Hidalgo didn’t provide any details on how Luke Skywalker died in George Lucas’ take on Episode VIII, but that plot twist was hashed out years before what we now know as The Last Jedi entered development.
So even in an alternate reality where Lucas had been able to make his Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Episode VIII still would have ended with Luke becoming one with the Force.
This revelation comes from the new book Star Wars: Fascinating Facts (via Twitter user @Oozer), which was written by Pablo Hidalgo, Lucasfilm’s Creative Executive.