Yahoo Movies recently caught up with The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal and, as you might expect, it didn't take long for the subject of Baby Yoda to come up. After saying that it was "no surprise" to see the adorable little creature become the breakout star of the Disney+ series, the Wonder Woman 1984 star did admit that no one working on the show initially predicted that level of success.
"I can’t bring myself to lie and be like ‘we had no idea of the sensation that he would be,'" Pascal said. "We never talked about it being a sure thing, but I unconsciously kept to myself that the very first time I saw the image in the illustration during that first meeting, I was like ‘oh my God, people are going to lose their mind over that.'"
As for what it was like to work alongside The Child, the actor praised the team that brought the fan-favourite character to life. "It was just unbelievable, from the production design to the company, Legacy Effects, that created the doll and so many of the props and creatures. You’re among the best and so you just really have to make yourself a passenger to that."
"To see them care for the doll and also find different ways for it to express itself and become an incredible scene partner is incredibly fascinating. It’s a pretty adorable thing."
The entire interview makes for very interesting reading, but when the site asked Pascal about season two of The Mandalorian, he understandably chose his words carefully. "They can expect me to not talk about it at all. Only so they can experience the second season in the same way they experienced the first - that sort of awe and surprise. It’s pretty wonderful," he concluded.
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game-changing concept art from the Star Wars sequels!
10. Darth Vader's Castle (The Force Awakens)
Rogue One ultimately took us to Darth Vader's home on Mustafar, but it was once set to serve as Kylo Ren's new base in The Force Awakens (hence why a squadron of TIE Fighters are shown leaving here). Of course, this version is quite a bit different to what ultimately ended up on screen!
Depicted as an ancient fortress, it's a foreboding and quite frightening structure. It also feels like a fitting home for a Sith Lord, but and somewhere Kylo Ren would definitely want to make his own.
Giving that villain a base could have worked really well in The Force Awakens, but it arguably wasn't a location we actually needed given the time we spent on both the First Order Star Destroyers and Starkiller base. However, it would have been very cool seeing this become a recurring location.
9. Kylo Ren Vs. Darth Vader (The Rise Of Skywalker)
In Colin Trevorrow's version of The Rise of Skywalker (titled Dual of the Fates), Kylo Ren was going to end up being horribly scarred before donning a new, Mandalorian-inspired mask.
Seeking help from an ancient Sith Master, he would have undergone even more training, and ultimately come face to face with his grandfather, Darth Vader. They were set to engage in battle, and the former Ben Solo was actually going to end up on the losing end of this confrontation!
This would have completely transformed Kylo Ren's story arc, and giving fans a moment they were desperately craving (we'll be seeing more of Anakin Skywalker a little later in this feature).
8. A Completely Different Crew (Rogue One)
Rogue One was plagued by problems behind the scenes, and while we know that extensive reshoots ultimately took place, the movie looked vastly different during the pre-production stages!
Before we got that memorable band of Rebels in the final film, artist Christian Alzmann toyed with the idea of utilising alien members, including Senna, a "Chewie type," and Lunka, "something that could skitter into an air duct, almost like a little thief," he revealed back in 2016.
This would have completely transformed the movie as we know it, and it would have been interesting seeing whether this group was going to have different personalities as well as appearances.
7. Kylo Ren's New Look (The Last Jedi)
At the end of The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren had his face slashed open by Rey. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson wasted no time in removing that, of course, but he clearly had some other thoughts when it came to re-inventing the villain's appearance for this sequel.
As you can see above, the fallen Jedi has shaved his head, while that scar has moved from the front of his face to the side. It's a minor change (his outfit remains largely the same), but one which would have arguably had an impact on how he was portrayed in the film.
Perhaps this shaved head was a sign that Kylo Ren wanted to be "reborn" after his loss to Rey?
6. The Death Star Rises Again (The Force Awakens)
A number of ideas were explored for the Death Star II's return in The Force Awakens, but J.J. Abrams ultimately decided to introduce the planet-killing Starkiller Base instead.
One idea which was explored saw the crew on the Millennium Falcon heading underwater to explore the wreckage of the iconic weapon from Return of the Jedi, but this piece of concept art depicts the wreckage rising up from a desert planet. It's a cool visual, but does it make sense?
Well, not really. After what happened the last time we saw it, it makes no sense that it would still be intact at this point! However, it rising again is definitely a cool idea on Lucasfilm's part.
5. Rey's Double-Bladed Lightsaber (The Rise Of Skywalker)
Having wielded a staff in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Rey was set to get a serious upgrade in The Rise of Skywalker with a double-bladed lightsaber. This is another idea presented by Colin Trevorrow for Dual of the Fates, but J.J. Abrams ultimately just gave the hero a repaired version of Luke's blade (not to mention Leia's during that final battle).
That was cool and all, but this would have been even better! Visually, it makes for a fun sight, while no one would complain about seeing Rey take on Kylo Ren with this new lightsaber.
In the novelization for The Rise of Skywalker, there were hints that Rey was planning to create a double-bladed lightsaber, but that's not something which actually made it to the big screen.
4. Darth Maul's New Look (Solo)
Solo: A Star Wars Story was another movie plagued by issues behind the scenes, but it turned out pretty good, and featured one hell of a surprise during the final few minutes when Darth Maul made a cameo appearance.
He was wielding that familiar lightsaber and his robotic legs were on full display, but his appearance very nearly featured an even greater overhaul. As you can see above, most of his body would have been revealed to be robotic (including a large part of his chest after Obi-Wan Kenobi sliced him in half in The Phantom Menace).
Most interesting, however, is a new weapon which looks more like a spear than anything else. Needless to say, a change like this would have greatly changed future portrayals of Maul.
3. Rey's Combat Training (The Last Jedi)
Rey's training with Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi didn't last particularly long, and wasn't anywhere near as intense as what he went through under the guidance of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back.
However, this very cool piece of concept art shows Rey really being put through her paces as she's surrounded by the training droids we first saw in A New Hope. While Luke struggled to fend off even one of them, Rey finds herself battling an entire squadron of them (no easy feat).
What makes this a potential game-changer, though? Well, in a sequence like this, the Jedi in training no doubt would have displayed her immense powers quite a bit sooner than when she moved those rocks to save her friends.
2. Battle On Coruscant (The Rise Of Skywalker)
Another piece from Colin Trevorrow's Dual of the Fates, this final battle would have been way more gratifying than the CGI-heavy fight above Exogol we got in The Rise of Skywalker!
In this version of the film, Finn was set to find an army of former First Order Stormtroopers living in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant alongside some of the planet's people (who had fallen victim to the reign of the First Order after the villainous group made it their base).
Seeing Finn lead these people into battle for one final battle against the First Order would have been, well, epic. It would have also been a much more satisfying way to end his story arc.
1. Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost (The Force Awakens)
One of the biggest disappointments in the new series of Star Wars movies was the fact Hayden Christensen never reprised the role of Darth Vader. We heard the Sith Lord's voice in The Rise of Skywalker courtesy of both the prequel actor and James Earl Jones, but his Force Ghost was M.I.A.
Well, during the pre-production stages of The Force Awakens, the idea of Anakin returning to communicate with his son Luke was thrown around, and his appearance was set to be horrific.
As you can see above, he was going to be portrayed as being part-man, part-machine, a sign that even in death, the light and dark within him were still battling for control. Clearly still conflicted, it would have been fascinating watching him interact with Luke and learning of Kylo Ren's fate.