With the steady rollout of Disney + content, it appears the “House of Mouse” has found a winning formula. Turns out if you give people live-action Star Wars content they will gobble it up (myself included). So far we have received The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first two taking place after Return of the Jedi and the last one before A New Hope. What would be really great, though, would be something a little further out from the comfort zone of Lucasfilm.
Here we have a great opportunity to tell a comprehensive story in more time with a smaller budget as compared to the large spectacles of the major Skywalker films. With the Skywalker Saga over Lucasfilm is poised to make more creative story-telling decisions. As a massive Star Wars fan here are a few of my pitches for fun Star Wars live-action shows!
Black Sun / Crimson Dawn Crime Thriller
The Star Wars galaxy is ripe for a crime drama in the vein of The Wire, Sons of Anarchy, and The Sopranos. We have The Hutt cartels, Black Sun, Crimson Dawn, even the newer crime faction of The Pykes Syndicate. Why can’t we delve into the seedy underbelly of Coruscant and follow warring gangs, crime families, and others against the backdrop of the Empire or Republic trying to squash out the enterprising factions?
The Black Sun Syndicate. Image from Wookiepedia.
You could even have the first half of the show set during the Republic and the second half during the Empire and show how the disruption of the transition shook up the criminal underworld. Show us death sticks and spice deals going bad. Bounty hunters as enforcers and “sending messages” to rival factions. As the audience of Star Wars has grown-up there is room for a darker and edgier Star Wars story to tell here. The underworld of the galaxy is ever-present in the background of other Star Wars media, it’s time to bring it to the (live-action) forefront!
Protocol Droid Murder Mystery
This one is partly inspired by Triple Zero but also my co-host on “My Star Wars Show“, Abram. Imagine a Dexter/Death Note/Sherlock show where a Jedi is investigating a series of grizzly murders and believes he is looking for an organic being. But instead is being eluded by a protocol droid with a sinister streak of murders who they cannot detect amongst the buzz of electronics and sea of other droids.
Triple-Zero, the torture-crazed protocol droid.
Triple-Zero is a protocol droid that first appears in the “Darth Vader” (2015) run of comics who is skilled at torture but never drops his polite demeanor. Sort of like a murderous C-3PO. I would like to see this droid have a sort of hit-list from it’s late creator. Over the course of several episodes the connections between these victims unravels and the audience learns as the investigating Jedi does. I think it could be a breath of fresh air, but who knows, maybe it works better as a series of novels.
An Actual Old Republic Show
Of all the corners of Star Wars media The Old Republic is probably the most neglected. Recently we have moved the timeline needle to about 200 years before the films with The High Republic. But what about the Old Republic from 3,000 years before?! Why is Lucasfilm ignoring an era that is ripe for new storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, the High Republic has potential. But there are certain caveats that must be worked around with the proximity of being close to the Skywalker saga. For example Yoda is still around and Sith cannot be in the open because they are still in hiding.
Good ‘ol neglected Star Wars: The Old Republic.
We could have a live-action series retelling the Sith Invasion of Coruscant, or just focusing on Satele Shan and her effort to keep the Jedi Order afloat. We could jump back and forth and show the in-fighting in the Sith Empire or on the republic soldiers and smugglers. The lack of exploration of this era, outside of the MMO, is criminal!
Closing Thoughts
The folks over at Lucasfilm have a rich stable of settings, characters, and timelines to utilize at their disposal. Let’s hope they broaden their horizons in the near future. What do you think? Got a fresh idea for a Star Wars show? Shout it out in the comment section. I would love to see what you guys come up with.
Big Star Wars fan? Then check out the myriad of Star Wars topics we have covered here at GNN including my most recent one, “Which Star Wars Race Are You?”. Be sure to check out GNN’s own premium Star Wars podcast, The Cantina Happy Hour , while you are at it as well! For more geeky coverage (Star Wars and non-Star Wars) keep it here on GNN!
