Star Wars' next movies have to return to one of the franchise’s core themes if the franchise is going to succeed.Star Warshas always been political; Lucas was partly inspired by the Vietnam War (and yes, that means the Viet Cong inspired the Rebel Alliance - while the Empire was based on the U.S.).
Lucas doubled down on the politics in the prequel trilogy, and he wasn’t subtle about it;the prequels literally begin with discussion about taxation and trade routes. But, for all there’s a political edge in Lucas' movies, he was careful to always attempt to add one important theme into the mix - one thatStar Warsneeds to emphasize.
One Word Defines George Lucas' Star Wars Franchise
Lucas Understood How Important It Was
Every franchise has an irreducible core, an idea that runs through it and that is key to its success. IsStar Warsfundamentally about family, redemption, or spiritualism? All these things are important, but I believe the heart ofStar Warsis simplyhope. There’s a reason George Lucas retitled the firstStar Warsmovie “A New Hope” - signifying that theme’s importance.
Hope. The firstStar Warsmovie offered reassurance that the military might of empires can be defeated by a mere farmboy,The Empire Strikes Backshowed a found family still coming together in the darkest night, andReturn of the Jedioffered the hope of redemptive love.
The prequels may have been darker, but hope is still there;it’s why Padmé dies with words of redemptive hope on her lips. Anakin Skywalker may have been destined to fall, but viewers know he is also destined to be redeemed, and the movie ends with the birth of a new generation - one who will become the galaxy’s hope.
George Lucas believedStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithwould be the poorest performer in the prequels, because he felt it was the least hopeful.
The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Inadvertently Set Up A Challenge
The Theme Of Hope Is Harder To Hold On To
The problem, though, is thattheStar Warssequel trilogy subtly changes everything. It reframes the Rebellion’s victory into a temporary event, with the Empire resurgent a generation later, in large part because of the heroes' mistakes. TheNew Republicbecomes as flawed as the Old, Luke’s Jedi Order repeats the mistakes of the past, and the redeemed once again die for their sins.
Star Warshas always tended to hop around the timeline with impunity, but now there is a simple challenge;can the franchise rediscover the theme of hope?Andorseason 2 strikes a careful balance, showing the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign and the cost of rebellion, but also ending with the same generational note of hope. Can the movies find their own balance of darkness and light?
Star Wars' Next Two Movies Are The Ultimate Test
They Will Prove Whether Star Wars Can Rediscover Its Irreducible Core
Next year,Star Warsfinally returns to the big screen withThe Mandalorian and Grogu. Set roughly five years afterReturn of the Jedi, this will continue the story told inThe Mandalorianseasons 1-3. It would be so tempting forStar Warsto start doubling down on the Empire’s inevitable return - an idea begun with season 3’sImperial Shadow Council- but I think that would be a mistake.Where’s the hope in that?
IfStar Warsfocuses on setting up the Imperial resurgence, then it will simply underscore the weakness and failure of the New Republic, compromising the theme of hope.We’ll be left with something so very bleak, an entire era defined by failure.There needs to be so much more to the post-Return of the Jediera than that.
The Mandalorian and Groguwill be followed by Shawn Levy’sStar Wars: Starfighter, a movie that’s due to begin filming in September. This will finally reveal the aftermath ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, taking us to a period five years after the sequels. Again, it will be so tempting for the franchise to focus on the scars, but it fundamentally needs to offer hope - light in the darkness.
Personally,I think there are signs Lucasfilm understand this. The logo ofStarfighteris deliberately reminiscent of the classicA New Hopeimage - a lightsaber as a shining star in the darkness, its brightness held aloft, a radiant light of optimism. That’s theStar WarsI so desperately want to see right now, especially in the current political context.
Lucas madeStar Warsat a time of political instability, at the height of the Vietnam War. The franchise’s hope and optimism was a deliberate political statement, a call to look beyond the present moment and to believe in the redemptive power of an everyman hero. That is the messageStar Warsneeds to return to, reassuring us once again that however dark the galaxy may get, the light is always brighter.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
