It’s been over seven months since the release of

The Rise of Skywalker

, and the conclusion to the saga hasn’t come without controversy. Colin Trevorrow was originally tapped to write and direct

Episode IX

, then titled

Duel of the Fates,

with a completely different storyline.

In 2017, Trevorrow was fired by Lucasfilm and replaced by JJ Abrams, who returned to the story he began with

The Force Awakens

. The story decisions made by Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio have largely been less than well-received, and drafts of Trevorrow’s script have leaked online in recent months. While the original director’s vision will never be brought to life, there was still plenty Trevorrow took away from the experience…

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NEWS

During an SDCC ComicCon@Home panel via

Deadline

, Colin Trevorrow shared his thoughts on losing his Star Wars job:

“Obviously, as you can imagine with all of these things, it can get to the point of being traumatic when there’s something that you care about that much and you’ve invested that much in it.”

Despite his disappointment, there was a key takeaway for the director:

“But that’s one of the things you accept when you take on any role in film, especially when you become a storyteller — that

there are going to be heartbreaks

. There is going to be crushing disappointments, and then

there’s going to be victories

. Hopefully,

they’ll balance out in the end

.”

Trevorrow’s experience with

Episode IX

wasn’t all painful; the director reflected on having the unique opportunity to design a ship with his son: the

TIE Marauder

. The only one of its kind, Trevorrow showed off the model for the ship during the panel, as seen below:

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WHAT THIS MEANS

Depending on who you ask, it’s either a major disappointment or sigh of relief that Trevorrow’s version of

Episode IX

was discarded. There are plenty of fans happy with the final result of

The Rise of Skywalker

, and many who greatly preferred Trevorrow’s story, often with the qualifier that adjustments were still needed.

Duel of the Fates

certainly would’ve taken a riskier direction than Abrams did with

The Rise of Skywalker

, although bringing back the Emperor was something Trevorrow never once considered. The original director’s story would have taken us back to Coruscant, while culminating in a duel between Rey and Kylo Ren.

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While it’s unfortunate that things ended the way they did for Trevorrow, the experience wasn’t a waste. He did retain a writing credit for his work, and the experience of creating a new

TIE Fighter

with his son will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. Failure is guaranteed in life, but the director has taken the heartbreak in stride and has found success elsewhere.

It’s been over seven months since the release of

The Rise of Skywalker

, and the conclusion to the saga hasn’t come without controversy. Colin Trevorrow was originally tapped to write and direct

Episode IX

, then titled

Duel of the Fates,

with a completely different storyline.

In 2017, Trevorrow was fired by Lucasfilm and replaced by JJ Abrams, who returned to the story he began with

The Force Awakens

. The story decisions made by Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio have largely been less than well-received, and drafts of Trevorrow’s script have leaked online in recent months. While the original director’s vision will never be brought to life, there was still plenty Trevorrow took away from the experience…

ADVERTISEMENT

NEWS

During an SDCC ComicCon@Home panel via

Deadline

, Colin Trevorrow shared his thoughts on losing his Star Wars job:

Despite his disappointment, there was a key takeaway for the director:

“Obviously, as you can imagine with all of these things, it can get to the point of being traumatic when there’s something that you care about that much and you’ve invested that much in it.”

Trevorrow’s experience with

Episode IX

wasn’t all painful; the director reflected on having the unique opportunity to design a ship with his son: the

TIE Marauder

. The only one of its kind, Trevorrow showed off the model for the ship during the panel, as seen below:

“But that’s one of the things you accept when you take on any role in film, especially when you become a storyteller — that

there are going to be heartbreaks

. There is going to be crushing disappointments, and then

there’s going to be victories

. Hopefully,

they’ll balance out in the end

.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

Depending on who you ask, it’s either a major disappointment or sigh of relief that Trevorrow’s version of

Episode IX

was discarded. There are plenty of fans happy with the final result of

The Rise of Skywalker

, and many who greatly preferred Trevorrow’s story, often with the qualifier that adjustments were still needed.

Duel of the Fates

certainly would’ve taken a riskier direction than Abrams did with

The Rise of Skywalker

, although bringing back the Emperor was something Trevorrow never once considered. The original director’s story would have taken us back to Coruscant, while culminating in a duel between Rey and Kylo Ren.

While it’s unfortunate that things ended the way they did for Trevorrow, the experience wasn’t a waste. He did retain a writing credit for his work, and the experience of creating a new

TIE Fighter

with his son will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. Failure is guaranteed in life, but the director has taken the heartbreak in stride and has found success elsewhere.