The Forgotten Failures Of Star Wars

"Star Wars" is one of the biggest and most profitable media franchises of all time, but it's more than just movies. On top of the 14 feature films released in theaters are comics, novels, games, toys, and much more. There's a reason why George Lucas became a multi-billionaire, and it's all about "Star Wars." 

Granted, when a franchise is this big, sooner or later it's going to produce a stinker or two. We're not talking about the movies that some fans absolutely despise; rather, the films, television series, games, and more that were either canceled or became outright failures. The "Star Wars" franchise launched in 1977, so there have been nearly 50 years of content, and not all of it has been as beloved as "A New Hope." Because of the franchise's longevity, the list of failures is surprisingly long.

Most of those disappointments came and went without much attention, while others stand out. For every "Star Wars Holiday Special," there are other canceled "Star Wars" projects, toys, TV series, movies, and more that could have been successful. Everything here was once part of something special from a galaxy far, far away, but they all failed in their own ways, ensuring most people either never knew about them or quickly forgot they existed.

It's impossible to describe "Star Wars" failures without covering the "Star Wars Holiday Special," even though it's somewhat well-known. Ultimately, it bears mentioning if only to warn new fans away from subjecting themselves to this televised nightmare. CBS aired the "Holiday Special" on November 17, 1978 — a date that lives in "Star Wars" infamy.

The show featured the main cast of "Star Wars" and introduced many new characters, including Boba Fett. It also introduced Chewbacca's family and centered around Life Day, a major holiday celebrated on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk. The "Holiday Special" was made to bridge the gap between "A New Hope" and the as-yet-unreleased "The Empire Strikes Back," but isn't considered canon.

The special is poorly produced, had almost no involvement from George Lucas, and is overly silly. Carrie Fisher had one of the few copies, which she played at the end of parties to get people to leave. Harrison Ford jokingly strangled Conan O'Brien when he brought it up on his show, so that says something about how much the cast despised it, and it was so hated that it's never been officially released to the public.

After Disney took control of "Star Wars," the studio began working on new films in the saga. This resulted in "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens," "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," and more. "Rogue One" was a hit, so Disney began developing other films related to legacy characters, leading to "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Unfortunately, that movie didn't meet expectations, resulting in the cancellation of several projects.

One such project was a solo Boba Fett film, which would have been directed by James Mangold, with Mangold and Simon Kinberg co-writing the script. News of the film's production came out in 2018, and fans were excited to see one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters explored in his own movie. Unfortunately, despite extensive development, the Boba Fett film would never see the light of day.

Mangold spoke about the project on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast (via Variety), where he revealed, "At the point I was doing it, I was probably scaring the s*** out of everyone. I was making much more of a borderline R-rated, single-planet spaghetti Western. They probably would never be able to embrace Baby Yoda if I had made that. It didn't really belong in the world I was king of envisioning."

When they launched "Game of Thrones" in 2011, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss became instantly famous. They had created an incredibly popular and groundbreaking television series, so it's unsurprising that Disney reached out to them to make a deal. In 2018, that's precisely what happened, and the two landed a big deal with the studio to begin the development of a "Star Wars" feature film trilogy.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said at the time (via Deadline), "Their command of complex characters, depth of story, and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push 'Star Wars' in ways I find incredibly exciting." Fans were eager to see what the duo would produce, but the project never came to fruition. In 2019, Benioff and Weiss walked away from their deal with Disney due to a conflicting partnership with Netflix.

After the duo departed the House of Mouse, they revealed some plot details of their "Star Wars" pitch to The Hollywood Reporter. The initial film would have been called "The First Jedi" and detailed the origins of the Jedi Order and the creation of the first lightsaber. Disney didn't buy their pitch, as it conflicted with other projects and had something of a title problem, thanks to "The Last Jedi," which had come out shortly before Weiss and Benioff signed their deal.

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the studio made many changes to the "Star Wars" franchise. Many books, comics, video games, and more were relegated to "Star Wars Legends" status, while little remained canon. Additionally, Disney upended "Star Wars" video games by closing down LucasArts, now known as Lucasfilm Games. In 2012, LucasArts announced "Star Wars: 1313" to great anticipation, but Disney's acquisition killed its development.

"Star Wars: 1313" would have revolved around everyone's favorite Mandalorian bounty hunter: Boba Fett. It would have been set during his early adulthood years and taken place on level 1313 on the planet Coruscant. It would also likely have been rated for mature gamers, making it a gritty and engaging "Star Wars" title that could have taken the franchise in a new direction. LucasArts developed the game extensively, resulting in an enticing gameplay demo.

The demo featured cinematics, voice acting, and more, but Disney killed it nonetheless. The game would have gone in a different narrative direction than what Disney wanted to do, so it was put on hold before being permanently shelved. Even though it's relatively dated by today's graphical standards, there's room for development should Disney decide to delve back into the world of "1313."

