Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith almost had a completely different ending. An ending that would have had major implications for the rest of the Star Wars saga…
On Tuesday, May 16, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones celebrated its 15th anniversary. That film was the second of the Star Wars prequel series, a series much maligned in the minds of many Star Wars fans, yet beloved by many, many more. The prequels started with The Phantom Menace and ended with Revenge of the Sith, a film much darker than its predecessors.
Many Star Wars fans consider Revenge to be the best of the three, and yet, the fact that Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) was turned from a powerful woman figure — once a queen and later a senator — into a weak emotional mess who lost the will to live by the end of the film, still resonates negatively with Star Wars fans, and reflects poorly on George Lucas’ writing.
However, what if there was a different ending to Revenge of the Sith? An ending that saw a much stronger Padmé Amidala not only become the founder of the Rebellion but nearly kill Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar, as well?
According to GamesRadar, Lucasfilm concept artist Iain McCraig told exactly that story in an interview posted by the Academy of Art University. Here’s the video, and the good part starts at the 30-minute mark.
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In this original ending, Revenge of the Sith would have seen Padmé realize that Anakin had fallen to the Dark Side, and, after watching Palpatine make himself the Emperor, she would have gathered anyone to her cause, including the Separatists the Republic had been fighting against in the Clone Wars, forming the Rebel Alliance.
This isn’t where the surprisingly far superior original finale to Revenge of the Sith ends, however, as Padmé actually pulls a knife on Anakin, and the newly minted Darth Vader wouldn’t even have resisted, as her blade was forced against his throat.
Ultimately, Padmé doesn’t go through with it, and as McCraig recounts, the film still would have ended relatively the same, only, we would have been treated to a much better and stronger Padmé, than the one that made it to the theatrical cut.
We want to hear from you: Would you have preferred a much stronger Padmé Amidala in Revenge of the Sith? Let’s discuss in the comments below.