Star Wars: Starfighter will take the franchise into previously unexplored territory, and filmmaker Shawn Levy has now revealed new insights into the state of the Galaxy five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
After the movie was showcased at D23 on Friday night, Levy has explained that the Battle of Exegol left the Galaxy in a much bigger state of upheaval than when the Rebellion vanquished the Empire. It seems the Resistance has failed to step up to fill the void left by the First Order, leaving a lawless Galaxy with no one calling the shots.
That's a big difference from Return of the Jedi, when the New Republic was formed from the ashes of the Rebellion. They did their best to make the Galaxy a better place, but got bogged down in bureaucracy and were left unprepared when Emperor Palpatine returned as Supreme Leader Snoke alongside the First Order.
"It's a period of time that's never been onscreen in any Star Wars story," Levy told Fandango (via SFFGazette.com). "And so to create that, to play around and explore what is the future of the Galaxy was incredibly fun. Our characters in Starfighter are on the wrong side of the Galaxy. It's about these sort of marginalised outsiders who find each other and have a shot at discovering heroism through their connections."
That approach was partly inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, with Levy looking to bring a similarly working-class sensibility to the Galaxy Far, Far Away. "[The characters are] doing the best they can in a chaotic galaxy that hasn't been explored," he added.
In a separate interview with Good Morning America, Levy offered additional insights into the political landscape of Star Wars: Starfighter, talking more about there being no central authority to keep the Galaxy in check.
"This is a moment in the galaxy where there is no sort of governing enforcer or order. And so everyone is just trying to survive, everyone is just trying to do their best to get by," he explained, adding that Ryan Gosling's Kade Auberon is from "the wrong side of the Galaxy" and "did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth."
"[He has] a little bit of an edge, a little bit of a working-class background, [and] comes from zero privilege," Levy noted. "He goes on an adventure that sort of intersects his fate with the fastest starfighter ever built."
It sounds like Star Wars: Starfighter will offer a very different look at the aftermath of the Skywalker Saga. Rather than immediately establishing another galactic superpower after the defeat of the First Order, it seems we'll be spending time in a Galaxy with no obvious ruler.
That could hugely change things as we head deeper into this new chapter in the Star Wars timeline, particularly as the franchise continues exploring the aftermath of 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: Starfighter's cast is led by Barbie star Ryan Gosling. Joining him are Flynn Gray (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2), Matt Smith (House of the Dragon), Mia Goth (Infinity Pool), Aaron Pierre (Lanterns), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (Hedda), Daniel Ings (Lovesick), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel).
Directed by Shawn Levy, the film is produced by Levy and Kathleen Kennedy. Executive producers are Ryan Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen. The script is by Jonathan Tropper.
Star Wars: Starfighter will be released theatrically on May 28, 2027.