New Villain-centric 'Star Wars' Series In Development For Disney+
Disney+ continues to expand the reach of Star Wars with new and amazing shows from The Mandalorian, to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor. There are only so many stories to tell within the galaxy far, far away like the moral dilemma between Jedi vs. Sith, smugglers going on adventures, and rebels standing up to evil empires. Recent rumors suggest that perhaps a story where the villains are the main leads is being considered as part of the wide array of Star Wars Disney+ series.
Nick Santos’ The Hashtag Show reported that a villain-centric Star Wars series is currently in the works somewhere at Lucasfilm. The premise of the show would reportedly take place in the time period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens and be in the same vein as the Suicide Squad. This would put the story in the era of the New Republic around the same time as The Mandalorian. This is a very open time period for interesting storytelling. Perhaps it would be a show about the seedier side of life, which would be a different look into Star Wars.
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Ever since the end of the sequel trilogy, the period between Return of Jedi and The Force Awakens is now available as a setting for all sorts of fun and interesting stories in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian has already shown what can be done in this era of time without focusing on the Skywalker family. Thus, it is possible to show an even darker side of this time period as well. The idea of following the bad guys as the main protagonist is something that Star Wars has not done much, if at all, throughout much of the franchise’s history. At the end of the day, Star Wars is a hero-driven show, where optimism and hope are the names of the game. The only exceptions here and there are stories like Rogue One. This would be a big departure from the norm if the show is greenlit. However, it is not unwanted as Disney+ should indeed expand into telling different kinds of Star Wars stories as we move on.
Now, the real question is who could these villains be? The most likely answer for this particular time period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens would be the scum and villainy of the underworld. One could tell a story where the protagonist is part of the Imperial Remnant, thus showing an Imperial in a sympathetic light who does not defect in the end. However, this might be difficult to pull off given Star Wars’ track record of normally having the Imperial protagonist eventually leaving the Empire by the end of the story. The only option left would be the typical scoundrel character like a Han Solo or Lando Calrissian. Maybe they would even go a bit darker and have this particular set of criminals not have the hearts of gold, unlike the aforementioned characters.
Nuances in Star Wars characters are not a bad thing. It is after all the lifeblood of all good storytelling. Not everything is purely black and white. Sometimes, there is that bit of gray, especially for a character who is both villainous and heroic. Perhaps they are doing noble things for the wrong reasons. It will be interesting to see if Star Wars, which has always been a more black and white type of series, is willing to give the limelight to someone who is not a true hero in the same vein as Luke, Rey, and Din. The last character who perhaps had this nuance was Anakin Skywalker. Even then, he was still a hero at least for a while, if one with a dark stride.
These new types of stories will help expand the Star Wars universe, exploring new ideas, new themes, and new types of characters. It can only be a good thing as we continue to enter into a golden age of Star Wars storytelling, showing the various aspects of the galaxy far, far away.
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Source(s): Twitter