Disney may have opted not to develop sequels to Solo: A Star Wars Story following the film's disappointing box-office return, but elements of them could find a new life in upcoming Star Wars video games. Solo left the door open for future sequels, and its stars Alden Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke had options included in their contracts to appear in future Star Wars movies. These sequels would've likely focused on Han Solo and Chewbacca developing their reputations as burgeoning smugglers, as well as Qi'ra ascending the ranks of Maul's criminal empire, Crimson Dawn. There's still a chance that a Solo sequel could materialize in the future, but with characters from the films now appearing in Star Wars comics, it seems as though Lucasfilm is continuing Solo's story in different mediums.

The ongoing War of the Bounty Hunters comic sees Qi'ra regain control of Crimson Dawn during the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and it's a great example of how related Star Wars media could salvage the interesting plot threads that were dangled in Solo's ending. Solo's main story took place in 10 BBY, and there's potential to explore its unresolved narrative further into the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Lucasfilm is still yet to reveal how Maul lost control of Crimson Dawn before the events of Star Wars Rebels, and even the specifics of how he created the organization after outwitting the Empire's Inquisitors. Such a story would be suitable for a future Star Wars video game, either in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2, or a new series entirely.

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Maul was once the subject of a canceled Star Wars video game that would've featured Darth Talon as his partner during the events of The Clone Wars, but the gap in between Episode III and IV is arguably the more interesting setting, given how little we know of what he got up to before his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. Maul could appear as an antagonist in a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel, and possibly even Qi'ra too, given the events of Respawn's game take place only four years before Solo. It may be better for Fallen Order to ignore the Skywalker Saga, and picking up the pieces of Solo's canceled sequels could be the perfect way of doing so.

Solo's Characters Could Appear In Star Wars Video Games

Ray Park as Darth Maul in Solo

Fallen Order 2 shouldn't dedicate itself to telling a different film's story, but using Crimson Dawn as a possible antagonistic presence would help distinguish it from other Star Wars offerings set in and around the original trilogy, and help fill in the blanks in the series' continuity along the way. Stormtroopers have served as enemies in countless Star Wars video games, but giving protagonist Cal Kestis a different foe to cut down to size - such as the gangsters of Crimson Dawn, or maybe even another criminal syndicate - would make for a refreshing change of pace. Characters like Maul and Qi'ra deserve to have their stories told in their own dedicated ventures, but there's nothing to stop them from showing up in Lucasfilm's Star Wars games, provided their presence didn't cause any headaches regarding continuity.

The gap in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope has proven to be fertile ground to tell interesting Star Wars stories for years now, with 2008's The Force Unleashed video game being one such example. There's a 19-year gap to tell stories in that setting, ranging from those that focus on the immediate aftermath of Order 66, as fans have seen in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, to those that take place as the Rebel Alliance is growing in strength, such as Star Wars Rebels. This provides a lot of wiggle room for developers to tell their own unique Star Wars stories, as well as opportunities for Lucasfilm to flesh out the backstories of characters from the films, which could be partially achieved via appearances in video games.

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With the emergence of Lucasfilm Games, fans can expect more Star Wars titles to arrive. Even if Ubisoft's upcoming open-world Star Wars game isn't set after the prequel trilogy, there are likely to be others that will be. It's there where Solo's characters could thrive, benefitting from minor or key roles in certain single-player stories, as well as from renewed attention in adjacent Star Wars media, such as TV, comics, and novels.

Star Wars Games Can Be Just As Important As The Novels And Comics

Jedi Fallen Order Sister

One element of non-film Star Wars media that can prove frustrating is that a lot of stories are told in order to explain certain aspects of the films. Some of the best Star Wars comics and novels have barely anything to do with the films, and tell their own unique tale separate to them. The same is true of the franchise's video games, with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's story a great example. That said, there are also some stories from Star Wars' expanded media that have done the opposite to great success, enriching certain characters and even entire narratives in the process. Star Wars games have done just that in the past, and there's no reason to suggest they wouldn't be able to do the same again, now that more are on the way.

Star Wars 1313 was going to tell the origin story of Boba Fett, and reveal just how exactly he developed his reputation as the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunter. Although it was scrapped in the wake of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, it serves as an example of how Star Wars games can be trusted to tell important stories surrounding the series' most iconic characters. Star Wars video games can provide truly cinematic experiences that stand alongside the films and TV shows, and form key pillars of the new canon in the process. Disney has entrusted much of the development of the new Star Wars canon to novels and comics, but games can serve an equally important role, and exploring Solo: A Star Wars Story's unresolved elements would be a great way of affirming that.

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Maul's story in and around Solo is particularly interesting and would provide a solid premise for a possible Star Wars video game. It's possible that Lucasfilm has reserved a space to tell more of his backstory in a different medium, such as in animation or a comic or novel, but the character's ferocious style of combat would lend itself particularly well to the gaming medium. Maul's whereabouts during Fallen Order could also be revealed in his own game, as he would've been active on Dathomir when Cal Kestis visited the planet.

Going further, it would also be great to see Qi'ra, Lando, or Han himself front their own games set after Solo: A Star Wars Story, with all having rich potential in both a narrative and gameplay sense. Star Wars Battlefront 2 already showed how much fun it could be to take control of the Millennium Falcon, and a game where players could explore its interior while Han and Chewie outran Crimson Dawn could have the makings of a compelling Star Wars title.

Regardless of whether or not Solo's sequels could make it to the gaming medium, Lucasfilm Games has confirmed that more Star Wars video games are on the way, with Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment developing an open-world project and Aspyr working on a KOTOR remake for Sony's PlayStation 5 console. With a renewed focus on single-player following the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, there's scope once again for Star Wars video games to flesh out key moments in the galaxy far, far away's canon, and Solo should be at the top of the list.

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