Lucas at one point considered depicting Vader and Fett as brothers in the prequel films, but discounted it as too "hokey". In continuing to develop the character in the prequel films, Lucas closed some avenues for expanding the character's story while opening others. Lucas considered adding a shot of Fett escaping the sarlacc in later editions of "Return of the Jedi", but decided against it because it would have detracted from the story's focus. Lucas also said that, had he known Fett would be so popular, he would have made the character's death "more exciting". In 2014, "Star Wars" historian Jonathan W. Rinzler revealed that Lucas had told him that Fett escaped from the sarlacc, although this was not confirmed until Fett's appearance in "The Mandalorian" six years later.