The Star Wars universe may be largely restricted to “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” but there are hints and hopes that we could be exploring new people and places we’ve never dreamed off in future standalone films.
In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, reporter Anthony Breznican mentioned that Rogue One has played it too safe by retelling the story of the Death Star, and that future spin-off films (after the Han Solo prequel) could and perhaps should be truly standalone. It opens the door to a wide range of original stories and sagas, especially since the original Expanded Universe is no longer canon.
“If all goes according to Lucasfilm’s plan, future standalone movies won’t have to lean on events from previous films,” Breznican wrote.
It’s not out of the question that we could go beyond the original Skywalker saga. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently said it’s possible that Disney could go entirely to standalone films in the future, instead of continuing the main story of Anakin Skywalker and his descendants. Still, she said she doesn’t know if that’s actually what they’re going to do, but there are solid reasons for doing so, like giving us new heroes and legends in the Star Wars universe.
So what could we see in the future of Star Wars after Rogue One? Perhaps we’ll see a prequel that explores the larger universe before Palpatine rose to power, maybe looking at post-Empire Jedi secretly practicing their craft as they study the Force and thwart bad guys. Heck, we could explore the roots of the Mon Calamari, arguably one of the most important species in the Rebellion. What’s their story, and why do they keep believing things are traps? More importantly, why do they keep falling prey to them?
There are so many amazing planets to explore, characters flesh out, and stories to tell, so it seems a waste to keep focusing on one family’s neverending drama. Let’s expand the universe and make Star Wars even bigger.
