While Star Wars is my main fandom, another franchise I have fallen in love with over the years is that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recently, the MCU released an animated series What If…? which looks at moments in the franchise and how a different decision would change the universe. Well, what if… something similar was done with Star Wars?
Well personally, it’s not something that I want to see at this moment. I think that too much of the Star Wars canon is currently too heavily focused on the Skywalker family (especially in the movies) for this to work as well as the MCU version has, while I also worry that the fan divides will see people latching on certain “what if…?” scenarios and saying that this should be the canon as it gives them the version of a character that they always wanted.
However, if such a show were to go ahead, what potential moments could appear in this series. Having looked at moments from the movies last week, this week I’ve turned my attention to the series and picked some moments that I feel could make for interesting episodes.
What If… Anakin stayed on Mortis?
What happened: When Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano found themselves on the mystical world of Mortis and met the Father, the Son and the Daughter, Anakin’s status as the Chosen One was confirmed. The Father, aging and with powers faltering, told Anakin that his destiny was to stay on Mortis to keep the balance between the Son (the dark side of the Force) and the Daughter (the light side of the Force). Anakin chose to return to the Clone Wars, which led to the Son trying to overthrow the Father, and the death of all 3 beings.
What if…?: The Mortis arc of The Clone Wars focused heavily on Anakin’s role as the Chosen One. While it confirmed that he was indeed the prophesised Chosen One, the Father suggests that the role of the Chosen One was to keep the balance on Mortis between his children. Had Anakin chosen to stay, could he have still had an impact on the Clone War, or would Palpatine have just lost his future apprentice? Meanwhile, the events during the Son’s uprising also led to an interesting connection between Ahsoka and the Daughter, so it would be interesting to see how her life would be different without this.
What If… Ahsoka returned to the Jedi Order?
What happened: After being framed for treason, Ahsoka was expelled from the Jedi Order and put on trial under penalty of death. After her innocence was proved, she was offered her place in the Order back, but chose to forge a new path for herself on her own.
What if…?: The Clone Wars did a fantastic job of giving more depth to Anakin’s fall to the dark side, with a number of situations that would push him down a darker path or lose trust in the Jedi Council. Well Ahsoka leaving the Order after they turned their back on her certainly harmed his trust. Not only that, but remember how insulted he felt at not being made a Master? That’s because a Jedi must have had a Padawan pass the trials and graduate to Jedi Knight in order to become a Master, which Ahsoka would have done had she been trusted. Had Ahsoka returned, culd her presence have helped stop Anakin falling to the dark side?
What If… Boba Fett killed Mace Windu?
What happened: As vengeance for Mace Windu killing Jango Fett, Boba Fett teamed with a group of mercenaries including assassin Aurra Sing to kill the Jedi Master. Boba’s first attempt (a bomb in Windu’s quarters) failed as a clone tripped the detonator by entering instead of the Jedi. After causing Windu’s flagship, the Endurance to crash on Vanqor, Fett set another explosive trap for Windu and Anakin Skywalker as they searched the wreckage for survivors, but Windu guessed the danger just in time to push the explosive away from them, while R2-D2 managed to bring a rescue party to pull them from the wreckage of the explosion.
What if…?: As one of the leading members of the Jedi Order, Windu had a lot of influence, but he was also one of the darker members of the Jedi Council, arrogant and untrusting, while also willing so send a Jedi on an assassination mission. He was clear in his distrust of Anakin and hostile towards him and Ahsoka Tano on a number of occasions. Had Windu been killed, would Yoda have had a greater and more positive influence on the Order at a time they desperately needed it? Meanwhile, what would Boba have become if he had killed in cold blood at such a young age?
What If… Din Djarin let Cobb Vanth keep his armour?
What happened: When Din Djarin discovered that the “Mandalorian” in Mos Pelgo was in fact just a man who had found a set of armour, Djarin agreed to help deal with Vanth’s Krayt Dragon issue in exchange for taking the armour. The armour had previously belonged to Boba Fett, who (along with Fennec Shand) followed Djarin in order to reclaim his armour, until they tracked him down on Tython as the Empire arrived and captured Grogu.
What if…?: This may seem an odd moment to pick but it cold have huge repercussions. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand were key in the rescue of Grogu, as well as helping take out the stormtroopers who initially came for him on Tython. However they would not have had any reason to be there if Cobb Vanth retained the armour, which would have left Djarin to deal with the Imperials on his own. As he also wouldn’t have been separated from Grogu, perhaps they could have escaped (though the chase would continue), but eventually they would have been caught, and would the former bounty hunter have suffered a heroic (but ultimately futile) end trying to hold off Moff Gideon and his men?
What If… Admiral Konstantine followed orders?
What happened: After Grand Admiral Thrawn tracked down Phoenix Group’s base on Atollon, he managed to trap a large portion of the Rebel fleet (including Jan Dodonna’s Massassi Group) with an impenetrable blockade that included two Interdictors, one of which was under the command of Konstantine. As long as each ship in the blockade held position, it was impossible for the Rebels to escape, however Konstantine, tired of following Thrawn’s orders and wanting the glory himself, was pulled out of position chasing after Commander Jun Sato’s flagship, only for Sato to reveal that it was a sacrifice play, turning his ship to crash into Konstantine’s Interdictor, destroying both ships and killing all aboard. With one of the Interdictors destroyed, Ezra Bridger was able to escape and return with Mandalorian assistance, allowing the remaining rebels to escape.
What if…?: Had Konstantine followed orders and held position, it’s hard to imagine that things would have gone well for the Rebellion. The leadership a Atollon, including Commander Sato, the Spectres and General Dodonna would have likely all been captured or killed, which would be a massive loss for the rest of the Rebellion. Would this have been enough for the rest of the Rebel Alliance to split? And with Sabine not present, would word of the Imperial victory on Atollon lead to her spurring the free Mandalorians into the larger fight rather than just to retake Mandalore?
What do you think of these scenarios? Are there any others that you would suggest?
Thanks for reading. May the Force be with you….
The Canon Padawan 