Summary
- New Star Wars movies have the opportunity to incorporate George Lucas’ unused ideas for the sequel trilogy, bringing closure to plot lines and making the films feel more unique.
- Lucas’ ideas, such as the microbiotic world of the Force and the Whills, were controversial among fans, but attitudes toward Lucas have shifted and integrating these concepts can be successful.
- James Mangold’s upcoming Star Wars movie can build on Lucas’ ideas by exploring the origin of the Jedi, connecting with the Force through midi-chlorians, and diving into the Whills and their interaction with the galaxy.
George Lucas’ wildest sequel plan never came to fruition under Disney, but a new Star Wars movie is the perfect opportunity to incorporate his unused ideas. With the Skywalker saga at an end, the upcoming standalone movies have greater freedom to branch out and explore new ideas, including concepts that Lucas wanted to explore in his version of the sequel trilogy. Doing so would make the next Star Wars movie feel more unique and bring closure to plot lines that Lucas never had a chance to flesh out in full.
Of course, it’s no secret that many of Lucas’ ideas tend to be controversial among Star Wars fans. Lucas has been praised for his bountiful imagination and for finding new ways to expand the Star Wars universe, but his more wild ideas tend to face backlash. This is one of the reasons Disney chose not to use his outlines for the sequel trilogy, a decision he was very disappointed with. However, with attitudes toward Lucas shifting in the wake of Disney Star Wars, the next movie can successfully integrate a concept that would have played a key role in his version of the sequel trilogy.
George Lucas Planned To Explore The Microbiotic World Of The Force
Lucas introduced a biological component to the Force when he created midi-chlorians for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Qui-Gon Jinn described midi-chlorians as microscopic lifeforms that form a symbiotic relationship with their host, and that they are the reason Jedi know about the Force. Most importantly, midi-chlorians “continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force” and this is what Lucas would have focused on in his version of the sequel trilogy. The “Journal of the Whills” has been part of Star Wars since the original movie novelization in 1976, and Lucas planned on finally explaining what the Whills are.
In an interview with filmmaker James Cameron for his limited series James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, Lucas explained that his sequel trilogy was “going to get into a microbiotic world.” He described the Whills as “the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force.” The midi-chlorians telling Jedi the will of the Force would have been literal, as the “midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills. The Whills, in a general sense, they are the Force.” Lucas’ explanation of the Whills and midi-chlorians would have redefined the Force and built on his ideas from the prequel trilogy, but these plans were abandoned for Disney’s sequel trilogy.
Why George Lucas’ Wild Sequel Plans Were Never Used
Lucas has made clear his disappointment with the Disney Star Wars movies going in a different direction than he intended, but he was fully aware of why his sequel plans were never used. The Star Wars prequel trilogy was heavily criticized during its initial release, with the concept of midi-chlorians proving especially controversial. Many fans felt that giving a biological explanation to the Force negated its mystery and spirituality from the original trilogy, though Lucas himself disagreed with this criticism. Even so, Lucas cited fan reaction to The Phantom Menace as the biggest reason why his plans never came to fruition.
“Everybody hated it in ‘Phantom Menace’ [when] we started talking about midi-chlorians.” Although Lucas asserted that he would have gone through with this approach had he remained head of Lucasfilm, he understood that “a lot of fans would have hated it, just like they did ‘Phantom Menace’ and everything, but at least the whole story from beginning to end would be told.” Lucas stated in other interviews that Disney was interested in making a retro film that would harken back to the style of the original trilogy, so combined with initial fan reaction to the prequels, it makes sense why they chose not to use Lucas’ ideas.
James Mangold’s Star Wars Movie Can Build On George Lucas’ Sequel Plans
The sequels may not have incorporated Lucas’ plans, but James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” movie can build on his ideas about the Force. Because the movie will focus on the origin of the Jedi, the story is perfect for exploring how the Jedi connected with the Force for the first time thanks to the midi-chlorians. The movie probably won’t explore the microbiotic world of the Force the way Lucas would have, but it can still dive into the Whills and how they interact with the galaxy. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced the Guardians of the Whills, meaning Disney can add lore to other groups besides the Jedi.
Even if the filmmakers aren’t keen to include midi-chlorians, the Whills are an intriguing concept that deserves further exploration. They are one of Lucas’ oldest ideas that have never been fully explored in a Star Wars story, so it would be highly satisfying for fans to see them appear in Mangold’s movie. Each new Star Wars movie adds some new component to the Force and the history of the Jedi, and the Whills would help the Dawn of the Jedi era stand apart. Lucas’ midi-chlorian plans may have been too wild for Disney’s sequel trilogy, but new Star Wars movies have the freedom to explore these concepts in their stories.
