George Lucas wanted Darth Maul to be the villain of the Star Wars sequel trilogy

Would this have made The Rise of Skywalker better?

Last year, the dust finally settled on the main Star Wars saga with the release The Rise of Skywalker. But things could have been very different. When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they were free to go off and continue the Star Wars universe in however they saw fit, without George Lucas' involved. But as reported by Polygon, a new book has revealed what Lucas' original plans for the sequel trilogy were. The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005 covers the making of the prequel trilogy, but also offers insight on where Lucas would have taken the franchise next. He reveals that he wanted Darth Maul, the villain of The Phantom Menance, to return as the main antagonist. Maul would have become "the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over," according to the book. Sith Lord Darth Talon, character from the extended universe comic books, would have been his apprentice and "the new Darth Vader ". Darth Maul gets cut in half at the end of The Phantom Menace, but he would have returned with mechanical legs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FyJe7mW_To The character went on to be revived in The Clone Wars and Rebels animated shows, and made a surprise appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The book also reveals that Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia was set to be the focal point of George Lucas' sequel trilogy. "The movies are about how Leia — I mean, who else is going to be the leader? — is trying to rebuild the Republic… Luke is trying to restart the Jedi," explains Lucas in the book." "She ended up being the chosen one." The book features several other interesting tidbits about unmade ideas, including a young Han Solo originally having been meant to appear in Revenge of the Sith.

The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005 is out now from Taschen.