Back in 2004, no one would have guessed that LucasArts would ever shut down. The studio was still riding the success of the original Battlefront game, and its sequel would go on to be one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Republic Commando would prove to be a much darker take on a familiar universe, and Knights of the Old Republic II had just expanded on BioWare's epic RPG.
Yet, these titles were just the tip of the iceberg: throughout 2004, LucasArts had roughly two-dozen different game concepts floating around. Granted, most of these concepts never made it to retail, but it goes to show just how much LucasArts changed between one of its highest points and its downfall in 2013.
While fans may never get to see what most of these titles could have been, it's interesting to see what LucasArts was trying to do back in the days of the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. It's clear that the publisher had some lofty ideas — such as an action game in which players take control of Luke Skywalker's son.
According to former LucasArts creative director Haden Blackman (via Cinelinx), Star Wars Episode VII: Shadows of the Sith would have followed young Jedi-in-training Ben Skywalker as he tried to stop a mysterious threat from bringing ruin to the galaxy. While Haden didn't get into story specifics, he did reveal that the threat in question was actually the child of Han Solo — which should sound familiar to anyone who's seen The Force Awakens.
That being said, this wouldn't have been Kylo Ren — remember, the Star Wars Expanded Universe was still canon in 2004. As such, the Solo in Shadows of the Sith would have likely been Jacen Solo, who went on to become one of the most feared Sith Lords in the galaxy. Interestingly, Ben Skywalker becomes Solo's apprentice for a time — and it sounds like this moral ambiguity would have found its way into the game.
"Episode VII: Shadows of the Sith would have put you in the role of an adult Ben Skywalker, who was walking the line between the light and dark sides of the Force, unleashing new Force powers never-before-seen in games or movies as he investigated a new threat to the galaxy (a Solo)."
If that sounds at all familiar, it should: many of the themes and ideas from the original Shadows of the Sith concept were eventually folded into 2008's The Force Unleashed — though the game went from following the events of the Original Trilogy to preceding them, and most of the established Expanded Universe characters got the boot.
At this point, there's no telling if Shadows of the Sith would have turned out well or not. Considering just how convoluted and complex the franchise's original Expanded Universe got, perhaps a smaller-scale story like The Force Unleashed was the better choice. Plus, it's not as if Shadows of the Sith was completely lost to fans — from the sound of things, anyone who saw The Force Awakens in theaters got to see a similar plot play out on the big screen.
For more on LucasArts' cancelled library of Star Wars games, check out our pieces on Republic Commando's doomed sequels and the tragic loss of Star Wars 1313.
