On the last episode of the podcast Alex and I were discussing the working title for the Star Wars live-action TV series, and the fact that we may be closer to seeing it than any of us thought. While I was just firing from the hip on the podcast, it got me thinking…
What would I want to see from a Star Wars live-action TV series that takes place between my most hated, and most loved Star Wars tales?
Not only that, but what would Star Wars fans in general need to see to prevent them taking to public forums everywhere and burning images of Lucas in effigy? For what it’s worth, here is my take on the topic…
1. The Z-95 Headhunter
The often referenced but rarely depicted Z-95 headhunter would be an amazing add to the series. For a ship that has never had any screen time in the movies, and as far as I know has only been depicted in Expanded Universe lore and the Clone Wars animated series, it’s got a lot of fans out there.
Incom’s and Subpro’s Z-95 headhunter exists as the pre-cursor to both the Arc-170 series starfighters, and the T65 X-Wing starfighters. While not carrying the firepower, shields, or maneuverability of the Arc-170 or the X-wing, the Z-95 more than makes up for it as an extremely versatile multi-role starfighter.
Considered by most to be an outdated starfighter in the time period the TV series would take place in, the Headhunter was still in heavy use by smugglers, outlaws, and the private sector. This makes it the perfect fit for the show’s premise. Also, the Headhunter’s close resemblance to the fan favorite X-wing fighter, the mainstay of the Rebel Alliance’s starfighter squadrons, moves us closer to the type of starship design we saw in the original trilogy.
2. Skywalkers
Both George Lucas, and Rick McCallum have both stated at one point or the other that Underworld would be bereft of any Skywalker. This is a huge mistake and needs to be looked at again for the sake of the series. My hope at this point is that while making ridiculous statements like these, both George and Rick are working under the idea that Darth Vader is no longer Anakin Skywalker.
You can not make a Star Wars TV show during the time of the great Jedi purge and not feature Vader at times along the way. The purge was an ongoing process. The five minutes of Order 66 screen time we got in Episode 3 didn’t get every Jedi in the galaxy. It’s well documented that Vader continued to hunt Jedi in hiding well after Palpatine declared the Republic an Empire. Simply focusing on the “Underworld” of Star Wars, and not tying in Vader and the Jedi purge would be a terrible oversight. On a side note, if Vader does make an appearance in the series and pulls another FrankenVader I will throw myself out a window…
3. Wookies!
After Episode 3 the Empire, at the suggestion of the Transdoshians, enslaved Kashyyk and began using Wookie slaves to help build the Death Star and the Maw Installation. Wookies are a race of honorable beings who value freedom and independence above all else. I’m sure that they did not take being occupied and enslaved by the empire lying down, and there is references to the Empire burning the Wookie’s tree cities during this period.
It would be an interesting story to tell, and also help establish a connection to the original trilogy through a Chewbacca appearance. More than that though, it would create a bridge to the next item on our list.
4. Young Han Solo and Jabba
Han and Chewie, Chewie and Han! They go together like peas and carrots, chocolate and peanut butter, and well….some other great things that go together which I can not obsess over at the moment. These two weren’t always BFF’s though. A young Han Solo started off as a thief and pick pocket on the mean streets of Corellia before joining the Imperial Navy. After refusing an order to kill Chewbacca, who was captured rescuing a ship full of Wookie children heading towards an ever expanding and lucrative career as Imperial slaves, Han was cast out of the Imperial Navy.
Things weren’t all doom and gloom for young Solo though, he did just have a big walking carpet swear a life debt to him for his aid. Thus began the original bro-mance, which would bring joy to fans through three movies and a ton of Expanded Universe lore. Any Star Wars TV show that does not tell this story is not one I would want to watch.
Han and Chewie’s adventures as smugglers with hearts of gold fit the premise of the show perfectly! Who wouldn’t want to see the Kessel Run in a newly acquired Millenium Falcon, or the fateful contract with Jabaa which would inevitably change the qalaxy? Sure you would have to find someone that could fill Harrison Ford’s sizable shoes, just don’t let whoever helped cast the prequels anywhere near Lucas!
Speaking of his grand tubbiness, It’s a show called UNDERWORLD and that means Jabba and lots of him. I’m not just talking Jabba on Tatooine though. I want to see the depths and reach of Jabba’s criminal organization, his ties to Nar Shadda, and oh yeah NAR SHADDA ITSELF! Since we are discussing the criminal element of the Star Wars galaxy, it would also be great to see some time spent on Black Sun as well. Hell while were at it, a young Talon Karde cameo would not go amiss.
5. Progression of Power
No matter how powerful you are, just because you say a Republic is now an Empire doesn’t make it so. There will be dissenters, and rebellions. Without a strong plan in place to consolidate power backed up by an army of clones willing to die doing your bidding, any move of this nature is doomed to fail.
Luckily for Palpatine he has both. Now what we need to see is the path to the kind of power that allowed the Emperor to dissolve the Senate in Episode 4. We need to see the back room deals, the political intrigue, the assassination attempts (c’mon…there had to be a few), and more importantly Palpatine’s response to worlds that would not bend to his will like Kashyyk and Mandalore.
We know that Palpatine eventually becomes the all powerful king shit of the galaxy. Seeing his consolidation of power would be far more intriguing to me than seeing his rise to power in the prequels.
6. Jedi
No Star Wars TV series will be successful unless the glow-bat swinging policeman of the galaxy are represented. I know this kind of goes hand in hand with the inclusion of Skywalkers on this list, but I’m not talking about the purge.
I want to see Jedi deal with losing their positions of power and status, dealing with the fact that they are now criminals blamed for engineering the Clone Wars, and what compromises they would make to survive.
If you want a great example of this read Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. It’s a detailed road map on how to do this right, as well as how to introduce non-Skywalker Jedi who are immediately endearing due to their situation. Couple that with the Jedi’s response to their shared responsibility in allowing Palpatine and Vader to take over, while actively being hunted by Vader, and you have one hell of a story arc!
Conclusion:
I’m not saying that Star Wars: Underworld should only focus on the ideas I’ve listed here, far from it. I love the idea of being introduced to new characters and storylines in a post-Republic galaxy. I just think it would be a monumental mistake to ignore everything else that is going on in that time period in favor of something new and fresh.
Whatever Star Wars: Underworld ends up being, the creative minds behind it must always remember that the Star Wars galaxy is an amazing sandbox to play in with tons of pre-established lore to draw on. This becomes ever more important as the series progresses closer to A New Hope’s timeframe. One can only hope that equal amounts of time are given to the new stories we will be experiencing, and the stories that have already been laid out which we so desperately want to see.
At this point would it be to much to ask to see a few episodes where Ewan McGregor reprises his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi? I swear to god he was the only thing watchable in all three prequels…