Although The cast of Gilmore Girls included numerous cult icons and future major stars, but there was no doubt about whom the show’s true stars were. Kelly Bishop’s Emily, Lauren Graham’s Lorelai, and Alexis Bledel's Rory shone in Gilmore Girls and the show was primarily focused on their character growth and their complex shared family dynamics

That said, there are some major aspects of their story that were never addressed in the original show. Although Christopher and Lorelai’s Gilmore Girls marriage was a short-lived mistake, viewers never found out exactly why the couple broke up before Rory was born. This was touched on in season 3, episode 13, “Dear Emily and Richard,” a flashback episode that fleshed out Lorelai’s troubled past with her parents. However, the specific contours of the breakup were never the show’s focus, even though this was a major part of the Gilmore Girls world.

Gilmore Girls Didn't Show Lorelai Raising A Younger Rory

Rory’s Early Childhood Was Never Shown In Gilmore Girls

Another part of the show’s backstory that was conspicuously absent was Rory’s early childhood. Although Lorelai and Rory make many references to this life stage, viewers never see Lorelai parenting a very young Rory in Gilmore Girls. Since Rory does so much growing up throughout the show’s original run, it can sometimes feel like Gilmore Girls depicted all of her childhood. However, she is already 16 by the time season 1 takes place. Although the creators did film a scene of Lorelai with Rory as a younger kid, this was eventually cut.

It is arguably understandable that the original show skipped Rory’s early childhood and started in her adolescence, but if another Gilmore Girls revival happens, the show must not repeat this mistake. On the one hand, skipping Rory’s early childhood made her a more independent character by the time viewers met her, and the struggles of high school and early romantic relationships were more substantial and dramatic than middle school storylines. However, on the other hand, viewers never found out what kind of mother Lorelai was when Rory was younger.

It would be interesting to see Lorelai face the struggles of parenting a young child.

It is a shame that viewers are left to rely on Lorelai and Rory’s often sarcastic recollections of Rory’s early childhood, since it would be interesting to see Lorelai face the struggles of parenting a young child. 2016’s divisive Gilmore Girls revival A Year in the Life ended with Rory revealing she was pregnant, meaning a subsequent revival show could theoretically fill in this gap by depicting Rory raising her child with her mother and grandmother’s help. This could make up for this earlier letdown.

Another Gilmore Girls Show Would Have To Focus On Rory Raising Her Child

Rory’s Child Would Need To Be Young For A Revival To Really Work

Now that nine years have ed since A Year in the Life’s release, a new Gilmore Girls revival would need to begin with a time jump. That said, while Lane’s Gilmore Girls pregnancy was one of my least favorite storylines in the show’s history, the revival shouldn’t skip too far ahead, either. Skipping forward 15 or 16 years would be a mistake since it would inevitably feel like viewers were once again missing out on seeing a Gilmore raising their child.

Rory’s pregnancy at the end of A Year in the Life represents a chance for Gilmore Girls to do a different kind of mother-daughter story and a different kind of character arc for Lorelai as a grandparent. Emily’s meddling might have been annoying for Rory, but she was very different as a grandmother than she was as a mother. While she still tried to exert an arguably unhealthy amount of influence over her granddaughter, Emily was nowhere near as controlling with Rory as she was with Lorelai. It would be interesting to see if Lorelai’s parenting style changed, too.

Rory's Story Is The Biggest Reason To Make Gilmore Girls Season 9

Only Rory’s Gilmore Girls Character Arc Remains Profoundly Incomplete

Many of the most pointless Gilmore Girls plots centered on Rory’s character arc, and A Year in the Life was arguably the worst offender in this regard. Lorelai’s arc was relatively complete and cohesive after A Year in the Life, as was Emily’s story. As much as it would be great to see them together again, neither character necessarily neds another revival.

Rory’s life story is still undefined as of the revival’s ending.

In contrast, Rory’s next chapter is very much still unknown, and A Year in the Life doesn't handle her story well. From parenting to publishing her book, to her romantic relationships, Rory’s life story is still undefined as of the revival’s ending. Since her unseen child is almost certain to be a girl, there could be four generations of Gilmore Girls onscreen together in the next revival if the series doesn’t wait too long to return.