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Question of the Day (QOTD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a film/TV-related question that we put to you, the reader. The comments section below is like the feedback box at work; except, in this example, we actually read what you write and care about what you have to say.
After several false starts, it seems like Lucasfilm might finally be getting a handle on the Star Wars franchise. That’s not to say they are hitting it out of the park every time; it just looks like they have some general idea of what they’re trying to accomplish with the franchise. Finally. Well, the TV shows, anyway. (I’m not sure what that whole High Republic thing was all about.)
There are several streaming shows in the works, and it looks as if we are getting a Mandoverse whether anyone wanted one or not—possibly leading up to some kind of movie team up event.
But what would you do if you were put in charge of Star Wars?
This is tough, because I’d love to go back to the acquisition and start all over again, but that is not what this question is asking. So in lieu of a complete do-over, I’d start by retconning the Sequel Trilogy. It’s awful. I just cannot make myself like it. And I could have gotten past my disdain for The Last Jedi, but I just cannot get past the Emperor coming back in Rise of Skywalker. That’s so fucking dumb! I hate it so much, and it just fills me with a sense of dread to think that the Sequel timeline is what The Mandalorian is building toward. Anyway, the most obvious way to accomplish this would be to use the World Between Worlds created in the Rebels animated series to decanonize the Sequels. The Sequel Trilogy can exist in its own timeline, not unlike Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline (Another Abrams’ reboot of a classic franchise. Hmmm…)
It’s not ideal, but it would work.
The next thing I would do is green light an animated Adventures of Luke Skywalker show. Get Mark Hamill to reprise the role. Hook his voice up to one of those synthesizer doodaddies or whatever they gotta do to make him sound a tad younger, and give fans of the original trilogy what they have wanted from day one: some more adventures with the old crew. It’s such a no-brainer I don’t understand why Lucasfilm hasn’t already done this.
Then, I would get a Knights of the Old Republic streaming series or series of films into production as soon as possible. Nostalgia is finally catching up with The Millennials and if Lucasfilm is going to pander, they’d be smart to think about throwing these people a bone.
Other than that, I would start letting talented filmmakers (who are fans of the franchise) explore different genres within Star Wars. There’s so much that could be done with this universe, so many different directions to take it in, and so much to be explored. And there are ways to broaden the scope of the franchise without disrespecting the source material. If handled responsibly, I think it would open up tons of possibilities for Star Wars, and keep it from rehashing the same old storylines about Jedi and Sith.
But what about you? What direction would you take the franchise if you were steering the ship? Outline your plan in the comments below!