So Here's how I'd pitch a new Star Wars
Star Wars isn't going anywhere. That much is fundamentally clear.
When will the franchise grace the silver screen again? That is
somewhat unclear. At least outside of stand-alone spin-off films
anyway. While originally having plans to have a Star Wars film come
out annually, the planned new 'trilogies' fell by the wayside, and a
more sporadic schedule starts with Rogue Squadron in 2023
Disney originally figured that if people could eat up the multiple
superhero epics served up on a regular basis, that they'd be just as
eager for seconds with the galaxy far, far away. However, after the
split opinion over The Last Jedi, muted enthusiasm for Solo and all
round universal disappointment of Rise of Skywalker, such a
proposition now seems little more than a pipe dream.
While the various spin-offs in the world of TV and Video Games seem
to assure us that new content will continue to tick over, it's
unclear if Star Wars' future will ever return to blazing a trail into
new territory, new worlds, new ideas and concepts, or if it will only
ever dip back into the well of familiar faces and settings in
perpetuity.
Is it just going to be Mandalorians and Tie Fighters all the way
down?
I can't see the future, but what I can do is ask "What would I
do if it was my call?" So, I got to thinking about how, if given
the opportunity, I would bring Star Wars back to the screen in a
brand new adventure. This isn't a side story or shifted point of
view. This isn't something dumped into the cracks between films. This
would be, for all intents and purposes, new Star Wars in every way
those words imply.
So with that overlong pre-amble over, let's begin.
First up, here's my statement of intent. My idea of what a new Star
Wars should be and how it would aim to achieve that.
To me, a new Star Wars should need to meet the following criteria:
- This film should be as welcoming to new viewers as it is to
existing fans.
- It should be as brand new a story as it can be. New characters, new
conflicts, new worlds.
- It should still feel like a Star Wars film. No matter what, it
should still be recognisably Star Wars.
- The story should feel significant. An important chapter in the
setting's history, not a small secondary side story.
So with these three criteria I reasoned I should give myself several
specific limitations:
- No returning characters. No cameos and as few explicit references
to the wider setting as possible.
- No relying on old visual designs. This is a new setting. No
Rebellion or Empire. No Stormtroopers, Tie Fighters or Death Stars.
- This is a story must be set after all previous Star Wars stories.
This will not be a prequel.
- The first film must be as self-contained as possible. Room will be
left for a trilogy but it shouldn't be riddled with mysteries and
loose ends.
So, in conclusion, we want a film that feels fundamentally Star Wars
without relying on the crutch of nostalgia. We want a film that can
fill that gap that only Star Wars can, without feeling as though
we're revisiting beats and concepts from earlier stories. We want a
film that can live up to the title, in their big neon yellow, but
also feel like new, untrodden ground.
No small task.
So, to introduce you to what I've come up with, cue fanfare, start
opening scroll...
STAR WARS
THE KYBER CONFLICT
It is a time of unbroken peace. Overseen by the ruling ARISTOCRACY
miners in the system of Windar have discovered vast deposits of
valuable KYBER CRYSTALS buried within it's moon.
Long known as the power source for their ancient lightsabres
the JEDI ORDER dispatches two of it's
representatives to negotiate a trade.
However, in the wake of their discovery there is rumblings
of descent in the MINER'S UNION. Perused by agents from the the
INCOM CORPORATION, the workers have taken possession of
an override chip that they hope they can use to change their
fortunes.
So, quickly we establish the state of the universe. We're a couple
generations after the sequel trilogy. The Republic and the Jedi are
back, though not unchanged. They could use the 'Order of Skywalker'
moniker to leave the suggestion that Luke and Rey's legacy has passed
into legend, but I'm easy on that. We're in a new, fresh part of the
galaxy that is outside of the Republic's influence.
PROLOGUE
The film begins. The camera drops down onto two large bodies in
space. A planet and it's moon, which appear to be linked via a
massive, tube-like, space elevator. Whizzing along the exterior of
the elevator from the planet to the moon are two ships. The smaller
of the two is a bashed up, industrial ship, where the larger in
pursuit is a sleek red interceptor that looks more like a yacht.
