In news that will spark reactions on both extreme ends of the critical spectrum, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has teased future projects involving characters from Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. While she did not offer too much in terms of detail, Kennedy did reveal that the third generation of Star Wars heroes will return alongside the likes of Disney+ shows The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“Certainly, those are not characters we’re going to forget. They will live on, and those are conversations that are going on with the creative team as well.”
Though the Disney sequels began on rather solid footing with 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, things soon fell apart following director Rian Johnson's hugely divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017. While some fans took to Johnson's ideas and subversions for a galaxy far, far away, and to many were a clear attempt to refresh the long-running franchise by moving away from some of the more traditional Star Wars lore, others were substantially less impressed, believing The Last Jedi to be by far the worst installment ever in the franchise and even disrespectful to George Lucas’ iconic original trilogy.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy wrapped up with...mixed results in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which saw the revival of Emperor Palpatine, who is resurrects...somehow and which leads to the battle between the Resistance and the First Order while the Jedi's legendary conflict with the Sith Lord comes to a head. Concluding the main story of Daisy Ridley’s Jedi warrior, Rey, resistance fighters Finn and Poe Dameron played by John Boyega and Oscaar Isaac respectively, and Dark Side apprentice-turned-hero Ben Solo AKA Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, there is certainly areas to explore beyond the trappings of the trilogy, including what happened to the characters before, during, and after the dramatic events shown on the silver screen.
Since the release of Rise of Skywalker, there have been a host of comics and other media released which attempt to fill some of the gaps left by the big screen outings, and no doubt Lucasfilm could turn to these for some inspiration should they decide to reintroduce the likes of Finn and Rey. The question remains however, after the disappointment of Disney’s efforts with The Last Jedi and its follow-up, do Star Wars fans even want these characters to return?
Thankfully, Disney have garnered some favour with fans since the release of the hugely popular, and critically acclaimed Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Picking up after the defeat of the Empire at the hands of Rebel forces, the series follows a lone bounty hunter operating in the Outer Rim, away from the dominion of the New Republic, exploring his adventures across the outskirts of the galaxy and his relationship with the mysterious Grogu.
The Mandalorian has now spawned its own sub-franchise, with the likes of The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka to follow, as well as the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which will follow the Jedi master during his time on Tatooine watching over a young Luke Skywalker. Time will tell whether Lucasfilm decides to use this goodwill to try to bring the sequel trilogy characters back into the fray. This comes to us from Empire.