Darth Maul Played A Huge Role In George Lucas' Planned Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

The Star Wars sequel trilogy was, to put it mildly, divisive. The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise Of Skywalker all had their moments, but the one thing fans can agree on in regards to these sequels is that the wider story they attempted to tell was largely inconsistent and ultimately disappointing. 

Regardless of how you felt about The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, it seems very few people were satisfied with the conclusions offered up by The Rise Of Skywalker. There are countless reasons things worked out the way they did, but there’s no denying the fact that the lack of a clear and concise vision did more harm than good. 

Naturally, the fans will always wonder what the sequel trilogy might have looked like if Star Wars creator George Lucas had stayed around and used his original ideas. Thanks to Taschen's The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005, we now have a pretty good idea. 

This sprawling behind-the-scenes book released last year and is full of all sorts of trivia and nuggets of information we never knew before. Among them are the plans for Lucas’ fabled trilogy. 

The likes of Rey, Poe, and Finn would never have existed. Instead, Lucas’ trilogy would have centered around Carrie Fisher’s Leia as she trained to be a Jedi - something that the actual sequel trilogy only ever hinted at. 

The book reveals Leia would have gone up against a much older Darth Maul and his new apprentice, Darth Talon. She was described as “the new Darth Vader”, and most of the action would have centered around her and Leia. 

So why exactly did this never come to pass? According to Lucas, he wanted to spend more time with his family. 

"At that time I was starting the next trilogy,” he said. “I talked to the actors and I was starting to gear up. I was also about to have a daughter. It takes 10 years to make a trilogy - I'd still be working on Episode 9! Finally, I'd decided I'd rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while."

It is, of course, impossible to say from these minor details whether or not Lucas’ sequels would have been any good. But I do know that more Darth Maul is never, ever a bad thing.

Topics: Star Wars