“Darth Maul trained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice,” Lucas continues, “She was the new Darth Vader and most of the action was with her. So these were the two main villains of the trilogy.” The return of Darth Maul was teased in the “Star Wars” film franchise in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The villain was revealed to have not only survived the events of “The Phantom Menace” but also to have climbed the ladder of organized crime in the galaxy as the superior to Crimson Dawn syndicate boss Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). It’s presumed he’s the leader of the organization. The reveal set up Darth Maul to be a major presence in a “Solo” sequel, although the movie’s poor box office performance has squashed those plans for now.
Back to Lucas’ sequel trilogy plans, the Taschen book confirms the “Star Wars” mastermind also intended to turn Carrie Fisher’s Leia into “The Chosen One” over the course of the three installments. Just as the original “Star Wars” trilogy focused on Luke, the sequel trilogy would focus on Leia. As Lucas explained: “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.” Why did Lucas abandon the sequel trilogy plan? “At that time I was starting the next trilogy, I talked to the actors and I was starting to gear up, I was also about to have a daughter,” he says in the book. “It takes 10 years to make a trilogy. I’d still be working on Episode 9! Finally, I’d decided I’d rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while.” “The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005” will be available to own in the U.S. starting December 13, but the book is already rolling out in the United Kingdom. Visit the Taschen homepage to order the book. Head over to Polygon’s website for more highlights from the book. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