Cut to the interior of the industrial ship. Our film is beginning in
much the same way A New Hope did. Jostled in the explosion are our
first two characters. TIBBITS and BR-NDA. Tibbits is a short blue
engineer probably played by Danny DeVito, and BR-NDA is a horse-sized
Gonk droid. These two play as a sort of inverse C3-P0 / R2-D2
dynamic. Tibbits is a confident and often flippantly negligent
engineer, where BR-NDA, through beeps and borps, constantly tries to
disprove with how relaxed he is.
As Tibbits and BR-NDA talk, they debate how much longer the ship will
hold up against the state-of-the-art firepower from their INCOM
attackers. Incom did make the X-Wings, after all. Soon enough they
are summoned by SORLOV, who is head of the MINER'S UNION, a Duros who
is sort of a rugged hard nosed general type. Also, he wears a wig,
and this goes unremarked upon. I just like the idea of hairless
aliens wearing wigs as a fashion statement.
Through dialogue the stakes of the situation are established. The
miners have recently stole something called an 'override chip' from
Incom HQ, which has gotten them into trouble. They don't have much
time, and need to make their escape.
Again mirroring A New Hope, miners armed with blasters run to repel
borders. Sorlov however, chooses to fight with them, and tells
Tibbits and BR-NDA to hit the escape pods. Stormtrooper-like,
red-armoured Incom security troops board the ship, a fight ensues,
forcing a bunch of them into retreat.
Just as Darth Vader did in A New Hope, a menacing figure now enters.
This figure, however, wears a rugged-looking cream coloured trench
coat, a tall collar covering his face and a cowboy-like hat. This is
ROAKE, and he is essentially a union busting space-Pinkerton. The
officers tell Roake that they got everyone, but Roake belittles them,
knowing better.
Roake manages to find a hidden passage to the cargo bays, and caches
Sorlov and his men trying to get to the escape pods. With duel
pistols Roake quickly dispatches all but Sorlov, who he needs alive
to find out where, 'the chip' is. Almost in a Mexican stand off the
two reach for their guns, before BR-NDA deploys a smoke screen and
facilitates their escape. Falling towards the moon, Tibbits laments
that it's finally over, but Sorlov states "The change coming to
Windar is only beginning."
ACT 1
Cut to another ship descending towards Windar's green and pleasant
surface. Within are two Jedi Knights on a diplomatic mission, harking
back to The Phantom Menace. The master, KARIS, and the apprentice
RISTIN, both discuss their mission and essentially set the scene for
the viewers.
Windar part of the DEMAR PROVINCES, a collection of planets overseen
by the aristocratic DUKE WILHELM DEMAR and his two sons LOUIS and
LUCIAN. Recently mining operations on Windar's moon discovered a
mother-lode of KYBER CRYSTALS. This has drawn the attention of the
UNITED REPUBLIC, who covet the scarce crystals to both facilitate the
manufacture of Jedi lightsabres, but also to keep it out of the hands
of those who would use them to build Death Star-scale planet
destroying weapons.
KARIS and RISTIN have been sent to negotiate with the brothers DeMar
for access to the moon's mines, and in return offer the provinces
exclusive membership into the Union.
Cut to two lightsabres, one red, one gold, colliding with each other
with a mighty crack. We pull back to see the two men wielding them.
Two smartly dressed but foppish looking men. These are the brothers
mentioned earlier. Louis is the older of the two, handsome but
somewhat boyish. His younger brother Lucian is likewise dashing, but
has a sinister look to him.
The brothers continue to fight with the lightsabres. They do not
wield them like swords, or katanas, however, but fence with them.
This fight is a gentleman's friendly. As they thrust their blades
back and forth, they throw out the occasional jibe, and reiterate the
situation from their perspective. Louis is pleased that they have the
chance to join the wider galaxy in the Republic, but Lucian is less
convinced, and doesn't want to consider the agreement until he knows
"how much they'll pay," for the Kyber crystals. Both
mention that undue pressure is upon them from their father.
