10 Terrible Star Wars Ideas That Nearly Happened

1. The Original Trench Run

The Trench Run in the final act of Star Wars is one of the greatest moments in the entire saga - like, top 2 - but it was almost very different. According to Michael Kaminski's Secret History of Star Wars:

"The Death Star trench run was originally scripted entirely different, with Luke having two runs at the exhaust port; Marcia had re-ordered the shots almost from the ground up, trying to build tension lacking in the original scripted sequence, which was why this one was the most complicated. She warned George, 'If the audience doesn't cheer when Han Solo comes in at the last second in the Millennium Falcon to help Luke when he's being chased by Darth Vader, the picture doesn't work.'"

It's hard to imagine the Trench Run playing out differently, because the way the various characters and elements come together is what makes it such a wonder, but like a lot of Lucas' first cut it left a lot to be desired. Star Wars is, among many other things, a testament to the power of editing, and that's perfectly highlighted by the great work of Marcia Lucas and co, and the finished Trench Run sequence.

Would you have liked to have seen any of these ideas? Know any more terrible Star Wars plans that were thankfully avoided? Share your thoughts down in the comments.