Developments, new beginnings & what’s next for Star Wars universe

Jonathan Victoria • 23 Nov 2023 News

A disturbance in the force for the beloved franchise.

Image credit: Thekingblader995 on Deviant Art

The Star Wars universe has been set to expand for years now ever since Lucasfilm was bought by Disney.

Disney+ series such as The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi have proven to be major hits with fans, with other series also experiencing major success.

With a new change in the regime, the already expanding Star Wars universe is looking to be in good hands for its future.

Dave Filoni promoted to chief creative officer

Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni has been given a promotion to the role of chief creative officer.

His work on the latest Star Wars series saw widespread acclaim, obviously from those who make the decisions too as Filoni will now have more of a say in the early creation of the projects going forward, working directly alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and head of development Carrie Beck.

This move should excite fans, as it could be the first proper step towards Lucasfilm creating a Star Wars universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with multiple movies and series that are all connected in various ways.

Of course, there have been the main nine films that have been connected. But we have also been treated to standalone stories such as Rogue One and Solo.

The Book of Boba Fett also explored the story of one of the original movies’ most favoured characters and also featured Din Jarin, also known as the Mandalorian from his own series of the same name.

You can expand even further on this as within The Mandalorian, we are re-introduced to another fan-favourite character Ahsoka, who also has her own show that came out with the first season earlier this year.

Filoni working on Ahsoka season 2

Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Speaking of the Ahsoka series, sar Rosario Dawson hinted that season 2 is in the works, saying to Vanity Fair:

“I mean, they've not said anything officially, but I remember when we were at Star Wars Celebration in London and they were like, 'We're giving Dave a movie!' And I was like, 'I kind of feel like that means we're probably going to get a second season.' For a while now, and especially now with the strike and everything, no one can say anything. But he did say he was working on an outline. So, we'll see.”

As she says, nothing has been confirmed for a second season, and the movie she is referring to may be The Mandalorian movie that was announced at SWCE 23 which Filoni will be directing.

With Ahsoka Tano appearing in season one of The Mandalorian, she could make an appearance in the movie. Although, with the way things ended in her series, a second season would be needed to clarify a number of things.

What’s next for The Mandalorian?

Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Ahsoka Tano and the Mandalorian’s paths have already crossed and that was no little cameo. 

*SEMI-SPOILER INCOMING*

In Ahsoka, the main adversary is Grand Admiral Thrawn, who is heir to the Empire. Ahsoka Tano attempts and ultimately fails to stop Thrawn from escaping his exile, and as such, the threat of the Empire returning to power in the universe is coming.

That’s where Din Jarin comes in, as he along with many of the other heroes he has met in his travels (Boba Fett, Fennec Shand etc.) will work to fight and bring down Thrawn.

That is the general understanding of what may come with The Mandalorian movie, although all real details are scarce as the project was only announced to be happening earlier this year.

When we can expect that movie, the fourth season of The Mandalorian or a potential second season of Ahsoka is unknown as of yet, but hopefully, details will come soon enough.

Upcoming projects

There are a number of projects that are confirmed to be coming at some point soon, one of which was originally scheduled for this year.

2024 could be a busy year for Star Wars, potentially starting with a new series named Skeleton Crew, which will feature Jude Law (The Holiday) and will be directed by Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts.

Also potentially coming next year will be; The Accolyte, which will be another new series; The Bad Batch, a new season of the popular animated Disney+ series; and potentially season two of Andor, which experienced good success when it was released in 2022. 

Elsewhere, Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the sequel trilogy, has teased fans of her upcoming film, saying “It’s not what I expected” when speaking to Collider after it was revealed she would be reprising her role.