10 Terrible Star Wars Ideas That Nearly Happened

6. Anakin's Force Ghost In Episode VII

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader ghost Star Wars: The Force Awakens art of
Lucasfilm

The spectre of Darth Vader looms large over The Force Awakens, serving as one of the main driving forces (or Forces) behind new villain Kylo Ren. However, while we do see Vader's broken mask, he could've appeared in a much more tangible way.

The book The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens revealed concept art for a new Force Ghost take on Anakin Skywalker, once again played by Hayden Christensen. Unlike the ghosts we saw in the Original Trilogy, this would've been a more twisted version, flitting between Anakin and Vader, or the Light and the Dark.

It seems likely this would've been a part of Luke's story in the movie, which was a lot bigger in Michael Arndt's original script, and was cut when Luke's role was reduced to just the very end. There are rumours Christensen will appear in The Last Jedi, so we might see this yet, but for The Force Awakens - which needed to revive Star Wars after the prequels - including a cameo would've been far too distracting and divisive.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.