These were the plans of George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, for General Grievous. The villain was actually going to be another remembered character beneath his cybernetic shell.
Every saga has been made freehand based on the identities of its characters. The Godfather wouldn’t be The Godfather without Vito Corleone, The Lord of the Rings could hardly stand out without Saruman and Gandalf. In addition, Star Wars It has based its great presence in the entertainment industry on its heroes, villains and endearing beings who can hardly be forgotten.
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Undoubtedly, Luke Skywalker is the absolute leader of the franchise. Everything revolves around him. Everything happens because of him and in fact that is noticeable (chronologically speaking) since long before he appeared on the scene.
Since the prequel trilogy, for example, the Republic concentrated its efforts from the beginning of the conspiracies to protect Anakyn Skywalker. Master Yoda’s suspicions that a savior was born between them, the promised messiah, led him to convince the Jedi Council to take care of the young man.
The importance of characters in Star Wars
Although it was not what was expected, the passage of his father to the Dark side allowed Luke’s rise as the true chosen one. In the end, restoring the balance to the Force was possible and today everyone remembers him with great treachery.
Similar happened with other story pillars on the light side like Obi-Wan Kenobi o Cassian Andor. Their impact was so great that they later won their own productions. In contrast, the villains have had the same relevance more than once.
One of the best known cases is that of Star Wars: Force Unleashed. In the video game, the main character is Starkiller or Galen Marek. This is a Sith apprentice trained by Darth Vader himself. His constant moral debate made him one of the non-canonical bastions most remembered by his followers.
And it is that precise design for every detail that makes the heroes and villains of Star Wars so easily recognizable has been highlighted. Their physical appearances, the actors who represent them and even some iconic phrases like “I am your father” have made each profile a totally unmistakable piece.
A very different villain
With the General Grievous was no exception. The Sith droid debuted in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In it, the commander of the armed forces is introduced as the head of the newly built mechanical army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Then it had more importance in the animated series Clone Wars. However, the Grievous we know does not have a very defined identity before he ends up becoming a robot with a heart.
However, George Lucas did have thought of a very surprising backstory for the enigmatic character. “George was considering that Grievous was Darth Maul behind the armor plate. It made sense. It’s cut in half and it’s in this robot body or whatever. I’m glad Grievous is his thing anyway, but I thought it was interesting that the concept guys almost convinced George of that,” Clone Wars and Rebels writer Henry Gilroy told Slash Films.
