It’s been over a decade since the Star Wars saga rose again with its sequel trilogy, an era that began with promise but ultimately tore the franchise — and its fandom — in two. To call the sequels divisive feels like the understatement of understatements; while most can agree that J.J. Abrams’ first contribution to the franchise was largely harmless nostalgia, consensus is still split on the one entry that brought fresh ideas, The Last Jedi. Like it or hate it, whatever potential the film carried was snuffed out by its immediate follow-up, The Rise of Skywalker, which was nearly the nail in the coffin for the entire franchise.
All told, the sequel era is one most fans would rather forget about... but if Star Wars wants to survive, it needs to move forward. Lucasfilm’s efforts to expand other parts of the timeline, like setting the Mando-verse just after the original trilogy, have gone a long way in rebuilding some goodwill among audiences, but we can’t ignore the sequels forever. That’s why the saga’s next batch of stories won’t just continue the story of Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley); they could double down on the sequel’s best ideas.
