Samuel Brace with three Star Wars films that Lucasfilm should have made before a Han Solo movie…
With news that Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) has been cast in the upcoming Star Wars Anthology movie about a young(er) Han Solo, I can’t help but be reminded how much I wish this wasn’t happening, at least not yet. Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to this, as much as I look forward to any Star Wars film — fingers crossed its great — but did we really need to go to Solo so soon? Did we really need to go there so soon after reviving the franchise? Han is of course a fan favourite character and I suppose in terms of marketing it’s a good idea, but Star Wars is such a deep well from which to collect from, and there are so many places in time that we could visit in order to make a movie. There are also existing characters that make more sense to revisit than Han, a character whose mystery is crucial to what makes him interesting. Why spoil that? Do we need a Han Solo movie right now? No. No, we do not. And here are 3 movies that should have come before it.
Obi-Wan – The Movie
Yes, another revisited fan favourite character, but you see this is someone actually worth revisiting. For one, they don’t need to find another actor to play the classic hero like they did with Han. Ewan McGregor is still more than capable of reprising the role. Second, McGregor was one of the bright spots of the prequel mess, and if anyone deserves a second shot it is him. Third, it just makes sense. As I have written about in length before, an Obi-Wan — Man with No Name — type movie, centred on his time protecting infant Luke just after Episode III, could make for an exceptional movie.
Not only is McGregor still of an age where he can pull it off convincingly — the vast majority of the film can be taken place three, four, five years after ROTS — but it would afford us a chance to visit a period close enough to the prequels to help make them more interesting but also just outside in order to make things different. This is a fascinating time in the Galaxy, the Empire taking over, the Jedi newly in exile, it’s a time of transition and seeing Obi-Wan, alone and plagued with remorse over what happened to his friend Anakin would make for excellent drama. This flick would tick a lot of boxes, some similar to the Solo movie but many different ones as well. This should have come first.
A Thousand Years Before
One of the things that excites most about Star Wars‘ new lease of life, is the chance for the series to do… well, essentially whatever it wants. The saga has created such a vast world, rich with lore and history, that anything is possible. So why not take us somewhere completely new? Why not transport us back in time, say a thousand years in the past, to a place in history completely disconnected from current events, from the trilogies, and from the Skywalkers. It would be a chance to really let loose and create a new set of characters and factions to inhabit the SW universe.
The Sith can still be there, the Jedi, but at a point in time where the game is completely different, where no one is wondering how the Emperor or Yoda fits into this. This playground is vast and wealthy, wouldn’t it be fascinating to start filling in the ancient history of the universe, creating a lore and back story unparalleled by other franchises? There can be tangential links to more current goings on if need be, seeds planted for future events, but a chance to see an entirely different landscape, completely unburdened by any prequel sequel trilogy baggage, would be most welcome.
Back to the Present
If you consider the present (even though we know this is all set a long time ago) to be The Force Awakens, or at least the most current events we have available, a trip back to what’s happening now, outside the new trilogy could be a fascinating ride to take. A film set between ROTJ and Episode VII perhaps, somewhere closer to the latter maybe, would provide some wonderful opportunities. Not only does it tick the box of a time mostly unexplored, with a lot of the future still in doubt, it also would work to help fill in some details (along with the books) of what life was like after the Empire fell and as the new world started to form.
Now, we need not a film based on Luke during this period, or anyone we already know of, but a new character or characters, someone trying to navigate their environs while also dealing with the galactic events around them. It doesn’t have to be a world saving adventure; it really doesn’t have to be that important at all, just a personal story set during this time that can stand alone by itself while also adding to our knowledge of the era. These are dramatic and traumatic times, the status quo has been tipped on its head, the balance of power rocked, the backdrop could be quite spectacular, and with a great new character leading the charge and a kick ass plot to accompany them, this could be one hell of a movie. It at least would be considerably more intriguing than an easily predictable Han Solo adventure.
What is wonderful about Star Wars are the countless opportunities available. There is so much that can be done, so much that can be created over such a wide expanse of time, that there really is no limit. And assuming that these films continue to make asinine amounts of money, we should get to see many of these stories come to life. So, really there is no rush for some of the presented ideas in this piece, but this guy just wishes he could see them before what has already been planned. Surely Han can wait. Do we really need him now? This could have been arranged better.
What are your thoughts? What Star Wars films would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below…
Samuel Brace