As the fencing match concludes, the Jedi arrive, and are shocked and
surprised to see the two men wielding lightsabres. The brothers
explain that they were found on Windar's moon, amongst ruins of a
possibly, pre-schism Jedi temple. The Jedi are somewhat miffed that
the brothers are treating the relics as playthings, but don't want to
cause unnecessary conflict. Louis offer to show the Jedi the mining
operation on the moon, while Lucian covertly conceals the two sabres
in his belt.
The two groups negotiate as they travel from Windar's palace, a
beautiful Versailles-style building built upon green and verdant
mountains. The space elevator which they travel to, is a blight on
the landscape, and the first sign that all of not well with the
mining that has been brought to Windar.
The conversation between the two groups continue as they enter the
elevator and begin to ascend to the moon. Lucian boasts that it was
built by the Incom corporation "You know, the people that built
the X-Wings!" and that it's presence symbolises a new beginning
for the DeMar provinces.
As they arrive on the moon, they board a mining transport and head
out across the rocky landscape. As it moves, Louis looks down at a
gaggle of miners, who glare back at him. Our perspective now shifts
to the young miners SHANI and buff Twi'lek T'SALA. They talk about
Sorlov's recent escapade, that they have 'the chip' and that a strike
can begin any day now. T'sala is enthusiastic, but Shani is unsure
they are ready. T'sala reassures her that "We have it in us to
make this world anew."
Back with the brothers and the Jedi, Lucian has led them out above a
deep cavern that is set out to be their next big mining operation,
and massive veins of Kyber can be seen in the rocks below. He presses
Master Karis to give him a definitive answer as to how much the
Republic is going to pay them for the crystals.
As diplomatically as she can, Karis explains that their payment is
membership into the Republic, and that no money is on the table. Once
in the union they will be entitled to the privileges therein but are
obligated to turn over the crystals gratis. Lucian flies into a fit
of rage at this, pulling out his lightsabre and taking Ristin by
surprise, killing the apprentice. Louis tries to stop him but gets an
elbow to the face and falls back behind a rock.
Karis draws her own sabre and battles Lucian. Quickly it begins to
show he is no match for her, but just as it looks like she has him
almost disarmed, we see Roake slink onto an overhanging rock, aim a
sniper rifle, and fire. Anticipating this, Karis turns, freezing the
bolt in place, but in the seconds that she does, Lucian swings his
blade into her side, and then cuts off her arm. Now having the upper
hand, he makes ready to kill her.
However, having now righted himself, Louis pleads with his brother to
stop. When he gets no response, Louis reaches for the other sabre in
Lucian's belt, and through a miraculous use of the force, pulls it to
his hand. He dives forward, blocking Lucian's blade and saving Karis'
life, just as Roake throws down a thermal detonator. The blast knocks
Louis and the Jedi master falling into the cavern, and soon darkness
envelops the screen.
ACT 2
The darkness fades in to a blurry POV shot. We can see what looks
like a rough medical clinic put together in a cavernous room. Sounds
of frantic talking and muffled explosions can be heard. Louis is
lying in a bed hooked up to a life support machine. Standing over him
is Shani and T'sala, arguing. Shani is arguing that their attackers
have almost broken through the door, and they don't have time to move
Louis in his condition. T'sala argues that she doesn't like the idea
of lugging Louis around either, but Sorlov has given them those
orders.
The argument is resolved when Louis pulls himself out of bed,
frantically demanding to know where he is. The two women can only
explain that they have little time, however, as a nearby door is
blown down, and Incom troopers enter the room blasting at them. Louis
is shocked that Incom, the corporation that "built the X-Wings!"
would be responsible for something like this.
Being
sure to grab his coat and lightsabre on the way out, Louis follows
the miners into a loading bay, where Tibbits and BR-NDA are working
on the mechanics of a massive mine cart, attached to a track. Shani
demands that they get it ready to go now, but Tibbits insists that
it's in no fit state to run the whole route. As the troops start
shooting, he concludes they'll have to figure it out on the way.
What follows is a frantic mine cart chase between the protagonists
and groups of Incom troopers, led by Roake. As the chase progresses,
Louis bickers with Shani and T'sala, who in turn bicker with Tibbit's
and BR-NDA, who are constantly tinkering to keep the cart together in
one piece.
