The Force Is Returning

By: R.A. Rayne

Whether you love it, hate it, or just like it, the Skywalker Saga is returning. This past week, Lucasfilm announced it is developing Star Wars: Episode X as the first film in a new trilogy that continues the Skywalker Saga. Director Jon Watts, known for Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy and Disney+’s Skeleton Crew, is set to direct, and Simon Kinberg, who worked on the X-Men films and Star Wars Rebels, is writing the new trilogy. While details are scarce, the new trilogy is expected to extend the Skywalker Saga, with Daisy Ridley set to reprise her role as Rey Skywalker.

Early speculation suggests Lucasfilm’s next movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, could loosely connect to, or lead into, the next Skywalker Saga trilogy, much like Rogue One led into A New Hope. What we do know is that Starfighter is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and leaks/reports indicate the film will feature no centralized galactic government because the New Republic was obliterated during the sequel trilogy.

Rumors point to a gritty, high-stakes family space adventure in which a disillusioned protagonist, Kade Auberon, is hired to escort a Force-sensitive young boy across the galaxy. The film’s writers have said the movie will serve as a clean slate, with no legacy characters from past Star Wars entries.

Many believe that Amy Adams, rumored to have a small role in which her character dies early, is the Force-sensitive boy’s mother. If so, given her age, the boy’s age, and the implication that this film will connect to Episode 10, Amy Adams could be playing Mara Jade, a fan favorite since her first appearance in the Star Wars universe in Timothy Zahn’s 1991 novel Heir to the Empire. Fans have been begging Lucasfilm for a live-action version, and given the events of Episodes 7-9, it is possible that Lucasfilm could include the character in Starfighter, or at least introduce her and then work backward to tell her story in another film or a Disney+ series, perhaps even in the Luke Skywalker Disney+ series fans have been hoping for.

Yes, I have felt the disturbance in the Force. I have heard the collective “NOOOOOOO!” like it was Darth Vader learning of Padmé’s death… but hear me out. And before I say this, let’s get this straight… “No, George Lucas didn’t destroy your childhood with the Prequels. No, Disney did not kill Star Wars, and NOOOOO, Kathleen Kennedy isn’t “Darth Karen,” and she didn’t destroy the franchise.” First off, I would love to see any of you try to write a Star Wars story. I’ve written several, and it’s not easy. Second, it’s a lot easier to sit in your chair and “Monday Quarterback” the franchise when you have nothing at stake and don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.

And for those of you who either forgot or were too young to remember when the Special Editions and Prequels came out, they were hated just as much as the recent films and shows. By the way, the same was said when Return of the Jedi came out, when the Holiday Special came out, and when the Ewok movies premiered. Oh, and let’s not forget that when the Clone Wars movie came out, people got up and left the theater because they HATED Ahsoka. I could go on and on, my friend… (some of you might get that last thing) because… like people’s love for disliking Star Wars it’s… a song that never ends.

Look, I get it… Really, I do. The first time I saw “The Last Jedi,” I had to be talked off a ledge. My co-host on my podcast Nerdibles spent 2 and a half hours helping me realize that what I thought I disliked about the film had nothing to do with the film itself. I initially disliked the film because of how I had built Luke Skywalker up in my mind. To me, Luke is the ultimate hero, and I wanted to see this swashbuckling superhero using the Force and being this total badass. But what I didn’t realize at the time. That was exactly the Luke Skywalker I got. Given the circumstances, what Luke did in The Last Jedi was the most heroic thing a person could do.

Hear me out.

Instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi of the past, the mistakes his father made, Obi-Wan made, and yes, even Yoda made (let’s face it, Yoda knew what was going to happen and just let it happen because he knew it had to), Luke removed himself from the equation rather than giving in to the Dark Side and living out his failure in the cave. I mean, for Christ’s sake, he almost murdered his nephew to keep him from becoming exactly what Luke had caused him to become. It’s Luke’s fault Ben became Kylo. It’s Luke’s fault that the Jedi Academy was destroyed. AND… It’s very possible that he thought his wife and son were killed in its destruction. (REMEMBER JUST BECAUSE THINGS AREN’T MENTIONED AT THE TIME, DOESN’T MEAN THEY DIDN’T HAPPEN.) So, if all of this happened, it only makes sense that Luke did what he did.

Call it retconning, call it a thread finally being pulled, call it Lucasfilm playing the long game… It doesn’t matter. If it turns out Amy Adams is Mara Jade and the boy is Luke’s son, it only gives Luke even more reason to remove himself from the universe. Personally, I think almost murdering your own nephew and finally falling to the Dark Side is a strong enough reason, but hey, not everyone has the same morals as me.

I, for one, am excited for more Star Wars. I lived through the Dark Times when we didn’t have any Star Wars, and we didn’t know if we would ever get any more. I am thankful we have so much Star Wars content that we can have parts we dislike. And I can say this next part because I have seen every Star Wars movie and television show, read every book, bought every toy, and read nearly every comic book. So when I say this, it doesn’t come from “a certain point of view.” It comes from a point of view of knowing that “You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both, and there you have. The facts of life. The facts of… Star Wars.

Nostalgia is a wonderful gift. It’s what made a lot of people finally like the Prequels and the rest of it- forgive, forget, and accept.

Just remember, if you can’t find anything within the Star Wars Universe to like, then stop watching it and SHUT THE F UP, because there are plenty of us who still love it.