NEWSRELEASESVISUALLIVEREMIXTHINKCONTACTLARVAE


SWTOTD


SWTOTD 04 - Kevin Smith and Yoda
8:04 PM | Zeroplate
I think we can all agree that the last thing this world needs is a Star Wars television show where characters like Han Solo and Lando stand around outside of the Mos Eisley Cantina talking about blunts and snoogans and the reason the rebels are evil for killing all those Imperial contractors on the second Death Star. That's the image most people get when they hear Kevin Smith might be involved in a new Star Wars TV show post Revenge of the Sith. Frankly, it's the easiest connection to draw, since Smith is most known for his toilet humor and supposedly witty banter, but I can't see the Lucasfilm people letting their universe go in that direction. If Smith is involved in the show, especially in a writing capacity, I can only imagine he'd find a way to make it funny without resorting to pop culture references and fart jokes.

Then again, who wants to see Star Wars turned into a comedy? The saga has light elements in it, but it's far from slapstick (most of the time,) and it's the drama and action that keep people coming back for more--not Jar Jar stepping in poodoo. So what would my ultimate version of a Star Wars TV show look like?

The show would be set in the post Return of the Jedi world, years and years into the future. It would be the story of the next generation of characters, and I could frankly do without them being called Jacen and Anakin Solo. There's an existing universe of characters that are the kids of Luke and someone called Mara Jade, and Han and Leia, but who cares about any of that? Luke getting married and having kids seems like a stretch to me. While he's invested in family and in his relationships with his friends, he is still a Jedi--the ONLY Jedi of his age--so I think he'd be too distant to be a family man. In my show, Luke would be the leader of a new Jedi order, and we'd see him in the show maybe once or twice per season. The idea of a new Jedi order is one that's been introduced in the books, but that's a part that makes sense, so we'll keep that.

We catch up with Luke and his school for young padawans in the twilight of his life. Luke's aging fast, he's not quite Yoda-old, but in relation to his lifespan, he's quite near the end of it. The show would focus on Luke handing the reigns over to a new generation of Jedi, all of whom he trained personally. This would be a lot like a tragic play of old where the aging king has to hand his kingdom down to his heirs but isn't sure how to do it. The show would follow the exploits of this new batch of Jedi as they prove their worth and their love for their teacher. Episodes would be stand-alone stories and missions, but would ultimately tie together through some larger arc about people looking for a new leader once Luke is gone. The Jedi would be re-establishing their role in the republic as well, and I see them as powerful protectors who aren't always trusted by the public at large. It's my contention that the Jedi are going to be blamed for the fall of the Republic in ROTS so people aren't going to be handing control over to them just because they've ousted Vader.

I would keep the stories focused on a combination of detective/crime/vigilante type situations where the Jedi are sent out to solve problems. Think of is as a less formulaic version of The A-Team or something--the Jedi are a quasi-rogue outfit who are disliked and mistrusted by many, yet it's their role to help out. The reason for this approach is that people will want to see action, not political bickering and galactic senate meetings. Giving pairs or small bands of Jedi things to do each week would be fun, but there could be enough variety to keep it from falling into one of those situations where the problem is discoverd at the X minute mark, complicated at the Y minute mark, and solved at the Z minute mark.

Finally, I'd keep the looming idea of another Sith somewhere in the background, but there wouldn't be any single, particular enemy behind everything... at least not at first. The other living Star Wars cast members could pop in and make cameos now and then, but this would really take place late in Luke's life so one could easily surmise that Leia and Han and co. were long gone--or killed off. Either way, this is how I see a series like this working. Notice a lack of Kevin Smith in that equation.

Back to Top



PREVIOUS THOUGHTS

SWTOTD 04 - Kevin Smith and Yoda

Powered by Blogger