It has been announced recently that the spin-off Star Wars films are indeed a reality, and that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are working on them at present (as previously rumoured). This exciting development offers the possibility of new movies that can tell an entertaining side story from the main Saga. Rumours are already floating around of which characters they might be based on.
One concept that will probably be popular - due to how
adored the character is – is a film about Yoda. Whilst this would make a lot of fans happy, it would be a very difficult task to accomplish. One of the key fascinations with Yoda is that his background is a mystery, and any film featuring him as a main character would have to tell a tale without delving into his past. Some, in this current age of constant origins stories, would argue that finding out where Yoda came from would be awesome – it wouldn’t! It would take away the mystery and romanticism associated with the character.
Jabba the Hutt is also apparently a contender for getting a Star Wars movie. This seems highly unlikely. It would make sense for Jabba to be part of a spin-off movie, as he was in The Clone Wars, but how the character could actually drive an entire film is a puzzling one. A film about the Star Wars underworld would surely be popular among more mature fans, particularly if it was designed as an “adult” Star Wars movie (no, not that kind of adult movie!) and could use some of the concepts from the abandoned TV series.
There was also Joe Johnston’s desire to make a Boba Fett movie. This would surely be a popular choice, and would be an opportunity to do an action driven thriller in the Star Wars universe. The only danger here is, like with the Yoda concept, that even more of Boba’s mystery might be stripped away. If little pieces of his back story from the comics and novels are used sparingly, however, it could make the character even more compelling – especially to those fans who still don’t understand the fuss about Fett.
What would be the best route, perhaps, is for established characters to pop up – but for spin-off films to introduce new characters. The awesome thing about new characters in the Star Wars universe is that their past, present and future are completely open. In the
novels, the Solo children are often the most fascinating characters to follow. In the comics, Quinlan Vos and Cade Skywalker made for interesting, flawed characters doing their best in a messed up galaxy. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, no-one knew who the classic trilogy characters were. By allowing the creators to come up with new characters and worlds, fans might find the next Yoda or Boba Fett – a new character who intrigues them and they want to see more of. Lucasfilm should take brave steps with these spin-offs, and avoid playing it safe with too many existing characters.
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