[Space Capes & Laser Swords] 8 Star Wars Stories We Want to See Come to Life!

It’s announcement frenzy this week in the Star Wars fandom! David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones show runners have been announced to do a stand alone movie outside of the Skywalker saga. Rian Johnson has already been confirmed to do his own set of movies. Dave Filoni has been given the “go” to start another animated series after the series finale of Star Wars Rebels. Bob Iger has also teased a few new TV series in development. The Star Wars on-screen universe is growing. This is no surprise for long time fans knowing that there is a huge library of work to go off of and adapt. Here are eight stories we’d like to see on screen – either lining up at midnight at the cinema’s or binge watching on Disney’s upcoming streaming service.

 

8. Lando by Charles Soule

When we saw the trailer for Solo, we have a feeling that Donald Glover is gonna be a scene stealer. Even in still shots, Glover has Lando’s je ne said quois ladies man swagger down. The underused and often unsung hero of Return of the Jedi deserves a little more screen time and this Ocean’s 11 type adventure sets Lando on the score of a lifetime… too bad the Emperor wants to make it a very short life for Lando. Get Glover and Ron Howard to collaborate on this next anthology project.

 

7. Doctor Aphra comic series

Doctor Aphra can be best described as the Indiana Jones of the Star Wars universe. She’s a bit Lara Croft, but also plucky. She has no allegiance to the empire or rebellion. Whomever can give her the most Imperial credits is who she will side with. Originally appearing in the Darth Vader comic series as a mercenary, Doctor Aphra’s stories span before the OG trilogy and into events prior to Empire Strikes Back. I would love to see a Screaming Citadel adaptation where Aphra and Luke have to work together to go up against a vampire queen. Get Madhouse to animate this for a streaming series and we’re set!

 

6. Twilight Company/Scar Squadron

Either team deserves a well done ‘boots on the ground’ series/movie/etc as we don’t get the non-Jedi perspective too often in war. After all, the episodes of Cone Wars that tended to be the most enjoyable were the episodes that were very clone focused. Soldiers with no magic are far more compelling than the average Gary Stu/Mary Sue Jedi hero/ine in the main saga. The success of Rogue One showed that a Star Wars movie can do well minus the Jedi and the Force. Let’s put the “war” in Star Wars!

 

5. Post-Order 66 Era stories

There are two Jedi survival stories in this era. Both are worth investing time into if you’re wondering how a few survived the purge.

Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston: Not only does it bridge the gap between Clone Wars and Rebels, it also has pre-made assets thanks to both series.

Kanan by Greg Weisman: While the wrap around story should be cut, the 12 issue comic series tells how Kanan became a soldier and more importantly how he survived order 66. Making this an adventure any Rebels fan would want to take. Also, Freddie Prinze Jr. gets more work.

 

4. Events leading up to Rogue One

These books have came and went, but are stories worth adapting, even for a streaming original movie or a short mini series. Both books discuss the legacy of the Erso family in and out of the empire. More importantly discuss the shades of grey in both the Rebellion and Empire.

Rebel Rising by Beth Rivas. I was someone who really, really wanted to like Jyn Erso and label her as my best girl in the new cannon. However, there was something missing from the movie. Beth Rivas’ story is as if you had Leon: The Professional set in the Star Wars universe. It follows events after the prologue and into Jyn’s formative years. I won’t give too much away, but this really gives Jyn a human edge and you can understand why she’s unwilling to join the alliance at first. Rivas writes Jyn as an adolescent who dealt with loss and trauma while questioning the world around her. Pretty deep for a young adult novel!

Catalyst by James Luceno. The actors are still in their prime, I can definitely see a movie adaptation of this family drama. Remember those flashbacks in Rogue One? That’s what this book is about – how Galen was hired by the empire and realized how manipulated he was in the process. You do get little Stardust running around and how the Erso’s came to know Saw. Let’s just hope they hire someone like Peter Capaldi in the Tarkin role rather than CG Tarkin.

 

3. Luke’s Jedi Academy

Before he feasted on organic and natural delicacies of Ahch-To, we would like to know how Luke founded the new Jedi order training new padawans to start up a new generation of Jedi…before the incident. This could be a fun series aimed at kiddos helmed by Dave Filoni. It’s very certain that many fans would like to see Luke post-Return of the Jedi. We did get to see a little bit of this in Battlefront 2 (but really, who bought that game anyway) as Luke is searching for old Jedi knick knacks. However, we’re pretty sure Luke had successes and moments of heroism prior to the fall of Ben Solo. Those who achieve the highest, have the most distance to fall.

 

2. Knights of the Old Republic

The early history of the Jedi is no longer canon, time to fix that. With heroes turned villains like Darth Revan to the soldiers fighting to survive like in the Knight comic series there are many stories to be told and many new adventures yet to be written. Both Johnson and Abrams have said that their film projects will not involve Old Republic. However, with Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss on board, anything goes.

 

1. Most. Of. Freakin’. Legends.

Because it’s about time.

How about this, Kathleen Kennedy? Many science fiction franchises have multiverses and alternate timelines. The Gundam franchise is doing very well in the international market and has several different timelines. There is a contingency of fans who want to see the best of the Legends timeline. When Star Wars was bought out by Disney, the original expanded universe books didn’t pass for cannon and were immediately removed. They exist in the “legends” branding. Heir to the Empire and the Thrawn trilogy are some of the most beloved Star Wars stories and I would love to see an animated trilogy made for a streaming service in the style of the TIE Fighter animated short.

Likewise, not all of Legends is perfect. Hence, “most’ not “all.” While this might seemed like a veiled attempt to make the purists happy, it would make any Star Wars fan happy to see beloved saga characters doing what they do best. While Thrawn has appeared in Rebels, a story that takes place prior to A New Hope, there is a piece of the fandom that would love to see the original Zahn adventures as well as the Rogue Squadron series come to life. Science fiction is no stranger to alternate timelines and multiverses. Just because it’s no longer part of main canon does not invalidate amazing storytelling.