In honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th). I decided to read the script and look at concept art from the Star Wars film that never was. Before J.J. Abrams, Chris Terrio, and The Rise of Skywalker there was Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, and Duel of the Fates.
Trevorrow and Connolly were hired in 2015 for Star Wars: Episode IX. They ended up departing the project in 2017 due to creative differences. Now in 2020 the Star Wars: Duel of the Fates script floats online and a flurry of concept art is available for the masses to see. Today I’m going to look at the concept art and some elements from the script.
Opening Crawl
The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.
Determined to suffocate a 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 forge a path to freedom…
This version is way more cryptic than what we ended up getting. The iron grip of the First Order does follow up on the fact that at the end of The Last Jedi the Resistance is almost destroyed.
BB-8 infiltrates the First Order ship
BB-8 in a disguise is awesome. This part of the story heavily features Rose, BB-8, Finn, and Poe and their plans to infiltrate the First Order’s Kuat Orbital Ring. This part of the plot feels very Rogue One-ish. I guess the original mission was supposed to be two days, and they end up on the Kuat Colony for two weeks.
Rey helps her friends and rocks a new lightsaber
Rey ends up saving Finn, Poe, and Rose from Stormtroopers. The script emphasizes that she’s now a grown woman, which is kinda weird? Unless this script was supposed to feature a major time jump? Never really considered Rey a young girl anyways.
Rey rocks a look that is similar to Luke in Return of the Jedi. The cooler part is that Rey makes her own lightsaber from her staff! She does use Anakin Skywalker’s broken saber (which could’ve been controversial). Yet, it’s so cool how Rey uses her new double-bladed lightsaber like a boomerang.
After Rey saves the group she has an exchange with Poe Dameron. It seems like they are definitely more than friends in Duel of the Fates.
That would’ve been awesome for both of them.
The First Order occupies Coruscant
Yes, the Coruscant from Return of the Jedi and the prequels. The sequel trilogy returns to a previously established planet. This would’ve been cool to see considering it feels like the Star Wars galaxy sometimes is too large and they forget about the planet we already know.
The script describes Coruscant as a place full of propaganda and decrepit old buildings from the Old Republic amid skyscrapers.
Hologram Chancellor Hux executes a Resistance member
A hologram of Chancellor Hux who taunts a Resistance member before dropping the lightblade guillotine. Cool use of making the First Order evil.
Kylo Ren on Mustafar and Ghost Luke Haunting Him
So, Kylo Ren is just chilling in Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Then Luke Skywalker starts to haunt him! What a great uncle! Luke ends the haunting (for now) by telling him.
“Go home, Ben…go home to Leia…”
Kylo is shaken from the message but he doesn’t let it stop his mission as he kneels before a Sith Holocron, which has a hologram message from Emperor Palpatine telling Lord Vader about Tor Valum, Master of the Sith Lord who is located in the Remnicore system.
Leia
Leia has a new hairstyle for Duel of the Fates, she also has a larger role. As the script was written before Carrie Fisher’s death. The concept art shows General Leia Organa on the Resistance base on Korilev not to be confused with former Pittsburgh Penguin Alexei Kovalev.
Luke training Rey on Korilev
According to internet rumors supposedly director/writer Colin Trevorrow wanted Luke Skywalker alive for Episode IX. Luke appears as a Force ghost and helps train Rey in this script. Luke and Rey bond better than they did in The Last Jedi. It seems like they finally understand their roles.
Kylo Ren arrives on Remnicore
Remnicore gives off a lot of Exegol vibes. Kylo Ren tracks down Tor Valum, who Palpatine wanted Vader to originally see.
Tor Valum
He’s a 7,000-year-old unknown alien. Tor Valum becomes his new master. Tor Valum also doesn’t acknowledge Darth Plagueis, whom he supposedly trained. Plagueis is a big deal in the Star Wars universe as he was the one who trained Darth Sidious, who is Emperor Palpatine. It seems Tor Valum may be disappointed in the Sith.
