The Star Wars fandom was very split on the latest installment of the franchise from Disney. The Rise Of Skywalker featured the return of Emperor Palpatine, the conclusion of Rey taking on the Skywalker name, and both the redemption and death of Ben Solo.
While fans remain divided on the conclusion of the Skywalker saga, it’s also interesting to think of what could have been with original director Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars: Duel of the Fates. After the leaked script details made their way onto the internet, the fandom seemingly favored Trevorrow’s idea for the film over what we received from J.J. Abrams. Duel of the Fates would have seen Rey wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, Rey vs. Kylo Ren, the Knights of Ren and even an epic clash between Kylo and Darth Vader. Instead, Abrams’ version had Palpatine rise from the dead as a clone to portray the main antagonist.
While some fans have been sitting around wondering what could have been had Duel of the Fates been the film that was brought to the big screen, that’s no longer necessary. And that’s because thanks to YouTuber Mr. Sunday Movies, we now have an animation based on the details that were leaked from Trevorrow’s vision, which you can catch up above.
Personally, I was able to find some middle ground with The Rise Of Skywalker. While I didn’t enjoy Disney essentially ripping off the original series, while also bringing back Palpatine as the big bad, I did enjoy the film for the most part.
That being said, I will say that the studio dropped the ball on what could’ve been a great extension to the story we all know and love. All that aside, with shows like The Mandalorian, season 7 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and more upcoming projects in the works, we still have plenty of quality content to enjoy from George Lucas’ masterful creation.