Star Wars fans are debating the biggest what ifs of the saga, from pod race victors to Qui-Gon training Anakin

There a whole bunch of pivotal moments throughout the Star Wars saga that changed the course of the story in a big way. Even beats that are seemingly small, like the Jawas finding a lost C3PO and R2-D2 or Darth Maul being recruited by the Empire, had major impacts on the galaxy.

Now, fans of the franchise have taken to Reddit to discuss some of its biggest "what ifs", like if Luke had missed his shot at destroying the Death Star in A New Hope or if Leia had turned to the Dark Side.

"What if the Empire blew up the escape pod that C-3PO and R2-D2 were on?" pondered one, while another jokingly replied: "But see, there were no lifeforms aboard. And it's not like only 19 years ago there has been a galaxy-spanning war where the other side primarily used droids."

"What if Palpatine somehow didn't return?" teased another, while someone else wondered how the story would've played out if Yoda had killed Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith.

"My favorite is probably what it Grievous was a Jedi, added a fourth, while a fifth said: "What if Order 66 failed?"

"What if Ben Quadinaros won the pod race?" laughed one more.

The most significant "what if", though, is arguably if Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had not died during the Battle of Naboo and got to train Anakin instead of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Perhaps Anakin, then, would've never become the fearsome Darth Vader? "Qui-Gon surviving is probably the biggest one IMO. I think there's a good chance he'd have been able to prevent Anakin from falling to the Dark Side," wrote a fan.

Funnily enough, it's actually something self-confessed Star Wars nerd David Corenswet brought up while promoting Superman earlier this month. "[Obi-Wan] wasn't the one who supposed to train Anakin, that was supposed to be Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had the experience and the instinct and frankly, the love, which in the Jedi Order is not terribly encouraged. But Qui-Gon went against the Order in feeling this great love for the kid and having this sense and if it had been Qui-Gon, it probably would have gone better," the actor explained during an appearance on Brittany Broski's Royal Court podcast.

For more, check out our check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading our way.