There are several Star Wars standalone films in development over at Lucasfilm. But what additions to the Star Wars saga do we really want to see?
We know, despite some production hiccups, that we’ll be getting a Han Solo solo film in 2018. THR reported that an Obi-Wan project is allegedly in development. There are still rumors floating around that both a Yoda and a Boba Fett film could be in the cards. And, hot on the heels of the Obi-Wan news, came some speculation that Jabba the Hutt might be getting the standalone treatment — which should make Diego Luna a very happy man indeed.
But all of these projects have one thing in common: They all expand on characters we have already been introduced to and have seen multiple times on the big screen. Rather than expanding the Star Wars universe, these standalone movies are keeping the franchise centered on a known and well-trodden path.
Rogue One took a chance and told the tale of a rag-tag bunch of rebels, fighting their way to uncover and deliver the plans for the Death Star to the Alliance. Though some familiar faces were scattered throughout, it was a fresh take on a mid-point between the saga films.
So, instead of remaining static, or even turning back the clock on characters we’ve already said goodbye to, we have some suggestions for Lucasfilm to expand the Star Wars universe through their standalone films.
(Sorry, Diego Luna!)
4 Star Wars standalone films we really want to see
Shara Bey: Ace Pilot
In one way or another, the Star Wars standalone films always have a thread connecting it to the main continuity. In Han Solo, we’ll be exploring his early life as a smuggler. Rogue One, meanwhile, used the New Hope title crawl as a jumping off point to tell its story.
But if Lucasfilm wanted to play in the wealth of time since the end of the Original Trilogy and the beginning of The Force Awakens, whilst also connecting itself directly to a fan favorite character in the new continuity, they should look no further than Shara Bey.
Shara Bey is arguably best known for being the mother of ace Resistance pilot Poe Dameron. However, she is quite the decorated pilot herself and the veteran of numerous battles over the course of the war against the Empire. Shara even flew with the Green Squadron during the assault on the second Death Star.
Many Star Wars fans have long held a fondness for Rebel pilots of all kinds. But while a more obvious choice might be to resurrect the beloved X-Wing novels of the Expanded Universe, focusing on Shara Bey’s story offers far richer possibilities. Not only to explore how the realities of war affect a young, fledgling family — Poe was born only two years after the Battle of Yavin — but also show how far-reaching the battle against the Galactic Empire was, outside of the Skywalker narrative.
Speaking of the Skywalkers, however, Shara has direct connections to both siblings. Not only did Shara pilot a mission with Leia on Naboo, but she also assisted Luke in retrieving two Force-sensitive saplings. One of those saplings went with her to Yavin 4, where she planted it outside her home. Those connections would provide just enough of a touch on the Original Trilogy, without having the Skywalkers overshadow the film.
Besides, who doesn’t want to see more kick-ass, leading ladies of color on our screens?
The Old Republic
The Knights of the Old Republic games are loved by Star Wars fans the world over, and with good reason. Though they’ve since fallen into the nebulous void of “not canon” following Disney’s acquisition of the franchise, fans still return to them time and time again.
What a potential film, set during the times of the Old Republic, would do is to take the standalone films away from the trappings of “modernity.” Taking place long before Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, or Padmé were even a twinkle in the universe, turning the clock back this far would be akin to a period drama for the franchise.
The basic premise of The Knights of the Old Republic was that Darth Malak had unleashed an army of Sith against the Republic. A war between the Jedi and Sith is rife with potential — especially as it would occur before Darth Bane introduced the Rule of Two. It would, for all intents and purposes, form the blueprint for the animosity between the two groups, echoing throughout the rest of the saga.
With the opportunity to show the true history of the Jedi and the Sith — rather than the second-hand stories we’ve been privy to in the Prequel and Original trilogies — it would play heavily into the idea of the shaky morality of the Jedi Order. Something that might arguably work well, thematically, alongside The Last Jedi.
The first Jedi
But why stop there? Star Wars pushing focus onto the Force and ancient Jedi concepts, from the Kyber crystals, to the Guardians of the Whills, to the Bendu, and more. So why not return all the way to the beginning — to the first Jedi.
There’d be something poignant and beautiful in the symmetry of Luke’s journey to the First Jedi Temple playing out in Episode 8, whilst we return to where it all truly began. To see the formation of the Jedi Order at its origin point, how it might have become twisted over time, the creation of the first lightsaber, and how the Sith came to be.
With the Skywalker saga potentially reaching its inevitable conclusion in 2019, going back to the start, to the reason we even have the Skywalkers, Rey, the Jedi, and the Sith, would be an interesting counterpoint. When, perhaps, the idea of the Force and the Jedi, without technology, was at its simplest.
And, really, don’t we all love a good origin story?
Introducing Madalore
If there’s one aspect of the Star Wars universe that is practically begging to have its stories splashed across the big screen, that’s the Mandalorians. We’ve seen them — and their iconic armor — threaded throughout the fabric of the franchise for years, but have barely spent any time exploring their stories.
And it really is about damn time we did.
There’s plenty for Lucasfilm to mine from too. From the First Mandalorian Jedi, who created the Darksaber, Ta Vizsla, to the Jedi and Mandalorian Wars, to the Siege of Mandalor, there’s no shortage of history backing up this potential move — whether they wanted to set it closer to the saga films, or set itself apart more.
Personally, I’d want to see more of Ta Vizsla — who we got to hear of, briefly, in Star Wars Rebels. The description of the events laid out during the Rebels episode “Trials of the Darksaber,” have me eager to see it play out in all of its cinematic glory.
It’d be something like an epic, space fantasy. I’m sold.