The next Star Wars installment, titled Star Wars: Starfighter, will star Ryan Gosling and is scheduled to release on May 28, 2027. Announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025, the film will take place five or six years after The Rise of Skywalker, marking a clear shift away from the Skywalker saga and introducing an entirely new storyline.
Fans Eager for Original Characters and Stories
As anticipation grows, fans have expressed a strong desire for the franchise to focus on new characters rather than revisiting familiar faces from previous trilogies. Many hope for narratives that do not involve the traditional Empire versus Rebellion conflict, Jedi versus Sith battles, or destructive superweapons like the Death Star.
tell new stories about new characters
—fan
One Reddit user expressed their enthusiasm for moving beyond familiar territory, saying,
I am absolutely down for writers exploring past the Skywalker Saga in any direction,
and emphasized,
I don’t even care if the bad guys still wear white armor and fly big triangle ships. Just please PLEASE no more Empire. No more Palpatine. No more Skywalkers.
Another fan elaborated on this sentiment, hoping for total originality:
If we don’t see or hear mention of any character that has ever been mentioned before then it would be a good thing,
adding,
That goes double for just reusing characters from the Clone Wars cartoon to nostalgia bait fans of that show and ostracise anyone who didn’t like it. Tell new stories about new characters. It’s what everyone has been expecting from the Star Wars universe for decades.
Concerns Over Cohesive Vision and Direction
Fans are also urging Lucasfilm to maintain a clear and consistent direction for the franchise’s future. There is concern that conflicting visions among directors in the past may have diluted the storytelling, notably the different approaches seen between J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson in the recent sequels.
I just hope they actually plan out this era instead of just letting different directors fight each other for their ideas,
commented one fan, reflecting general hopes for unified creative leadership.
Desire to Explore Untouched Star Wars Lore
Amid calls for fresh narratives, some fans also want Star Wars to delve into the vast and largely unexplored ancient history of the Jedi and Sith. They noted there is considerable lore spanning thousands of years that has yet to be fully realized on screen, including stories about figures like Darth Bane and original conflicts between Jedi and Sith orders.
There’s also like 4,000 years of Jedi/Sith lore to cover, yet we get the same time period over and over. I wanna know about the originals. I wanna know about Darth Bane, Zannah, the original Jedi vs. Sith wars, etc. Send us back in time,
one fan highlighted.
However, Starfighter will focus on a new era rather than revisiting ancient history, signaling a fresh chapter within the Star Wars timeline.
Looking Ahead to Star Wars: Starfighter and Beyond
With Ryan Gosling starring and Shawn Levy directing, Star Wars: Starfighter aims to chart a new course for the galaxy far, far away by breaking free from previous story arcs centered on the Skywalker family. Fans’ expectations are high for original characters and innovative storylines that will expand the franchise’s universe in unexpected directions. As production begins, the film represents the start of what Lucasfilm describes as standalone stories that may not be tied to the saga‘s past.
Star Wars: Starfighter’s release in 2027 could open the door to numerous new narratives, shifting the focus away from familiar conflicts and encouraging fresh creative visions for the franchise’s future.
