Today in What This Fan Wants From... I want to talk about what I as fan hope to see from Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie. As of right now we know absolutely nothing about this Star Wars movie. Well, other than the fact that Waititi is directing and that he is co-writing the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The Wilson-Cairns who recently earned an Oscar nomination for her work on 1917.
That’s really not a lot of information for us to go. However, I’m sure Star Wars fans out there still have a list of wishes they want to see from Taika Waititi’s movie. I guess I am no different from any other Star Wars fan. So stick with me and I’ll fill you in on where I’ like to see things go for the next Star Wars movie to be released. With no date attached to this Star Wars project, it could be a while before hearing any real news.
Forging A New Path In The Galaxy, Far, Far Away…
There are three main era’s fans are used to seeing in Star Wars. Every single project in the visual medium takes place in either The Clone Wars era, The Rebellion era, or the Resistance era. So far Lucasfilm has been intent on filling in the gaps between these eras. Lucasfilm seems to be focused right now on filling in those gaps with TV shows created for Disney+. And the TV side is absolutely where this connective tissue should be presented, not in the movies.
We have a Cassian Andor show coming which bridges the gaps between where Rebels ends and Rogue One begins. There is also an Obi-Wan show coming which will cover a similar period of time. I’ll guess Obi-Wan’s show will be set before both Cassian Andor and the Rebels animated show, given McGregor’s current age. Then we have The Mandalorian which is set post Return of the Jedi, in the transition between the Rebellion era and the Resistance era. It’s also looking increasingly like a Rebels sequel is coming starring Ahsoka Tano set around the same time as The Mandalorian.
Therefore, for me, any movies that come out need to push into new territory. For Star Wars that means either going way into the past, or way into the future. There is an argument to made for both sides of this coin. In my opinion though, going into the past takes away some of the world-building aspects that I enjoy as a writer. So I’d like to see Waititi go some distance into the future instead.
The Fate Of The Jedi Order
I don’t like the sequel trilogy movies, I don’t like how they changed the original trilogy and just brought everyone back to service the need for new movies. The Force Awakens in hindsight, was a pretty amateur attempt to dip back into all the aspects that made the original trilogy so popular. I think Taika Waititi is a far better filmmaker than J.J. Abrams, so I definitely have more faith in his vision. Disney should have created a brand new six-part story set in the future in my opinion. Instead, the entire sequel trilogy was restricted by trying to act as a final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. This could be Lucasfilm’s chance to do things properly and craft a new set of stories, only vaguely connected to the originals.
I’d therefore like to see Waititi go at least 100 years into the future, post The Rise of Skywalker. What has become of the Jedi Order? Has Master Rey Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi Order, without the silly dogma the previous Jedi Order became attached to? If we go by the story being told in all Star Wars content up until The Force Awakens, Luke was supposed to create a new and better Jedi Order, one unafraid of attachments.
Everyone has the ability for good and bad within them, it’s what actions you choose that defines your character. By setting the next movie over 100 years after TROS, it means Rey would more than likely be dead, or really old. However, Waititi can then start to develop what Rey began, and how the Jedi Order has evolved under her guidance.
World-Building
I’d like to see Waititi’s movie begin in a Galaxy at relative peace, one that has moved on from the Empire and the First Order, back to democracy. A Galaxy that once again respects the aid of the Jedi Order. I think that being this far out really allows the writers to world build a little more. And world-building is something I felt incredibly lacking in the sequel trilogy.
Where did the First Order come from, and where are all Luke’s other students? What happened to the other Jedi who were around at that time such as Ahsoka and Ezra? What exactly was the reason for Ben Solo to fall so far after being brought up by loving parents, and trained by a new kind of Jedi in Luke? Why is Coruscant no longer the center of the Republic? For what reason was the Republic too scared of taking action against the First Order? None of these questions get answered in the sequels.
Star Wars needs some world building to make it work. After all, it might be set in space, but Star Wars is pure fantasy at its heart. By going 100 years farther forward Waititi can build his version of the Galaxy as it exists now, whilst still referring back to momentous events from the past if necessary.
New Bad Guys
When setting stories in the future is brought up, the most common criticism I see from fans is ‘no more bad guys’. That there is no more Sith, or Dark Side users. However, these things tend to move in cycles. Are we seriously saying that not a single Jedi will go down a dark road again? At one point, the very first Force users must have chosen to use the Darkside or the Lightside? The history of the Sith wasn’t written in stone from the beginning of time. At some point Force users must have developed these skills by exploring the Darkside by themselves. Maybe I’m just a big fan of the Dark Side because that journey is one I’d love to see told across a new series of movies.
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Darkness will always rise again, something that is true of our own history. That should be fact for anywhere else where sentient beings have free will and negative emotions. In the prequel trilogy, I felt disappointed that we didn’t get to explore the Darkside enough. Palpatine was in the shadows, pulling the strings, but I never felt that Anakin’s turn was well enough planned out. Wouldn’t it be cool if Waititi was beginning a story about the Darkside rising again for a new generation?
You don’t have to have some super-secret Sith lord out there. Instead I think it would be more exciting to watch a Jedi fall down the wrong path. To slowly see someone fall to the dark by the choices they make, and the desires of their heart. Turning against the people they called friends, and slowly but surely throw the Galaxy into turmoil once more. That’s the kind of story I want to see developed for Star Wars, but not necessarily in one movie. Unless Waititi’s Star Wars is a one and done story, which I hope it’s not, then I would like to see he and Wilson-Cairns map an outline of where this story is supposed to go eventually.
Wrap it up, Fanboy
This is all very vague, but since we know absolutely nothing about where the next Star Wars movie will go, it kinda has to be. I know what I’d do if someone told me to develop a new Star Wars story set in the future, I even have a first movie planned out, but that’s got nothing to do with Taika Waititi, and I think you fans would rather see what Waititi can pull off than someone with no experience like me.
I just don’t want to see Star Wars spend the next ten years filling in every detail of the 60 year period between The Phantom Menace and The Rise of Skywalker. Let’s boldly go (excuse the Trek pun) into the future and craft a NEW Star Wars story, with NEW characters that we can learn to love and hate.
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