Over the last few days, a lot of fresh details about Colin Trevorrow’s original plans for Star Wars: Episode IX have surfaced online. As everyone knows, the director left the Sequel Trilogy finale due to “creative differences” with Lucasfilm, meaning J.J. Abrams was asked back instead and the result was The Rise of Skywalker. There are several drafts of Trevorrow and co-writer Derek Connolly’s script going around, but the latest one has reportedly been uncovered by Making Star Wars.
According to the breakdown MSW has shared, there are many fascinating differences and similarities between Trevorrow’s version – that would have gone by the fan-pleasing title Duel of the Fates – and Abrams’ finished film. One of these is Leia’s death. The previous draft circulating online was dated before Carrie Fisher’s passing in 2016. Naturally, in this later version, Trevorrow responded by writing out the Resistance general in a way that echoes how things eventually happened in TROS.
In Duel of the Fates, the Resistance would have had to flee from the First Order forces and Leia was fatally injured in the battle. She then would have died in Rey’s arms, after giving her one last message, and vanished into the Force. Kylo Ren, at this point being nursed back to health on a distant world, would have felt his mother’s death and become enraged at her loss.
As you can see, a couple of elements here were lifted over to Rise. Leia becoming one with the Force, for instance. However, in TROS, she only disappeared after her son Ben Solo died, too. Kylo also sensed his mother’s death, but her final words to him across the Force helped purify his soul, instead of leaving him angry. Leia was not with Rey when she died in Rise, though, as the two were separated for much of the plot.
Leia’s alternate demise is a good example of what Trevorrow would have done differently, but also how Abrams was clearly inspired by what his predecessor on the project had already come up with. Tell us, though, which version do you prefer, and are you happy with what we ultimately saw of the character in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Let us know down below.