8 Most Likely Directions For Rian Johnson's Newly Announced STAR WARS Trilogy
It was revealed yesterday that Lucasfilm has chosen Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson to helm a new trilogy separate from the Skywalker Saga. Here's the directions we think it'll head in.
Last night, Disney and Lucasfilm made the bombshell announcement that Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has been hired to write and direct an entire trilogy of Star Wars movies which will stand apart from the Skywalker Saga. The studio is clearly happy with the work he's done on the franchise so far but it's a bold move giving him three movies featuring brand new characters.
The big question we've all been asking the past 24 hours is what direction Johnson will take this new series in and there are an awful lot of possibilities now the Skywalker family is being put on the shelf.
So, where could the Star Wars franchise go next and what form might Johnson's trilogy take without the likes of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader around? Well, we've taken a look at everything we know so far about the movies and come up with what we believe to be the eight most likely possibilities...
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8. No More Jedi And Sith
By the time Rian Johnson's new Star Wars trilogy launches, we will have had a total of nine Skywalker Saga movies revolving around the battle between the Jedi and Sith. The prequels put the spotlight on the Jedi Order while it was at its strongest, while the original movies took place after its demise, and the current one appears to be in the process of rebuilding that (or possibly ending it once and for all).
Regardless of where in the timeline this trilogy takes place, Rogue One proved that you don't necessarily need lightsabers to tell a decent story and so focusing on characters not related to either party in any way could work really well. Sure, it would be a shame to say goodbye to lightsaber battles but what if the focus is put on a group of pilots or soldiers instead? That has an awful lot of potential!
7. Knights Of The Old Republic
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm and the decision was made to wipe out most of the Expanded Universe, fans were understandably upset. However, one of the biggest losses was Knights of the Old Republic, an immensely popular video game series which takes place almost 4000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire and expands the Star Wars Universe in a big way.
While I wouldn't expect us to get a direct adaptation of these games, a movie which borrows characters from them and heads in the same sort of direction feels like a very likely possibility and gives Johnson the chance to take the franchise in a fresh new direction which isn't necessarily held back by the need to build to what comes next, especially as its set so far before The Phantom Menace!
6. War
When Rogue One was announced, we were told we were essentially getting a war movie but it didn't quite deliver that. This trilogy could rectify things, though, with a story which takes place either from the point of view of the Rebellion or Stormtroopers as we finally get to learn what it was like to be in the middle of a conflict which mostly seemed to revolve around the doings of the Skywalker family.
Imagine seeing key events like the Battle of Hoth or destruction of the Death Star solely from the view of a Stormtrooper? Stretching this over three movies could be a challenge but there's definitely a good story in here somewhere which would show off a completely different side of the Star Wars Universe. It could even be a new war which took place in an entirely different part of the Galaxy!
5. Filling In The Gaps
While we have a pretty good idea what happened between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (the Empire built its Death Star and the Rebellion was born), what took place during the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens has only been hinted at. With no Jedis to be seen during that time, how about a movie revolving around how The First Order came to be?
The only problem with this is that the fate of Luke, Han, and Leia, and Emperor Palpatine's shadow would all loom large and unless we get a story from the point of view of Rey's parents (for example) which then informs the current trilogy, this might not work. However, that doesn't mean this new series couldn't still take place at a key time in Star Wars history to fill in a few major gaps.
4. Far Into The Future
If you were to make a timeline of the Star Wars movies from The Phantom Menace to Episode IX, they would probably only cover roughly 100 years worth of history (possibly less). That means that there are a lot of unexplored time periods, so what if this new trilogy takes us far into the future? It gives Johnson the chance to introduce a whole new aesthetic to the franchise but is that a smart move?
After all, the Star Wars franchise is visually very distinct and slick looking spaceships and extremely high tech weapons could potentially turn the franchise into just another generic sci-fi world which is Star Wars in name only. All the screen wipes wouldn't be able to change that and while it would be interesting to meet the children of Finn and Rey, it arguably feels a little too early for that.
3. Or Far Into The Past
As with some sort of Knights of the Old Republic adaptation, this is definitely one of the more exciting options. Whether we're taken back to the formation of the Jedi and Sith or the period when the Jedi Order was first born, this trilogy could escape the Skywalkers by simply being set before we met Anakin on Tatooine. A younger Yoda could even show up to help root this in Star Wars history.
There's still so much we don't know about this Galaxy before Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn visited that Trade Federation ship at the start of The Phantom Menace and a series of prequels to the prequels could be something special in a lot of different ways. The presence of younger versions of familiar characters would also no doubt help win over fans sceptical about the lack of Skywalkers!
2. All About The Bad Guys
We're used to seeing the Star Wars franchise tell things from the perspective of the good guys but what if this new trilogy were to revolve around the Sith? Regardless of whether we're talking about Darth Plageuis, whatever Supreme Leader Snoke may be, or even further back than that, an adventure revolving around the Sith cause and how they came to be viewed as evil would be fascinating.
Just imagine a trilogy which starts with them as the good guys before they're ultimately corrupted. Just like Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side, the series could revolve around a character's tragic descent into villainy, albeit in a tale told in a much stronger and compelling fashion than what the prequels delivered. This has potential and you definitely wouldn't need the Skywalkers to make it work.
1. What Happens To The New Cast?
The current Star Wars trilogy ends with J.J. Abrams' Episode IX in 2019 but what becomes of these characters after that remains to be seen. We know that Carrie Fisher (General Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) won't factor into future adventures and Luke Skywalker's journey is probably nearing its end but surely its too soon to say goodbye to the likes of Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron?
Could it be that they will be part of this new trilogy in a supporting role or will Lucasfilm put them on the shelf for a while, only to revisit them once Johnson's series is over for Episode X, XI, and XII? It's hard to say but I don't think Lucasfilm will have two different trilogies running at the same time, especially when it appears as if they still want to focus on original franchise characters in spinoffs!
Which of these directions would you guys like to see Rian Johnson's new Star Wars trilogy head in? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts and theories in the comments section down below.