Star Wars: Starfighter Ends A 12-Year Disney Streak That Nobody Wanted

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With the upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter, the franchise is poised to deliver its first genuinely new story since the original A New Hope in 1977, and it could shape the direction of Star Wars for years to come. Since Disney acquired Star Wars, most movies have focused on continuing existing storylines – either sequels or prequels. While the sequel trilogy introduced new characters like Rey and Kylo Ren, they were still connected to the original saga. Even the standalone films, Rogue One and Solo, heavily relied on established characters and events from the past.

The next Star Wars movie hitting theaters, The Mandalorian & Grogu, will continue the story from the Disney+ series. But fans will also get a brand new Star Wars adventure with Starfighter, scheduled for May 2027. This film will star Ryan Gosling and be directed by Shawn Levy, who previously worked on Deadpool & Wolverine.

The upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter will mark the first truly original Star Wars movie released by Lucasfilm in over a decade. Since 2015’s The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm has only released sequels or prequels. Director Shawn Levy confirmed last year during filming that Starfighter is a completely new story, not connected to any existing Star Wars narratives.

This story isn’t a sequel or prequel; it’s a completely fresh adventure with new characters and takes place in a new timeline.

The director of the new Starfighter movie recently shared one of the core ideas it will take from the classic Star Wars films. However, they emphasized that Starfighter is ultimately about capturing the fun and adventurous spirit of the original Star Wars, but presenting it in a new and exciting way.

While building on the familiar feel of past Star Wars films, the creators are aiming for a fresh and exciting experience for both fans and general moviegoers. They want to recapture the playful, adventurous, and genuinely funny spirit of the original A New Hope, using that film’s tone as a guiding principle throughout the process.

Levy explained that the studio has actually supported his efforts to bring a fresh perspective to Star Wars, with complete freedom to avoid simply copying what’s been done before.

This is a really exciting chance, because Lucasfilm has been incredibly supportive of me trying something different. I don’t feel any pressure to simply copy past work, or be restricted by what’s been done before – just a genuine appreciation for it.

Last year, Kathleen Kennedy, the former President of Lucasfilm, discussed the future of Star Wars films. She explained that the studio is in a good position to allow filmmakers to create stories they are passionate about, without needing to tie everything back to existing Star Wars lore.

Star Wars Needs to Abandon Its Interconnected Focus

As a huge Star Wars fan, I have to admit the last twelve years have been… a lot. Honestly, when Disney bought Lucasfilm, a lot of us were hoping for completely fresh stories, something new to fall in love with in that galaxy far, far away. But it feels like most of the energy has gone into revisiting the past and relying on what we already know, rather than forging a new path. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s not quite the fresh start many of us were hoping for.

There’s a lot more excitement among Star Wars fans for next year’s Starfighter than for this year’s The Mandalorian & Grogu. This is a good sign for the film’s potential success, especially considering it’s still over a year away and hasn’t had much marketing yet.

Lucasfilm needs to understand that Star Wars isn’t Marvel, and it doesn’t need to rely on shared storylines or familiar characters to keep fans interested. What draws people to Star Wars more than anything is its exciting and imaginative sci-fi setting, and that works best with self-contained stories.

If the new leaders, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, continue to support making separate Star Wars films that aren’t directly connected to a larger saga, it’s a good sign for the future of the franchise.

James Mangold’s planned ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ project, focusing on the very first Jedi, could really gain from this. Despite being temporarily paused, reports suggest it has a fantastic script and is aiming to be truly original. This story would be more separate from the existing Star Wars timeline than anything we’ve seen before, which many fans would welcome.

A new Star Wars trilogy is in the works and has already brought back a familiar face. However, the story will primarily follow new characters after the events of the Skywalker Saga. If Lucasfilm is willing to move away from past storylines, it could significantly boost excitement for the franchise, which is currently needed.

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2026-04-10 15:05