Summary
Star Warshas a lot of fertile ground for new material thanks to the relegation of what was once the Expanded Universe to Legends—a different continuity with no bearing on canon—and a recently released project seems poised to bring something great to the table.
Star Warshas established lore spanning tens of thousands of years in the past, but its current canon coalesces around a few points concerning the contemporary Jedi Order, most notably the time periods covered by the original trilogy and the prequels that followed decades later. TheplannedStar Wars: Underworldseries for ABC would have bridged that gapbetween the original trilogy and the prequels. However, the 2012 Disney takeover of LucasFilm saw the franchise instead look forward to another great Sith threat. This saw the eventual return of the deposed Emperor Palpatine in full Force as Darth Sidious, reversing the previously satisfactory end to the original trilogy.
One of the more interesting parts of the lore that’s never been explored in the new canon thanks to that creative choice isthe rise & fall of the Jedi Council inStar Wars,as the prequel trilogy shows the lead-up to Palpatine’s final power grab, the original trilogy chronicles his downfall, and the sequel trilogy (where it is about him) thwarts his attempts to return to power. However,Inversehighlights a new project that’s joining the fight to liberate that period of DisneyStar Wars,and introduces an intriguing viewpoint on the fall of the Order as well. In the new workStar Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear,the first installment in the plannedReign of the Empiretrilogy by Alexander Freed, an ally of Bail Organa’s from the Holy City on Jedah spoke to the Senator about his beliefs concerning the fall of the Jedi. “No organization is free from corruption,” he opines, “and what the Jedi Council plotted in the end I cannot say. But the actions of the Jedi Knights I met are not darkened by shadows of their masters. I refuse to believe they were less than what they appeared, no matter the Council’s treason.”
This statement is great for several reasons, but it most importantly shows an approach to the effects of Order 66 that fans haven’t seen in the new canon. The bulk of the universe often seems to take the news of the Jedi’s betrayal as whole truth, total lies, or irrelevant to their mundane existence. However, here a new sort of depth and realism is brought in. The prequels made it a point of pride thatexploring the galaxy’s politics is a franchise tradition, and this decidedly brilliant bit of writing shows how varying opinions can form around even the most virulent and unyielding propaganda. The character motivations that stem from these differences are one of the most glaring omissions in the films, as a theatrical release can’t spare the time needed to show the different ideals that exist in one unified army. At least, there’s no time when there’s so much more to see with lightsaber fights and Sith Lords.
This small snippet of what is sure to be a great trilogy in its own right could be a great direction for a Disney+ show to go, even as the franchise gears up for a big push back to theaters withThe Mandalorian & Grogu.IfAndorseason 2 bolsters Star Wars’ streaming prospectssufficiently, then fans might eventually see adaptations of some of the canon material from other mediums that’s been put out in the Disney era to replace Legends.
TheStar Warsfranchise is available to stream on Disney+, andReign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear isavailable on Amazon and other retailers.
