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For decades, Star Wars has been a commercially successful franchise and expanded its universe with tales that mainly revolve around the Jedi. These characters have served as the pillars of Star Wars success and probably a good deal of merchandise sales considering how much people are currently paying at Galaxy's Edge to make their own lightsaber.
We all love the Jedi, but as The Rise of Skywalker brings the Skywalker Saga to a close, and Disney and Lucasfilm look ahead to the next big trilogy, it's time to move on. I assumed that was something that didn't need to be said, but as news recently surfaced that the former Game of Thrones showrunners were allegedly working on a trilogy that explored the origins of the Jedi, it needs to be said. Can we please have a Star Wars trilogy that doesn't revolve around the Jedi? Let me explain why this is the right course of action.
The Jedi Are Noble And Great Fighters, But A Bit Boring
It's understandable why so many people love the Jedi. They can jump really high, push and pull things with the flick of a wrist, and they're super good at deflecting blasterfire. From an action perspective, they're the perfect hero, but from a character perspective, they're the equivalent of a monk. A good Jedi rarely gives into anger, doesn't seek out personal wealth, and shouldn't have a romantic relationship.
Now, I know the last rule has been flexed quite a bit by some Jedi in the Legends continuity, but even adding a love interest doesn't make for a fantastic premise. Even if there is value in going to that well again, it's constantly restricting the audience's view of the Star Wars universe from the biased perspective of the Jedi. I mean, are we really going to sit here and act like Palpatine didn't have a point when he called the Jedi Council self-serving?
At the end of 2019, there will have been 12 Star Wars movies, and 10 of those have Jedi as main characters. So forgive me if the idea of jumping right back into the world of the Jedi doesn't sound more appealing when there's a vast world outside the Order with various species and characters who could star in a story audiences haven't seen yet.
Disney Has Dabbled In Shifting Away From Jedi, And Should Continue That
To its credit, two of the non-Jedi features in the Star Wars universe happened under the Disney regime. The first, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a critical and commercial success. The other, Solo: A Star Wars Story, didn't do as well, and while sequels were on the table, those ideas died. It's since seemed like Disney got cold feet on non-Jedi cinematic adventures with these new rumors of another Jedi-based trilogy.
Of course, Solo's reasons for failure don't have much to do with the lack of Jedi. That had to do in part with fan response to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the general thoughts behind recasting classic Star Wars characters with younger actors. People can debate the reasons behind Solo's failure all day, but I would say most people would agree a lack of Jedi was not one of those issues.
Star Wars Has A Rich And Diverse Universe
The world of Star Wars is vast and teaming with all sorts of different planets, alien races, and all types of people with a stake in who controls the galaxy. We get a look at some of those folks in shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Disney+'s upcoming series The Mandalorian (which you can check out with a free trial of Disney+), but why don't we see it on the big screen?
Wouldn't it be great to see a story where the main character isn't a human or even a humanoid? This Disney era of Star Wars has really opened the door for this franchise to really expand the stories it tells on the big screen, and give the mainstream something else to ogle other than Jedi. Sure, there's a risk of failure, but there's going to be a risk of that anyway if the franchise continues to tell the stories of various Jedi through different eras.
Changing The Focus Of Star Wars May Change Fan Perception
Personally, I think one of the most positive things about Star Wars ending the Skywalker Saga is that it will (hopefully) result in future movies not as closely associated with the Original Trilogy. I believe that the Sequel Trilogy suffered from this somewhat in trying to create new characters while still rehashing the basic flow of the Original Star Wars trilogy.
Now, with presumably no obligation to continue the story of any character in the Skywalker Saga, there exists a true opportunity to tell the story of Star Wars for a new generation. Making the story about someone other than a Jedi helps fans disassociate further, and perhaps make them more open to various changes the franchise may undergo. Of course, there's really no telling how fans react to anything, so perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
We Already Have A Lot Of Jedi Characters Who Still Need Proper Stories
There may not be a ton of Jedi hanging out in the Sequel Trilogy, but there's plenty of great Jedi in the Prequel Trilogy and beyond who would benefit from having their stories more fully fleshed out. Personally, I think it would be far more entertaining to see a story about Ahsoka Tano than meeting some new group of Jedi only to further bulk out the number of characters in this saga.
I'm all for a limitless amount of one-off stories across the Star Wars timeline that feature Jedi like Kit Fisto, Count Dooku and others, but another trilogy of films dedicated to Jedi? I'd much rather see this franchise try something new than dive into yet another three films that revolve around magic monks with a license to kill. There are plenty of other currently existing characters to re-tread old territory, so let's use the upcoming trilogy to forge a new path.
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Do you think Star Wars needs to take a break from Jedi? Sound off in our poll, jump down to the comments below, and be ready for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Friday, December 20.
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