Roake closes the distance and fires at a loose piece of rock ahead of
them, causing it to fall towards our protagonists. Louis cowers,
while Shani pulls the sabre from his belt and splits the rock in
half, sending the pieces spinning away from them. Further parts of
the cave collapse, finalising their escape from Roake.
We then cut to Lucian back in the palace, who is sitting on a fancy
chair and trying to move an apple from a fruit bowl with the force.
He can't do it. Suddenly, a palace guard enters the room and reports
that Lucian has holo-calls from two people waiting. Incom CEO ARCADY
LAURANT and his father Wilhelm DeMar.
Lucian talks to Arcady first, who wants to know why his delivery of
Kyber crystals is taking so long. Lucian tries to pin the blame on
the 'worker problem' but Arcady says that the troops he loaned Lucian
and Roake should be more than enough to resolve the matter, and
doesn't want to take things into his own hands. Lucian then switches
to his father, who is furious that Lucian has installed himself as a
de-facto dictator. Lucian tries to lie his way out of things, but his
father insists that he will be travelling to Windar post haste to
resolve the issue himself.
Lucian is then contacted by Roake, who has no good news for him, and
confirms his brother is alive. Lucian then concludes that he is going
to need to escalate things if he wants to succeed.
We then follow our protagonist's mine cart arriving at a roughshod
headquarters built into what appears to be an old, underground Jedi
temple. They lead Louis to Sorlov, who is happy to see him alive, but
hardly cordial.
Sorlov fills in what Louis has missed. Lucian, unhappy with the offer
from the Republic, has set himself up as de-facto leader of the
planet and signed a contract with the Incom corporation "You
know, the folks who built the X-Wings." Lucian planned to use
the money he made to essentially outmanoeuvre his father, but things
didn't go exactly to plan.
You see, quality of life for the miners had been pretty poor for
years, and as such a strike had been brewing for a long time. Sorlov
had infiltrated Incom HQ and stole an override chip for the space
elevator, which they planned to shut down until they had bargained
for better worker protections. Louis is stunned by all of this, and
naively thought that the workers were all well compensated.
When Lucian initiated his coup, however, things went from bad to
worse, but with the organisation already in place for the strike,
Sorlov and the workers initiated a full blown rebellion, and they've
been fighting Lucian and Incom with repurposed mining equipment ever
since. Louis, however, wants to know where he fits in.
Sorlov explains that they plan to ransom him back to Wilhelm in
exchange for deposing Lucian and getting worker independence. Louis
explains, however, that it won't work, and that Lucian is probably
already planning moves against his father. Sorlov won't hear it,
however, and plans to go through with the ransom anyway.
They are interrupted then by the crippled and weak Master Karis. She
suggests a different plan. Louis learns the way of the force, returns
to Windar and defeats his brother, takes his rightful place and heir
to the house and brings an end to the conflict. Sorlov, rightfully,
does not trust putting this in the hands of an aristocrat, but Karis
insists that the force is strong with him.
Sorlov concedes on one condition. One of the miners themselves is to
be trained in the ways of the Jedi too. Louis then offers that it
should be Shani, as she distinguished herself with his sabre earlier.
She is surprised that he thought so highly of her, but agrees. Karis
then reveals she has little time left, as the wounds Lucian gave her
were fatal. She will use the rest of what time she has to train them
both.
We then proceed to have a training montage amongst the ruins of the
old temple, where both characters are seen meditating, practising
levitating objects and so forth. We see Shani assembling a
lightsaber. Several days are implied to have taken place and through
body language we can see Shani and Louis grow a respect for one
another.
We then return to the palace, where a gleaming transport is setting
down on a rainy landing pad. Out steps Wilhelm with a contingent of
armed guards, and Lucian walks out to meet him with his own Incom
troopers in tow. Wilhelm berates Lucian about what a disappointment
he is, and in turn, Lucian ignites his lightsaber. Wilhelm laughs off
the threat, pulling out a vibro-blade of his own, and stating "I
taught you everything you know about fencing," The two ask their
guards to stand aside, and battle each other one on one.
