Since Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019) was released in theaters, many fans have been calling for a reboot of the sequel trilogy. However, rather than overwrite films that still matter to others, Disney should, if they ever decide to try and restore faith in the brand, consider a different approach: a parallel trilogy that coexists with those films.
Star Wars has always thrived when multiple stories within the same era coexist. Just as The Clone Wars series — a fan-favorite entry — redefined the prequel era without erasing The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, a new animated trilogy, or even a series, could deepen the sequel trilogy era without invalidating those three films.
Related:Â Disney Makes a Desperate Bid To Repair ‘Star Wars' With MAJOR Character Return : Disney Fanatic
At this point, removing the sequels from canon would just make things messy. And hitting reboot would probably mean doing so for the entire franchise, which has steadily grown its world-building and mythology over nearly half-a-century, regardless of how much poor Star Wars content Disney has released across film and television in recent years.
With all that said, we are getting our first post-sequel trilogy installment with the upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter. Directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine), it stars Ryan Gosling in a “standalone” adventure set several years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
While a standalone installment is unlikely to enrich the sequel trilogy in the same way The Clone Wars improved the prequels, it's a step in the right direction.
Starfighter is set for release in May, 2027. In May of next year, The Mandalorian & Grogu will be released. Directed by Jon Favreau (2019's The Lion King), it marks the first-ever big-screen adaptation of a Star Wars television series (The Mandalorian) and also the franchise's return to theaters after six years.
Whether these two films will be enough to reignite interest in the faraway galaxy remains to be seen, but all eyes appear to be on the post-sequel era Starfighter, which will be flying into uncharted territory on the timeline.
What do you think? Do you think the sequel trilogy could be replaced with an animated film trilogy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
