Rogue One is set to launch at the end of this year, and with it, an expansive new Star Wars universe. As good as Rogue One looks, and it does look good, we can’t help, but be be a bit worried that, in their haste to build a new cannon, they are tossing too much primo material out the window. Obviously, a lot of the entries on this list would need to be revised to make them fit with the current cannon, but we think that these eleven Star Wars stories deserved to not only be saved but possibly adapted into the modern continuity.
While some of these entries may seem a bit too ambitious for the small screen, Netflix has made huge strides towards establishing itself as a home for television’s best and brightest. If the creative minds behind the new film series were interested in further expanding their reach, here are 11 Star Wars Stories We Want To See On Netflix.
11. The Legacy Era
Set 130 years after the the events of a New Hope, the Legacy comics followed Luke Skywalker’s descendant, Cade, as he made his way in a galaxy ravaged by a three way war between the New Republic, a Galactic Empire led by a new Sith order, and the remnants of the Empire that were loyal to the exiled emperor Roan Fel. This conflict was one of the more interesting aspects of the series, as it showed a Galactic Empire that, while certainly being authoritarian, was not necessary evil in the same way Palpatine’s was. A series that could explore and expound on that and other interesting aspects of Fel’s Empire, such as the Force-wielding Imperial Knights, would provide an interesting contrast to Darth Krayt’s Empire led by the One Sith.
Legacy introduced us to a lot of interesting characters that were oftentimes more fun to read about than Cade himself. The original comic’s storyline could serve as the foundation for a strong Netflix series, but the wealth of side stories along with the relative freedom this futuristic era provides also means that a direct adaptation isn’t the only option.
10. Tales of the Jedi
One of the most expansive entries on this list, the Tales of Jedi series was published by Dark Horse Comics, and its long reach really helped define the “ancient history” of the Star Wars universe. This series covered a wide range of topics, such as the the Jedi Knight Exar Kun’s fall to darkness and his eventual war against the Republic. In fact, fans of the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force would have a lot to love about this series, as it also delves into the history of the ancient Sith empire and their first invasion of the Republic.
There are so many different topics this series covers that one of the hardest things for the show writers to do would be choosing which story arc to focus on first. Exar Kun’s tale has some parallels to the fall of Anakin Skywalker, so it would be more familiar to casual Star Wars fans, but we personally think a series exploring the ancient Sith Empire could be a hit, since it’s something that a lot of non-hardcore Star Wars fans know very little about.
9. The Mandalorian Wars
This story ties into the Knights of the Old Republic video game and comic series, but we still think there’s a lot of potential for this as a stand alone series focused on the day to day war efforts of the troops in the Republic military. The awesome video game Republic Commando, and possibly Rogue One, shows that there is an interest in more military focused Star Wars stories, and this series would be the perfect opportunity to explore that further. The show could also benefit from swapping viewpoints between the Republic and Mandalorian forces.
During the first KotOR video game, we met a Sith admiral named Saul Karath who betrayed the Republic to follow Revan during the Jedi Civil War. His character was one of the most interesting ones because he wasn’t a Force-user. He was just a man who saw Revan as a hero and, like many of the soldiers from the Mandalorian wars, decided to stay loyal to the man who saved them, rather than the Republic. It would be very interesting to see that kind of story play out from beginning to end, and watch as soldiers find their loyalties divided between the individuals who saved them and the Republic they’d swore to protect.
8. Luke’s Jedi Academy
This one borrows from a couple of different sources, most notably the Jedi Knight video games and Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy series. Both of these series focused, to some extent, on Luke Skywalker’s early efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order after the fall of the Empire.
We don’t think a direct adaptation is necessarily the way to go here, but we think the concept could serve as a vehicle to tell some great stories. The way the mission system worked in the game really lends itself to classic “Monster of the Week” type storytelling, with each episode following a team of Jedi as they deal with some crisis rather that be facing down remnants of the Empire, dealing with a crime syndicate or helping to negotiate a peace treaty. The duties of the Jedi Order are vast and varied, and this series would give us a chance to see what the day to day life of a Jedi is like.
7. The Force Unleashed
The sequel might not have lived up to its predecessor’s greatness, but the original is still one of the best Star Wars games ever conceived, and the game’s premise was a huge part of that. Force Unleashed followed Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Galen Marek — who, contrary to rumors, will not be portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen in Rogue One — as he helped Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi and eventually attempt to overthrow the Emperor.
Before Disney bought Lucasfilm, there were grumblings that George Lucas was interested in making a movie based on the story of the Force Unleashed, and we think that’s one of Lucas’s ideas that might be worth saving. The success of Rebels and Clone Wars has proven that Star Wars can work in an animated environment if handled properly. Part of the appeal of the game was showing off the full power of the Force, and a well-done animated series could be even better suited to such a thing than live-action. Plus, as an added bonus, we could get Sam Witwer to reprise his role as Starkiller, something fans have been calling for for years.
6. Darth Plagueis
Star Wars fans were first introduced to Darth Plagueis in Revenge of The Sith when Palpatine told Anakin the story of a Sith Lord who was able to deny death. It’s later revealed, in the Darth Plagueis novel, that the eponymous villain was the Sith Lord who trained Palpatine in the ways of the dark side.
