Star Wars: The Force Awakens is smashing records left and right, but the film that now has millions flocking to the theaters would have originally played out much differently.
Spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens below!
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As anybody who has seen the movie knows, Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron steals the show in the movie's opening moments. He survives a face-to-face encounter with Kylo Ren, only to be brought to Ren's ship for interrogation. It is then that disillusioned Stormtrooper Finn breaks Dameron out, having desperate need of somebody who can pilot a Tie Fighter away from the First Order's grasp. However, the two crash-land on Jakku, where Finn presumes Dameron to be dead. It's later revealed that Dameron made it off-world when he arrives in his X-wing to fend off a First Order attack later in the movie.
Turns out that J.J. Abrams originally planned for Dameron to die, according to a new interview with Isaac for GQ. When Isaac originally met with J.J. Abrams, Abrams told the actor that while Isaac would open the film, his character would later die. The two continued to discuss, with Isaac eventually deciding he would take the role, despite having some reservations about being killed off so soon.
"I went back home [to New York], and I thought about it," Isaac says. "Then I wrote him and said, ‘OK. I'll do it!' I figured it would be a cameo: I'll come in, do my thing, and maybe it's actually better not to have to sign myself up for three movies."
By that time Abrams had tweaked the film to have Dameron survive. It's unclear when exactly the character would have died, but we can only assume it was to be when Finn and Dameron crash-land on Jakku.
More than a few fans are likely glad Abrams made the call to keep Dameron alive. His bromance with Finn is one of the movie's highlights, as are his daring X-wing skills that are put on display more than a few times over the course of the film.
If you're looking for more Star Wars, you've come to the right place. We have some ideas on the identity of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke, as well as a look at all the ways The Force Awakens takes inspiration from A New Hope.
