This article was originally published on SFFGazette.comand with so much discussion about The Hunt for Ben SoloIt seemed like a good time to revisit this unrealized version of Episode IX!
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was widely considered a disappointment by fans of Galaxy Far, Far Away, and it’s not hard to see why. Going into damage control after some of Rian Johnson’s most controversial creative decisions, the 2019 film attempted to make everyone happy.
It ultimately failed due to equally controversial creative decisions.
Stuff too much history and plot of fan service, it marked a disappointing end to the Skywalker saga. However, before JJ Abrams returned, it was Jurassic world director Colin Trevorrow who was tasked with finishing the story.
Her Episode IX would have been very different; there was no Emperor Palpatine, no redemption for Ben Solo, and a very different reveal about Rey’s parents. Although Trevorrow’s storyline was never released in its entirety, we scoured the internet for everything that was revealed to bring you an analysis revealing what could have happened.
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The title and opening exploration
Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX would have been titled Duel of the Fatesand it’s apparently a reference to the iconic piece of music played during the battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.
The opening analysis, for its part, should read as follows:
The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has extended to the ends of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Acts of treason are punishable by death.
Determined to quell the growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.
Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and chart a path to freedom…
A daring mission
From there, the action would have begun at Kuat Shipyards, where Rose Tico and BB-8 were attempting to infiltrate one of the First Order’s naval factories in an attempt to strike another blow in the name of the Resistance.
Finn and Poe would also have been present, and their plan involved destroying a power tree supplying raw ore to the factory from the orbital ring beneath the Moon they are on.
Unfortunately, things go wrong and the First Order manages to contain the explosion. A character named Admiral Vaughn calls the Resistance’s tactics “pathetic”, but the tide soon turns in their favor.
Rey’s new weapon
Disguised as a Tusken Raider, Rey reveals her new weapon, a double-bladed lightsaber that is a hybrid of her staff and Luke Skywalker’s blade (the one destroyed in The Last Jedi).
A battle ensues, and our heroes manage to escape with a Star Destroyer! Then the Knife 9 arrives, a ship carrying the Knights of Ren. Rather than being sidelined, we would have seen what they are capable of when one of them kills the admiral for his failure.
Return to Coruscant
The once vibrant city is now very different as the planet has become a stronghold of the First Order. General Hux is now Chancellor Hux, and the traitor who helped the Resistance steal this Star Destroyer is executed before him.
He then encounters other members of the First Order and various alien warlords who are all too aware that there is a “Last Jedi” causing trouble in the Galaxy. This council demands to know the location of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, but all Hux can say is that he’s off in search of something of great power that could help them.
Oh, and at some point we would also learn that Captain Phasma survived!
A haunted Kylo Ren on Mustafar
Kylo Ren, who now has stubble and looks a little less worn, is alone on Mustafar (except for a droid who is said to resemble Darth Maul in appearance) and haunted by the Force Ghost of his uncle, Luke Skywalker.
They argue over Ren’s path, leading him to an empty tomb, but the villain vows to become more powerful than any Jedi. It was then that he found a Sith Holocron, which revealed a message from Emperor Palpatine. This was intended for Darth Vader as a contingency in case Luke killed him.
We learn that Vader was to take Luke to see Tor Valum, a Sith master and teacher of Darth Plagueis. However, after the Holocron scans Kylo and realizes he is not Vader, it releases red lightning and explodes, burning his face.
Rey still wants to save Kylo Ren
Back at the Resistance base, everyone is shocked to see a Star Destroyer landing on the planet, and there’s a funny moment where Rey uses a Jedi trick on the officers who were still on board.
When talking to Finn, she admits that she’s not sure she has what it takes to be a Jedi, especially when so many people have such high expectations of her. The conversation turns to Kylo Ren, and she is unable to explain their connection after telling Finn about the nightmares she was having about him.
He thinks Rey should exclude him because he can’t change, although the Jedi reminds him that Finn is proof that it’s never too late to become a different person.
A plan begins to form
This Star Destroyer could help turn the tide for the Resistance as it still has most of its weapons…they just need an army to use it! Rey, meanwhile, studies the Jedi texts of Ahch-To and discovers that there is a communications system called the Force Beacon beneath the Jedi Temple on Coruscant that could be used to contact allies across the Galaxy.
