These 10 Star Wars concepts from the sequel trilogy were truly exciting, but each of them was unfortunately dropped. The Star Wars sequel trilogy was a controversial addition to Star Wars movies and TV shows, to say the least. In fact, many still consider the sequels to be among Star Wars’ worst movies.

While there were problems with the sequel trilogy, the movies also introduced a number of thrilling ideas. In addition to brand-new concepts such as the Force Dyad, which remained integral to the plot, the sequel trilogy began a series of storylines that were ultimately abandoned. Of those canceled sequel trilogy concepts, these 10 were among the most disappointing to never see come to fruition.

10 Han Solo Becoming Rey’s Mentor

The Force Awakens Set Up Han Solo Hiring Rey… Then Killed Him

The death of Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was extremely controversial, primarily because audiences were disappointed to see one of the original trilogy heroes cut down so early in the trilogy and in such a brutal way. However, Han Solo’s death also meant an end to the notion that he would hire Rey and serve as her mentor. This was truly a shame because Rey seemed perfectly primed to grow as a character under Han Solo’s guidance.

Although Rey continues to be accused of being a ‘Mary Sue,’ a gendered term referring to a character who naturally has skills in various areas and lacks shortcomings, she was actually a rather flawed character, specifically in light of her inability to let go of her parents. Han had already begun the work of drawing her away from that intense attachment. Moreover, this would have been brilliant character development for Han Solo, who would have taken on a nearly Obi-Wan Kenobi role.

9 Supreme Leader Snoke

Snoke Was A Terrifying Villain In The Force Awakens But Died In The Last Jedi

The villains of the sequel trilogy were a bit all over the place, as made clear with the sudden left turn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which saw the bewildering return of Emperor Palpatine. However, this was in part brought on by the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Specifically, in The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke was introduced as the new ‘big bad’ in Star Wars, the ‘big’ of which was quite literal. In fact, part of what made Snoke so terrifying was his massive form in The Force Awakens.

Although The Last Jedi revealed that this was only a feature of Snoke’s projection, he still remained fairly intimidating in the movie, particularly in light of his treatment of Kylo Ren. In truth, Snoke was downright abusive to Kylo, using Force lightning on him for daring to stand up in a moment of insubordination. Sadly, all of Snoke’s potential was dropped in The Last Jedi, when Kylo Ren stabbed him through with a lightsaber, killing him.

8 Finn & Poe Working Together As An Iconic Duo

The Force Awakens Set Up An Incredible Friendship, But It Got Dropped

Finn and Poe Dameron’s introduction in The Force Awakens felt like classic Star Wars, even reminiscent of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in the original trilogy. In fact, Finn and Poe had so much chemistry on screen, that many viewers even hoped that the two of them would end up developing a romantic relationship, and that fan ‘ship’ remains popular in the franchise. Ultimately, though, not only did Poe and Finn not end up developing any such relationship, but also, even their on-screen friendship fizzled over the course of the trilogy.

While neither Poe nor Finn ended up being as heavily sidelined in The Rise of Skywalker as other characters, Rose Tico chief among them, their storylines were considerably overshadowed in The Rise of Skywalker by the narratives of Kylo Ren, Rey, and Palpatine. Even before that, though, Poe and Finn actually ended up spending very little time together on-screen. This was truly a shame, as both characters were initially beautifully written and had so much potential.

7 Rey Being A Nobody

The Last Jedi Established That Rey’s Parents Were “Nobody,” But That Was Overturned

Rey’s parentage was a mystery from the very beginning of the sequel trilogy, and it was clear that she had been obsessing about their identity and the possibility of their return for her entire life following their departure. Because of that mystery, there was considerable speculation from viewers about who Rey’s parents could be. Prominent theories included that she was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter or Luke Skywalker’s daughter, both of which were exciting possibilities.

The Last Jedi
shockingly revealed that Rey, like her parents, was a ‘nobody.’

Instead, The Last Jedi shockingly revealed that Rey, like her parents, was a ‘nobody’ in the Star Wars galaxy, meaning that she was not related to any major players in the franchise. Although that came as a surprise, that was exactly what made this twist so exhilarating—this truly felt like something new in Star Wars, and it reinforced the notion that one need not be a Skywalker to have incredible power in the Force. Sadly, The Rise of Skywalker completely rewrote this twist, instead grabbing the lower hanging fruit and making Rey a Palpatine (by blood, at least).

6 Rose Tico’s Character Arc

Rose Had An Interesting Storyline But Was Nearly Absent In The Rise Of Skywalker

Unfortunately, Rose Tico was one of many characters in the sequel trilogy who became sidelined in The Rise of Skywalker, but perhaps no character was a bigger victim of this than Rose. In The Last Jedi, Rose was introduced as a fearless and loyal Resistance fighter who, in the end, fell for Finn. In fact, towards the end of The Last Jedi, Rose even risked her life to save Finn, and she kissed him.

Rose Tico was one of many characters in the sequel trilogy who became sidelined in
The Rise of Skywalker
.