Wilhelm, despite being equipped with the weaker weapon, easily
trounces Lucian and disarms him. He picks up the sabre, and states
there will be "no more silliness." Lying in the water, a
furious Lucian turns and reaches out his hand, shooting out force
lightning and killing Wilhelm with a single blast. Back on his feet,
Wilhelm's guards look to each other nervously, before one declares,
'All hail the new Duke!"
We return to the Jedi temple where Shani and Louis stand beside a
dying Karis. She is lying in a makeshift bed, finally succumbing to
the wounds she suffered fighting Lucian. She states that she had told
them all they need to know, and from now on, life would be their
teacher. As she fades away, Louis looks on, before being summoned to
see Sorlov, who has news.
They arrive at his makeshift command centre and reveal Karis has
passed away. Sorlov is shocked, and now apologetic, as he reveals to
Louis more bad news, that his father is dead. Already reeling from
Karis' death, he flies into a rage, knocking over equipment and
smashing computer screens. Shani tries to calm him, but in response
he pulls out his lightsaber, swinging it at her, and she she barely
has enough time to block it with her own.
Realising what he has done, he puts the weapon away and apologises.
Sorlov exclaims that they have no time to grieve, however, as they
will need to act quickly. Lucian had no further obstacles, and will
quickly consolidate his power. They need to get Louis back to the
palace to declare himself legitimate heir and end the conflict.
Sorlov explains his plan. They still have the command chip for the
space-elevator, which they can use to bypass it's security and take
Louis all the way back to the surface of Windar. With that in mind,
he proposes that he, Shani, Tibbits and BR-NDA travel to the moon
side of the elevator while T'sala pilots The Morlock, a hybrid
starcraft/mining vehicle that looks like a cross between the
Millennium Falcon and the Mole from Thunderbirds.
They are to travel underground to the elevator, infiltrate it, and
use the chip to bypass it's security. Once Louis is on Windar, they
will stage an attack on the surface using repurposed mining ships,
led by the Morlock, to give him time and cover to get where he needs
to be.
With that the group decide to depart.
ACT 3
We have a short sequence where the group enjoys their downtime during
the journey. We have some goofing around as Tibbits and BR-NDA do
some maintenance on the ship, and we get to see more of their 'almost
like a married couple' routine. T'sala establishes her credentials as
a pilot, being somewhat protective of the Morlock.
Louis and Shani discuss their respective upbringings, and we sort of
establish each character's philosophical outlook. She believes that
no establishment lasts forever and repeats "We have it in us to
make this world anew." Louis, by contrast, can't see beyond his
privilege, and clumsily insults her by saying she would make a good
aristocrat. She walks off while he tries to fumble an apology, before
heading to the helm to speak to T'sala. He and asks her if she had
any desire to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. T'sala laughs off
such an idea, saying "Jedi don't have a good track record with
happy endings."
Tibbits runs in to alert them that they're coming to the end of their
underground route, and they'll be exposed once they're out in the
air. True enough, as the Morlock bursts through the side of a cliff
face, they are immediately ambushed by Incom interceptors, which look
similar to X-Wings.
What follows is a short dogfight in the vein of the Death Star escape
in a New Hope or the battle through the ruins in Force Awakens. We
get some good rapport between the characters, they prevail, and as
the entrance to the space elevator comes into view, Roake is seen on
a cliff edge watching the Morlock glide by.
He messages Lucian, saying that he has located Louis, and that they
are headed for the space-elevator. Lucian confidently states that he
is already two steps ahead, as the camera pans forward to show us a
factory floor, with massive pieces of Kyber crystal being assembled
into... something.
T'sala lands the Morlock not far from the entrance. She says her
goodbyes, as she needs to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet to
make ready for the attack. She takes Shani to one side, telling her
she has a bad feeling about Louis, and not to trust him.
T'sala departs and the remaining group head towards the entrance.
They ambush an Incom patrol to steal their armour. In disguise, they
approach guards at the entrance, saying that they are escorting a
maintenance droid as part of a routine safety inspection.
