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December 2016 marked a significant change in the way we watched Star Wars films. The release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened the door to limitless possibilities from a galaxy far, far away. Films set in the Star Wars universe no longer focused on the Skywalker saga, but could instead explore any minor character or detail (take, for example, the flaw in the Death Star, which was the entire premise of Rogue One).
This paradigm shift is now part of Lucasfilm’s plan for box office domination.
Flash forward to present day—January 2018. The warm buzz of December’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi has worn off. And as we count down the days until the May release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, here are a few stories set in the galaxy that I’d like to pitch Lucasfilm.
5. How Liberty Dies: A Star Wars Story (political thriller about Mon Mothma)
Yes, I know Padme said the iconic line “So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause,” but Mon Mothma was one who built the Rebel Alliance on her back. In a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith, Mon Mothma holds a meeting with Padme, Bail Organa, and a few other senators to kickstart the rebellion in the face of civil unrest and consolidation of executive powers.
I would love to see an All The President’s Men-style political thriller about Mon Mothma planting the idea of dissent in the Imperial Senate, gathering allies, evading loyalists, and founding the group of rebels which would go on to save the galaxy. Picture shadow-y Senate hallways, back alley deals on Coruscant, and conspiracies working all the way up to the Emperor himself. Also, Mon Mothma is one of two named female characters in the original trilogy, so let’s show some respect and give her the standalone film she deserves.
4. Ben Solo and the Helmet of Darth Vader: A Star Wars Story (a young adult fantasy adventure)
We got a little of Ben Solo’s backstory in The Last Jedi, but I think it would be wise of Lucasfilm to really get into the headspace of the last living Skywalker in current canon. I’m picturing a Harry Potter-like story about Ben Solo being recruited by his wacky Jedi uncle Luke, and being taken to the new Jedi Temple to start school. Ben will make new friends, enemies, and grapple with his inner darkness. During the end of the film, he’ll break into Uncle Luke’s hut to find the helmet of Darth Vader, which has been mysteriously calling to him. Will Ben succumb to the dark side? Well, yes. But wouldn’t it be fun to see him pick up a lightsaber for the first time, a la Harry Potter and a broomstick?
We will likely see Ben Solo again in Episode 9 (because I am pro #TeamBenSoloRedemptionArc and #SaveBenSolo and, as previously stated, #Reylo), but I’d like to see another side to him. Besides, it may help remind people that these movies are for children.
3. HOTH: A Star Wars Story (an environmental horror/thriller about everyone’s favorite ice planet)
The cold recesses of space are terrifying enough, but what if they were even colder? A group of Imperial scientists is sent to research an uninhabited planet—which they name Hoth—and find something even more disturbing along the way. Abandoned settlements, ice-worshipping cults, ancient droids, freezing temperatures, and terrifying beasts around every corner will keep the team on their toes as they try to catalog everything they’re experiencing.
The only thing to keep them warm are their Tauntauns, so the scientists must decide what’s more important: their field report… or their lives? This would be a great place for some Empire Strikes Back Easter eggs, like the Wampa, the Empire’s awareness of Hoth, and snow troopers.
2. Reytilda: A Star Wars Story (a musical about young Rey and her scavenger friends)
OK, so this one is pretty much just super young Rey, on Jakku, in the vein of Annie and Matilda. Rey just wants to know who her parents are, but has to do all of Unkar Plutt’s dirty work. It’s the hard knock life for Rey!
She also starts experiencing strange powers—she can make things move just by thinking about them, and keeps dreaming of an ocean. Her friends are other orphans who like to prank Unkar Plutt and Teedo—and don’t forget the nasty bounty hunters who drop by! This story would capitalize on the success of kid-centric shows like Stranger Things, Rey’s popularity as a character, and my personal love of musicals. And who wouldn’t want to see a Star Wars musical?
1. Winning Theed: A Star Wars Story (an Older Olsen twins middle school comedy)
Padme is your typical Naboo teen—a straight-A student, interested in history and government, with a strong sense of civic duty. Join her and her gal-pals as they compete in Naboo’s biggest youth diplomacy conference. Padme will represent Alderaan and argue for smaller intergalactic trade taxes and stronger galactic regulation on planetary weapons—experience which she will use in the real world in just a few short months. She’ll need sponsors and signatories—and makes an alliance with Paolo, her school crush.
Can she recruit her friends Dorme, Sabe, and Corde to her side? And will they stand with her when things go wrong, even when one of them gets jealous of Paolo’s attention? Before she was queen—she was Padme.
Look, I spend a lot of time thinking about Star Wars, and I’m not about to stop any time soon. And they need a ton of ideas if they’re going to make a movie a year for the rest of time. So all I’m saying is, Kathleen Kennedy, hit me up. I also have ideas for the future of Indiana Jones.
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