2023 marks Return of the Jedi's 40th anniversary, and after the divisive sequel trilogy, it's nice to see Star Wars fans come together to celebrate one of these movies.
However, there's a reality where George Lucas delivered a conclusion to that original set of movies which would have definitely split opinions. We've already told you about an idea which saw Luke Skywalker turn to the Dark Side, but it wasn't the only alternate ending considered by the legendary Star Wars creator.
According to Gizmodo, Lucas toyed with the idea of resurrecting both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, with them emerging from the "Netherworld" to join Luke during his battle with Darth Vader and The Emperor.
As well as offering their pupil advice, they'd have been shown taunting Palpatine before his inevitable defeat.
While some fans might have welcomed these returns, it arguably diminishes their respective deaths and might have pulled perhaps too much of the focus from Luke's journey. Regardless, it appears the plan was to reveal Obi-Wan's Force Ghost had been using his Jedi powers to diminish the Emperor's powers, hence why he told Vader that he'd return more powerful than the Sith Lord could ever imagine.
He'd have also reached a crossroads where not returning from the afterlife meant losing his very identity.
Still, Alec Guinness was already reluctant about coming back for a third movie and wanted more to do, and there's a draft of the Return of the Jedi screenplay in which Obi-Wan took responsibility for everything that had gone wrong in the Galaxy during a lengthy monologue. He'd have also revealed Uncle Owen was in fact, his brother!
If it all sounds a bit jumbled and messy, it's because these were only ideas which existed in very early drafts of the screenplay. While there's something to be said about giving Obi-Wan more to do, having him rise from the dead alongside Yoda would change pretty much everything we know about this franchise.
The Rise of Skywalker almost saw Rey joined by an army of Force Ghosts who rose up to counter the Emperor, but Lucasfilm instead chose to go with voice cameos. As for Lucas, his final cut of Return of the Jedi obviously saw the still-dead Jedi Masters standing alongside the ghost of a redeemed Anakin Skywalker.