Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead!
The rumors were true (as were pretty much all of the leaks), Domhnall Gleeson’s General Armitage Hux wound up being a spy for the Resistance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. But, other than that, the character doesn’t play much of a role and is summarily executed long before the climax of the film. Yet, while his fate was perhaps always sealed, we could have gotten more from the military leader of the First Order in The Rise of Skywalker. Actor Domhnall Gleeson revealed a deleted scene for Hux, saying:
Yes, one time, we were in a battle scene, in a forest with Kylo Ren. Our bits got cut out, so we'll have to wait for those on the extras.
Speaking with Kinowetter, Domhnall Gleeson and Richard E. Grant, who plays Allegiant General Pryde in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, were asked about any times they filmed that they weren’t in the studio. In response, Domhnall Gleeson reveals that he and Richard E. Grant did film one scene on location, but that scene, or at least their part in it, got cut.
According to Domhnall Gleeson, the scene that got cut was a battle in a forest with Kylo Ren. The scene in question occurs at the very beginning of the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Kylo Ren is seeking out the Sith Wayfinder to find his way to Emperor Palpatine and Exogal. If you need a refresher, it’s the scene in the image below:
Apparently both Domhnall Gleeson’s Hux and Richard E. Grant’s Pryde were actually present at this forest battle, but their parts of the scene were cut and we’ll have to wait and hope to see them on the extras of The Rise of Skywalker’s eventual home video release.
It’s a shame that this scene got cut because we never really got to see Hux in a proper battle and it would have added another element to his character to see him in the thick of it in some fashion, even if he was just on the ground commanding troops and not actually engaging. It also could have provided another opportunity to show the acrimony in his relationship with Kylo Ren that drove his eventual betrayal of the First Order.
The presence of Hux and Pryde in this scene actually would have changed it a bit for me as well. The impression I had was that Kylo’s mission was very much him off on his own, with a small cadre of soldiers, doing his own thing to find Palpatine. But, with the presence of Domhnall Gleeson and Richard E. Grant’s characters, it becomes more of an official First Order operation.
There are still a lot of questions left unanswered about the scene of Kylo Ren battling in the forest. Like who was he battling and why did they have the Wayfinder? Also, how did they get it and how did he know they had it or even that a Sith Wayfinder was what he needed in the first place?
Hopefully, this deleted Hux scene and many other deleted scenes make their way to the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray (and the Skywalker Saga box set), because this is a film that feels like it could really benefit from an Ultimate Edition of sorts, with more time to flesh things out and let certain scenes breathe.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now playing. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what’s headed to theaters next year.
