Star Wars 8 & 9 Revisiting Famous Planets

Considering it's only been a few months since Rogue One was in theaters, it's not surprising that news continues to focus on the first of several planned Star Wars anthology films. Though the story was relatively standalone, it still managed to feature cameos from a number of key characters and locations across the Star Wars universe. Recently, Lucasfilm gave us some canon info on the various locales and planets featured in the movie, proving just how important the environments are to any chapter of a Star Wars story. From Dagoba to Jakku, the histories of the planets in the galaxy far, far away shape the lore of the franchise and provide depth for its inhabitants.

While there's a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming Han Solo film, which is said to be quite different from Rogue One, attention is of course focused on this year's The Last Jedi and 2019's Episode IX, which will close out the new sequel trilogy. So far, we've only had some teaser descriptions to hold us over while we wait for something about the film to be released. Still, they've laid out the story's focus on Luke and Finn. Meanwhile, rumors abound as to what we'll see in the next two films.

Thanks to a new report from Star Wars News Net, we now have a few possibilities for where the upcoming films may travel. According to their sources, Tatooine, Mustafar, and Endor will all three have a role in the remainder of the new trilogy. While they can't confirm any details, the rumor suggests the planets will pop up in one or both of the upcoming Episodes. While it's exciting news, it's hardly earth-shattering. Tatooine is arguably one of the most popular planets in Star Wars lore (as a recent photo of Luke reminded us), so it makes sense that we'd go back there considering its ties to the Skywalkers. Endor, meanwhile, is the sight of the infamous battle in Return of the Jedi, so it seems like another key locale worth revisiting as we unravel the mystery of what's happened since the collapse of the Empire and the rise of the First Order. Finally, there's Mustafar.

We've already returned to the sight of Vader's defeat by Obi-Wan in Rogue One as the site of the Sith Lord's castle and his humanizing Bacta tank scene. Considering the new films will likely explore what turned Kylo Ren to the Darkside, it makes sense that he'd want to return to key locations from Vader's past. This could include everything from Tatooine to Mustafar, so each of these locations may be part of a spiritual road trip for Kylo in the next two movies. Considering the history each location holds, it's not hard to imagine the nostalgia-rich Star Wars franchise revisiting each one.

Until we learn something concrete about the upcoming films, all we can really do is speculate on the future of the franchise. We heard last week that future installments won't be beholden to legacy characters and plots from the original trilogy, but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. Aside from this new report, we've heard rumors that Obi-Wan and Leia spinoffs could be in the works. Even the focus on Luke in The Last Jedi ties the new film strongly to the past. While it'll be great to eventually explore new stories in Star Wars universe, The Last Jedi and Episode IX may not be the movies where that shift occurs.