Holdo’s Hyperspace Ram: Rebels Almost Broke Last Jedi First?

Thescreescore – One of Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s most debated moments, Vice Admiral Holdo’s lightspeed kamikaze, almost debuted much earlier in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. Writer Henry Gilroy revealed he pitched a similar idea for the show’s season 3 finale, but was ultimately shut down.

On the Pod of Rebellion podcast, Gilroy explained his pitch involved Commander Sato ramming an Interdictor cruiser at lightspeed to clear a path for Ezra Bridger and the Rebellion forces during the Battle of Atollon. While Sato did sacrifice himself in the final episode, he didn’t make the jump to lightspeed. Gilroy said he was given no reason for the rejection at the time.

It wasn’t until he saw The Last Jedi that he understood why his idea was vetoed. He was never allowed to read the script for the film. He now wonders if his pitch influenced the controversial scene in the movie.

"End of season 3, I had Sato blast through the Imperial forces by jumping to lightspeed. He blasted through to clear the way for the rebels to escape. I kept pitching it, and they wouldn’t tell me no, and they wouldn’t say yes, and they finally said, ‘No, you can’t do that’ and I’m like, ‘Why not?’ and they wouldn’t tell me until I saw The Last Jedi. So, I’m always wondering, did I pitch that and did it get used, or… I never got an explanation because I wasn’t able to read The Last Jedi script."

The Rebels season 3 finale aired months before The Last Jedi hit theaters. Had Sato executed a Holdo-esque maneuver, it likely wouldn’t have sparked the same level of controversy. The animated format and smaller audience of Rebels would have likely lessened the impact compared to the live-action film.

Lucasfilm’s Story Group plays a vital role in ensuring consistency across the ever-expanding Star Wars universe. With countless projects in development, avoiding repetitive plot points is crucial.

Ultimately, the Interdictor cruiser in Rebels would have prevented a lightspeed jump. However, Sato’s sacrifice mirrors Holdo’s in its purpose: a selfless act to aid the Rebellion and fight against tyranny. The original article appeared on thescreescore.com.