Star Wars TV Show? What Can We Expect?

Live action Star Wars television is no new thing. Back in the 80s, there were the Ewok television specials which chronicled the inexplicable adventures of some Ewoks and some human children. Droves of people tuned in each week to figure out the central mystery: who was creepier, the Ewoks or the children? It was after the release of the last Star Wars prequel, Revenge of the Sith, that we started hearing rumours of a new Star Wars television series. This made sense because, if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that George Lucas never misses an opportunity to make a profit/please his fans.  

After years of nothing, it was revealed recently that the new franchise owners, Disney, were in talks with ABC Studios about restarting the old project. Based on George Lucas’ original series concept (believed to be a hundred dollar bill with “moar Star War” scribbled on it), it’s going to be set between the last prequel and the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. Fans are dying to know what questions this series will answer. 

The biggest question that needs answering is what the bantha poodoo happened to everything? How did everything regress so badly in less than 20 years? Why are all the sleek starships and high-tech gadgets gone? Maybe the Empire instituted a blanket ban on fancy things. Maybe they decreed that starships could only be big, wooden-looking boxes or triangles. This group would logically also be responsible for the fashion trends in the first film (there’s probably a scene where the Emperor makes a galaxy-wide public service announcement to “funkacise your dress sense”). The answer to this would conjure up bigger questions: when exactly did the new Empire introduce those snazzy, grey uniforms?  

Speaking of aesthetics, the new series will have to explain what happened to all the aliens. Did the Empire put something in the drinking water to make all of them look so rubbery? Maybe Imperials have space factories churning out cloth puppets to increase the amount of non-humans? There’s definitely some story potential here. 

A more important question is what became of so many favourites from the franchise. What happened to Obi-Wan’s old friend, Dexter, or Gregar Typho or Quinlan Vos? Maybe there are some people who even want to know what happened to Jar-Jar Binks (even less that want to know he’s still alive). Who knows what he did during the Empire’s reign. Maybe we’ll discover that Disney feel his wholesome influence is just what 23 episodes of a 24 episode series needs – maybe he’ll be pivotal in founding the Rebellion, maybe he’s the original pilot of the Millenium Falcon, maybe he discovers he’s a Jedi. It seems unlikely that fan(s) questions regarding this beloved character will go unanswered.  

In all seriousness, though, it seems too early to speculate on any of these things. It’s expected that the Rebellion’s beginnings will be shown, that Darth Vader will be wearing a cloak and doing villainous things across the galaxy and that the Republic will be becoming more Imperial-y.  There should also be cameos from established, Disney-friendly characters. Whatever happens in the series, it’s sure to be excellent. When’s the last time anything Star Wars-related turned out to be bad? Never, that’s when!  

Featured Image: Disney/LucasFilm