Disney+ will be making a real play for Netflix’s audience share when the upcoming streaming service rolls out. According to We Got This Covered, there are reports of talks about a live-action Star Wars series based on the popular console game Knights of the Old Republic. My reaction? I love it! One of my biggest issues with the Star Wars franchise in general has been that NEARLY EVERYTHING is tied to the struggles of two religious factions for control of the galaxy. It’s a fight that splits one family down the middle…and c’mon, the galaxy is more than big enough to tell more stories than that.
These reports suggest Disney is exploring its investment wisely, making a beachhead in the rich but mostly unknown history of the Old Republic. We could expect to see the Jedi at the very height of their power, battling the Sith (and probably many more threats), in an era thousands of years before the rise of the Empire and its black-armored henchman, a farmboy, and a plucky princess. The intellectual property needs this kind of breathing room to thrive. The cartoons, comics, and books have done their best to expand the Star Wars universe but live-action projects seem to have the greatest claim to being “canonical”. Thus we hope this rumored series, along with the confirmed companion shows like The Mandalorian, will push Star Wars in the right direction.