One of the guards states that he didn't know that Windar used droids
since 'the emancipation act' and Tibbits responds that 'she's here of
her own volition.' The guards ask "which unit are you from
again?" and struggling for an answer Tibbits blows their cover.
A battle starts, but Shani and Louis use their Jedi training to
prevail. Louis then asks how they're going to get inside the
elevator, while Tibbits answers "oh that's easy."
One of BR-NDA's panels drops to reveal a massive mining laser, and
she blasts their way through the bulkhead door. The characters then
fight their way past the elevator's garrison, on to the main
platform. Tibbits and BR-NDA made for the control room and begin to
hack the console, while Shani and Louis take cover from repeated
blaster shots. More troopers arrive to attack, and they bicker with
Tibbits to hurry up.
Eventually they trigger the elevator and begin to ascend. Shani sends
a message to T'sala, to let the fleet know they are on their way.
T'sala, still in the cockpit of the Morlock, confirms they are ready
to go, and Sorlov, in his own fighter, rallies the fleet. A rag tag
collection of mining ships and scout craft take off from a makeshift
base out in the moon's canyons.
However, as the fleet takes flight, we see that Roake is also
ascending in a smaller sub-elevator on the side of the shaft, and he
signals Lucian to let him know the fleet is attacking. Back on
Windar, Lucian confirms that he is already finalizing his plan.
Windar's own fleet, backed by Incom fighters, take off, while a
transport picks up what appears to be a massive bomb built from Kyber
crystals, and starts to escort it to the elevator.
An awesome space battle begins, as the elevator reaches it's main
security gate. This is the gate the override chip is needed to
bypass. Tibbits enters the chip into the security system, but at
first it doesn't seem to respond. "These things take time,"
he says. An explosion heard on the exterior proves they don't have
much time. BR-NDA leans forward, and extends a small robotic arm,
taking the chip out, turning it around and putting it back in. "Easy
mistake," Tibbits says.
The gate opens and as they approach the surface of Windar they can
see from the viewing port that the massive bomb is waiting for them.
In turn, Lucian begins a broadcast to the forces and workers of
Windar. Manically, he rants about how he could have been the best
leader they ever had, but they were too ungrateful. All he wanted was
to be paid a good price, but now if he can't get paid, nobody can. A
countdown timer begins on the bomb.
The group signal Sorlov for advice, who states that if the bomb goes
off it'll start a chain reaction through the elevator that will
detonate the moon and take half of Windar with it. Whatever happens
the bomb must be diffused. Tibbits and BR-NDA say they can handle it,
but someone will need to cover them. Shani agrees to stay and defend
them. Louis must face his brother alone.
Louis makes for the palace, but is met with overwhelming resistance.
T'sala flies down in the Morlock to cover him, shooting down the
troopers that bar his way. With a little finesse with his lightsabre,
he manages to fight his way onto the grounds.
Meanwhile back at the bomb, Roake has now caught up, and faces off
against Shani while Tibbits and BR-NDA struggle with the bomb. The
two do battle, and while Shani is adept with her lightsaber, Roake is
fast and nimble with his blasters. This fight should be very
reminiscent of the one between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett in Attack of
the Clones. All the while Roake is berating Shani and her fellow
miners, saying that they should have been happy in servitude and
'known their place.'
At the palace, Louis finally faces off against Lucian in the very
same room they were fencing at the beginning. Louis tries to talk him
down, but Lucian is too far gone. He says that the force is
compelling him. "The dark side?" Louis asks. Lucian says
their are no sides, only one force. They continue to do battle,
Lucian viscously swatting at him, no holding back.
At the bomb, Roake appears to have the upper hand, wounding Shani
with a shot to the arm. She drops her sabre and falls to her hands
and knees. No longer seeing her as a threat. Roake holsters one of
his pistols and turns to Tibbits and BR-NDA. It is then that the
ghost of Karis appears to Shani, encouraging her on. Fighting through
the pain, Shani reaches out, using the force to pull Roake's pistol
from his holster. He turns to fire back at her, but before he can,
BR-NDA shoots a shock cable at him, electrocuting him, and causing
him to fall to the floor, stunned.
