Lost An Ending Return Of The Jedi Did

[Rutabaga]

I'd long heard that Harrison Ford himself had suggested killing Han Solo off in Return of the Jedi. I hadn't realized that George Lucas was actually considering it for a while. A short but kind of interesting read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/aug/13/return-jedi-alternative-film-endings

[Jedi Master Carr]

I don't think it would have worked that way and I think it would have hurt the series. I know I would have been disappointed with that ending.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

The expanded universe would be a completely different animal, that's for sure. Of course, they could have always brought him back a-la Fett. -_-

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think the last film would have made less money. I can't think of any major series that ended on a depressing note. LOTR was really a happy ending, everybody lived except Theoden, sure Frodo and Gandalf go over the sea but it was still a happy ending. Other series had similar endings.

[Figrin D'an]

http://tv.gawker.com/5612987/watch-luke-skywalker-become-a-jedi-knight-in-this-deleted-star-wars-scene

Semi-related.

[Drin Kizael]

Ford actually wanted to kill Han at the end of Empire. It's tragic to hear him talk about the character. For all the crap I give Lucas, this is the one thing that I am glad he trumped from his creative team. Killing that character -- especially after the whole focus of Act 1 in ROTJ was saving him -- would not have served the story well at all.

Ending it on a bittersweet note like Kurtz wanted would have made the whole franchise that much less memorable and harder to revive down the road.