A new book reveals that Geroge Lucas had radically different plans for theStar Warssequel trilogy. Disney produced a trilogy after purchasing Lucasfilm that kicked off withThe Force Awakensand ended with last year’sThe Rise of Skywalker. Some details have emerged regarding what Lucas had in mind, and they included Darth Maul in a very significant way, as he would have returned as the main villain.

The information comes from The Star Wars Archives, a new book by Paul Duncan. It was made in collaboration withGeorge Lucasand Lucasfilm and mostly focuses on the making of the prequels. But Duncan got some intriguing information, which was recently shared on Reddit, which confirms that Maul and a new apprentice would have returned in this alternate version of theStar Warssequels. The passage in question reads as follows.

“Darth Maultrained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice. She was the new Darth Vader, and most of the action was with her. So these were the two main villains of the trilogy. Maul eventually becomes the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over.”

Darth Maul made his debut in a galaxy far, far away inThe Phantom Menace, the first entry in the prequel trilogy. He waskilled by Obi-Wan, or so it seemed. As fans ofThe Clone Warsknow, he survived being cut in half, got himself a pair of robot legs and set out on a path of revenge. Maul would have made a significant return to the world of live-action had George Lucas made his version of Episode VII, VIII and IX.

Mind you, this is not conjecture or some hearsay rumor. This book was produced in collaboration with Lucasfilm. It also features an interview with George Lucas, script pages and concept art. It is the real deal. The page that was shared on Reddit also contained some plot details. The story would have picked up several years after the events ofReturn of the Jediand it would have explored the so-called “Underworld,” and Luke would have been trying to rebuild the Jedi Order. Leia, meanwhile, would have been working on building the Republic.

“The movies are about how Leia… is trying to build the Republic. They still have the apparatus of the Republic but they have to get it under control from the gangsters. That was the main story.”

In the end, Luke would have reformed the Jedi and the New Republic would have been renewed. Paul Duncan also says Leia would have become the Supreme Chancellor “in charge of everything.” Duncan further says, “she ended up being the Chosen One.” Whether or not this would have been better than what we got from Disney is a question that will hang in the balance for 1,000 generations. The Star Wars Archives is available now. You can check out the excerpt from the book over onReddit.

George Lucas wanted Maul has the big bad guy of the Sequels, this is from the new book Star Wars Archives Episode 1-3 The Prequels with new interviews from Lucasfromr/StarWarsLeaks

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