Whether or not you enjoyed the most recent Star Wars trilogy, it’s hard to deny how controversial they were. Before you jump to the comment section to defend or decry them, this article has nothing to do with my opinion or that of the staff here at Power Spike. Instead, let’s talk about what happens next.

At the end of the original trilogy, the flood gates were opened for writers of all types to add their ideas to the canon with all kinds of books and comics that were all considered canonical. We saw Princess Leia become a mind-reading Jedi (mind-reading wasn’t something everyone could do back then). Chewbacca met his end screaming and shooting at an oncoming moon and finally the very scary man that is Grand Admiral Thrawn.

However, Disney currently seems eager to distance themselves from the controversial trilogy with their new book series “The High Republic” which takes place 200 years before the prequels and 800 years after the fall of the Old Republic. You don’t need to worry about the validity of your dual lightsaber wielding Miraluka Jedi named Duke Starchaser in Bioware’s The Old Republic. This part of the timeline is going to portrayed primarily in books and comics. The first of which will be written by the incredible Charles Soule known for the Death of Wolverine comic, Daredevil, She-Hulk and my personal favourite, Swamp Thing. Disney intends to tell a new story without the trappings of the film series to restrict them nor do they want these books to be associated with the Old Republic. This is, to them, a fresh slate.

The series has already come under fire, despite no one having read it besides Charles himself and his editors. This is because the lead character is a woman (how dare they!) and the fact that Disney has already confirmed that because of the timeline, yes indeed, Yoda will make an appearance. Overall, most people remain hopeful and positive for a new set of adventures that do not relate to the Skywalkers in any way and has the freedom to tell some interesting new tales.

Books and magazines aren’t the only things that Disney has under their skirts for the beloved fantasy series. EA currently hold the power to make new canon video games. Currently, the only new games that add to the story are Jedi: Fallen Order and Squadrons. Both of which give plenty for Star Wars lore aficionados to think on and argue about. But both take place between film series. Fallen Order is after Revenge of the Sith and Squadrons is after Return of the Jedi. So the question is, will Disney allow EA to have a bigger influence on post Rise of Skywalker timeline than they plan to? Currently, who knows?

Jedi: Fallen Order is probably my favourite piece of Star Wars media to ever be released. I’m not here to defend that opinion nor convince you of its merits either. I just personally loved the characters, the set pieces, the story, the lore and everything the game had to offer. EA has already confirmed that a sequel is in the works in some form but again, the story of Fallen Order is working within the confines of pre-existing stories. What could EA do with a post-Skywalker galaxy?

While Daisy Ridley is a relatively new and young actress, I would assume she’s not going to make a habit of returning to the franchise to voice Rey in multiple sequel videogames. Oscar Isaac has all but disavowed the franchise along with John Boyega. So these characters will most likely be revisited only in book form.

Without any insane spoilers, it’s still possible for Force users to exist. With no formal training set in place, it would be interesting to see a Jedi rediscover the force and what it means to be a hero/villain on their own. As much as RPGs are fun and being a character that reflects your worldviews is always exciting, I would love another curated and carefully thought out plot and character arc like we saw in Fallen Order. Or, perhaps, a story where the focus isn’t on a wielder of the Force? Rogue One and Solo managed to do that and I’m sure that EA can manage it with a 20-hour campaign.

It’s a very, very interesting situation and there really isn’t any other example in the media to compare to. Marvel is close but the films exist outside of comic canon (sort-of) and the comics will continue doing the same things comics do until they stop making money. But Star Wars is STAR WARS! Whether you like it or not, it’s one of the most influential fantasy stories of modern media and has shaped the way many people view cinema and storytelling. Its effects will be felt for, possibly, decades more to come.

I don’t normally invite comments on my articles but I would love to read about your thoughts (YES YOU!) on where you’d like to see, or where you think we’ll see, the Star Wars franchise go. However, let’s keep arguments about the recent films out of this, okay?