The Falcon arrives on Bonadan
Poe lived on Bonadan with his grandfather. Poe’s home planet is actually Yavin-4 so maybe this was just another adventure for him. Rey, Poe, and Chewie are on Bonadan on a mission.
C-3PO and R2-D2 roam the streets of Coruscant
The droids roam the streets looking for the Jedi Temple. The streets have seen better days.
Kylo Ren sucks the life force from a tree
Kylo Ren gets more power from a tree. That happens.
Yet this scene leads us to a bonkers scene.
KYLO REN FIGHTS DARTH VADER
Two iconic villains fight. A battle between generations. Kylo Ren’s idol. His grandpa whom he never got to meet. Although it isn’t really Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) this still makes for a cool moment.
Vader wins, by the way.
This also leads to Kylo Ren sucking away the force life from Tor Valum. The 7,000-year-old dies. This makes Kylo an even stronger villain.
Finn, Rose, R2-D2, and C-3PO broadcast Leia’s hologram across the galaxy from Coruscant
An awesome moment where Rose and Finn get this beacon to work. With everyone’s favorite droids by their side. Leia’s hologram message reaches everywhere from Coruscant to Tatooine.
Rey and Poe sail in Bonadan waters away from the Knights of Ren
Another cool sequence and it continues the Rey/Poe love story pretty well. The Knights of Ren play a way bigger role in Trevorrow’s Duel of the Fates than they did in The Rise of Skywalker. They have their own ship and they even have names!!!
Chewie kills a member of Knights of Ren
Rey and Poe lead the Knights of Ren right to the landing dock where the Millennium Falcon is. Chewbacca battles Jaedec Ren and he ends up tossing him in the air and shooting him in mid-air like a clay pigeon.
After this battle, Rey tells the group she needs to go somewhere on her own. Rey kisses Poe.
Some of the upcoming scenes don’t have concept art but I feel like they are important to mention.
Luke and Leia talk
Sadly, there isn’t concept art for this scene but Leia and Force Ghost Luke have a conversation about Ben Solo and Rey.
Lando!
Another non-concept art scene but it’s worth a mention. Lando is at a Cabaret Club when Leia approaches him for help. Lando isn’t as willing to help. He doesn’t want any part of the First Order in this version.
Lando also has a fantastic line in Duel of the Fates.
We won a war once already, what good did that do?
17-year-old Ben Solo and Han Solo flashback
Ben returns to his home (presumably after the burning of Luke’s Jedi Academy), and he’s greeted by his father Han Solo. Ben tells his father that he has a greater destiny and he’s not coming back. Han tells Ben that it’s all lies and he has everything he needs here. Ben also has resentment against Leia for sending him away to train at Luke’s Jedi Academy.
Rey and Kylo Ren fight at the Temple of Mortis
Rey confronts Kylo Ren at the Temple of Mortis. Where Kylo Ren essentially seeks to become a Sith God. Rey reveals that Kylo Ren killed her parents in this Episode IX. Rey also brings up that Kylo murdered his father, Han Solo, and it has no emotional effect on Kylo.
Sidenote: Duel of the Fates has Chewbacca pilot a X-Wing in the Battle of Coruscant because the Resistance doesn’t have enough fighters.
Before the Battle of Coruscant
A group of underground Coruscant citizens and defected Stormtroopers takeover and paint over old First Order walkers.
The Resistance, defected Stormtroopers, and Coruscant citizens rise up against the First Order in the Battle of Coruscant.
R2-D2 Takes A Hit
R2 ends up taking a direct hit from a cannon blast during the Battle of Coruscant. Finn is trying to get R2 to Leia and Rose so they can interrupt the First Order’s signal. R2’s head is scorched and C-3PO stays by him, telling Finn that he can’t leave him. Chewbacca then comes down to help his friend. He carries his friend R2 on his back, and he’s shot multiple times but the Wookie pushes through.