While Disney released "The Rise of Skywalker" as the ninth movie in the Skywalker Saga, it wasn't the studio's first plan for the film. Initially, Disney hired Colin Trevorrow to direct the film and co-write the script alongside Chris Terrio. The duo wrote "Duel of the Fates" in 2016, and it was considered by those who read it to be dark and bold. Meanwhile, "The Rise of Skywalker" showed Disney's lack of planning, leaving loose plot threads while creating massive plot holes and receiving much scorn from fans.

Had Disney produced "Duel of the Fates" as written, there's a good chance the fans wouldn't have negatively received the Skywalker Saga's finale. The script leaked online in 2020, revealing a more nuanced and deliberate narrative without tons of plot threads and Poe Dameron saying the now-hated phrase, "Somehow, Palpatine returned." Instead, fans would have been treated to characters and references from the entire saga.

Ultimately, Disney passed on Trevorrow and Terrio's work, and they parted ways. Some elements of "Duel of the Fates" made it into "The Rise of Skywalker," but only tangentially, leaving the vast majority of the script's concepts, themes, and characters undeveloped. Trevorrow left his Disney contract in 2017, and the studio hired J.J. Abrams, who developed "The Rise of Skywalker" alongside Terrio and Derek Connolly.

Since the release of "A New Hope" in 1977, there have been over 100 "Star Wars" video games, pinball games, and other interactive products. While everyone has their favorites, one of the best of all time is "Knights of the Old Republic" and its sequel, released in 2003 and 2004. Those games were adapted from a comic book series and introduced players to the mechanics of the "Star Wars Roleplaying Game," based on "Dungeons and Dragons."

The games were incredibly popular, resulting in the development of "Knights of the Old Republic 3," which would have concluded the story of its predecessors. The team working on the game did a great deal of development, including fleshing out its environments, characters, quests, items, and narrative. 

Unfortunately, LucasArts killed development for an unspecified reason, and all plans for a third title came to an unfulfilling conclusion. But the franchise survived: "The Old Republic" was released in 2011, and players flocked to it, enjoying jumping back into the same themes and settings, albeit in a completely different format. While it doesn't look like "Knights 3" will ever see the light of day, the original game landed a remake announcement in 2021. The project jumped around before settling in at Saber Interactive, though further updates remain as elusive as the Sith.

Disney's "Star Wars"-themed park attraction, Galaxy's Edge, offers a variety of interactive experiences, including a workshop to build a lightsaber, a chance to fly the Millennium Falcon, and more. The park was also home to the Galactic Starcruiser, with the "Star Wars"-themed hotel boasting a simulated cruise through space amidst a spectacular live-action, role-playing choose-your-own-adventure story that guests immersed themselves in.

Unfortunately, it was also ridiculously expensive and far too costly for the average fan. The specialized hotel limited guests to only two nights, and for two people, that ran $4,800. Other packages included two adults and a child for $5,299 and three adults and a child for $5,999. While the hotel's unique experience may have warranted the high cost, spending nearly five to six grand on a two-night stay was outside the reach of most people.

The high cost was likely due to the estimated $300 million Disney sunk into the 100-room venture, which lasted less than two years. In 2023, Disney shut the hotel's doors without an explanation. While the "Star Wars" aspects entertained fans, many found the accommodations unfitting for the price tag, as quarters were relatively cramped and windowless to accommodate the spacecraft theme. Additionally, offering only one scenario likely limited guests' interest in returning.

Long before the prequel trilogy and Disney's purchase of "Star Wars," the Expanded Universe featured numerous projects that didn't always work. While there are hundreds of excellent comics, novels, and video games, there weren't any successful tie-in films despite the production of several. Soon after "Return of the Jedi" dominated theaters in 1983, two made-for-TV films about Ewoks targeting a younger demographic sought to tap into the film's success.

Both films — 1984's "Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure" and its sequel, 1985's "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor" — were based on George Lucas' story ideas, so he was somewhat involved in their production. The movies premiered on television, and despite the first film garnering millions of viewers and spawning a sequel, the latter didn't perform well, and the Ewok films fell into relative obscurity.

While both films are well made, they depart from the typical themes of the franchise by incorporating magic and fantasy elements. These worked well for the target audience but ensured the movies had no enduring place in the franchise as a whole. Some people likely enjoyed them as children, but beyond the nostalgia they produce, fans prefer to recognize these films for what they are: low-budget afterthoughts designed to capitalize on the trilogy's success.

Of the plethora of "Star Wars" games released in the decades since "A New Hope" hit theaters, one of the most beloved is the "Star Wars: Battlefront" series. The first two games released in 2004 and 2005 were wildly popular, so a third entry was almost a foregone conclusion. The games thrust players into combat situations within the franchise's settings while following a campaign narrative and multiplayer action.

