Have you ever pondered the enigmatic tale of “Star Wars: Underworld”? It’s a narrative that Disney executives might prefer to keep under wraps.

Following the completion of the prequel trilogy, George Lucas set his sights on television as the next frontier for the “Star Wars” saga. His vision was audacious and captivating: a sprawling, high-budget, live-action series set in the interlude between the trilogies, delving deeply into the underworld of Coruscant and the galaxy beyond. A dedicated team was assembled, and more than 50 scripts were penned for a series that ultimately never reached audiences. The reason? Funding. The project’s ambitious scope was too costly for its time, and Lucas couldn’t secure the necessary financial backing nor find a way to trim the budget without compromising the cinematic grandeur of “Star Wars.”

Lucas first teased the project publicly as far back as 2005. “These were dark,” remarked Rick McCallum, a longtime collaborator, during a 2025 episode of the Young Indy Chroniclers podcast. “They were sexy, they were violent, they were just absolutely wonderful, complicated, challenging — I mean, it would have exploded the whole Star Wars universe. Disney definitely wouldn’t have approached George to buy this.” McCallum revealed that development continued for nearly a decade, with HBO at one point showing interest in co-funding the endeavor.

Although “Underworld” never materialized for viewers, its script ideas have gradually emerged in various forms. The character Saw Gerrera, beloved by fans, was originally conceived by Lucas for the series. Additionally, concepts like the Church of the Force featured in “Rogue One,” scenes from “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and certain architectural aspects of Coruscant in later “Clone Wars” episodes can trace their origins back to “Underworld.”

“We’re very protective of it at Lucasfilm because it represents a significant body of work that George developed before stepping away from Star Wars,” Dave Filoni shared with Vanity Fair in 2022. “We continually revisit it because, despite being unproduced, the ideas it contains are incredibly valuable. They are genuine and true to the Star Wars ethos because they stem from George himself.”