5 Star Wars TV Series We Want to See

The rumors of a Star Wars live action TV series are persistent, with executives from Disney and ABC saying that they’re interested, but haven’t committed to anything yet. With the way Disney as expanded the Marvel Studios brand as a model, though, it is more likely a matter of when, not if, Lucasfilm gets into the live action TV business, and could even expand the animated series focus, as well.

So where should Lucasfilm go next after Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and expanding their universe with the standalone Star Wars Story films? Here are five options to get them started.

Star Wars: Underworld

The originally developed live action TV series still has a reason for being.

The story, developed by George Lucas and rumored to have more than 50 teleplays already written by an all-star team of writers, takes place in the increasingly popular era at the height of the Empire.

Between Episodes 3 and 4, the Empire’s reach is total, and so is their control. What’s it like to be a citizen of that Empire? That’s what Underworld looked to show us.

The show was located primarily in the literal underworld of Coruscant, down on floor 1313 (also developed as a video game), but had the potential to explore places like Nar Shaddaa or even head to Tatooine and see what Jabba was up to during these Dark Times. With Han Solo, Rebels, and Rogue One all taking place in this “lost” era, maybe Lucasfilm should just revive this concept wholesale.

Star Wars: New Republic

We had an animated series in the prequel era, and currently have an animated series in the Dark Times just before the original trilogy era. So how about one that explores the dawn of the New Republic?

Something only lightly explored in novels and comics so far, an animated series set in the time shortly after Return of the Jedi is perfect; that way, you can still tell even the occasional stories with Luke Skywalker, Leia and Han, but also explore other characters like Shara Bey and Kes Dameron (Poe’s parents), the Empire hunter team shown in the Aftermath novels, and see what it’s like rebuilding a galaxy after years of war and devastation. Just think about the excitement of a casting announcement saying Mark Hamill is voicing a younger Luke Skywalker as a true Jedi Master, and seeing him explore Jedi Temples around the galaxy to keep learning. COME ON.

Star Wars: The Rule of Two

Here’s one for a premium channel or Netflix.

In The Rule of Two, Lucasfilm can bring the full story of Darth Bane to life. Based on the Darth Bane trilogy of novels that are currently Legend, Bane himself was brought into canon in the final episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now it’s time to truly tell his story. In the books, Bane was a slave who rose to power through the dark side of the Force. The Sith were a huge organization at the time, and Bane realized that the dark side was stronger when it was wielded by less people. So he consolidated (see: murdered all the Sith) and instituted the Rule of Two: Only two there shall be, no more, no less: A Master to embody power, and an Apprentice to crave it.

10-13 episode seasons, getting deep into the dark side, the whole first season being Bane rising from beaten-down slave to powerful Sith Lord, the second introducing his apprentice properly… it practically writes itself.

Star Wars Anime: Padme

Inspired by the image below from SamZSketchBook, as shared on twitter by @PrequelTrilogy, an anime-styled series about the prequel era before the Clone Wars could be a great completely different look at the Star Wars universe.

The circumstances on Naboo of a young girl being chosen as Queen are remarkable, and already sound like an anime series. Young Padme Amidala is thrust into the political spotlight, and has to navigate growing up, being queen, and dealing with the charismatic but slightly untrustworthy Senator from Naboo, Palpatine, as she looks to guide her people in the Republic. It’s a much more slice-of-life and political idea, and could really stretch out what people think of when they think of Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most beloved video games (not just Star Wars games, but games in general) of all time. The world of the Star Wars galaxy thousands of years ago is ripe for exploration. Since KOTOR we had a sequel, plus the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG that has added hundreds of hours to the era.

But it’s still not enough! Exploring this timeframe is ideal for a Star Wars live-action TV show. There’s plenty of opportunity for action, with hundreds of Sith and Jedi. There’s plenty of opportunity for drama, with rival ruling governments, powerful Mandalorians, backstabbing Jedi and manipulative Sith Lords. What’s great is, it’s so far in the past, that you don’t have to worry much about what you do. You can plant some seeds with something like the Darksaber in the hands of a Mando, or a wink and a nod at some of the better known characters in the Star Wars universe, but you still have total freedom to just tell the stories you want to tell. Bonus: you already have an effects studio who knows this world, and how to tell stories in it, so well in Blur Studio (I mean, just WATCH that trailer!). We hear the head of Blur, Tim Miller, could use a new directing gig, too.