Top 5 STAR WARS Spin-Off Stories That Need Their Own Movies
There are countless stories to be told in the Star Wars universe — that's one of the things that makes it great. There are dozens of major players in the main storyline, all of which have their own stories to tell. We already know that there will be a spin-off film that will be about Han Solo when he is a young man, but what other stories should we see? With so many characters (both major and minor), what stories deserve to have the multi-million dollar treatment? Some of these will coincide with the 5 things from the former Expanded Universe I said needed to come back, but some of these are totally unrelated. Bear in mind that not all of these are movie ideas; some are television series, just because it would be a better medium for telling the story.
The Purge:
I loved the Dark Horse comic line The Purge. The story primarily follows Darth Vader as he continues his hunt for the remnants of the Jedi order. I don't think we need to stick religiously to the comic story line, but it is undeniably a story worth telling. This idea works better as a series, preferably as a Netflix series since they seem to be nailing everything they put out.
In my mind, the story would follow a young Imperial officer who is assigned to help Vader handle the logistical side of things in the hunt for the Jedi, but is pulled into joining his new master on missions. As he does, Vader teaches him about the Jedi order and why they must be destroyed, and this young officer comes to hate them. The series would be about his descent into fanatical hatred of this group of people as he assists his master in their destruction, but he still struggles with the facts of what they're doing. There would definitely be a couple occurrences of them hunting a group of Jedi down and there being several younglings, who Vader murders without hesitation. That would be a difficult moment for a young man who, until recently, had no quarrel with these people. This would be more adult themed (genocide will do that), but there is still room for some good humor in the downtime between hunts.
Obi-Wan Kenobi in Exile:
There were rumors floating around a few weeks ago that this may be one of the other spin-off films in the works. Ewan McGregor was even asked in an interview if he would be interested in coming back for a project like this, which he said he certainly was! This would be very different from any of the other films, particularly in that there is only one main character instead of an ensemble.
At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan is told by Yoda that he'll be taught to commune with his dead master. Presumably this means that is how he learned to become one with the Force, but retain his personal identity (much like Yoda at the end of season 6 of Clone Wars). So a movie following Obi-Wan into his exile could have a great mix of the pseudo-magic that is the Force, and the real world problems of living on Tatooine and interacting with the denizens thereof. This would also be a great way to showcase a final showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Ideally, the film would be both a look at some of the deeper aspects of the Force, as well as providing insight into what Obi-Wan went through to keep Luke's presence a secret from the Empire (Jedi espionage, anyone?).
Return of the Fett:
Boba Fett has 4 lines in the original trilogy (5 if you count screaming in Return of the Jedi.) Despite his lack of screen time and even less talking, Boba Fett is a fan favorite. This contributed largely to his inclusion as a young man in Episode II. With so many fans in love with the character, the odds of him not returning in some form or another are pretty slim. But there is a right way to do this, and really give a lot of depth to a character who is (as far as the canon is concerned) still a great mystery.
The film would need to open with his escape from the Sarlacc. The story could revolve around his return to Mandalore, and discovering what has become of his people. I am in full support of his keeping the helmet on and still speaking very little, and Drive proved to me that can work for your protagonist. After his return to Mandalore the story would more or less follow the Legacy storyline, where he unites the clans under his banner as Mandalore (the leader of all the Mandalorians) and makes them a completely independent world, helping to build their own self-sustaining economy primarily built around beskar, which is a metal native only to Mandalore that is lightsaber proof. There are plenty of interesting events to keep the story moving, and there's an opportunity for him to clash with what remains of the Empire, making the Mandalorians a force in the time frame of Episode VII. This would also be a great opportunity to explore the Mandalorian culture from the old EU, which is pretty fascinating.
Mos Eisley- Hive of Scum & Villainy:
The line where Obi-Wan tells Luke that the Mos Eisley space port is a wretched hive of scum and villainy always seemed odd to me. There's not really any indication in the movies that it's any more shady than the rest of Tatooine, so what makes it so bad? This is another example of something that would work better as a TV series, with the city of Mos Eisley as the main character.
The series would be an episodic adventure show, with each episode (or a few episode arcs) being about a different character or characters, showing over the course of the series why Mos Eisley is so shady. This could even be a miniseries, with a 12-14 episode run that explores several characters we briefly see in the city through the films. Personally, I'd love to see this! You could tell a lot of stories that are all very different from each other, but explore the criminal element of Star Wars, while telling us more about a location that has been so central to the Star Wars saga.
Darth Plagueis:
Plagueis is a fascinating character. He helped set into motion all the events that resulted in the eventual destruction of the Jedi and the fall of the Republic. Sidious quickly mentions him in Episode III, briefly discussing his power to manipulate midi-chlorians to create life. Plagueis' apprenticeship under Darth Tenebrous could be covered in the first half of the movie, and taking Palpatine and training him in the ways of the Sith could cover the last half, which could lead directly into Episode I.
Plagueis' apprenticeship can be easily covered in an hour. There is a great deal of political intrigue, complete with Force-based assassinations. Following the death of Darth Tenebrous, we would skip ahead and see the turning of Palpatine to the Dark Side as Plagueis brought out the worst in the then-young man. We could follow their plot to undermine the Republic and the Jedi. We would see a young Qui-Gon and Dooku, as well as be introduced to Master Sifo-Dyas, who would eventually order the creation of the clone army for the Republic. The story would be a mix of intrigue as the Sith slowly manipulate the galaxy into position for their plans of total galactic domination. The movie would conclude with Palpatine murdering his master, just before being elected Supreme Chancellor.
With so many stories to tell in the Star Wars universe, this is definitely not all there is, just a few stories that would really help to carry Star Wars into the next generation. What stories would you like to see told on screen? Let us know in the comments below!