It’s time to turn to the dark side with the release of Colin Trevorrow’s original script for Episode 9.
This script was leaked late last night and throughout this video we’re gonna be breaking down everything that happens in it as well as our general thoughts on the vision.
We will be touching upon certain elements of the theatrical cut of Episode Nine so if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet and don’t want anything ruined then I highly suggest that you turn off now.
With that out the way I just wanna give a huge thank you for clicking this, now let’s get into our breakdown of the original episode 9 script.
The Duel Of The Fates
Ok so the original title for the film was Duel Of The Fates.
This is of course a call back to the score of Phantom Menace and in my opinion it’s a much better title than Rise Of The Skywalker.
The draft itself dates back to the 16th of December 2016, which is one week before Carrie Fisher’s death. I’ve taken a lot of this from a Reddit post by Lollifroll who I’ll link to below if you want to read more of the ins and outs.
The opening crawl kick starts the movie and says the following.
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…
Star Wars Episode 9 Original Opening
From here the movie opens at the Kuat Shipyards (man on a mission-style), BB-8 and Rose Tico (who is allegedly a key character in script) are infiltrating Kuat Moon where First Order build their ships (workers are oppressed). There is an orbital ring and moon below it. Finn and Poe are there. There is No R2/3PO and Rey arrives.
Their plan is to Send explosives into the power shaft that delivers raw ore into the ring in order to destroy it. Unfortunately, this plan goes wrong and the First Order is able to contain the blast.
It’s here that we are introduced to Admiral Vaughn who says the Resistance tactics are “pitiful.”
Rey disguised as a Tusken Raider is revealed to have created her own weapon (a double-blade lightsaber hybrid of her staff and Luke’s cracked saber).
They battle and Poe, Finn, Rose, Rey, and BB-8 STEAL A STAR DESTROYER (Eclipse-class) and escape.
The Knife 9 a ship containing the Knights of Ren arrives a Kuat. Ataska and Ren kills Admiral Vaughn for his failure.
From here we cut to CORUSCANT which is no longer a vibrant city in wake of the war. The new structures are built atop the art deco structure of the old republic and it is occupied by the First Order now. Citizens are scavengers now and everyone lives in poverty. Hux is now CHANCELLOR HUX and is addressing a crowd and he executes a traitor with a lightsaber bladed guillotine.
Yikes
Hux and Commander Selleck have a meeting with several alien war lords (ode to ANH imperial council scene). First Order has allies. They are aware of Rey being the last Jedi. The Council wants to know WHERE KYLO REN IS as he has been missing for a long time.
No one really knows what he is up to but Hux says that he has gone searching for something of great power.
We then CUT TO MUSTAFAR and see Kylo Ren there with a Darth Maul-esque probe droid. He has stubble and looks slightly deshevelled indicating search has been for a long time. Ren is being HAUNTED by Luke’s force ghost.
We hear Lukes voice say “This is where the dark path leads; an empty tomb.” showing that there is nothing there. Kylo retorts “Where did your path lead?”
Luke is trying to convince him to go back to Leia but he replies with: “I’m going to be more powerful than any Jedi…even you.”
In Vader’s Temple, Kylo finds a Sith Holocron which reveals a hologram of Palpatine.
So yes, even in the Tervorrow script, Palpatine was going to feature in some form or another. However, he isn’t a fully fleshed out character and this is just a recording for Vader.
Palpatine has a contingency for Vader if Luke kills him. Vader is to take Luke to the Remnicore System to see TOR VALUM who we learn is the sith that taught Palpatine.
After scanning Kylo, the Holocron explodes and releases red lighting which burns Kylo, who screams.
From here we CUT TO: RESISTANCE BASE on KOR-ALAF. Leia is introduced as she feels what’s happening to Ben. Chewbacca and Lt. Connix tell Leia that the main team is back. They’re shocked to see a Star Destroyer (which is landed onto the planet).Theres a funny moment where it’s revealed that Rey was using a Mind Trick on First Order officers who were still on the ship.
Rey confides in Finn that she doesn’t feel like she has what it takes to be a Jedi and can’t live up to everyone’s expectations. Finn asks her if she still senses Kylo and confesses she’s been having nightmares. Finn asks if it’s Kylo. Rey says she can’t explain their connection.
The two argue with Finn telling Rey that she has to shut him out but this seems to fall on deaf ears.
The Resistance realizes that the Star Destroyer stills has most of it’s weapons (tanks, TIEs, etc) the only missing piece is an army to use it.
Rey begins researching the Jedi texts from Anch-To discovers that under Coruscant Jedi Temple there is a communication system (called a FORCE BEACON) from the Old Republic that can send a signal to 50 planets. They plan on using it to get allies and the First Order can’t stop it, since it predates Imperial tech.
This sort of becomes the main mission for the finale and how they will pull together the resistance and Rey says: “Hope is all we have left.”
