10 More Unused Star Wars Scenes That Would Have Changed Everything
2. The Heroes Survive - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rather than have the heroic Rebels fighting to bring down the Empire survive after successfully stealing the Death Star plans from the enemy, Gareth Edwards had the likes of Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor tragically killed by that very superweapon in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
It wasn't always going to be this way, though.
One of the first drafts of the movie contained eventually unused scenes that would have seen Jyn and Cassian actually find a way to get off Scarif and hop in an escape pod after getting the plans over to Leia Organa (via EW).
That wasn't necessarily because the likes of Gary Whitta and John Knoll wanted a "happy ending." They just assumed Disney wouldn't sign off on a finale that sees all of our heroes biting the dust.
However, after ultimately feeling that their instinct of all the heroes having to pay the ultimate sacrifice was the right call, they asked Lucasfilm and Disney if they could have their darker ending.
The folks in charge told them to "go for it" in the end, with that "happy ending" - one that still would have seen droid K-2SO die in action - being dropped in favour of the heartbreaking end they'd always desired.