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.
