You may have crossed a storyline in Star Wars and thought to yourself, “What if that ended differently?” If so, you are not alone. Millions of Star Wars fans have had those exact same ‘what if’ moments.
From ‘What if Rey turned to the dark side,’ to ‘what if Padme survived’, here are 10 ‘what if’ ideas Star Wars fans crave.
We will also discuss a possible scenario or two outlining how each ‘what if’ moment would have changed the saga.
Contents
- Top 10 Star Wars Fan Favorite ‘What If’ Ideas
- 1 – What if Anakin Skywalker Never Became Darth Vader?
- 2 – What if Darth Vader Defeated Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith?
- 3 – What if the Clone Wars Had a Different Ending?
- 4 – What if Luke Skywalker Turned to the Dark Side?
- 5 – What if Obi-Wan Kenobi Joined the Sith?
- 6 – What if Padme Survived Giving Birth?
- 7 – What if Yoda Never Retreated From Darth Sidious?
- 8 – What if Leia Continued Her Jedi Training?
- 9 – What if Rey Fell to the Dark Side?
- 10 – What if Anakin Replaced Han Solo in The Rise of Skywalker?
Top 10 Star Wars Fan Favorite ‘What If’ Ideas
1 – What if Anakin Skywalker Never Became Darth Vader?
In Revenge of the Sith, we saw Anakin Skywalker’s faith in the Jedi extinguished thanks to Chancellor Palpatine’s lie that the dark side could help save Padme Amidala’s life.
For a moment in Revenge of the Sith, it looked as though Anakin resisted Palpatine’s temptation when he reported the Chancellor as the Sith Lord controlling the Senate. But when Jedi Master Mace Windu insisted on killing Palpatine, Anakin interfered and assumed the identity of Darth Vader.
Had Anakin allowed Mace Windu to kill Palpatine, the Jedi Council would have promoted him to the rank of Jedi Master. This may have restored Anakin’s faith in the Jedi, and he would have become a leader in their ranks following the Clone Wars.
2 – What if Darth Vader Defeated Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith?
We know Obi-Wan defeated Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith and took the Sith Lord’s son, Luke Skywalker, to Tatooine to live with his step aunt and uncle, Beru and Owen Lars. But if Vader killed Kenobi on Mustafar, then it completely changes the game.
When they made the decision to separate Luke and Leia, Obi-Wan and Yoda did not know who else survived Order 66. With Obi-Wan out of the picture, Yoda would have likely employed another to take Luke to Tatooine, perhaps Bail Organa.
It’s also likely that Bail, who took Leia to Alderaan, would have kept tabs on Luke in the short term. He may have sought out a surviving Jedi or even a Force-sensitive outsider to position themselves on Tatooine, then train Luke once he was old enough.
3 – What if the Clone Wars Had a Different Ending?
The Clone Wars kicked off in Attack of the Clones and it was Chancellor Palpatine’s master plan for the Sith to take over the galaxy. Palpatine succeeded when he swayed Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and executed Order 66.
We know the Clone Wars would have ended differently had Anakin Skywalker not fallen to the dark side, but what if the Jedi did more than just express their suspicions of Palpatine?
In such a scenario, they could have defeated Palpatine before he had a chance to sway Anakin. This would have prevented Order 66 from occurring and the Republic wouldn’t have dissolved into the Galactic Empire.
However, it doesn’t mean a new threat wouldn’t have emerged at some point in the Star Wars timeline.
4 – What if Luke Skywalker Turned to the Dark Side?
In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker appeared to be falling closer to the dark side, especially when he looked ready to strike the death blow to Darth Vader. However, he resisted Emperor Palpatine and proclaimed himself as a Jedi.
Luke also could have formed a father-son duo with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back when Vader tried to sway him during their duel in Cloud City.
Had Luke joined Vader, it could have kept the Galactic Empire going for at least another three decades, but in either instance, Rey still would have emerged and fought against the Empire instead of the First Order.
Luke turning to the dark side could have crushed the rebellion, prompting Han Solo and Leia to go into hiding. This means Ben Solo could have still become a pivotal part of the saga, except he and Rey would have battled the Empire together.
