The Sci-Fi Franchise That Desperately Needs Variety And Still Doesn't Have It

By Chris Snellgrove | Published 1 hour ago

On the Internet, there are many posts and videos that share the same basic sentiment about Disney movies and shows set in a galaxy far, far away: “this isn't it. mine star wars.” The problem, of course, is that Star Wars is all things to all fans, and what can satisfy one group can easily alienate others. Disney doesn't seem to know how to handle this problem, but the solution is simple: we in despair it needs Star Wars to have its own variety.

Now, some of you just groaned while reading that because Disney already has a lot of variety with Marvel, even without hits like Deadpool and Wolverinethey have largely destroyed it. However, the problem with the MCU variety is that it's still focused almost entirely on the main universe, and the Variations are used for glorified cameos fueled by nostalgia (look, kids, Patrick Stewart is back as Professor X for just two seconds!). What I'm proposing with Star Wars is a sort of multi-anthology approach where future shows and movies can share a different universe or create their own.

What would this mean, literally speaking? First, we can have various sequel movies that ignore most or all of the existing Sequel Trilogy. Totally human hated new characters like Rey and Kylo Ren can have new content that doesn't completely sink them. That would also mean ignoring the death of an iconic character, so that we can have future films and shows featuring old Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (although Disney may need a bunch of Jabba-style credits to bring Harrison Ford back to Star Wars again).

In contrast, existing Star Wars sequels and characters can have their own variety, without the weight of fan expectations dragging it down. That's the beauty of this variety: no one can say “that's not my Star Wars” because it is is something there is no single story that future creators must follow. Instead, the creators of tomorrow will have the right to simply make a good story (Andor-style) rather than destroying attempts at greatness by fitting everything awkwardly into a pre-existing concept.

Speaking of the existing story, one of the biggest advantages of Disney introducing variety in this franchise is that we can get an adaptation of the beloved Star Wars EU. How cool would it be if we got a Jedi Academy trilogy of movies that adapted Kevin Anderson's classic books instead of revealing that Kylo Ren recruited or killed all of Luke's students? For that matter, how cool would it be if we could see Jacen Solo on screen and follow his descent into the Dark Side, which was much deeper and more satisfying than Kylo Ren's uncle issues and grandfather worship?

There are some fans who may hate this idea because they are obsessed with “canon,” but here's the hard truth: canon obsessions do no the idea. Why are we so obsessed with what is “really” happening in a fictional world, that we become confused when a new invention disrupts what we thought we knew about the old one things made? Obviously, ending the endless arguments about canon would be a wonderful bonus for Disney embracing a diverse approach to Star Wars.

Only time will tell if Disney embraces the wisdom of this approach. After all, it's an open secret that the MCU will be rebooting soon, crushed under the weight of its pressing roster. However, what if there was no need to start over because there was no single list of books but, instead, an infinite number of possibilities? This may be the last chance to get good news, bring back beloved characters, and shut the mouths of crybaby fans at the same time, all of which may be the last, best hope to fix the modern horror of the most popular sci-fi. franchise.