have been created by Disney, this acquisition remains an incredibly divisive event in the franchise. In light of how extreme the responses to the Star Wars sequel trilogy were, it’s interesting to imagine what might have been had George Lucas created the sequel movies instead. Here are 10 major changes George Lucas would have made to the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
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10 Lucas Didn’t Want A Solo Child To Fall To The Dark Side
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Would Not Have Been In Lucas’ Sequel Movies
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Interestingly, George Lucas did not want a child of Princess Leia and Han Solo to fall to the dark side in his sequel trilogy. This is fascinating for two reasons. On the one hand, this would be a major difference between Lucas’ sequels and the Star Wars sequel trilogy, as Kylo Ren was one of the most significant villains throughout the sequels. Additionally, though, this would have gone against the very beloved Legends stories following Return of the Jedi.
Specifically, in Legends, Han and Leia had three children, twins Jacen and Jaina and a son named Anakin. Much like Ben Solo of the sequel trilogy, Jacen Solo fell to the dark side of the Force in the Legends novels. Evidently, though, Lucas wanted to go in a different direction in his sequel trilogy, as he had no intention of writing the fall of a Solo.
9 Darth Maul Would’ve Been The Villain Of Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
This Fan-Favorite Sith Would Have Returned Once Again
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One of the aspects of George Lucas’ sequel trilogy plans that audiences seem most disappointed to have missed out on was the return of Darth Maul as the main Sith of the sequels. Darth Maul has become increasingly popular over the years, which has been proven time and again in his various Star Wars returns. After Star Wars: The Clone Wars confirmed that Maul had survived being sliced in half in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Maul returned in Star Wars Rebels and even had a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
However, Lucas had much bigger plans for Maul, as he would have been the Sith master and main villain in Lucas’ sequel trilogy. This would have proven interesting, as this, too, would have been a returning character rather than a brand-new villain. However, this undoubtedly would have been more popular than the shocking (and admittedly fairly confusing) return of Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
8 Lucas’ Sequels Would’ve Focused On Crime, Not A Resurgent Empire
The First Order Wasn’t Part Of Lucas’ Plan
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George Lucas’ trilogy would have avoided one of the biggest complaints about the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Specifically, the sequels were heavily criticized for repeating many of the storylines from the original trilogy, A New Hope in particular. This was especially evident in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which revealed that the First Order was repeating the structure of the Empire nearly exactly, from the use of stormtroopers, to having two dark side Force-users at the helm, to the super weapon that was effectively a Death Star but larger.
George Lucas’ trilogy would have avoided one of the biggest complaints about the
Star Wars
sequel trilogy.
Lucas’ sequel trilogy would not have recycled the plot points of the original trilogy, though. Rather, George Lucas wanted his sequels to focus on crime, not another oppressive regime. Interestingly, this concept and Darth Maul were both teased in Solo, as the movie focused on crime bosses as the main villains. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear whether those stories will ever be explored further; it seems unlikely at this stage.
7 Princess Leia Would’ve Led The Galaxy… Not A Resistance Movement
Leia’s Role Would Have Been Much Larger In Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
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One of the most exciting concepts from George Lucas’ sequel trilogy plans was the role Leia Organa would have taken on. Specifically, Lucas even considered having Leia become the Supreme Chancellor of the New Republic, which would have been an incredible update to her story. Lucas has also long said that he intended the saga to have three parts: the father, the son, and the daughter. Clearly, Lucas wanted the sequels to be Leia’s turn, so to speak.
This certainly would have been a change from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Yes, Leia was important in the sequels, but her role was very similar to the one she had in the original trilogy. In fact, it wasn’t really until The Rise of Skywalker that her character took on a new role, as Rey’s Jedi Master, but by then, it was too late. After Carrie Fisher tragically passed away, there was little to be done with Leia’s character in The Rise of Skywalker, which disappointingly led to a quick death for Leia.
6 Luke Would’ve Successfully Rebuilt The Jedi
Luke Would Not Have Abandoned The Galaxy In Lucas’ Movies
Along with Leia’s significantly altered story, George Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have given Luke Skywalker a completely different arc. Luke’s storyline was one of the most controversial aspects of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Many were very disappointed to see that Luke had abandoned the galaxy and lost hope in the Jedi, as both were entirely contrary to the person Luke had been in Return of the Jedi.
Lucas’ sequels would have given
Star Wars
audiences precisely what they wanted when it came to Luke’s story.
Evidently, Lucas’ sequels would have given Star Wars audiences precisely what they wanted when it came to Luke’s story. In Lucas’ sequel trilogy, Luke would have rebuilt the Jedi Order, truly bringing about a new era of the Jedi. Presumably, this would have been a much more popular decision, as it would have shown Luke stepping into the role of a Jedi Master—something that was very minimally shown in the Star Wars sequels.
