The 'Episode IX' Before 'Episode IX' - Duel of the Fates (Part 1)
Director Colin Trevorrow, currently best known for continuing the Jurassic Park franchise, was also initially slated to conclude the Star Wars sequel trilogy with his vision of Episode IX, titled tentatively Duel of the Fates, named after the iconic John Williams theme composed for The Phantom Menace. Trevorrow was later let go from the project for reasons that are not fully known, and J.J. Abrams was given the task of finishing out the trilogy that he started with The Force Awakens. Abrams' version of Episode IX became, of course, what we now know as The Rise of Skywalker. In recent years, some concept art, as well as an alleged script of Duel of the Fates, have surfaced, giving us a glimpse into the Episode IX that might have been and, depending on your personal feelings about The Rise of Skywalker, what might have worked better and what might have been worse. In this article, some of the key differences and similarities between both versions will be discussed
1. Somehow, Palpatine Does NOT Return
Unlike in The Rise of Skywalker, Duel of the Fates does not resurrect Emperor Palpatine, thus making Kylo Ren and the First Order the primary antagonists in the story. We also find out that Kylo's history of dark deeds is worse than what we had previously learned. Duel of the Fates reveals that Kylo and his Knights of Ren are actually responsible for killing Rey's parents. General Hux, now Chancellor Hux, rules over Coruscant with an iron grip, and it appears that Captain Phasma may even have survived the events of The Last Jedi, as there is concept art of her overseeing an execution. Kylo does seek out an ancient Sith Lord in Duel of the Fates on another planet and learns how to drain life force from another being, something that is similar to what Emperor Palpatine does to Rey and Ben in The Rise of Skywalker. Kylo later uses this power against Rey during their final duel, which nearly results in her death. Instead of all sides coming together on Exegol at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Coruscant and the mystical Force world of Mortis, previously introduced in The Clone Wars, are the settings for the final confrontations between the Resistance and First Order, and Rey and Kylo Ren, respectively.
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2. "Rey....Rey Nobody."
Duel of the Fates continues Rey's development from The Last Jedi regarding her lineage, specifically that she is not from any previously established family of Force users. She is neither a Palpatine, nor a Skywalker, nor a Kenobi. She is just "Rey," which has been somewhat of a point of contention among Star Wars fans since the release of The Rise of Skywalker. Some fans appreciated that The Last Jedi seemed to make the argument that Rey didn't have to be related to anybody special in order to be strong in the Force. Other fans liked (or didn't mind) that Rey turned out to be Emperor Palpatine's granddaughter and later chose to take on the mantle of the Skywalker family name in The Rise of Skywalker. Duel of the Fates does give her a family name at the end of its story, but it is nothing familiar.
3. "See You Around, Kid."
Luke returns as a Force ghost in Duel of the Fates as an occasional mentor to Rey, but also appears to Kylo, taunting him during a few scenes. Luke appears to Rey as a Force ghost when she returns to Ach-To in The Rise of Skywalker, but he does not have any further contact with Kylo.
4. "Rey and Poe, Sitting in a Tree..."
Rey and Poe travel together, along with Chewbacca and BB-8, on a mission during both The Rise of Skywalker and Duel of the Fates. However, Duel of the Fates also teases a romantic subplot for Rey and Poe, something that doesn't show up in The Rise of Skywalker or in any other official content to date.
5. Double Your Fun
Concept art for Duel of the Fates reveals that Rey was going to wield a double-bladed lightsaber, similar to Darth Maul's from The Phantom Menace, albeit blue-colored. Rey does construct her own lightsaber using her staff at the conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker, but it is not double-bladed. A dark side vision of herself (aka "Dark Rey") is, however, seen wielding a red, double-bladed lightsaber during an earlier scene in the film.
6. "There Are More of Us!"
Although the circumstances leading up to it are a bit different, Lando returns in the climaxes of both Duel of the Fates and The Rise of Skywalker at the head of a massive fleet of starships, swooping in to fight alongside the Resistance in their most desperate hour.
7. More Fun with Finn and Rose
One of the major criticisms of The Rise of Skywalker has been that Finn and especially Rose's roles were significantly reduced from The Last Jedi, to the point that some fans felt that a disservice was done to both characters. Duel of the Fates features a substantially larger role for both of them, right from the beginning, with Rey, Finn, and Rose leading a raid on the Kuat shipyards that are serving the First Order and pull off "Grand Star Destroyer Theft." The successful raid gives the Resistance a super-size Star Destroyer ("The Eclipse," in a nice possible nod to Legends), along with a massive First Order arsenal to help them carry on their fight. Both Finn and Rose also play pivotal roles at the climax of Duel of the Fates, with Finn igniting a stormtrooper rebellion on Coruscant and Rose setting a fleeing First Order capital ship on a collision course with a celestial body, destroying it.
8. "Goodbye, Dear Princess."
As The Force Awakens was intended as Han's swan song and The Last Jedi was Luke's, Episode IX was supposed to prominently showcase Leia. Duel of the Fates seems to have wanted to fulfill this plan, giving Leia a major role, continuing to lead the Resistance and commanding their stolen Star Destroyer in the final battle against the First Order on Coruscant. Regrettably, of course, actress Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, and any plans for an increased role for her in Episode IX, in any form, had to be dramatically reduced/altered. Also, she does not die in Duel of the Fates.
9. The Knights Who Say, "Ren."
First introduced in a dark vision in The Force Awakens, the Knights of Ren are brought into the main story in both Duel of the Fates, as well as The Rise of Skywalker. In Duel of the Fates, they chase Rey and Poe on a planet and are later defeated by Rey. In The Rise of Skywalker, they accompany Kylo to Pasanna, where they help capture Chewbacca. They are later singlehandedly defeated by Kylo, who has renounced the dark side to help Rey fight Palpatine.
10. Kylo Gets His Groovy Helmet Back
In The Last Jedi, in one of the more dramatic moments, Kylo smashes his helmet to pieces in a fit of rage. In both Duel of the Fates and The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo once against dons a helmet, although Duel of the Fates has it being a Mandalorian helmet that somehow how gets smelted to his face, making it a permanent feature. In The Rise of Skywalker, he has his original helmet repaired and he resumes wearing it, although he wears it for some but not all of the film.
11. "I'm.......Not The Spy!"
As noted above, Hux is Chancellor in Duel of the Fates, ruling over Coruscant (and the galaxy) with the might of the First Order behind him. Unlike his turn to spying for the Resistance in order to undermine Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker, Hux remains loyal to the First Order until the bitter end in Duel of the Fates, dying by committing suicide with a decorative lightsaber, as the Resistance gains the upper hand in the final conflict.
12. Platform 9 3/4
Both Duel of the Fates and The Rise of Skywalker feature a scene where Rey communes with the Jedi of the past, although Duel of the Fates has a scene that could be said to be highly reminiscent of a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where she dies after her duel with Kylo Ren, but goes to the afterlife where she speaks with Luke and Yoda and, like Harry, is given the choice between staying in the afterlife with the rest of the Jedi or resuming her corporeal existence. As Duel of the Fates indicates, she ultimately chooses to return from this netherworld at the end.
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Source(s): Duel of the Fates Podcast, IGN, Star Wars News Net