It has been nearly two years since the conclusion of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy and the end of the Skywalker Saga. In the years that have followed the release of The Rise of Skywalker, the discourse surrounding the trilogy still continues, having its fans and detractors, with many expressing a desire to move on from the Sequel era of storytelling, regardless of their feelings on the films. Since the conclusion of the trilogy, the post-Episode IX content that has been released has been incredibly sparse, save for the yearly LEGO specials, which, although incredibly charming, are far from concrete new canon stories following the Battle of Exegol. That chapter in the galaxy, for the time being, seemed to be closed. Despite the seemingly endless debates, I’m a big fan of the Sequel Trilogy. It holds a very special place in my heart, and although I have been more than happy with what the franchise has given us since the films have gone on hiatus, I still very much love the characters of the Sequel Era, and would love to revisit their stories in the future. Recent interviews with Kathleen Kennedy and Adam Driver expressed an interest to continue the stories of these characters in the future, and with that, come questions of what new content could come from the return of these characters. While I do not think we will see any new live-action content in the immediate future, I do expect to see Rey, Finn, Poe and company return in the future, with countless different stories able to be told in multiple different forms of media. I’ve had close to two years to brainstorm what stories and adventures I’d like to see following these characters, but the recent resurgence of discussions has got the fan in me thinking once again. These are not necessarily new ideas I have come up with, just ones that get me the most excited as a fan. There are many different stories I’d like to see following the Sequel Trilogy characters, but these are the ones I would be most excited for.
Rey Training Finn As A Jedi
Of all the options for future stories following the Sequel Trilogy characters, this is easily the one I want to see the most, as well as the one I think we have the strongest chance of seeing in the future. The Rise of Skywalker established that Finn, like Rey, is Force sensitive, something many had hoped for since the introduction of the character. Last year’s LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special gave us a tease at what we could see in the future by showing Rey beginning to train Finn as a Jedi, and Rey’s struggles to accept herself as a teacher. While this was a lighthearted comedic version of this story, I think the story we could get surrounding Finn’s training could end up being very similar.
Since my opening night screening of The Force Awakens six years ago, the relationship between Finn and Rey has been my favorite aspect of the Sequel Trilogy. I quickly fell in love with these two characters in an instant, and even now there are days where I may consider the two to be my favorite duo in all of Star Wars storytelling. Obviously I want to see more of these two, with the added dynamic of the two now being Master and Apprentice. As many felt Finn’s importance in the films gradually faded over time, this would allow for him to have his most prominent role to date, the spotlight can finally shine on him as a Jedi Padawan. With Rey now representing the new hope for the Jedi Order, and Finn seeking to learn how to harness the ways of the Force, these stories could show the rebuilding of the Order under the leadership of Rey, and eventually Finn, with opportunities to introduce a variety of new compelling Force sensitive characters to the universe. Seeing a new version of how Jedi are trained compared to the days of the Republic could allow for this era of Jedi to feel different than what we have seen before, with Rey taking the knowledge and wisdom she gained from past Jedi she can communicate with, but doing so in her own unique way. Rumors emerged earlier this year surrounding John Boyega reprising his role for a Finn-focused Disney+ series, which I can only assume would have focused on his Jedi training, yet while I obviously want this in live-action the most, I feel the continued stories of Rey and Finn as Master and Apprentice could be a home run in any form of media. Be it as a live-action film or Disney+ series, an animated series, book, comic or video game, I need to see Rey and Finn wielding lightsabers together side-by-side.
Poe Following In Leia’s Footsteps
Poe Dameron’s story in the Sequel Trilogy concluded with him and Finn becoming Generals in the Resistance, taking on the mantle after the death of his mentor Leia Organa, and leading the Resistance to victory in the Battle of Exegol. With Finn focusing on his Jedi training with Rey, the majority of the Resistance’s leadership would now fall on Poe. We saw many instances of Poe’s hotheaded nature clash with Leia and others during the films, but it was clear how much Poe respected and looked up to the General. The loss of the beloved General clearly would have huge ramifications on the Galaxy, as well as a variety of opinions on the new leadership of the Resistance.
With him now taking her place, would Poe continue to bring the galaxy together like on Exegol, or would his insecurities and hotshot pilot nature get to him and affect his skills as General? Not only would the continuation of General Dameron’s story bring more for the pilot and X-wing lovers of the fandom, but also would allow for more depth and answers be given to the political aspects of the galaxy following the collapse of the First Order, something that was admittedly lacking in the Sequel films compared to the prior trilogies. Would we see another reformation of the Republic, or would the Resistance be the new primary government of the galaxy? Would remnants of the First Order pop up after their defeat? Characters like Rose and Zorri could easily return and be given more focus and development in these new stories, as well as other higher-ups in the Resistance and surviving members of Poe’s squad. The galaxy answered Poe’s calls for help and came to his aid on Exegol, will Poe be able to continue to earn their support as the new leader of the Resistance?