5 Lucas’ Sequels Would’ve Featured 50-100 Order 66 Survivors
George Lucas Planned On Many More Survivors Of Order 66
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In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, it seemed as though very few Jedi survived Order 66 other than Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda. However, since that movie was released, Star Wars has revealed many more survivors of Order 66, from Kanan Jarrus to Grogu and so many more. Yet, George Lucas intended to reveal that many more Jedi had survived Order 66.
Specifically, Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have confirmed that 50-100 Jedi had survived Order 66. This, in combination with Lucas’ plans to have Luke rebuild the Jedi Order, suggests that Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have seen the Jedi restored to something like their former glory. Yet again, this undoubtedly would have been much more popular than the sequel trilogy’s treatment of the Jedi, which did quite the opposite; Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s title makes that clear.
Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have confirmed that 50-100 Jedi had survived Order 66.
4 Lucas Planned To Explore Midi-chlorians (Not Ignore Them)
Lucas’ Sequels Would Have Included The Controversial Prequels Concept
The Phantom Menace introduced the idea of midi-chlorians to the Star Wars universe, but the introduction did not go well. Rather, many found midi-chlorians to be much too scientific to fit in with Star Wars, as they seemed to diminish the nearly mythical nature of both the Jedi and the Force. Presumably due to that response, the remainder of the prequel trilogy refrained from mentioning midi-chlorians again, and the Star Wars sequels ignored them entirely.
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However, George Lucas intended to focus on midi-chlorians even more in his sequel trilogy. This is perhaps one of the biggest examples of how Lucas’ sequel movies would have proven controversial too. While there is plenty of criticism about Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, that doesn’t mean that Lucas’ trilogy would have been perfect or even well-received. After all, Lucas faced considerable backlash and criticism for the prequel movies, as did many of that trilogy’s actors.
3 Lucas’ Sequels Would Have Brought Darth Talon To The Big Screen
Audiences Have Long Hoped To See This Star Wars Sith On-Screen
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As mentioned, Darth Maul would have been the Sith master in George Lucas’ Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Darth Talon would have been introduced as Maul’s Sith apprentice. Although Darth Talon has yet to appear on-screen in Star Wars canon, she is an incredibly beloved Sith in Star Wars Legends. In fact, this undoubtedly would have been a celebrated decision in Lucas’ sequels.
However, that wouldn’t have come without certain issues. Darth Talon would have been the first female Sith on the Star Wars screen, and certain parts of the fanbase would not have taken kindly to that update to the franchise. On the other hand, had Lucas’ sequel movies not updated Darth Talon’s appearance, that would have come with its own problems, as Talon is known for being heavily sexualized in Star Wars Legends.
2 There May Have Been A Stormtrooper Rebellion In Lucas’ Sequels
Lucas’ Sequels Would Have Had Stormtroopers Too… But Not In The Same Way
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The Star Wars sequel trilogy was accused of copying the original trilogy’s story for a number of reasons, several of them having to do with the similarities between the Empire and the First Order. The First Order’s stormtroopers were certainly part of that, as they even visually mirrored the original trilogy’s stormtroopers quite closely. Interestingly, George Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have implemented stormtroopers too, although they would have looked quite different in his trilogy than they did in Disney Star Wars’ sequels.
George Lucas planned a stormtrooper rebellion in his sequel trilogy.
Specifically, George Lucas planned a stormtrooper rebellion in his sequel trilogy, which would have seen remaining Imperial stormtroopers refusing to accept the end of the war. Sadly, the Star Wars sequels scrapped this idea, instead introducing a new wave of stormtroopers, many of whom had been kidnapped as children and forced to join the First Order. While this was interesting in its own way, particularly with Finn’s story, Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have provided a more innovative stormtrooper story.
1 Sith Force Ghosts Would Have Been Introduced In Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
So Far, Only Jedi Have Been Shown As Force Ghosts
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George Lucas also planned to introduce Sith Force ghosts in his sequel trilogy, which would have proven interesting. Force ghosts have been a part of Star Wars since the original trilogy, but, in canon, there have only been Jedi Force ghosts thus far. In fact, in Star Wars canon, the ability to become a Force ghost seems to be exclusively a power for those on the light side of the Force.
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Nevertheless, Lucas would have incorporated Sith Force ghosts into his sequel trilogy, perhaps even with the idea of bringing Palpatine back, although in a very different way than Disney Star Wars did. Of course, Star Wars could still introduce this idea at some point, but, at least in the sequels, Sith Force ghosts were not implemented. Clearly, George Lucas had very different ideas for his Star Wars sequel trilogy than what Disney ultimately made, which is no doubt part of the reason why debates continue regarding which trilogy would have been better.