Luke haunts Kylo again
Kylo beats Rey. At least for now. Then Luke returns to haunt Kylo again. Kylo searches the Temple of Mortis for his reward and he comes up empty. Luke tells Kyle (who he calls Ben) that he chose hate and he wishes his love for his family could’ve saved him.
Kylo swings his lightsaber at Luke and he catches the blade with a glove. Luke then tells Kylo, “he is no Skywalker.”
A THOUSAND SHIPS APPEAR FROM HYPERSPACE.
So this scene was left in The Rise of Skywalker. Thousands of ships show up to help fight the final battle. Although this scene is different from The Rise of Skywalker a little bit. Lando does lead the charge but he’s in his personal ship The Lady Luck in Duel of the Fates.
Hux realizes the First Order has lost
Hux realizes that the First Order has lost the war so he decides to kill himself with a purple lightsaber blade.
Rey and Kylo go at it one more time
After getting Force mind encouragement from all her friends and Luke Skywalker. Rey gets up and fights Kylo Ren one more time at the Temple of Mortis. Leia helps her from a distance as she speaks to her son through the Force. Rey extends her hand and Kylo takes it. She ends up draining Kylo of all his powers. In his final moments, Ben Solo reveals Rey’s last name is Solana.
Ben Solo dies. Rey is exhausted from the battle. Which leads Rey to a new place…
Rey enters a heavenly place
Rey enters a new place where she is greeted by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. She basically has to make a decision to either live in this place with the past Jedi or return back to her life and train the next generation of Jedi. As she makes her decision, Obi-Wan tells her she will not be the last Jedi.
The Resistance Wins
After the Resistance wins the battle. Leia is there along with Lando and the others. Poe and Chewie then take the Falcon on a trip to find Rey. Leia then checks in on R2-D2 who was scorched earlier in the battle and this happens…
….and we witness their adventures over 60 years, all from the droid’s perspective.
— Luke buying C-3PO from the Jawas…
— Obi Wan giving Luke his father’s lightsaber…
— R2 flying through the Death Star trench…
— Han getting his medal on Yavin…
— Yoda lifting the X-Wing from the swamp…
— Luke saluting from the plank on Jabba’s barge…
— Leia and Han outside the bunker on Endor…
Leia is taken aback by the flood of memories.
We see Star Wars from the perspective of R2-D2. What a wonderful moment.
Modesta
In the final pages, Finn is on the planet Modesta with a group of kids. He’s telling them the story of Rey. He believes that she will one day return. As she hasn’t been around.
The children are all force-sensitive.
Finn and Rose built the new refuge for force-sensitive youth. At this same time, Poe and Chewie turn around realizing that Rey is now somewhere else.
Finn and Rose walk out and are blinded by the light. BB-8 rolls forward realizing he sees a friend.
BB-8 sees his old friend Rey first. BB-8 zooms right towards her and all the kids run towards her. Rey walks to the new homestead.
Rey will now teach the next generation of Jedi to bring peace and justice to the galaxy.
That’s how it ends. Pretty good right?
Obviously, there are minor issues here and there but in the end, it was cool to read a script to the Star Wars film that never was. There is also a ton of differences from The Rise of Skywalker and Duel of the Fates. Rey Palpatine/Skywalker sounds a thousand times better than Rey Solana though.
There were a lot of things I was surprised about too and I guess we will never know what made the “creative differences” happen. In the end, I’m still glad we got The Rise of Skywalker but Duel of the Fates will make a fascinating What If? for years to come.
As I wrote this article I did realize that Lucasfilm could potentially adapt some of these story beats if they ever decide to do books, comics, TV series, or video games in a post-The Rise of Skywalker timeline. I mean Rey carrying a double-bladed lightsaber? Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, BB-8, and Rose helping the next generation of force-sensitive beings and Jedi grow up would be fun to read/watch/play.
At the end of the day. It’s awesome that this exists. The future of Star Wars will continue on. Whether that’s through publishing, video games, or Disney+. I also don’t think The Rise of Skywalker will be the last time we see these characters.
There is always another story. May the fourth be with you.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
