Following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, now is the ideal opportunity for Star Wars to wipe the slate clean and forge ahead with a bold new era of filmmaking. The nine-film arc originated by George Lucas in 1977 may be over, but the franchise itself will continue on for a long time to come, with the next batch of blockbusters having the creative freedom to tell whatever story they want without having to tie themselves to the Skywalker Saga.
Star Wars is under no obligation to stick to the trilogy model moving forward, and that doesn’t appear to be the case when Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron isn’t connected to the projects being developed by Taika Waititi and Kevin Feige, at least as far as we know. Rian Johnson’s trio remains out there somewhere in the ether of development hell, but other than that the canvas is blanker than it’s been for decades.
However, a new rumor claims that Lucasfilm are planning another three-movie narrative that would effectively act as Episodes X, XI and XII, with Adam Driver’s Ben Solo positioned as the lead character. Of course, the former Kylo Ren redeemed himself towards the end of The Rise of Skywalker and then died, so the lack of any viable details or information means this slice of speculative scuttlebutt should be taken with a hefty heap of salt for now.
Will we get another Star Wars trilogy one day? Very possibly, but the standalone model is definitely the best way for Lucasfilm to proceed from here on out. Rogue One is regarded as the high point of the Disney era and Solo became an instant cult classic after bombing at the box office, with the Sequel Trilogy proving that tying everything to either the Skywalkers or Palpatines only serves to make the universe feel smaller.
