It seems ‘Bendemption’ wasn’t exclusive to J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio’s version of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Long before Abrams and Terrio climbed on board, Episode IX’s erstwhile director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) was tasked with drawing the curtain on Lucasfilm’s prized Skywalker Saga.
Said to be titled Duel of the Fates – a neat callback to The Phantom Menace and John Williams’ classic score – Trevorrow envisioned a film without Emperor Palpatine. But that’s not all, had things panned out differently, Episode IX would’ve honored The Last Jedi in that Rey’s parents would’ve remained anonymous, thereby ensuring that Daisy Ridley’s Resistance hero was free from any Sith or Jedi lineage.
For all of Colin Trevorrow’s plans for Episode IX, there is one major similarity between his script and the one which would inevitably underpin The Rise of Skywalker. And we’ll give you a clue: it involves the prince of darkness himself, Kylo Ren.
Via Twitter, Colin Trevorrow effectively confirmed that, during the finale of Episode IX, Kylo Ren was redeemed by Rey and died “with light in his eyes.” Bendemption, at last! Granted, there is the small matter that Trevorrow’s script also pinned the death of Rey’s parents on Kylo Ren, so whether the man formerly known as Ben Solo was worthy of redemption is subject to debate.
Alas, Lucasfilm wound up appointing J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio at the helm of Episode IX, which would later become Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And not just any Skywalker, but Rey Palpatine, who shunned destiny, killed her long-lost grandfather, and helped defeat the so-called Final Order with just seconds to spare. It’s a pretty incredible character arc, even if it raises more questions than it answers.
