Written by Chris Snellgrove | Published
Online there are countless posts and videos that share the same basic sentiment about Disney movies and shows set in a galaxy far, far away: “This isn’t… for me Star Wars.” The problem, of course, is that Star Wars is all things to all fans, and what might please one group can easily alienate others. Disney seems to have no idea how to address this problem, but the solution is very simple: we Hardly Star Wars needs to have its own multiverse.
Now, some of you groaned while reading it because Disney already has a multiverse with Marvel, and outside of it like Deadpool WolverineMostly, they wasted it. However, the problem with the MCU multiverse is that it’s still almost entirely focused on the primary universe, and variants are used in glorified cameos powered entirely by nostalgia (look, kids, Patrick Stewart is back as Professor X for about two seconds!). What I’m proposing for Star Wars is a kind of multiverse anthology approach where future shows and movies can either share distinct universes or create their own.
What does this mean in practice? For starters, we could have a multiverse of film series that ignores most or even all of the existing sequel trilogy. People who absolutely Hated New characters like Rey and Kylo Ren could have new content that ignores them entirely. It would also mean ignoring major character deaths, so we can get future movies and shows featuring an older Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (although Disney might need a Jabba-style crowd of credits to bring Harrison Ford back into Star Wars again).
Conversely, the stories and characters in the Star Wars franchise can have their own multiverse, which doesn’t have the weight of fan expectations dragging them down. That’s the beauty of this multiverse approach: no one can claim that “this isn’t my Star Wars” anymore because there’s no… He is There is no unique story that future creators must follow. Instead, future creators will have the privilege of crafting a great story (Andor-style) rather than subverting attempts at greatness by fitting everything awkwardly into pre-existing traditions.
Speaking of pre-existing lore, one of the greatest benefits of Disney introducing multiple universes into this franchise is that we can get adaptations of the beloved Star Wars EU. How much fun would it be if we could get a Jedi Academy movie trilogy that adapted Kevin Anderson’s classic books instead of revealing that Kylo Ren either 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, something that was much deeper and more satisfying than the issues of Kylo Ren’s uncle and grandfather cult?
There are some fans who might hate this idea because they’re obsessed with “canon”, but it’s a harsh reality: canon obsession makes… no sense. Why are we so obsessed with what “really” happened in a fantasy world, that we go so far as to panic when the latest artificial thing disrupts something we thought we knew about the universe? old Makeup stuff? Quite frankly, ending the endless debates over canon would be an amazing reward for Disney’s multiverse Star Wars approach.
Only time will tell if Disney embraces the wisdom of this approach. After all, it’s no secret that the MCU will soon be rebooted, crushed under the weight of its own oppressive code. However, what if there was no need for a reboot because there was no single canon, but instead an infinite multiverse of possibilities? This may be the last chance to get good stories, bring back beloved characters, and silence crybaby fans at the same time, all of which could be our last and best hope of fixing the appalling modern state of the most popular sci-fi films. privilege.