This story could serve as a follow-up to the Darth Bane series, since Plagueis and Palpatine were the culmination of what the Rule of Two was meant to achieve. This story has two main strengths to it that really make it deserving of Netflix series. The first is that it gets us into Palpatine’s head and shows us what made him the man we see in the movies. At the same time, it also shows us that, for all his brilliance, Palpatine doesn’t deserve sole credit for the fall of the Republic, as we see that Plagueis laid the groundwork for a lot of the events that precede Palpatine’s rise to power.
5. X-Wing and TIE Fighter
In the early 1990s, fans of space-simulators and Star Wars were given a great gift in the form of the X-Wing and TIE fighter video games. Not only were they great space dog-fighting games, but they also told compelling stories from the perspective of Rebel and Imperial pilots. It was an angle that hadn’t received much attention, but the success of the games went on to inspire the X-Wing novels. Star Wars has always been more space-fantasy than strict science-fiction, but a series with a military focus that switches between Rebel and Imperial protagonists could give audiences a chance to see a different side of the Star Wars universe.
As the upcoming Rogue One demonstrates, Disney clearly believes there’s an audience for these kind of stories in the Star Wars universe, and a series like this could serve as a great way for them to capitalize on the upcoming movie.
4. The New Jedi Order
Spanning 19 novels and four years, the New Jedi Order series is one of the larger entries on this list, but the books are hardly George R.R. Martin-sized epics, so we could easily see this adapted into an 3-5 season series on the small screen. The Solo twins, Jacen and Jaina, were first introduced towards the end of the Thrawn trilogy, but it was during the Yuuzhan Vong’s invasion that these characters truly grew and took shape. Obviously, some changes would have to be made considering what we learn of the Solos in Force Awakens, but the concept behind New Jedi Order is a strong one.
The Vong themselves are an interesting enemy that breaks the mold of what a lot of people expect from Star Wars villains. Instead of being followers of the dark side, such as the Sith, the Vong are an alien race from outside the Galaxy that exist outside of the Force, making it impossible for the Jedi to sense. Furthermore, their society, which is highly religious and hierarchical, represents a different type of authoritarian regime than the Galactic Empire. Perhaps most interestingly, at least from a visual standpoint, Yuuzhan Vong do not use typical Star Wars tech, but rather using living tech that is grown and bred for a certain purpose. This gives the race a unique visual style that could look really good on TV.
3. The Darth Bane Trilogy
“Always two there are; no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” Yoda first spoke these words in The Phantom Menace, but he was merely quoting the dictum set down by Darth Bane that limited the Sith Order to two members, “one to embody power, the other to crave it.” This trilogy takes place 1,000 years before A New Hope, and follows Bane as he rises from a lowly miner to one of the most powerful Sith Lords in history. His training at the Sith Academy on Korriban and eventual quest to achieve immortality gives us a lot of insight into the mindset of the Sith.
Another great thing about Darth Bane’s story is that it really shows the corrupting nature of the dark side, as Bane didn’t start out a villain. In the beginning, in fact, he’s rather sympathetic, but over time he, and his young apprentice Zannah, are twisted into figures that would lay the foundations for a dynasty that would eventually topple the Republic and the Jedi Order.
2. The Old Republic
The Old Republic era was, and still kind of is, a relatively unknown era, before Bioware got their hands on it. There had been some stories, but it was Knights of the Old Republic that really captured the imagination of gamers and Star Wars fans. Set 3,000 years before A New Hope, the Old Republic era offered Bioware a chance to tell a story that was both new and uniquely Star Wars.
Considering that the Knights of the Old Republic franchise spans two single player RPGs, an MMO and a comic book series, there is a lot of potential for adaptation here. A movie based on one of the games or the existing comic series would be welcome, but we think that a better approach might be to make a Netflix series that focuses on new characters during the backdrop of the events the games, such as the Jedi Civil War of KotOR or SWTOR’s Great Galactic War. This would give the writers a wealth of material to draw on while still having the freedom to tell their own stories.
1. The Thrawn Trilogy
This list wouldn’t be complete without Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. In fact, in a lot of ways, it’s the quintessential Legends story, introducing us to new Force users such as Luke’s future wife Mara Jade, the Solo twins, and broader concepts such as the New Republic and Outbound Flight. Set shortly after the events shown in Return of the Jedi, this series introduced us to one of the Expanded Universe’s best villains in the brilliant Chiss commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Overall, it’s a brilliant series whose biggest crime is making some of Lucas’s concepts more interesting than Lucas did himself. For example, one of the new characters introduced is Joruus C’baoth, the mad clone of a Jedi Master. We don’t get much information on him or other clones, but reading the book gives you the sense that a lot of the rank and file are uncomfortable working with a clone, due to what happened in the Clone Wars. It conjures up images of cloned Jedi going rogue, and frankly was a lot more of an interesting concept for the Clone Wars than what was eventually given to us.
Which Star Wars stories do you want to see in live-action? Who do you think would be an ideal pick to play Admiral Thrawn? Sound off in the comments.
