Duel of the Fates

Duel of the Fates was a version of Star Wars Episode IX by Colin Trevorrow that was scrapped by Lucasfilm in favor of The Rise of Skywalker. It is frequently confused with the musical theme with the same name from The Phantom Menace. 
A script breakdownRobert Meyer Burnett reviews an early draft of Star Wars' 9th episode entitled DUEL OF THE FATES on r/starwarsleaks and concept art from the planned film were leaked to Reddit in 2019.20 pieces of concept art from Star Wars: Duel of the Fates28 new pieces of concept art from Star Wars: Duel of the Fates. A PDF of the full version of a script allegedly co-written by Trevorrow in 2016 appeared online in early 2020.The Full Original Star Wars 9 Script Has Supposedly Leaked. And It Gives Fans the Ending They Deserved. by Dom Nero, Feb 12, 2020. 
Fans disappointed by The Rise of Skywalker were intrigued by the plot and story elements of the cancelled film, which they saw an improvement over TROS. Fanworks based on some or all of Duel of the Fates became common in post-TROS fix-it fics and AU versions of Episode IX. 
It is especially popular with Damerey shippers who appreciated the romantic tension between Rey and Poe Dameron in the script. Hux fans also enjoyed the character's expanded role and iconic death scene. 
One line in the script--"Hux realizes the tragic truth. He lost the star wars."--has become a meme. 
==Common Tropes in Fanworks==
*The First Order has all but taken over the galaxy and is headquartered on Coruscant, forcing the populace into poverty. 
*A traitor is executed by Force guillotine. 
*Rey wears a black jacket lined with white, similar to Luke Skywalker's outfit in Return of the Jedi and wields a blue double-bladed lightsaber constructed from the shattered remains of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. 
*Finn, Rose Tico, BB-8, and Poe Dameron infiltrate the Kuat Drive shipyards. When the mission goes wrong, they are rescued by Rey. 
*Rose's role is greatly expanded and she is revealed to be a munitions expert. 
*Supreme Leader Kylo Ren searches Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar, haunted by the Force ghost of Luke Skywalker, who urges him to return to the light. 
*Kylo discovers a holocron left behind by the late Emperor Palpatine with a message for Vader, which scars his face when it explodes. 
*Rey, Finn, and Poe steal a Star Destroyer. 
*Rey trains with Luke's ghost, and expresses a desire to become a new kind of Jedi beyond the dichotomy of light and dark. 
*Kylo throws Vader's helmet away, cursing his grandfather for letting love cloud his judgement. 
*Rey is not Palpatine's granddaughter and is unrelated to any previously established character(s). Her family name is revealed to be Solana. Kylo Ren murdered her parents on Snoke's orders. 
*Poe and Rey frequently express concern for each other. A romance develops, and they kiss. 
*The Knights of Ren play a much bigger part and are identified by name before Rey defeats them. 
* Leia reassures Rey that the Force chose her for a reason, though she is skeptical that Kylo can be redeemed. 
*Finn leads a stormtrooper rebellion on Corsucant. 
*The Resistance calls to the galaxy to Coruscant using a beacon in the old Jedi Temple. 
*The bounty hunter Bossk makes a cameo. 
*Kylo battles a vision of Darth Vader in a sequence evocative of the cave sequence in The Empire Strikes Back. 
*Chewbacca flies an X-Wing during the Battle of Coruscant. 
*Lando Calrissian rallies the galaxy's smugglers to aid the Resistance.
*Hux is shown with a collection of antique lightsabers. He uses Mace Windu's purple lightsaber to kill himself when it is clear the Resistance has triumphed. 
*In the final battle, Rey and Kylo duel on Mortis. Rey is blinded by Kylo but uses the Force to continue the battle. 
*The ghosts of Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda appear to Rey and Kylo, but Kylo dies without returning to the light.
*With her teachers' support, Rey embarks on her new blended path, leading a Jedi school with Finn.
==Reactions and Comments==
 
==Selected Fanworks==
===Fanfics===
*Duel of the Fates by BatuuPrincess. A fanfiction adaptation of Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX script, Duel of the Fates.
* Episode IX: Duel of the Fates by EduardoAranha Do you wonder what Episode IX could have been with Colin Trevorrow's script? Well, here it is a re-imagination!
*Star Wars, Episode IX: Duel of the Fates REWRITTEN by shield616. Luke Skywalker's sacrifice inspired the galaxy to rally to war against the First Order. Battle lines have been drawn, with half the galaxy occupied by First Order oppression and the other half standing together as the Galactic Alliance to oppose them. Now, five years in and with no end to the bloody warfare in sight, our heroes and villains are now desperately searching for new weapons and strategies to end the stalemate. Who will bring peace to the galaxy on their own terms? What is the meaning of balance in the Force?
*Star Wars: Episode IX - A Wind to Shake the Stars by Grand Moff Titus. Troubled by visions of his defeat, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren has gone in search of an ancient dark side power. In his absence, the Knights of Ren hunt Rey, the last Jedi, as she and the rest of the Resistance attempt to rally the galaxy to their cause. Meanwhile, a dark presence prepares to return to the galaxy... 
===Fanvids===
*Animated version of Duel of the Fates by Mr Sunday Movies.
*Live-action version of a "missing scene" from DotF by Starkiller Entertainment.This is the only explanation I have for the Duel of the Fates script, where Kylo Ren searches for Sith Artifacts and Chancellor Hux owns a collection of lightsabers. Hux even calls his lightsabers the « objects of his affection »…Tumblr post by red-emperor, September 1, 2020.
==Links and Resources==
*Original set of concept art
*More concept art
*Full Script PDF
*Unofficial comic book adaptatation by Andrew Winegarner. 
==References==
Category: Star Wars: Sequel Trilogy