To say that the Star Wars sequel trilogy was divisive is an understatement. The three movies seemed just to pull and tear at the fabric of the Star Wars fandom more and more as time went on, whether it be due to The Force Awakens' similarity to A New Hope, or the entirety of The Last Jedi and The Rise Of Skywalker.
But, what if things were different in the trilogy? There are so many things in the trilogy that could have massively changed the movies had they been different. Here we look at the ten biggest "what-ifs" from the trilogy that would not necessarily improve it but definitely change it.
What If There Was A Definitive Romance?
The original trilogy had Han and Leia, the prequels Anakin and Padmé (as did The Clone Wars) and Rebels had Kanan and Hera. The sequel trilogy though, had a few teased, but nothing real.
Kylo and Rey had electric chemistry and did have a kiss before Ben died, and Rose and Finn also shared a kiss. However, there was no real definitive romance throughout; it is not necessary for there to be romance, but what if there was? Would the trilogy have been better with Finn and Poe, or Finn and Rey, or Rey and Poe? Or would Reylo be worse if it was treated as a fully-fledged romance?
What If Snoke Was Somebody Real?
The Rise Of Skywalker flatly revealed that Snoke was but a mere creation of Palpatine designed as a test for Kylo Ren.
There were so many fantastic theories about Snoke, what if one was true? Such as Snoke being Plageuis, or even Snoke just being Snoke, an immensely powerful, old, and mysterious Force user. It is hard to imagine the trilogy not being improved by that.
What If Luke Never Went Into Isolation?
One of the biggest points of contention amongst the fandom during the sequel trilogy was the treatment of Luke Skywalker, particularly in his isolation.
What if Luke never went into isolation, though? Luke has a beautiful journey through The Last Jedi, but would the trilogy be elevated if Luke had been around from the start? At the very least, Luke sharing moments with Han and Leia would have been fantastic to see.
What If Rey Was Not A Palpatine?
Rey's lineage was the source of much theorizing and speculation throughout the sequel trilogy, with The Rise Of Skywalker finally revealing her to be the granddaughter of Emperor Sheev Palpatine.
The Last Jedi, of course, set Rey up to be nobody, so what if that had remained? Or what if she was one of the many other theories? Would either of these options be better? Worse? It is hard to say, but the end reveal was not great, so it is easy to imagine alternatives.
What If Snoke Survived?
Fans were stunned when Kylo Ren killed Snoke in The Last Jedi, with some even believing he would return.
Most fans were actually OK with Snoke's death at the time, but with the weak reveal of his identity, his death in hindsight is felt as wasted by many. What if he survived? What if he remained the central villain of the trilogy, and we got a true backstory on a mysterious, powerful figure in the Force? It is hard to argue against how intriguing that possibility is.
What If Ben Lived?
Another massive death in the trilogy was that of the recently redeemed Ben Solo in The Rise Of Skywalker.
Kylo/Ben was the trilogy's best character and had he survived the trilogy; it would have opened the door for many a brilliant story to be told with him at the center in the future. It also could have led to a true Reylo.
What If Palpatine Never Returned?
As fantastic as Ian McDiarmid was, Palpatine's return served little purpose and was quite a waste of time.
But what if he never returned? What if there was another villain? Such as Kylo, or a returned Snoke, or Plageuis, or some sort of clone? There were a lot of possibilities, a lot of which could have been fantastic.
What If The Rise Of Skywalker Stayed On Course With The Last Jedi?
The Rise Of Skywalker did undo and retcon quite a bit from The Last Jedi, but more importantly than that, it completely diverted course away from the movie.
The movie acted as more of a Force Awakens sequel. What if the movie actually stayed on the course of The Last Jedi with Kylo's further fall, Rey being a nobody, and generally just picked up where the movie left off. The Rise Of Skywalker diverts completely away from Rian Johnson's film, to the point the whole trilogy now feels very disjointed.
What If Lucasfilm Never Parted Ways With Colin Trevorrow?
A few months ago, Colin Trevorrow - the original director of Episode IX before he and Lucasfilm parted ways due to creative differences - had his script for the movie leaked. It was very telling and utterly different from what we got, and on paper, it generally seemed quite good.
Of course, a lot can change from script to screen, to the point where comparing Trevorrow's script to The Rise Of Skywalker is unfair. But what if Trevorrow stayed on? The Skywalker saga would have ended very differently, and judging by his screenplay, the trilogy would have felt at the very least more whole.
What If There Was A Clear Plan?
The single biggest issue with the sequel trilogy was the lack of a clear and evident plan. As mentioned earlier, the trilogy feels very disjointed, and with the change of directors, a lot of characters got lost in the shuffle.
What if there was a plan? Take, for example, Palpatine, had he been planned to return since before The Force Awakens, his return could have been unbelievable. Lucasfilm needed to have precise beats they wanted to hit in the trilogy, but instead, the trilogy is without a plan, a goal, or a clear route on which to tell its story, despite having some absolutely outstanding content.