The Rey-centric and tentatively titledStar Wars: New Jedi Ordermovie will have to pushStar Warsoutside its comfort zone – something the franchise has actively been avoiding for the past 10 years.Star Wars: New Jedi Orderwas announced atStar WarsCelebration 2023, marking the official return ofDaisy Ridley’s Jedi, Rey. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been tapped to direct the feature, which will seeRey Skywalker lead a new Jedi Order15 years after the events of the undeniably divisiveStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: New Jedi Orderhas not officially been dubbed Episode X, and with good reason. As far as we know, it’s not the start of a newStar Warstrilogy – though there are rumors that Ridley will make more than one reappearance – so it has the opportunity to do something new. IfNew Jedi Orderis indeed meant to be a standalone story, a launch point for an unexplored era oftheStar Warstimeline, Lucasfilm will have to do something it arguably hasn’t done since George Lucas first createdStar Wars.
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Star Wars Has Been Dining Out On Nostalgia For 10 Years
AfterStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, there was a lull inStar Warsactivity. Sure, the franchise eventually thrived on the animated side of things withStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels, but relatively speaking, the animated shows are watched by a small sample of the totalStar Warsaudience. Given the criticism endured by the prequel trilogy,Star Wars’return to the big screen had to not only launch a new era but also give general audiences a reason to invest in the franchise again.
The result of this careful balance was 2015’sStar Wars: The Force Awakens, a film that essentially functioned as a retelling of the firstStar Warsmovie – later retitledA New Hope– but which introduced viewers to a new cast of characters, each with their own seemingly limitless storytelling potential. Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren were meant to be beacons of change despite sharing the screen withStar Warslegends of old. Unfortunately, though, the franchise couldn’t fully let go of the Skywalkers and their legacy.
Part of the reason theStar Warssequel trilogy was and has remained divisive is because of howStar Warslet the old influence the new.Star Warsmade several attempts to do something unexpected – Han Solo’s death, Luke Skywalker’s adverse reaction to Rey’s appearance, the sudden murder of Supreme Leader Snoke – but the franchise nevertheless fell back on the familiar time and time again, like Yoda’s Force ghost, Emperor Palpatine’s resurrection, and Lando Calrissian’s brief appearance. On the whole, the sequel trilogy’s story was held back by one incredibly powerful force: nostalgia.
The sequel trilogy’s story was held back by one incredibly powerful force: nostalgia.
Even the excellent and generally well-receivedRogue One: A Star Wars Storyrelied heavily on the stories that had come before, including cameos from beloved characters like Princess Leia and Darth Vader. Of course, this comes down toRogue One’s story, though one could argue that it was a story that didn’t necessarily need to be told (though I’m infinitely glad it was).Solo: A Star Wars Story, meanwhile, failed despite Han Solo’s long-lasting legacy.Star Warsseemingly never took that lesson to heart.
Interestingly, whenStar WarsreleasedThe Mandalorianseason 1 on Disney+ in 2019, the same yearRise of Skywalkerwas released, it felt like the franchise had finally learned from the past. Here was a show that used establishedStar Warslore – the lore of the Mandalorians – but gave audiences an entirely new perspective on it. It felt like a breath of fresh air.
And yet, evenThe Mandalorianwas soon contaminated, for lack of a better word, by the pull of nostalgia. Characters fromStar Wars: The Clone Wars, like Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano, were translated to live-action, and original trilogy legends like Boba Fett and even Luke Skywalker were given prominent roles as well.WillStar Warsever let itself be truly innovative? History says no, but I’m hoping thatNew Jedi Orderwill be the start of something bold.
Rey’s New Jedi Order Movie Has To Do Something Fresh & New
TheNew Jedi Ordermovie can’t afford to be careful. It can’t rely on nostalgia any longer. However you may feel about her, Rey is a divisive character. IfStar Warswants its fanatic audience and casual audiences to embrace her as a character once more, it needs to give them a reason to.New Jedi Orderessentially needs to reinventStar Wars.Star Warshas to acknowledge the fact thatthe Skywalker bloodlineis officially gone and face its future head-on.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order - Cast, Story, Timeline & Everything We Know
Rey’s Star Wars return is happening in Star Wars: New Jedi Order. Here’s what is known about the story, cast, and release of Daisy Ridley’s film.
This shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, Rey has the opportunity to reinvent the Jedi. She flirted with the darkness, learned from the Jedi’s mistakes, and personalized her lightsaber. Obaid-Chinoy’s film can change what it means to be a Jedi, putting a fresh spin on one of the most beloved parts ofStar Wars’storytelling.If what it means to be a Jedi changes, the very fabric of the franchise itself will change, too– hopefully, for the better.
Rey Is A Skywalker… With No Direct Ties To Anakin
Star Warshas officially acknowledged Rey as a Skywalker. There’s no turning back from her claimed name now. Of course, some people vehemently disagree with Rey’s new name, while others love the symbolism, but whatever your feelings on the matter, Rey is a Skywalker. More importantly, she’s a Skywalker with no direct ties to Anakin Skywalker, the Skywalker to end all other Skywalkers.
Rey may be a Skywalker, but much like she can change what it means to be a Jedi, she can change what it means to be a Skywalker, too.
So far,every mainlineStar Warsfilmhas relied on Anakin’s or his darker counterpart’s legacy. The original trilogy revolved around Darth Vader’s redemption. The prequel trilogy chronicled Anakin’s fall from grace. The sequel trilogy’s primary antagonist wanted nothing more than to emulate his grandfather’s vicious darkness. Rey’s story cannot be weighed down by Anakin’s or Darth Vader’s names, however. He’s gone. His children are gone. His grandson is gone, too. If anything, Anakin and Darth Vader’s names should be relegated to theStar Warshistory books.
Let a new villain rise to prominence. Let a different tragic hero take his place. Rey may be a Skywalker, but much like she can change what it means to be a Jedi, she can change what it means to be a Skywalker, too.
New Jedi Orderis far enough removed fromStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A lot can happen in 15 years. Change is on the horizon; ifStar Warswants to prove itself worthy of its audience’s devotion, if it wants to stay relevant and exciting, to survive and thrive, it needs to be daring. To paraphrase another famous space-faring franchise,Star Wars: New Jedi Orderneeds to boldly go where noStar Warsfilm has gone before.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