A Force Ghost version of Luke appears as Rey trains and it seems like Luke is pushing Rey to get stronger in the Force. At the same time he is pushing Kylo to let Ben out.
Kylo makes it back to Coruscant and his face is massively damaged. At this point Mandalorian armor is smelted and is applied to his face to cover his disfigurement.
We cut back to Rey training and she is slowly becoming a lot stronger.
She seems to still be torn similar to the final version of the character and she says to Luke as they train: “Balance? The dark suffocates the light, light extinguishes the dark. Over and over and over again. How is that balance in the force?”
Luke replies: “I know that anger. My father had it too.’
Rey says “So says my master and his master before him. A thousand masters so eager to tell us how to live.”
They argue back and forth and it looks like Rey is going to step away from being a Jedi but Luke urges her that she is the last hope.
We cut back to Kylo and see the character and Hux arguing with each other. Kylo says he’s leaving again, but not before telling Hux the power he discovered will make destroying planets insignificant. Before leaving Kylo’s last order to Hux: “Find the Resistance, wipe them out, leave the girl to me.”
This is when we see the heroes split into two teams.
TEAM A is made up of Rose, Finn, R2, 3PO and their mission is to go to Coruscant to light the beacon.
TEAM B is made up of Rey, Poe and Chewbacca. There mission is to go to a planet to find someone to help Rey figure out what she needs to do. It’s very vague and the script doesn’t say what this means but it is likely to grow in the force and find her faith.
Leia stays at the base overseeing the Resistance.
Kylo is going to the Sith Planet Remnicore and he has taken Vaders mask with him, stating that he knows what Vader was going to do. He also gets a flashback of Vaders turn in Return Of The Jedi and realises that he didn’t die an evil man.
However, there is no redemption here for Kylo and he says “You allowed love to cloud your judgement” and he throws Vader’s mask off of a balcony and it shatters.
Before Rey leaves, she and Leia have an exchange were Rey says she believes there’s still good in Kylo. Leia is skeptical, but Rey believes in her Jedi Training.
Leia says: “You’re not like my father or my brother. You’re new. Whatever happens, remember the force chose you Rey. Your story isn’t written by anyone else.”
This sort of begins wrapping up the movie and there’s a lot of moments of action and grand battles back and forth between the Resistance and First Order.
TEAM A successfully infiltrates the Jedi Temple and turn on the beacon. After this we cut to different places around the galaxy receiving the signal and also get a Bossk cameo. The signal is then cut off by the First Order but it’s too much.
TEAM B are being pursued by the Knife 9 the Knights of Ren ship and eventually reach the planet Bonadan.
Kylo reaches Remincore and confronts Tor Valum who at this point is 7000 yrs old. Kylo begins training with Valum and he makes him hallucinate fighting Vader, similar to the scene in Empire in which Luke battled him.
The fight is brutal and full of fan service but unlike Luke, Kylo loses.
Han Solo also appears here but Kylo once more kills him in the vision and shows that he cannot be saved.
On Bonadan: Poe takes Rey to a Seer who can pull information out of memories. The Seer pulls a star chart out of Rey’s mind from her and she gets visions of Kylo. Knights of Ren show up and fight Rey in a lightsaber battle but she defeats them and TEAM B escapes.
Both Rey and Kylo eventually get to MORTIS.
Leia asks Lando if he will organize the smugglers and fight the First Order.
Rose is captured and tortured by the First Order, but is able to escape.
Finn/R2/3PO start a citizens uprising on Coruscant around the First Order’s Citadel/Palace.
Leia brings her forces to Coruscant to battle the FO. There is a Massive space battle and ground battle and Chewbacca even flies an X-Wing at one point.
Rey and Kylo battle on Mortis with both using force energy that can pull the life force from each other. At some point is revealed Kylo killed Rey’s parents at the behest of Snoke when he was younger. The two are really struggling and it isn’t clear who will be the winner but towards the end, Luke/Obi Wan/Yoda appear as Force Ghosts to save Ben, but are unsuccessful.
They manage to hold him in place and Rey finally kills him.
The Resistance wins and the Galaxy celebrates ending the film.
My Thoughts
So, overall I think though this has some good parts, I probably do prefer the journey that Rise Of The Skywalker went on overall. There’s just something about Ben not having a redemptive arc that I don’t really like and though I did say that I feel like he should’ve been the main villain of Episode 9 after the death of Snoke, it doesn’t mean that he can’t turn good.
Star Wars is based on people changing and this was an aesthetic that we saw with Darth Vader and Han Solo.
There is some cool imagery here and though a lot of outlets are stating this is better than Rise Of Skywalker, personally I probably prefer what we got…and I gave it a 5/10 so yeah that’s not saying much.
It is interesting hearing this version though as I think it is a lot more original than the JJ vision which just seems to be as much fan service as possible without much plot development.
It is interesting seeing this but overall I think Disney were right to go in the direction that they did.
Your Thoughts
Obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and if you think this script would be better than the eventual film that we got. Comment below and let me know!
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