Another day, another Star Wars rumor. Fan site Star Wars News Net is now reporting that a source is telling them that there’s an Old Republic series of films in the works, saying, “Disney wants to open up the Star Wars timeline and appeal to a more Game of Thrones-style audience,” and that “the timeline is hundreds of years prior to the Skywalkers, so think almost Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings.”
I have to say, I’m going to give some credence to the rumors based on the hiring of Game of Thrones creators and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for their own film series. While I personally am not a fan of Benioff or Weiss for a variety of reasons, I am excited by the idea of an Old Republic series, especially on an epic, cinematic scale.
For those who aren’t as familiar with the Old Republic, here’s the rundown: the Old Republic is the backdrop for a popular video game called Knights of the Old Republic, set thousands of years before the Skywalker name became famous. The game picks up after a tenuous peace has been established between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. We can assume that, if these films are supposed to take place during the Old Republic era, they’ll be set either during the Sith-Republic war or immediately after the truce is signed.
Popular characters from this time period include Bastilla and Darth Revan, though we don’t know if these characters will make the jump to cinematic canon. I could see Lucasfilm having characters inspired by famous Old Republic characters, rather than pulling existing characters straight from the game.
It makes sense to hire the guys behind Game of Thrones to do an epic, Lord of the Rings-esque series set against the backdrop of the Old Republic. This story begs for epic storytelling and a sprawling ensemble, similar to HBO’s flagship show. There’s a lot of opportunity for galactic politics as well as sweeping battles. While this is a period piece by galactic standards, it will still have all the trappings of a Star Wars movie: lightsabers, spaceships, and the Force, of course.
This would be a great move for Lucasfilm. The Skywalker Saga is allegedly coming to an end this December, and the television shows are covering plenty of tie-in ground with Resistance and the return of The Clone Wars. The Mandalorian will cover new ground, and the Cassian Andor show will be a great tie-in without relying too hard on legacy characters. We’ve covered a great deal of ground in the Skywalker era, and it might be time to explore a new time period.
Rather than leap into the future of the galaxy, returning to the past will allow the studio to explore some of the Force mythos that has been teased in books, television series, and movies. We can explore the ancient Jedi temples, such as the one on Lothal and the one on Ahch-To, understand more about the Whills, and even get more information on the Sith beyond “they’re evil.” We’ll get more information on the galaxy outside of the Empire vs. Rebellion/Clone Wars/Resistance vs. First Order conflict binaries.
It will also help the new series stand apart from the Skywalker Saga. There’s no potential for crossover there, just a good story that can be its own thing, away from the Skywalkers and their struggle to balance the Force. The biggest tie-in could be audiences hearing the famous prophecy of the one who’ll bring balance to the Force, making the original saga seem like as much of a far-off legend as it once did the Old Republic.
I’m still not sold on Benioff and Weiss’s hiring, and I probably never will be, but the potential in an Old Republic series is excellent, and should these rumors (which are very much rumors) turn out to be real, I’ll be excited to see how they play out on the big screen.
(via Star Wars News Net, image: Bioworld)
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