Rey Searching For Ben in the World Between Worlds
The animated series Star Wars Rebels introduced a new concept to the Star Wars universe known as the “World Between Worlds”. This void between space and time contained many pathways that linked space and time together, and was discovered by Ezra Bridger as he found himself stuck in it. The World Between Worlds was shown to be able to alter past realities, as Ezra pulled Ahsoka into the realm moments before she was to meet her demise at the hands of Darth Vader, and hoped to use the void to save his fallen master Kanan Jarrus, before realizing the limits of the realm and learning to let go and move forward. As Kanan had given his life to save his friends, he realized saving Kanan would mean he and the rest of the Ghost crew would have perished instead, allowing for his master to keep his noble sacrifice and begin to accept the present. The concept of altering time and space, while far from a new concept, was relatively new and exciting to see presented in such a way in Star Wars once Rebels’ final season was airing, and many have clamored for it to make a return in some way. Rey seeking to communicate with Ben, who similarly to Kanan, gave up his life to save hers, would be a perfect way to accomplish this.
The Rise of Skywalker had many narrative choices I both liked and disliked, but one that seems to be universally disliked was the decision to kill off Ben Solo mere moments after his redemption arc was completed. For all I love about Star Wars, handling the redemption of characters has always been a weak point, as characters seemingly aren’t allowed to live after they are redeemed, or their stories simply end there. There have been very few exceptions to this rule, and unfortunately the former Kylo Ren was not one of them. A version of the story where Ben manages to save Rey yet still survive, while proving his worth to the Light Side, yet dealing with the consequences of his actions as Kylo Ren at the same time would have been way more compelling than the tired redemption means death story we’ve seen many times before. Allowing Rey to discover the World Between Worlds and use this as a way to attempt to find Ben once again, after failing many times to reach out through the Force and find him that way, would be in my mind a great way to re-introduce this concept. The ending of Episode IX seemed to imply that Ben did not learn how to become a Force Ghost at the time of his death, so using the World Between Worlds as a way to have Ben Solo reappear, but not necessarily return from the dead, as the realm has its limits and cannot simply be used to reverse past events, would be a great way for Ben to return and continue to have the character live on through the Force, and at the same time fix some of the most hated aspects of the Sequel Trilogy’s conclusion. As the World Between Worlds is a bit different compared to what some casual fans are used to, these stories would be a great way to explore the weirder and experimental aspects of the universe, perhaps having some Jedi of the past make cameo appearances to guide Rey along the way to please diehard fans like myself. A reunion between Rey and Ben is something I am certain many would love to see in some way or another.
An Animated Series In The Style of The Clone Wars
This one might be considered cheating, as I think I would prefer for this to take place during the events of the Sequels rather than after, but it’s also something that I think we absolutely should see in the near future. In recent years, the animated medium of Star Wars storytelling might just be my favorite, from the more grounded stories of Rebels and The Bad Batch, to the anthology style of The Clone Wars and Visions, Dave Filoni and crew consistently put out content that hooks me in as a viewer, adds depth to areas of the franchise that were begging for more of it, and most importantly, strikes a passion in me as a fan that allows me have endless discussions and express my creativity in outlets like these articles. The Clone Wars did so much to add to the Prequel Era, giving characters more development and further adding the worldbuilding of the galaxy at the time of the titular Clone Wars. Many fans who were not originally fans of the Prequels began to see those stories in a new light with the added benefit of the great stories that The Clone Wars brought to the franchise, and such a series would greatly benefit the Sequel Era as well, especially in a time right now where the debate and consensus surrounding the Sequels mirrors that of which the Prequels faced close to two decades ago. As touched on before, a lot of the worldbuilding aspects of the Sequels are rather weak and unexplored compared to what we have had in the past eras of Star Wars. Granted there has been more time and expanded material to enhance those stories, but it seems as though any aspects of the Prequels that were originally rejected, such as the political aspects, were mainly ignored for the Sequel Era, at least in the films. Even two years after the conclusion of the Sequels, it feels like there are still more questions rather than answers. Giving the Sequel Trilogy it’s “own Clone Wars”, taking place preferably in this scenario in the time jump between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, would add so much more to an era of the universe that needs more exploration.
While we did have the short-lived Star Wars Resistance that took place during the events of Episode VII and VIII, the series, save for a few cameos, focused on a cast of original characters and felt quite contained in its narrative. An animated series that connects more to the larger story of the Sequel Trilogy, touches on more of the unanswered questions the films left us with and bridges the gap between Episodes VIII and IX like The Clone Wars did with Episodes II and III I feel would not only have incredible story potential, but could also do what The Clone Wars did with prequel detractors and eventually improve how detractors of the sequels view them as a connected story. Being able to see Rey train under Leia, adventures with Finn, Poe and Rose, giving minor characters more spotlight and development like prior animated shows have done wonders with, Kylo Ren’s reign as Supreme Leader, among others would be great to see. Not to mention worldbuilding aspects such as establishing the political climate of the greater galaxy during the First Order’s reign of terror, and actually getting to explain how Palpatine somehow returned in a coherent way while potentially exploring the Sith fanatics on Exegol would add a lot to areas of the films that needed more backstory and exposition to them. An animated series not only would solve the problem of actors not wanting to return to their roles, but also like prior shows, would allow the series to tackle aspects that would be difficult to portray in live-action, explore the greater galaxy, and also establish connects to past animated shows like Lucasfilm Animation projects tend to do. An animated series bridging the gap between the sequel trilogy films may just be the most effective way to add more weight and impact to the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order.
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