Despite the many implications this had for her story in The Rise of Skywalker, Rose was nearly nonexistent in the movie, mainly acting opposite Carrie Fisher, who wasn’t really there at all—she had died before the movie was underway. This is perhaps one of the biggest disappointments in the sequel trilogy, as The Rise of Skywalker essentially erased the character and all that her arc could have become.

5 Rey Being Drawn To The Dark Side

In The Last Jedi, Rey’s Dark Side Potential Was Revealed

Much of The Last Jedi was focused on the push and pull between Kylo Ren and Rey, not only in terms of their relationship with one another but also in terms of their respective commitments to the light and dark side of the Force. Throughout the movie (and the entire trilogy), Kylo Ren was struggling against a pull to the light, which was a major part of the reason he killed Han Solo. He had to prove he wasn’t still drawn to the light side.

However, Rey’s inclination toward the dark side of the Force was not revealed until The Last Jedi, particularly when she was training with Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To. In fact, Luke even expressed an unwillingness to train her in part because she “went straight to the dark” when reaching out to the Force. This had fascinating implications even before her Palpatine lineage was revealed, but, in the end, her conflict was minimal. Yes, The Rise of Skywalker revealed Sith Rey in a vision, but it was an image that scared her rather than compelled her.

The Rise of Skywalker
revealed Sith Rey in a vision, but it was an image that scared her rather than compelled her.

4 Rey And Kylo Ren’s Romance

Rey And Ben Solo Kissed, But Star Wars Has Retconned Its Meaning

The nature of Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship remains controversial in the Star Wars fanbase. Although the ‘Reylo’ ship is perhaps the single most prominent in the franchise, many still debate whether the dynamic between Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey was truly romantic. In fact, even Star Wars seems to be inconsistent when it comes to the romance between Rey and Ben.

Despite The Rise of Skywalker ending with a kiss between Ben and Rey (that was swiftly followed by Ben’s death), the franchise has since seemingly walked this kiss back, with even Rey actress Daisy Ridley saying kisses can mean many things, and this kiss was not romantic. However, this undoes three movies’ worth of proof that a romance was building between the two, which began as early as their first encounter when Kylo Ren decided to carry Rey bridal style to his ship.

3 The Knights Of Ren

Star Wars Could Have Featured A Truly Innovative Group of Villains

Star Wars has actually revealed many facts about the Knights of Ren, although that has largely been done outside the sequel trilogy, predominantly in Star Wars comics. Surprisingly, the sequel trilogy only minimally used the Knights of Ren, although they initially seemed like they were going to be quite important. In truth, the Knights of Ren would have been a brilliant addition to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, had they been used more directly.

The Knights of Ren would have been a brilliant addition to the
Star Wars
sequel trilogy, had they been used more directly.

Star Wars’ sequel trilogy had a clear villain problem, which became most obvious when The Rise of Skywalker fell back on Palpatine as the main villain of the trilogy. This wasn’t only disappointing because it was barely explained narratively, though (although that was also a problem). Rather, this was a disappointment because the sequel trilogy had a brand-new group of villains readily available, yet the movies didn’t really use them. In fact, the sequels could have offered something innovative separate even from the Sith, but instead, it fell back on previous storylines.

2 Finn’s Force Sensitivity

Finn Was Thought To Be The Sequels’ Main Jedi

One of the biggest letdowns of the sequel trilogy was the treatment of Finn’s character arc. Specifically, throughout promotions for The Force Awakens, Finn was positioned as Star Wars’ next Jedi; he was even seen holding the iconic blue lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker on posters for the movie. While the sequels went on to subtly hint that Finn had the Force, Finn did not become a Jedi.

This would have been an especially incredible storyline, as it would have been
Star Wars’
very first ex-stormtrooper turned Jedi.

This was truthfully a massive injustice to the character and to actor John Boyega, who had also believed he would be a Jedi in the trilogy. This would have been an especially incredible storyline, as it would have been Star Wars’ very first ex-stormtrooper turned Jedi. Theoretically, Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, could make Finn the Jedi he always deserved to be. However, this seems rather unlikely, as Boyega would undoubtedly be in no rush to return to the franchise.

1 Kylo Ren Growing Increasingly Evil

Rather Than Being The Opposite Of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo Followed Vader’s Arc

One of the most disappointing aspects of the sequels was the massive change to Kylo Ren’s character. Adam Driver has revealed in interviews that, initially, Kylo Ren was intended to be the opposite of Darth Vader. That is, rather than beginning as evil and becoming redeemed in the end, as Darth Vader had in the original trilogy, Kylo was meant to only become more evil with time. The Last Jedi even seemed to be building toward that, as, at the end of the movie, Kylo seemed more committed than ever to destroying the Resistance, Rey included.

However, The Rise of Skywalker instead replicated the original trilogy’s arc, having Kylo Ren return to the light side of the Force as Ben Solo and even give his life for Rey. Especially because this arc had already been seen in Star Wars, and was arguably the franchise’s single most iconic arc, this felt redundant. Knowing that, originally, the plan for Kylo Ren was something much more innovative made this all the worse. Truly, of all the canceled Star Wars sequel trilogy plotlines, this is one of the most disappointing to see dropped.