The Mandalorianpremiered in 2019 as the first live-actionStar WarsTV show, but its most controversial episode feels like a backdoor pilot for George Lucas' unproducedStar Wars: Underworld. While the first two seasons ofThe Mandalorianwere well-received by critics and fans alike, season 3 proved far more divisive. One of the most glaring examples wasepisode 3 “Chapter 19: The Convert”, which followed former Imperials Dr. Pershing and Elia Kane on Coruscant.
The episode was not bad, but it’s easy to see why it stirred so much controversy in theStar Warsfanbase. This was the first time the focus was shifted away from Din Djarin for most of the episode, which is strange when the show is calledThe Mandalorian. However, one aspect of this episode offers a glimpse of what the first live-actionStar Warsshow could have looked like if Lucas had been able to release it.
The Mandalorian’s Most Controversial Episode Gave Us Coruscant’s Underworld
Following a different group of characters in the galaxy’s capital
The Mandalorianseason 3, episode 3 is primarily set in the New Republic capital, which allowed the showrunners to explore the Coruscant underworld. Although the characters don’t travel beyond the upper levels until closer to the end of the episode, the plot focuses on Dr. Pershing wanting to continue his research despite being prohibited by the New Republic. This leads to him being manipulated by Elia Kane, who is revealed to be working for the Imperial Remnant.
Coruscant Explained: Legends Origin, Sith Secrets, & New Republic Future
Coruscant is easily one of the most important planets in Star Wars, and its canon and Legends history reveals why it became so crucial.
The rest of the episode had time to explore Coruscant in ways even theStar Warsprequel trilogydidn’t. Dr. Pershing gives a scientific lecture, characters walk through the street and take in the sights, and they go poking around the inside of decommissioned Star Destroyers. Shows likeAndorprimarily focused on government locations and dark meetings necessary to the plot, butThe Mandalorianmade Coruscant feel like a living, breathing place.
This Is The Coruscant George Lucas Always Wanted To Explore
Multiple characters and locations throughout the Coruscant underworld
Coruscant as depicted inThe Mandalorianseason 3 feels like how the planet would have been if George Lucas had been able to completeStar Wars: Underworld.First announced in 2005,Underworldwas pitched as the first live-actionStar Warsseries, set betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope. It would have been primarily set in the Coruscant underworld and followed different characters in each episode.
Lucas had high hopes for the series, hiring a large team to write scripts and even producing test footage that eventually leaked online in 2020. Reports suggest that Lucas wanted to make at least 100 episodes that were an hour long, featuring originalStar Warscharacters and returning ones. Most significantly,Lucas hoped to make each episode look as good as aStar Warsfeature film.
SeveralStar Warsactors were reported to appear inUnderworld, with even more expressing interest in returning to reprise their characters. Potential storylines included Han Solo winning theMillennium Falcon(which would eventually happen inSolo: A Star Wars Story) and even a two-part episode where Darth Vader would put down an uprising. Many Expanded Universe characters were also considered for the series.
Unfortunately,Lucas' plans depended on finding a way to produce the show on a TV budget, and the technology wasn’t there. This led to Lucas putting the series on hold in 2010, hoping to develop new filmmaking technology to allow each episode to feel cinematic with a much more realistic budget. When Disney boughtStar Warsin 2012, it seemed thatUnderworldwould never see the light of day.
Will Star Wars Ever Make George Lucas' Underworld TV Show?
Several scripts were written for the series
Although Lucas and his team never finishedUnderworld, his vision would eventually manifest in other ways.The Mandaloriandebuted on Disney+ and used the Volume, a revolutionary soundstage that can project visuals on the set where the actors film their scenes. While the budget wasn’t as low as Lucas hopedUnderworld’s would be,Lucasfilm still produced eight high-quality episodes for half the cost of mostStar Warsfilms.
In addition to episode 3,The Mandalorianseason 3, episode 7 features another scene on Coruscant that feels remarkably similar to the tone and lighting of the Underworld test footage. Since Lucasfilm has all the scripts written but not produced, there’s no reason they couldn’t be adapted into a new project someday. It may not be the same as Lucas' plans forStar Wars: Underworld, but The Mandalorian proves anything is possible.
