Rey (Daisy Ridley) will return to Star Wars within the Star Wars: New Jedi Order film, and Disney has a lot to realize from mining its “Legends” assortment (previously the Star Wars Expanded Universe, or EU) for storytelling inspiration.
Almost 5 years have handed since Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker proved a floundering ending to an already controversial sequel trilogy. With the brand new film set 15 years after that story ends, Disney stands at an inflection level in its Star Wars storytelling. Based mostly on the working title, the general public assumes that the subsequent Star Wars film will present Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order, and by bridging the hole between the still-beloved Expanded Universe and present canon, Disney’s Lucasfilm can rebuild its goodwill with the disaffected phase of its viewers.
Again within the Expanded Universe days, rebuilding the Jedi Order performed an important position in Luke Skywalker’s ongoing storyline. With Luke out of the image in Disney canon, the corporate can use Rey’s post-The Rise of Skywalker narrative to honor what a New Jedi Order already means to a big group of devoted Star Wars followers by integrating parts of Legends/Expanded Universe tales into the flicks. That also offers Lucasfilm leeway to inform an unique story.
Such techniques have labored for Star Wars up to now, with Ahsoka‘s Grand Admiral Thrawn, The Mandalorian‘s Darkish Troopers, and even the New Republic itself originating in Legends. Whereas Disney might actually (and really effectively could) inform an unique story, sturdy Star Wars storytelling integrating parts of Legends tales might have the facility to deliver some followers again to the field workplace.
Beneath are among the tales, characters, and plotlines of the Legends assortment that might most profit the upcoming Rey-centric film. Most hail from Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy, composed of the novels Jedi Search, Darkish Apprentice, and Champions of the Drive. This text will reference the 19-book New Jedi Order sequence as effectively.
Be warned: a correct dialogue of those Legends titles means spoiling sure plot factors.
Luke’s EU Apprentices Can Problem Previous Jedi Buildings
Within the Expanded Universe, Luke’s New Jedi Order departed from the inflexible, monastic establishment seen within the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Luke’s college students had relationships and explored their very own interpretations of the Drive. Luke additionally accepted college students of any age as, to him, a very powerful factor in rebuilding the Jedi Order was growing the variety of lively Jedi. Whereas characters from Luke’s Jedi Order have already got analogues within the films–Rey and Kylo Ren took on comparable roles to Han and Leia’s kids Jaina and Jacen Solo–among the most attention-grabbing might nonetheless make their means into live-action.
A first-rate candidate for a film reimagining is Kyp Durron, a younger man Han Solo and Chewbacca free of the spice mines of Kessel. Kyp would change into one of many Expanded Universe’s strongest, controversial Jedi and one of many first new Jedi Masters.
Durron had an aggressive strategy to battle and even turned to the Darkish Aspect earlier than discovering his means again to the Mild. As a personality usually portrayed within the EU as a rogue Jedi decided to do good on his personal phrases, Durron might make an attention-grabbing foil for Rey as she tries to find out a path for the Jedi within the post-Sequel Trilogy period.
Acquainted Areas and Factions Can Tie Star Wars Tales Collectively
The Jedi Academy trilogy noticed Luke recruiting college students from all around the galaxy, which naturally noticed him revisiting places made well-known by the movies. Luke’s college students got here from planets, together with Bespin, Mon Calamari, Kessel, Corellia, and Dathmoir, all of which have appeared in earlier Star Wars movies and tv exhibits.
Adapting such tales will assist additional flesh out the Star Wars universe by showcasing a number of views amongst one species or individuals. A Mon Calamari Jedi just like the EU’s Cilghal exhibits that Mon Cals aren’t solely ship captains or admirals, simply as a Dathomirian witch studying to make use of the Drive–the EU’s Kirana Ti–with out turning to the Darkish Aspect stops departs from the standard picture of all Dathormirans as villains.
Luke stationed his academy at a Massassi Temple on Yavin IV, tying his post-trilogy story properly into the location of the Rebels’ destruction of the primary Loss of life Star. At the same time as Rey’s New Jedi Order film possible redefines what it means to be a Jedi, having her academy located on a beforehand explored planet might deepen the already-rich lore of the established Star Wars universe. Though Yavin IV could not have the identical significance for Rey as for Luke, she might simply revisit sequel trilogy planets like Ajan Kloss, Takodana, and even Ahch-To.
New Enemies Can Transfer Past Palpatine’s Schemes
Barring one other Palpatine return, Star Wars: New Jedi Order might want to discover a new enemy for Rey and her fledgling order to struggle. The Star Wars Expanded Universe has no scarcity of potentialities, starting with the idea of Sith ghosts explored in Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy.
In these books, the spirit of the Darkish Jedi Exar Kun, trapped for millennia on Yavin IV, influenced the younger Kyp Durron, seducing him towards the Darkish Aspect. Although the Sith supposedly went extinct after The Rise of Skywalker, the corrupting presence of their spirits might present an ideal method to inform a Drive-centric story with out Skywalkers or Sheev Palpatine.
One other controversial but massively impactful Expanded Universe enemy was the Yuuzhan Vong, a species of extragalactic invaders that Jedi couldn’t sense within the Drive. They performed the villains on the coronary heart of the New Jedi Order novel sequence, which noticed the destruction of many Star Wars planets and the deaths of a few of its best-known characters.
The total New Jedi Order storyline is probably going too lengthy, brutal, and detailed to seize in a movie or perhaps a trilogy, however the concept of enemies disconnected from the Drive has potential. If Rey does certainly rebuild the Jedi Order in her upcoming Star Wars film, an enemy that defies widespread information in regards to the Drive itself (that it binds, and connects to each dwelling factor) might current an enchanting impediment.
Moreover, honoring Legends tales–and the followers that also love them–would set the brand new film up for fulfillment.
