Several majorStar Warsstorylines have been removed entirely or cut down over the years, and here are the 10 biggest examples. With a renewed focus from Lucasfilm onupcomingStar Warsmoviesafter a seven-year hiatus, people have naturally been looking back at the cinematic releases in the franchise. What is apparent, despite manyhighly-rankedStar Warsmoviesbeing released over the years, is that the productions of each one were not always overly smooth.
Although deleted scenes in the editing process of every film are incredibly common, someStar Warsmovies have been changed drastically in post-production. It seems as though Lucasfilm has learned from this of late, with a production likeThe Mandalorian and Grogugoing incredibly smoothly. This does not change the troubled development process of someStar Warsmovies, though, which resulted in some entire, major storylines being removed from the final edit. Even theStar Warsmoviesthat did go smoothly have some instances of this, and here are the 10 biggest in the entire franchise.
10Luke Skywalker’s Life On Tatooine
A New Hope (1977)
Beginning with the firstStar Warsmovie in release order, a big subplot cut from this movie involved Luke Skywaker’s life on Tatooine. Some deleted scenes include Luke viewing the chase of the Tantive IV by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer from the Tosche Station, calling to his friends to have a look. The chase has moved on by then, and Luke’s friends - Biggs Darklighter, Cammie, and Fixer - ridicule him.
Cammie and Fixer both made canon appearances inStar Warsvia their brief cameos inThe Book of Boba Fett.
Another scene involved Luke almost running over an old woman with his speeder. While these scenes are not vital toA New Hope’s plot - which was Lucas' reason for removing them - they create a story about Luke on Tatooine. Luke’s life beyond the Lars homestead is minimal before he is whisked away to the Death Star, primarily due to this storyline being removed.
9The Rescue From Jabba’s Palace Was Originally Longer
Return of the Jedi (1983)
The rescue of Han Solo and Leia Organa from Jabba’s palace is part ofReturn of the Jedi, but some big plot points were removed from it. One involved Darth Vader trying to reach out to Luke Skywalker through the Force as the latter completed the construction of his new green lightsaber. The scene included Luke putting the saber in R2-D2’s dome, explaining why it is there later when Luke needs it. After the battle, a deleted scene showed Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, R2, and C-3PO returning to their ships amid a Tatooine sandstorm, with Luke explaining he needed to return to Dagobah.
8The Wookiees On Endor
The final battle between the Empire and the Rebels on Endor was originally going to be very different. Rather than Ewoks facing off against the Stormtroopers, Lucas intended for the Imperials to be faced down by a tribe of Wookiees. However, the Wookiee idea was cut from the film and changed toReturn of the Jedi’s Ewoksas the latter were much smaller and, thus, better for budgeting. Beyond this, Lucas also preferred the idea of a primitive tribe defeating the Empire and felt that Wookiees were much more advanced than Ewoks.
7Anakin & Padmé’s Story Was Even Longer Initially
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
The relationship between Anakin and Padmé was a big focus ofStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,but it was originally even longer. Several aspects of this storyline were removed in the edit. For instance, the journey the two endured to Naboo was originally a lot longer, with many scenes being cut to tighten the runtime.
Once arriving on Naboo, one scene saw Padmé introducing Anakin to her parents. Another involved a tour of Padmé’s bedroom. Later, once the duo are captured on Geonosis, Padmé is interrogated by Count Dooku. Finally, the couple faces a trial on behalf of the Geonosian Poggle the Lesser and is deemed guilty, leading to the colosseum scene that is inAttack of the Clones’final cut.
6The Assault On General Grievous’ Ship Was Drastically Shortened
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
According to George Lucas, the filmmaker’s original cut forStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithwas around four hours long. One of these hours was dedicated to the film’s opening, with Anakin and Obi-Wan assaulting General Grievous' ship to rescue the kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine. Given that it is not an hour long in the final cut, much was removed from this storyline.Some of the missing scenes include longer space battles, a duel with a pair of Magnaguards, longer duels with Grievous and Count Dooku, and even a now non-canon scene of Grievous killing a Jedinamed Shaak Ti.
5The Prequel Trilogy’s Rebel Alliance Subplot
The formation ofStar Wars’Rebel Alliancehas been shown in TV shows likeAndorandStar Wars: Rebels, but these were both after George Lucas considered doing so in the prequel trilogy. InStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith,Lucas included scenes that saw Padmé, Bail Organa, and Mon Mothma teaming up to sign a petition against Palpatine so that he can revert emergency powers back to the Senate. Several scenes outlined this storyline but were removed from the film.
4Jyn Erso & Cassian Andor’s Romance
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
AndorisStar Wars’best TV showand ties directly toRogue One, with the two receiving a lot of discourse of later about Cassian’s relationships. The former features the love of Cassian’s life, a girl named Bix, while the latter implies Cassian had a strong romantic connection to Jyn Erso.Rogue Onewas the subject of reshoots, which cut the romance of Jyn and Cassian completely, yet explains why romantic undercurrents remain in the final film.
Initially, Cassian and Jyn shared a kiss in an elevator in the final moments ofRogue One. Once Tony Gilroy, the showrunner ofAndor, came in to do reshoots onRogue One, he restructured these final moments and left their relationship purposefully ambiguous. As a result,an overt connection between the two was removed from the film.
3The Stealing Of The Death Star Plans
Another major change Gilroy made toRogue Onevia reshoots and editing was specifically how the Death Star plans were stolen. In the final film, Cassian and Jyn transmit the plans to the Rebel fleet. In the original cut, as seen in the film’s first trailers, Cassian and Jyn receive a physical copy of the plansand try to escape Scarif. The trailers show Jyn being chased through the Imperial base with the plans in hand, as well as running across a beach of AT-ATs. After reshoots, this entire sequence was altered.
2Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa Mourn Han Solo
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Many had their issues withStar Wars: The Last Jedi, primarily linked to Luke Skywalker’s depiction as a bitter, seemingly uncaring old man. One deleted scene from the film could have changed this perception entirely though and altered the entire story of Luke going forward. The deleted scene is short, featuring Luke mourning Han Solo after learning of his death. Intercut with his sister, Leia, doing the same, the scene drastically alters the subplot of Luke’s feelings.
1Rey’s Third Lesson
InStar Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker tells Rey he will teach her three lessons that explain why the Jedi need to end. The film features two of these lessons, yet the third was cut from the final film. The scene is not overly different from the prior two lessons in terms of what it conveys, but it would have essentially completed Rey and Luke’s storyline before the reveals about Kylo Ren come to light.
The scene shows Luke telling Rey that raiders often attack the peaceful caretakers of Ahch-to. When Rey states they need to help, Luke says the Jedi would teach them not to help as interfering disrupts the natural order and balance of the Force. Rey rushes to the village anyway, arriving to find a party in full swing as opposed to a raid. Luke is present, poking fun at Rey for running over, yet insisting that her desire to help is what the galaxy needs, not the outdated ways of the Jedi. This rounds out the main plots removed fromStar Warsmovies in the editing room.
