Expectations for Possible Simon Kinberg Star Wars Trilogy

When the smallest peep of Star Wars news drops, it explodes in a wild four-day journey of the news article coming out, people being truly excited, the inevitable backlash by content creators monetizing hate, and then the counter-backlash against the hatemongers.

The latest episode of ‘The Star Wars News Rollercoaster’ was the article from Deadline that Simon Kinberg is “developing” episodes 10, 11, and 12. Now, I put quotations around “developing” because of all the things discussed in the article, that is the most important word.

Lucasfilm, like all major studios, is constantly working on projects. Some may not come out for years or decades and even more will never see the light of day. But, today’s “gamification” of the entertainment news means that everything must be announced, debated, and speculated before a story has even taken shape… And even more so with Star Wars.

First things first!

This is not an official announcement from Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm, Disney, or Kinberg himself. These are just industry rumors that have some teeth to them because the story came from a trusted entertainment news organization. Unless Kennedy and Kinberg are standing on the stage at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo in 2025 or 2027 (hopefully in Anaheim), this means nothing other than they are discussing what a possible new trilogy beyond the Skywalker Saga could look like.

One of the major complaints about episodes 7, 8, and 9 was there didn’t seem to be one overall story connecting the three films. When J.J. Abrams decided to do only The Force Awakens, it opened the door for other storytellers to come into the trilogy and give their take on the story created by George Lucas and now restarted by Abrams. Many took issue with Rian Johnson’s direction in The Last Jedi, while others loved his deconstruction and rebuilding of the Star Wars story. Even more people took offense to The Rise of Skywalker after Abrams returned when Colin Trevorrow’s script was scrapped.

I know that I am in the minority when I discuss this, but I feel there is a through-line story between the three films. However, that is a conversation for a different time.

I wish those reading this would allow themselves to take a breath, see what is officially announced, and then engage in the story being told on the screen. But I know for a fact that will not happen.

Part of the fun and problem with Star Wars is that fans for years (starting in June of 1977 when everyone started talking about the next film) will build up the story in their head that they wish to see. Then they are completely devastated when the story told is not 100% the way they would have done it. This has been happening ever since Empire Strikes Back and will continue until the Earth stops spinning.

With all that being said, let’s think about what possible story they could be looking to tell.

The base story of Star Wars is how those with power oppress and control those without. Lucas himself was affected by the Vietnam War and the American Military Complex pushing their agenda across the world. The Empire over and over again oppresses anyone and everyone in the galaxy. With the sequel trilogy, we got a new version of the Empire in The First Order. It would be a struggle for many to have a new version of either one of those groups, or even a new Death Star, but the idea of having a group imposing their will over others needs to continue to be told.

It could be interesting to have a new government that means well, like Mon Mothma or Leia Organa’s view of governing, but then have those people get corrupted by the power they have over others. Having good people being corrupted by the systems in place, not a dark lord of the Sith, could be a very interesting way of conveying the same ideals that Lucas put into his original story.

We need the Jedi or a group of Force users, because it’s not Star Wars without space wizards using laser swords. Now Rey’s New Jedi Order film coming before these scripts are even started plants the groundwork for what the Jedi Order could be through these films. We don’t know what direction they are going with that film, but I believe they are going to go into what it means to have The Force abilities and not be so dogmatic about how those powers are used.

Some of the best storytelling of late has dealt with the criminal underworld in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Stories in The Mandalorian, the upcoming Skeleton Crew, Star Wars Outlaws video games, the Crimson Reign comic series, and others have spent time building that part of the galaxy. Having several characters possibly doing some bad things but for good reasons, could lead to some interest conflicts with the government officials using their power to control everything.

It is time to have new characters, new planets, new ships… and think of all the new toys we’re going to get with this new trilogy.

When my wife and I do our reviews of movies or TV shows, we always say, “Engage in the story being told.” Part of the fun of being fans of any fandom is the speculation of what we’re about to see. That is part of the reason we get trailers.

Sitting around with your friends discussing what we think we’re about to see is part of the fun. For many, those theories become the only way they want the story and anything that deviates from that means Star Wars is ruined, and it’s Disney or Kathleen Kennedy’s fault.

SPOILERS… We are not in those development rooms. We aren’t the ones writing, directing, or acting in those movies. We are just the fans in the theater enjoying the space opera that has become one of the most important stories ever told in the history of storytelling.

When you walk into the theater, leave your theories at the door. Enjoy the story being told and the images on the screen… Hopefully in IMAX!

Author: Sean Miley

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