The most interesting thing is that the First Order will be powerless to stop him because he predates even the Empire’s technology.
Rey gets angry
Luke also appears as a force ghost to Rey, and just as he pushes Kylo Ren to kiss Ben Solo, he pushes Rey to become stronger. Kylo, meanwhile, has had melted Mandalorian armor applied to his face to cover his scars and continues to belittle Hux before ordering him to deal with the Resistance while he deals with Rey.
Rey asks Luke what balance in the force means, because “Darkness quenches light, light quenches darkness. Over and over and over.” She’s clearly doubting herself, and Luke can sense that she’s angry; their exchange boils down to him trying to convince her to stay on the path she’s on and not abandon the Force or become a Jedi.
The story takes shape
One team (Rose, Finn, R2-D2, and C-3PO) heads to Coruscant to light the beacon, while another (Rey, Poe, and Chewbacca) goes to a planet where Rey is looking for someone to help her figure out what she needs to do (that’s as accurate as that description gets, unfortunately).
Before Rey leaves, she tells Leia – who remains at the base to oversee the Resistance – that she thinks there’s still good in Kylo Ren, something even her mother doubts. All Leia wants Rey to know is that her story is her own and that she shouldn’t let anyone, including Luke, tell her what to do.
Vader’s mask is destroyed
Kylo Ren seems to fully embrace the dark side at this point, taking on Darth Vader’s mask and saying he finally understands it now: “You allowed love to cloud your judgment.”
He takes his grandfather’s helmet and throws it from a balcony, breaking it.
The war is waged in the galaxy
Things start to get a little sketchy at this point, but the First Order finds its stolen Star Destroyer and the Resistance is forced to flee. This first team manages to turn on the beacon in the Jedi Temple, and we then see people around the Galaxy receiving the signal (including Bossk).
Meanwhile, the second team is pursued by the Knights of Ren to a planet called Bonadan.
Kylo Ren meets Tor Valum
Kylo Ren arrives on Remincore and finds himself facing Tor Valum. He is an alien of unknown origin who is 7000 years old and is said to have a very “Lovecraftian” appearance. Kylo begins training with him, and in return The Empire Strikes BackIn the cave scene, Ren comes face to face with Darth Vader and loses what is described as a brutal battle between them.
Poe, meanwhile, took Rey to a psychic who could extract information from her memories, including a sort of star map from her visions with Kylo Ren. The Knights then appear and a lightsaber battle ensues in which Rey is ultimately victorious (throughout the film they would have been taken out by her).
The pieces are starting to fall into place
Eventually, Rey and Kylo Ren arrive on Mortis, while Leia recruits Lando to organize the smugglers and lead the fight against the First Order. Rose (who would have played a much larger role in this film) is captured and tortured by the villains, but manages to escape and rejoins her friends.
Finn, alongside R2 and Threepio, manages to start a citizen uprising on the ground on Coruscant (and even recruits some of his fellow Stormtroopers). That’s when Hux commits suicide with one of the many lightsabers he collected from fallen Jedi, while those Finn found hiding in the Jedi Temple use old technology to take the fight to the First Order and finally end their reign.
Leia also brings her forces to Coruscant for the final battle against the First Order, and battles ensue both on land and in the air. Chewbacca ends up piloting an X-Wing, while back on Mortis, Rey and Kylo face off in a battle that saw him become more powerful than any Sith before him (he can now absorb the life energy of others).
The final battle begins
During the fight, Ren even reveals that he killed Rey’s parents at the behest of Supreme Leader Snoke, before the force ghosts of Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda finally appear to try to bring him back from the edge.
This comes after he blinds Rey, and even though she is ultimately killed, it is Leia who manages to reach her son and convinces him to bring her back. He does so at the cost of his own life and his fate remains unknown to his friends. At the same time, Rey realizes that she must find a balance in the Force between light and darkness, because embracing both is the only way to move forward.
However, we later find Rey Solana (Ben reveals her name as he dies) on a planet called Modesta, where she is fully healed and training a new generation of Jedi alongside Finn and Rose, who are now a romantic couple. The Resistance, for its part, finally won, giving hope to the Galaxy.
