The nine core films are centered around the Skywalker Saga. The prequel trilogy follows Anakin Skywalker living at the end of the Republic Era in the galaxy. Anakin causes the fall of the Jedi and aids the rise of the Sith’s Galactic Empire. The original trilogy picks up in the Empire era and follows Luke Skywalker as he works with the Rebellion to free the galaxy. He defeats the Emperor and restores balance to the Force. The sequel trilogy more or less repeats the same formula, undoing Luke’s hard work by creating a new empire, the First Order.
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Television shows, both animated and live-action, have expanded on events between the movies. The spin-off films have stuck close to the Skywalker saga as well. Rogue One expanded on events that occurred between episodes three and four. Against the wishes of fans everywhere, Solo brought Han’s backstory to the big screen.
But since 1977 the Star Wars universe has been growing exponentially off-screen. Books, comics, and video games have all explored the deepest regions of Star Wars lore. They created the Star Wars Extended Universe. One of the most popular pieces of Star Wars content of all time is Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic. The video game took fans further back into the galaxy’s history than the prequels had. Fans always show up to learn more about the galaxy they love, and Star Wars has a habit of looking backwards already, so where is the Jedi origin story we deserve?
Maybe it’s a good thing that the Jedi origins haven’t been brought to film yet. Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and absorbed the entire Star Wars universe. The studio felt challenged by the amount of Extended Universe content that existed in the Star Wars canon. They felt it was impossible to create new material without contradicting what came before. So they made everything in the Extended Universe non-canon and called it Legends.
Disney has restored some of the Legends material to the canon. With sleek references in The Mandalorian, they restored Knights of the Old Republic to its place in history. Key components of the Jedi’s origin, however, are still up for grabs. The Extended Universe created a complicated, often difficult to follow, origin for the Jedi. That’s even more true for the Jedi’s arch-enemies, the Sith. Are Sith a counter-order or a specific alien race? The Extended Universe couldn’t quite say. Disney has simplified the Jedi’s and Sith’s origin stories, while still leaving room for them to be explored.
The Mandalorian reintroduced the planet Tython, hinting that Disney may be considering an origin story for the Jedi. Tython once held the Force, and first taught the Jedi about balance. It’s also where the Sith split from the Jedi, and their war began.
Disney’s first decade with Star Wars has been uneven at best. There’s never been more Star Wars content coming out than there is now, but fans are agitated. Disney failed miserably with The Last Jedi and the conclusion to their sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. Everyone enjoys The Mandalorian, but the spin-off films received mixed reception.
One thing is certain: Disney isn’t going anywhere. Despite recent failings, Star Wars is still an incredibly valuable franchise, and Disney paid a shocking amount of money for it. They already have another film trilogy in the works. Rian Johnson, who divided fans with The Last Jedi, heads the project.
After the disastrous sequel trilogy, the future of the Star Wars timeline is unclear. Some fans are still enraged about The Last Jedi and are calling for the entire trilogy to be erased from Star Wars canon. Others realized the genius of The Last Jedi and are upset that Disney walked back from it in The Rise of Skywalker.
Until Disney decides how to handle the future of Star Wars, their best bet might be to turn to the past. A recent rumor claims Disney is considering the High Republic era for a new Star Wars saga. This would bring fans about 500 years back from the original trilogy. During the High Republic era the Jedi were at their most active in the galaxy. However, the Sith were at their weakest point, so conflict might be a stretch.
It would be more exciting to see the two on equal footing. A look at the Jedi’s origin would do wonders for Star Wars as a whole. The story could offer a deeper understanding of the Force and re-contextualize the endless struggle for balance. It could answer some burning questions. How was the Force harnessed? Where do Jedi come from? Did the Jedi create the Sith? Star Wars has always been best at its simplest. By going back to the roots of the story, Disney might be able to rediscover what makes a great Star Wars film.
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