Development of "Battlefront III" began in secrecy, but shortly before it was finished, LucasArts pulled the plug. Michael Barclay worked on the game, and in April 2023, he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, "I feel like it's been long enough now to come out and say 'Star Wars Battlefront III' was gonna be legit incredible and the fact it got canceled two yards from the finish line is an absolute crime. Gamers don't know what they were robbed of."

The game was 99% completed and required only bug-fixing when LucasArts halted development. Sadly, the game will likely never be released, as the franchise moved on with a rebooted "Battlefront" in 2015. There's already been a sequel to that game, and by now, whatever development went into "Battlefront III" would be dated by today's standards. Ironically, a third entry in the rebooted "Battlefront" franchise may not be in the cards, due to the disastrous microtransaction-laden debut of "Battlefront II."

Kevin Feige isn't typically associated with "Star Wars" because he's one of the key people responsible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige's vision and direction helped create the biggest franchise in film history, making him an in-demand filmmaker. In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Feige's involvement in developing a new feature for "Star Wars." News broke two years later that Feige hired "Loki" creator Michael Waldron to write the script.

That gave MCU and "Star Wars" fans something to look forward to, but the franchise was very different when Feige agreed to make a movie. "The Rise of Skywalker" hadn't hit theaters, and "The Mandalorian" was just over the horizon. Those two projects drastically changed Disney's plans for "Star Wars," including halting the development of Feige's feature film as well as plans for a "Rogue Squadron" movie headed by director Patty Jenkins.

At the premiere of "The Marvels" in 2023, Feige responded to questions on the red carpet. When asked if his "Star Wars" film was still being developed, the only answer Feige offered to ET (via X) was a resounding "No." Feige didn't provide any details, and neither has Disney. Meanwhile, Patty Jenkins hinted in March 2024 that "Rogue Squadron" could still end up being made. Jenkins revealed in an interview on the "Talking Pictures" podcast (via Variety): "I now owe a draft of 'Star Wars.' So we will see what happens there. Who knows?"

Long before Disney unleashed its many live-action "Star Wars" series on Disney+, "Star Wars: Underworld" was poised to dominate TV screens. George Lucas developed the show, revealing plans for it at 2005's Celebration III alongside an announcement related to "The Clone Wars" animated series. A great deal of effort went into the show's development, resulting in nearly 50 fully-written scripts, though none were produced.

Development of "Underworld" ended in 2010 due to budget constraints, and with Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, it remained dead. "Star Wars: Underworld" was set between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," offering numerous storylines featuring the franchise's many secondary characters that would have shown origin stories, filler tales, and backstories. One episode's plot ultimately became the basis for "Star Wars: Rogue One," so some semblance of the series survived, though very little entered into any production.

After the show was abandoned, test footage and behind-the-scenes material leaked, indicating "Underworld" would have been spectacular but far too expensive to realize. While "Underworld" never manifested, its development helped pave the way for "The Mandalorian" and other franchise shows popular on Disney+.

The success of "The Mandalorian" paved the way for numerous "Star War" series, and one spinoff, "Rangers of the New Republic," would have centered around Gina Carano's Carasynthia "Cara" Dune. Though details beyond that weren't made public. Disney halted development in May 2021, and the reason was almost certainly 100% related to Carano.

Disney fired Carano in February 2021, only two months after announcing the project. Carano's termination resulted from social media posts that included transphobic language, anti-vax conspiracies related to COVID-19, and conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election. Despite being warned, Carano continued posting such content, resulting in her ousting by Disney.

Some aspects of what "Rangers of the New Republic" would have become developed into subsequent seasons of "The Mandalorian," but there's little hope the series will see the light of day. It's doubtful Disney would rehire Carano, who filed a wrongful termination suit against the company in February 2024. While that case works its way through the courts, Disney has long since moved on, ensuring "Rangers of the New Republic" is as dead as Palpatine ... after Episode IX, of course.

The "Star Wars" franchise we know and love differs greatly from George Lucas' original plan. His original idea was almost entirely different from "A New Hope," and his initial plan was to expand the Skywalker Saga into 12 movies. He ultimately made the prequel trilogy, but sold the franchise to Disney before he could make the later sequels, although Disney hired Lucas as a creative consultant on "The Force Awakens."

Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn't take Lucas' suggestions, and he ultimately left the project. The sequel trilogy we got was nothing like the one Lucas planned. Lucas didn't fully flesh out his ideas into scripts, but he had outlines, which Paul Duncan revealed in "The Star Wars Archives, Episodes I-III." The films would have explored Luke Skywalker establishing a new Jedi Order while Leia rebuilds the New Republic to become its Supreme Chancellor.

Lucas had additional ideas exploring various characters not found in the sequel films. While it's unclear what specifically pushed Lucas to leave the production of "The Force Awakens," given how different that movie is from the filmmaker's initial plans, it's easy to see where a conflict may have arisen. We'll never get to see Lucas' original intentions on the screen, but thankfully, his franchise endures.