The expansion of the Star Wars movie franchise beyond the Skywalker family will help to fix its lack of narrative diversity. Star Wars’ 12 movie installments — the nine Skywalker Saga films, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rogue One, and Solo — all revolve around the politics of the Skywalker family. Though most of these works are considered cult staples and audiences remain excited to watch Skywalker-related works, like the recent hit Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, the movie franchise is nonetheless stuck in a Skywalker-centric creative rut.
Lucasfilm has found great success in non-Skywalker television series. The studio’s first foray into live-action television was the 2019 series The Mandalorian, and its first season does not involve the Skywalkers. The Mandalorian broke Disney+ streaming records, demonstrating that there is a demand for fresh, new Star Wars stories. Subsequent television installments like the 2021 animated series Star Wars: Visions also explore the Star Wars galaxy beyond the confines of the Skywalker Saga. Fans have rallied around such works, welcoming original worldbuilding.
Lucasfilm is now looking beyond the sequel era to fix its “Skywalker problem” following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is set to helm the 2023 release Rogue Squadron, which draws inspiration from Luke Skywalker’s X-wing troupe of the same name but promises to be set in a new time period. Thor: Love and Thunder co-writer and director Taika Waititi and 1917 co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns are on board to pen an unnamed Star Wars project that aims to completely deviate from the Skywalker Saga. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is enthusiastic about this creative shift and cites a desire to explore “beyond the existing sequels" and pursue “persistent storytelling.” Waititi has echoed the same excitement, stating, “I would like to take something new and create some new characters ... otherwise it feels like it's a very small story” (via GamesRadar+). Audiences can expect Anakin, Luke, Leia, and even Rey to take a back seat to heroes outside their Force-sensitive dynasty, becoming legendary historical markers (if they are mentioned in future works at all).
What The Future Of Star Wars Could Look Like
Audiences can expect to see fewer old, tired Skywalker plotlines and more original, inspired tales in upcoming Star Wars movies. Lucasfilm executives are pushing creatives to take a page out of The Mandalorian's book. The show's second season, in particular, delves into classic Star Wars mythos, like Ahsoka Tano's mission to locate Grand Admiral Thrawn, but it also forged new paths and horizons, like strengthening Din Djarin's connection to Mandalorian culture. Future Star Wars movies will seek to follow suit and masterfully capture both nostalgia and imagination without feeling stale or disconnected, respectively, like the possibility of focusing on the High Republic Era.
Lucasfilm must address the Skywalker problem to maintain a competitive edge in the film and entertainment industry. The box office success of recent science-fiction standalone films like Everything Everywhere All at Once signals that franchise giants like Star Wars and Marvel must step up and tell innovative stories. To rely on supposed fan service is to reject ingenuity, as exemplified by The Book of Boba Fett's misplaced Luke and Grogu training scene. Major production companies like Lucasfilm must therefore reevaluate their creative strategy's sustainability. If Star Wars traps itself in the storytelling of the Skywalkers, its world-building will have nowhere to go, and its momentum will further slow. It is time to draw in old fans enamored with the magic of Star Wars and new audiences intrigued by original characters alike.
Whether Lucasfilm will truly veer away from Skywalker centrism is to be determined. Disney is still hurting from the poor reception of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and knows viewers would be responsive to Kennedy’s planned cinematic expansion. Given the success of non-Skywalker Star Wars television content, it would be illogical for Lucasfilm not to test the waters with a non-Skywalker Star Wars movie. Waititi’s planned involvement in this next Star Wars chapter seems to promise change. He previously revitalized Marvel’s Thor franchise, and hopefully, he can also give Star Wars a much-needed brand refresh. Waititi and other Star Wars movie franchise contributors must aim to strike a balance between nostalgia and originality in the coming years to keep the franchise moving forward. The Skywalker standstill is simply not sustainable.