5 – What if Obi-Wan Kenobi Joined the Sith?
This one is similar to the second ‘what if’ moment on our list, but with Obi-Wan joining Vader. Instead of defeating and leaving Vader to die next to Mustafar’s lava river, Obi-Wan and Vader probably would have immediately overthrown Palpatine after joining forces.
It’s possible they would have also returned to Padme, where she would have still given birth to Luke and Leia. The Force-sensitive twins would have become agents for the Empire, which brings us to someone else becoming the hero.
If Obi-Wan and Anakin overthrew and killed Palpatine, that hero wouldn’t have been Rey since her father, Dathan, was born in 12 BBY as a clone. Ben Solo is also out, with Leia becoming a potential agent here.
It’s safe to say that, because of the number of unknowns in this ‘what if’ scenario, it could be the most interesting one on our list.
6 – What if Padme Survived Giving Birth?
Toward Revenge of the Sith’s ending, we saw Padme die moments after giving birth to Luke and Leia and proclaiming that there was still good in Anakin.
Had Padme survived giving birth to Luke and Leia, Yoda and Obi-Wan could have found a way to bring the former Senator and her twins into hiding.
In this scenario, we may have seen Padme becoming a key fixture in the Rebellion while Luke and Leia were growing up. As Force-sensitives, they may have learned about and started their Jedi training away from the Empire’s watchful eye.
7 – What if Yoda Never Retreated From Darth Sidious?
Arguably the most powerful Jedi in the Prequel Trilogy, Yoda fought in a brief lightsaber battle with Emperor Palpatine, but he retreated and picked up a ride from Bail Organa. Had Yoda continued fighting, he would have also dealt with incoming clone troopers.
We know the Jedi Master was capable of defeating the clones, something we saw when he and Obi-Wan cleared the Jedi Temple. Despite being outnumbered, Yoda showed off his immense skills, easily helping Obi-Wan defeat the clone troopers.
In this scenario, Yoda would have fought off the clone troopers while continuing his fight against Darth Sidious. They would have fought to the death. Had Yoda won, he could have stopped the Empire before it even got going.
But if Darth Sidious won, it would have still set the stage for A New Hope.
8 – What if Leia Continued Her Jedi Training?
Leia Organa was Force-sensitive like her brother, Luke. However, she never fully trained as a Jedi, having abandoned her training when she had a vision that her son, Ben, would die if she continued training.
While she applied what Luke taught her to other areas in her life and even trained Rey in the ways of the Force, Leia never became a Jedi Knight.
An alternate scenario could have had Leia continuing her training following the Galactic Civil War instead of giving it up. Perhaps there could be a scenario where she even embraced her Force-sensitivity during the Original Trilogy and trained alongside Luke.
9 – What if Rey Fell to the Dark Side?
During the latter stages of the Sequel Trilogy, Rey discovered her connection to the Sith as Palpatine’s granddaughter.
She resisted his advances and refused to fall to the Sith. However, if Rey instead fell to the dark side and allowed Palpatine to use her body as a vessel, then he would have regained full control of the galaxy.
This would have set the stage for yet another trilogy and we would have probably seen a new hero emerge. Or, perhaps Ben Solo becomes the protagonist in such a series? This ‘what if’ moment has an endless array of possibilities.
10 – What if Anakin Replaced Han Solo in The Rise of Skywalker?
In The Rise of Skywalker, Han Solo swayed his son, Ben Solo, back to the light. But could the moment have been more climactic had Anakin Skywalker appeared to Ben?
We know that Ben wanted to continue Darth Vader’s legacy and rule the galaxy.
So in this scenario, Anakin would have briefly returned and informed Ben, still going by the Kylo Ren moniker, that he was wrong to believe ruling the galaxy would have finished what Vader started.
Instead, Anakin would have told Ben that the best way to continue his legacy would be to keep bringing balance to the Force.
Unlike many of the scenarios listed above, Anakin meeting with Ben wouldn’t have changed the series, and you still would have seen The Rise of Skywalker reach a similar ending as the original story.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.