Ryan Gosling’s Starfighter Marks a Major Turning Point for Star Wars

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In 2027, the iconic Star Wars franchise will celebrate its 50th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, Lucasfilm is releasing a new film, Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. The film is directed by Shawn Levy, who also directed Deadpool & Wolverine.

The upcoming film, Star Wars: Starfighter, aims to tell a completely new story within the Star Wars universe, without relying on any characters we’ve seen before. This makes it the first Star Wars film to do so since the very first movie in 1977. However, including familiar elements from previous films could ultimately harm Starfighter’s chances of success.

Star Wars: Starfighters’ New Era Should Mean New Villains

Beyond offering a look at how Star Wars: Starfighter was made, a key discovery is when the game is set. The Star Wars universe has a vast history, with different stories unfolding across various time periods. Star Wars: Starfighter will be set…

With The Rise of Skywalker, the story of the Skywalker family in Star Wars came to a close. The next Star Wars film, planned for 2027, will begin a new storyline called the New Jedi Order, and Lucasfilm needs to approach it thoughtfully. Following the victory of the Rebel Alliance over the Galactic Empire, some Imperial forces survived and evolved into the First Order, which appeared in the more recent films and series. This allowed those stories to maintain the familiar look and feel of Star Wars.

To revitalize the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Starfighter needs to introduce a fresh type of villain. The movies haven’t really done that recently, but other Star Wars stories, like books and comics, have successfully created compelling new enemies.

Shows like The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, and the High Republic books all explore the criminal underworld of pirates, gangsters, and outlaws. Now, with the release of Star Wars: Starfighter, it’s a great moment to bring that same focus on gritty adventure to the big screen, kicking off a fresh new chapter for Star Wars.

What We Know About Star Wars: Starfighters’ Villains So Far

Honestly, with this new movie still under wraps, it’s not shocking we don’t know much about it yet. But the biggest question mark for me, given what little we do know, is who the bad guys will be. I mean, Star Wars has always been defined by its amazing villains – they’ve always been the core of the conflict in each era, and I’m really curious to see who steps into that role this time.

Reports indicate Matt Smith and Mia Goth will be the villains in Star Wars: Starfighter, though their specific roles are currently unknown. Director Levy has suggested they might be connected to the Sith, potentially as a group similar to the Knights of Ren. Alternatively, any lightsaber combat we see could take place in a flashback sequence.

Lightsaber fights don’t always mean a battle between Jedi and Sith is brewing. Though the Jedi will probably be involved in the movie, bringing back the Sith would be a misstep after Palpatine’s final defeat in The Rise of Skywalker. It would make more sense for characters like Marchion Ro and Din Djarin – who have both used lightsabers before – to be the primary adversaries in Star Wars: Starfighter.

While a positive move, the film needs fresh villains to truly revitalize the franchise. Lucasfilm seems focused on bringing back the Jedi, which feels safe, so repeating the First Order/Sith formula wouldn’t work, especially given the series’ ability to create compelling villains beyond its established characters. The lack of information about antagonists so far suggests a brand new threat might emerge in the 2027 film.

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2026-01-31 03:16