Rian Johnson shook things up in the Star Wars universe, and regardless of fan reception, it is all canon. Most (if not all) fans say they would not have ever made the choices Rian did in The Last Jedi. It appears that George Lucas was planning on making the same moves (more or less), he just was going to wait until Episode IX.
In a recent interview with IGN, Mark Hamill revealed that he spoke to George Lucas about where he would have taken Luke Skywalker after the Original Trilogy, and said that Lucas was set to kill off Luke in his version of a sequel trilogy as well, just not as quickly. According to Hamill:
“I happen to know that George didn’t kill Luke until the end of [episode] nine, after he trained Leia,” Hamill said. “Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi].”
Although we got to see Leia use the Force, we never got to see her trained by Luke. A lot of Johnson’s decisions were things that critics agree would normally take place in the third film, rather than the middle film of the trilogy. It was definitely a film that split audiences, and surprised the world. It felt odd watching the film for the first time, and in additional viewing the film shows its depths and great ideals.
Even though the choices Rian made were divisive, he made a truly unique Star Wars film. One that only time will tell if it will be celebrated or forgotten. It is a film full of stunning visuals and epic camera shots. It is not without its flaws, but it is a film that forces Episode IX to step up to the plate and top it. This is really all we can ask of each Star Wars film.
Hamill won’t say when George Lucas told him about his grand plot. According to Hamill it is unknown if Luke will return in Episode IX.
