Star Wars: Starfighter Won't Feature Any Legacy Characters (And That's A Good Thing)

What if they made a good "Star Wars" movie again? That's a slight oversimplification of the filmmaking process, I know, but the point stands anyway. Over six years removed from the disastrous "The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019, Lucasfilm is finally gearing up for its long-overdue return to the big screen with "The Mandalorian and Grogu." The spin-off movie could charitably be described as a "safe" choice, however, given its dependence on an established Disney+ brand. The real test of this next era of the space opera series comes with next year's "Starfighter," director Shawn Levy's entrance to this galaxy far, far away.

For the first time since outgoing president Kathleen Kennedy took over the property in 2012, a "Star Wars" movie will have to sink or swim on its own merits — without relying on its connections to George Lucas' original trilogy. That's a daunting prospect, even for a production starring Ryan Gosling and with the director of "Deadpool & Wolverine" calling the shots. But where the recent sequel trilogy and (relatively) standalone movies like "Rogue One" had the benefit of established franchise characters to draw audiences in, the creative team behind "Starfighter" is embracing a new challenge ... and emphasizing that things will be different, this time around.

In an interview with Screen Rant, "Starfighter" writer Jonathan Tropper clarified something that had already been assumed about the new film. While promoting the Prime Video film "The Wrecking Crew," Tropper addressed the question on all our minds. In short, don't expect Deus Ex Force Ghost Luke Skywalker to pop in and save the day:

"I'm so careful not to reveal anything, but essentially, I think it's known that we have no legacy characters. You're not going to see any of the characters you've seen in the other movies."

A new "Star Wars" adventure focused entirely on new characters in new settings instead of constantly trying to score nostalgia points? What a concept! "Starfighter" has the potential to finally drag the franchise into wholly unfamiliar territory, which would be a rarity when compared to practically every major feature released in theaters — even dating back to George Lucas' original movies. The various shows have been far more successful in this regard, first with "The Mandalorian" and continuing through "The Bad Batch," "The Acolyte," and "Skeleton Crew." (Despite some obvious legacy connections, we'll also include the boundary-pushing "Andor" in this spiritual club.)

But before any misguided fans start marching on Lucasfilm headquarters, that's not to imply anything untoward about how "Starfighter" will fit into the overall canon. Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper (known for 2017's underrated "Kodachrome," "The Adam Project," and the Apple TV+ series "Your Friends & Neighbors") went on to describe how this new experience will still remain consistent with what we know and love about "Star Wars." "Obviously, lightsabers are a part of that universe and that part of that galaxy," he explained. "So there are certain things that are still hallmarks of 'Star Wars' that it's good to have in there. But more than that, I can't say."

With a cast as promising as this one and a post-Skywalker Saga setting (hopefully) unencumbered by any pre-established lore, "Starfighter" has all the potential in the galaxy to fly sky high. After the divisive sequel trilogy, there's pretty much nowhere to go but up. "Starfighter" will hit theaters on May 28, 2027.