5 New Star Wars Movies That Would Get The Saga Back On Track

Ahead of Star Wars Celebration 2023, it’s been rumored that Disney CEO Bob Iger is looking to increase the quality of upcoming Star Wars movies. While many shows have been announced to stream on Disney+, there’s been no official word on any movie titles that are in the works. After the disastrous box office run of Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s brutal reception, Disney and Lucasfilm have had to rethink much of their strategy when it comes to the quality of movies they put out.

For its immediate future, Star Wars’ landscape is television shows, with titles like The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor being wild successes. But while these shows have been doing well, there’s also a need to take more stories onto the big screen. The shows allow for interesting character studies that audiences wouldn’t get otherwise, but they also oddly piece into the larger arc of the Skywalker saga. Seeing titles outside the Skywalker timeline may be key for box office success.

The Old Republic

The Old Republic Era has been explored in multiple Star Wars books and has three different video games that delve into the time period in Legends. However, it’s still widely under-explored, as it takes place thousands of years before the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It would be interesting for Star Wars to show the full potential of the Jedi Order, similar to how viewers saw the strong beginnings of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy in The Book of Boba Fett.

Bringing the Old Republic to the big screen would allow Lucasfilm to focus on new and interesting characters, especially the Jedi and Sith. Because of Palpatine’s reign as a Sith Lord, audiences have seen few other Sith be quite as dominant and omnipresent as Sidious, even if a few of his apprentices have been explored. This would give Lucasfilm practically a clean slate in terms of how it wants to craft its stories, with very little needing to fit into the larger structure of the Skywalker saga. If films take place thousands of years earlier than the events of the Skywalker Saga, there would be very little overlap, making for an interesting study of the similarities and differences in character behavior and setting.

The First Jedi

Along similar lines, Star Wars may want to consider a film about the first Jedi and the establishment of the Jedi Order. The comparison of how the ancient Jedi teachings were during the Skywalker saga versus how they were when they were developed may be interesting to explore. It would be cool to see the first Jedi on Ahch-To, which was featured in all three films in the sequel trilogy, but depicted most heavily in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Having the same shooting locations not only will make audiences more comfortable because they’ve seen the location before, but also gives them something to compare it to, making the sequel trilogy relevant in the conversations about Ahch-To.

This film would also be a great way to incorporate some of the Legends material. In Legends, the Order was founded by four Jedi: Masters Cala Brin, Garon Jard, Rajivari, and Ters Sendon. With Star Wars retconning more elements from Legends, this would be another opportunity for these four Jedi to establish the Order alongside Prime Jedi, whose image was seen in The Last Jedi. While Prime Jedi is supposedly the first Jedi, that doesn’t mean that they established the Order. It could be an interesting dynamic for Lucasfilm to explore.

The Father, The Daughter, and The Son

The Clone Wars arc that showed Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, travel to Mortis, is one of the best of the series. In the season 3 arc, the group is met by The Daughter, who is supposed to represent the light side of the Force. The Son, voiced by Sam Witwer, embodied the dark side. Not only did the arc explore the origins of the Force, but also the future, by giving Anakin glimpses into his fate as Darth Vader. The arc finished with the Daughter and Father dying, meaning that the Son and the dark side’s rise to power was imminent – until his demise at Anakin’s hand.

Images of the Father, Daughter, and Son were also seen in Star Wars Rebels when Ezra enters the World Between Worlds. A movie focused on the trio of Force users would be a fascinating way to explore the mystical energy field and how it operates. Additionally, if the World Between Worlds could be explored, it would allow them to travel to different times throughout Star Wars history. A story like this has the potential to be extremely compelling, as it presents limitless opportunities to take the events anywhere.

Lando

In December 2020, Kathleen Kennedy announced that Lucasfilm was moving ahead with a Lando Calrissian-focused Disney+ television show starring Donald Glover, who played Lando in Solo. At Star Wars Celebration 2022, Kennedy said that there had been no movement to getting the show together – and this may a good thing. While Solo didn’t work out well, it did set up a lot of other plots, especially regarding Darth Maul and his criminal syndicate, Crimson Dawn. Having Lando’s standalone television series turn into a movie may allow for more of these ideas to evolve, as well as getting Maul back on the big screen.

Since there’s been no movement in terms of production, Lucasfilm will most likely have time to shift the story to better fit the theatrical format. Donald Glover’s portrayal of Lando was one of the highlights of Solo, so not bringing him back would be a wasted opportunity. Through a Lando movie, there may be the potential to see younger versions of other Star Wars original trilogy characters. Hopefully, Star Wars Celebration 2023 will provide more information about the status of the Lando project.

Thrawn

There is a lot to explore when it comes to the Empire’s Grand Admiral Thrawn. Not only are there two trilogies of canon books to tap into, but he was also the main villain in the final two seasons of Star Wars Rebels. Additionally, it’s rumored he may make an appearance as early as The Mandalorian season 3, or in the upcoming Ahsoka Disney+ show. The blue-skinned Imperial is one of the smartest and most cunning foes in the Star Wars universe, and with his jump to live-action imminent, Lucasfilm could be setting up a whole Thrawn-focused trilogy, similar to the novels.

It would certainly be an interesting move, considering what Marvel Studios has been able to accomplish with its Disney+ content impacting the films. It might be a great place for Star Wars to try the same thing. Marvel had success with Thanos being the main character of Avengers: Endgame, and treating Thrawn similarly could pay massive dividends. It’s already believed that Thrawn is the new hantom menace of the Star Wars universe, so seeing all of that background leading to a film would be a great payoff.

Star Wars Celebration 2023 is rapidly approaching and should provide more answers about what new films fans can expect from Lucasfilm, but for now, it’s fun to explore possibilities. There are rumors that Rian Johnson may still be returning to direct another Star Wars trilogy, and that Taika Waititi is set to direct and appear in a film for the studio. However, the next Star Wars film is supposed to debut in 2025, with Sharmeen Obaid-Chony set to direct, though Damon Lindelof is no longer penning the script. With any luck, in the next few weeks Lucasfilm’s direction for Star Wars movies will finally be made clearer, marking another tep closer to the franchise’s return to theaters.