In classic Star Wars fashion, The Rise of Skywalker began with an opening crawl (“THE DEAD SPEAK!”), before the camera ultimately panned down towards an unknown planet.
But this planet wasn’t a mystery at all – it was, in fact, Mustafar. A fiery rock located on the Outer Rim where Anakin Skywalker descended to the Dark Side, becoming the Darth Vader we know and fear today.
And so, as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker kicks off, we see Vader’s estranged grandson, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), mowing down Force cults in his quest to locate the elusive Sith Wayfinder. Only two exist, of course, which goes some way to explaining the sheer ruthlessness of the man formerly known as Ben Solo.
But had Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker panned out differently, Kylo would have stumbled across a being known as Eye of Webbish Bog. As revealed in the film’s novelization (h/t Screen Rant), ol’ Webbish Bog was a servant to Darth Vader himself.
Here’s the excerpt in question:
A giant emerged, a hairless creature sheening with wetness, bits of lake detritus clinging to its pasty skin. Its eyes were squeezed shut, but it could still see after a fashion, because draped over its massive bald head and across one shoulder was a second creature with long spidery tentacles. The two were locked in symbiosis. Kylo sensed the giant’s pain, as though it were a slave to the spidery being that clung to it. Yet neither could it survive alone.
That sounds… nasty. Truth be told, including the so-called Eye of Webbish Bog would’ve changed the sequel’s opening quite drastically, so it’s not all that surprising to learn that J.J. Abrams and his team left this one on the sidelines.
Nevertheless, the official novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will surely prove to be a top seller among the Star Wars faithful, particularly now that the Skywalker Saga has come to an end – a somewhat underwhelming end, sure, but an end nonetheless.
Tell us, though, did you enjoy the film? Or were you not impressed with what Abrams delivered? Let us know by leaving a comment down below.