Back at the palace, Louis and Lucian's duel has grown out of control.
Furniture and decor is being smashed up. Louis kicks Lucian through a
glass window out onto a balcony that overlooks a waterfall. They
fight some more, but Louis ultimately prevails, disarming Lucian and
knocking him to the ground. Lucian then tells Louis that he can't
kill him, because he's signed a contract that upon his death Incom
will take possession of all the DeMar Provinces. Louis says he has no
intention of killing him, and like his father before him, turns his
back to pick up Lucian's lightsaber.
Lucian reaches forward and fires a blast of force lightning at Louis,
but his brother is too quick, and with both sabres ignited he blocks
the lightning, deflecting it back at his brother, the power of which
knocks him back over the balcony, causing him to fall to his death.
Sorlov then calls in, and announces that the bomb has been diffused
and Incom forces are routing, victory is in their hands. Louis,
however, has a sombre look on his face as he looks down over where
Lucian fell. Shani arrives, and gives him a hug to raise his spirits,
telling him "We have it in us to make this world anew."
We then jump forward to Louis, standing outside a gleaming and
repaired palace, addressing an assembled crowd of both miners and
palace guards. He gives a rousing speech, about how he will be a
responsible duke, and a leader to everyone equally. He also
emphasises that the battle has not yet been won, and the Incom
corporation's ownership over their territories still needs to be
overcome, but a new age is upon them, and "We have it in us to
make this world anew."
From the sidelines Shani give him a smile, but next to her T'sala
looks on suspiciously.
The End
So there you have it. I wanted a relatively self-contained story,
which has an opening for sequels, but with no cliff-hangers, no
stingers, no unresolved mysteries, and no dang mystery boxes. A
definitive ending. If sequels were never made, the film would still
need to be strong enough to stand on it's own, like the original Star
Wars.
As for where the story goes from there, I have concrete ideas.
The second film would be a heist movie that involves the group trying
to bankrupt Incom. It would be a more seedy, cyberpunk-type film,
with CEO Arcady Laurant as the main villain. There would be stuff
about the droid emancipation act, that Incom would be revealed to
have ignored, T'sala would get a pole dancing girlfriend from Nar
Shaddar and Roake would return in a massive Incom built exosuit.
Most critically of all, the second film would begin with the seeds of
a relationship between Louis and Shani, only for this to go sour, as
over the course of experiencing a more darker and corrupt version of
the galaxy, Louis would conclude that the harsh class divide the
aristocracy facilitates is a necessary part of THE galactic order.
He'd kill Sorlov and double-cross the miners, setting himself up as
the villain for film three.
The third film would have Louis ruling a harsh regime from his family
home in the medieval-like planet of Gothrinstone. The plot would
involve a full blown civic uprising, as Shani and company rise up the
working class to do battle with the aristocracy's elite forces, who
Louis has armed with lightsaber type polearms. Shani in turn would be
training a new generation of Jedi to face them, and the final battle
would be a massive siege against Louis' castle.
In the final battle, Shani would best Louis and ask him to stand
down. Louis would try to pull the same trick against her as Lucian
did with Karis, but T'sala manages to disarm the sniper first. Shani
pleads for him to surrender, but Louis refuses to face the idea of
giving up his privileged life, and throws himself from the
battlements instead. The trilogy would end with Shani as the de-facto
representative of the system, and the final scene would have her
being met by a fresh delegation of Jedi, and an offer to join the
republic, which she refuses, wanting to go her own way.
So that gives you an outline of the kind of thing I want to do. I
hope my writing makes it clear that these films would be completely
their own thing, and as such the story is free to go in its own
direction. I think Star Wars can tell more stories than just rebels
vs an evil empire, as well as not be so dependant on a 'light
side/dark side binary.' So bringing in a more messy dynamic, between
a ruling aristocracy, striking workers and a greedy corporation, is
an interesting new scenario.
If you liked my ideas, or not, let me know what you think. I plan on
following this up at some point with a more detailed outline on how
I'd picture the rest of the trilogy going, and I might even write a
script and upload it to AO3. Who knows.
In the meantime, may the force be with you or whatever.
