Summary
- The new Star Wars series explores the fall of the Jedi Council between the original trilogy and the prequels.
- The new work provides depth and realism to the effects of Order 66 not seen in the existing canon.
- Potential for the series to be adapted into a Disney+ show as the franchise moves towards more content.
Star Wars has a lot of fertile ground for new material thanks to the relegation of what was once the Expanded Universe to Legends—a different continuity with no bearing on canon—and a recently released project seems poised to bring something great to the table.
Star Wars has established lore spanning tens of thousands of years in the past, but its current canon coalesces around a few points concerning the contemporary Jedi Order, most notably the time periods covered by the original trilogy and the prequels that followed decades later. The planned Star Wars: Underworld series for ABC would have bridged that gap between the original trilogy and the prequels. However, the 2012 Disney takeover of LucasFilm saw the franchise instead look forward to another great Sith threat. This saw the eventual return of the deposed Emperor Palpatine in full Force as Darth Sidious, reversing the previously satisfactory end to the original trilogy.
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One of the more interesting parts of the lore that’s never been explored in the new canon thanks to that creative choice is the rise & fall of the Jedi Council in Star Wars, as the prequel trilogy shows the lead-up to Palpatine’s final power grab, the original trilogy chronicles his downfall, and the sequel trilogy (where it is about him) thwarts his attempts to return to power. However, Inverse highlights a new project that’s joining the fight to liberate that period of Disney Star Wars, and introduces an intriguing viewpoint on the fall of the Order as well. In the new work Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear, the first installment in the planned Reign of the Empire trilogy by Alexander Freed, an ally of Bail Organa’s from the Holy City on Jedah spoke to the Senator about his beliefs concerning the fall of the Jedi. “No organization is free from corruption,” he opines, “and what the Jedi Council plotted in the end I cannot say. But the actions of the Jedi Knights I met are not darkened by shadows of their masters. I refuse to believe they were less than what they appeared, no matter the Council’s treason.”
This statement is great for several reasons, but it most importantly shows an approach to the effects of Order 66 that fans haven’t seen in the new canon. The bulk of the universe often seems to take the news of the Jedi’s betrayal as whole truth, total lies, or irrelevant to their mundane existence. However, here a new sort of depth and realism is brought in. The prequels made it a point of pride that exploring the galaxy’s politics is a franchise tradition, and this decidedly brilliant bit of writing shows how varying opinions can form around even the most virulent and unyielding propaganda. The character motivations that stem from these differences are one of the most glaring omissions in the films, as a theatrical release can’t spare the time needed to show the different ideals that exist in one unified army. At least, there’s no time when there’s so much more to see with lightsaber fights and Sith Lords.
This small snippet of what is sure to be a great trilogy in its own right could be a great direction for a Disney+ show to go, even as the franchise gears up for a big push back to theaters with The Mandalorian & Grogu. If Andor season 2 bolsters Star Wars’ streaming prospects sufficiently, then fans might eventually see adaptations of some of the canon material from other mediums that’s been put out in the Disney era to replace Legends.
The Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+, and Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear is available on Amazon and other retailers.
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Source: Inverse