A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Luke Skywalker stood outside his secluded home on Tatooine and watched a binary sunset. This simple moment, perhaps one of the most memorable scenes in cinema history, was the start of Luke’s journey to become the greatest Jedi in the galaxy. In the years sinceStar Warshas become much more complex. It is no longer aboutLuke, Leia, Han, and the rest of their rebellious crew taking on Darth Vader and the evil Empire. Now, as is the trend with modern storytelling, there are more gray characters and more complex politics.
Naturally, certain stories in the franchise are actively trying to move away from the Skywalker family, who led the series for so long. However, director Matthew Vaughn doesn’t believe that is the right strategy. In fact, if Vaughn had his way, he would completelyreboot the franchiseand retell the iconic story of Luke Skywalker. At a time when Disney’s creative decisions regarding theStar Warsfranchise are becoming increasingly divisive, is Vaughn’s proposed plan to start from scratch the right move?
Matthew Vaughn’s Pitch
Every fan has their own personal connection to theStar Warsfranchise. This makes sense since the series has been around for almost fifty years. Some people love the prequel era, some newer fans enjoy the sequel trilogy the most, while others enjoy theDave Filoni-led animatedStar Warsshowsthat are now connecting to the Disney+ shows.
Vaughn is part of the group that likely takes up most of theStar Warsfandom: those who believe the original trilogy is the best the franchise has ever been. Therefore, instead of branching out to other characters in the galaxy, Vaughn wants to recreate the icons who made the franchise so popular in the first place. He said,
“If they wanted to reboot Star Wars, set the story with the Skywalkers. And then I’ll go, ‘Hey, that will be interesting.’ Because for me, it’s got to be something so bold, so different, and so brave… I would do something big, brave, and with the great characters. I want to see Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewie doing their sh-t. Not some distant cousin. Who cares?”
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Considering how beloved the originalStar Warstrilogy is, it may initially seem like an absurd suggestion to try to recreate that magic. However, Vaughn pointed out how often studios have decided to reboot iconic franchises/characters like James Bond and Spider-Man, arguing that it is sometimes the right decision. Therefore, Vaughn doesn’t understand why different rules should apply toStar Warscharacters. “Why are these characters so hallowed that from ‘77, you can’t redo it for a new audience?” He further asked on theHappy Sad Confused podcast.
Moving Away From the Skywalkers
Lucasfilm has made several announcements regarding the future ofStar Wars. Currently, they are developing projects such as a Daisy Ridley-led film, which will inevitably be tied to the sequel trilogy, a Dave Filoni-directed movie that will connect to shows likeThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett, andAhsoka, which likely meansGrand Admiral Thrawn will the main antagonist, as well as a James Mangold-helmed movie, set 25,000 years before the Skywalker family.
While the studio attempted to excite fans with these announcements, much of fans’ frustrations about the franchise’s future stems from the fact that none of the projects seem like they connect. It almost seems like Lucasfilm is green-lighting whatever project they think sounds interesting but have no clue what sort of larger story they want to tell.
Franchises likeStar Warsrequire larger narratives to keep audiences invested over longer time periods. The original and prequel trilogies, for example, depicted the rise of Luke Skywalker, as well as thefall and eventual redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Considering both Luke and Anakin are two of the most memorable movie characters of all time, these narratives, for the most part, worked exceptionally well for George Lucas, which is why one might believe Vaughn would be right to recreate them.
However, a common criticism against Disney/Lucasfilm for years is that modernStar Warsprojects are too connected to the Skywalkers. While the internet immediately buzzes when either Luke or Anakin appear in shows likeThe MandalorianandAhsoka, most fans understand that their story has already been told. Therefore, Vaughn’s plan may not actually be the right strategy because Disney needs to rely on more than just fan service if they truly want to attract new viewers to this longtime franchise.
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At the end of the day, that’s exactly what a rebootedStar Warswould feel like: fan service. Even worse, it would seem like Disney/Lucasfilm is trying to cash in on fans' nostalgia by recreating a story that has already been told instead of hiring the right writers to take the franchise in bold, new directions.
The Size of the Star Wars Universe
WhenStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacefirst hit theaters in 1999, the drastically different time period and introduction of vastly different planets, such as Coruscant, was jarring for many fans. Withthe prequel trilogy, Lucas proved thatStar Warsis so much more than just Tatooine and the fight against the Empire. On top of their reliance on Skywalker fan service, the other most prominent criticism of Dinsey/Lucasfilm’s recent projects is their insistence on always returning to familiar planets and time periods, which is another reason a reboot is a wrong move.
While they are controversial movies, Lucas successfully introduced fans to a new era in the prequel trilogy. Since the conclusion of the prequel trilogy, many have come around to say this is the most interesting time period in all ofStar Wars, which proves that fans are open to new ideas. After all, part of the magic ofStar Warsstems from experiencing planets and periods that were previously unknown to us.
Even though some of their plans may be hard to understand, Lucasfilm is making strides to further expand the universe ofStar Wars, specifically with the High Republic time period andThe Acolyte,an upcoming Disney+ show. Therefore, the studio would actually be backtracking by once again resorting to telling a familiar story on a familiar planet during a familiar time period.
While they don’t have to completely bid farewell to the original trilogy era and planets such as Tatooine,Star Warsis all about imagination, and Lucasfilm should be actively seeking creatives who can imagine the galaxy (or galaxies) like no other.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… anything was possible. In the almost fifty years since the firstStar Warsmovie debuted, there may have been missteps and controversial decisions, but regardless, anything is still possible because the sun (or suns) on every planet in every galaxy always rise, setting new heroes on new paths.
