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Tag: Star Wars TV

  • D23: First Look at the Villainous Pirate Gang from Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’

    D23: First Look at the Villainous Pirate Gang from Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’

    The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, D23, is underway in Anaheim, California and while Disney’s major studios won’t be showcasing their upcoming projects until Friday evening, there’s still plenty to see for fans touring the convention center. Each year, studios set up impressive displays and this year is no different. Lucasfilm is expected to showcase at least a couple of Star Wars streaming series (Skeleton Crew and Season 2 of Andor) as part of their portion of the panel and ahead of that, they showed off an impressive first look at the villains of one of the series.

    Footage shown during Star Wars Celebration 2023 revealed that the Nikto pirate Vane, who was a thorn in Din Djarin’s side during Season 3 of The Mandalorian, was set to return in Skeleton Crew. Following August 8th’s media preview night, amusement and theme park enthusiast Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) shared a first look at Vane and the rest of his motley crew of pirates from the floor of the Anaheim Convention center.

    Last seen fleeing following the death of his boss, Gorian Shard, the floor display reveals that Vane now has his own diverse gang of pirates. In addition to a peg-legged droid, Vane’s crew features a Shistavanen armed to his wolf teeth with pistols and a Gran with a patch covering one of his three eyes.

    When four kids make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, they get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

    -Official Synopsis, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

    The droid, named SM-33 (like Smee, get it), will be voiced by Nick Frost and was described by series creator Jon Watts as “a rusty old, cranky droid” who serves as “the first mate of a mysterious ship.” While it seems SM-33 starts the series as part of Vane’s crew, Watts has indicated that the droid “sort of reluctantly helps the kids along the way.” A teaser trailer for the series, which will debut with two episodes on December 3rd, is expected to roll out during Lucasfilm’s portion of the panel and will likely be officially released online as well.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Look, Release Date Revealed for Lucasfilm’s Next Star Wars Streaming Series

    First Look, Release Date Revealed for Lucasfilm’s Next Star Wars Streaming Series

    As fans continue to digest Lucasfilm’s latest Star wars streaming series, The Acolyte, the studio has turned its attention to its next project. Via People Magazine and official Star Wars social media accounts, Lucasfilm has provided the first look at Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

    Co-created by MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts and and Spider-Man: Homecoming writer Christopher Ford, Skeleton Crew follows four kids on a journey through the galaxy far, far away. Child actors Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Wim), Kyriana Kratter (KB), Robert Timothy Smith (Neel) and Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Fern) will star alongside Jude Law, who plays Jod Na Nawood, in the new series which will make its streaming debut on December 3rd in Disney Plus.

    “It is a fun place to be, the universe of Star Wars,” said Law, adding that “seeing children in that environment in a Star Wars environment is thrilling and very, very unique.”

    When four kids make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, they get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

    -Official Synopsis, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

    Being part of the Star wars universe means joining one of Hollywood’s longest running shared narratives in mid-stream. Skeleton Crew is set during New Republic era (home to The Mandalorian and Ashoka) and according to Law, “there are great references to old films and recent episodes and series. There’s a lot of originality and I hope that will bring the feeling of fun to those who watch it.“

    The series has been compared to Richard Donner‘s 1985 classic, The Goonies, and based on Law’s comments, that seems like a fair comparison. all in constant state of confusion and jeopardy and challenge.” He adds that Skeleton Crew is “very much a piece about working together and overcoming fears and overcoming…perhaps [one’s] opinion of oneself or one’s own weaknesses in order to succeed.” Sounds like a bit of Jedi wisdom being shared by Law, though he’s not the only help the kids will have along the way.

    In addition to Law’s Nawood, the kids will be added in their journey by “the first mate of a mysterious ship,” according to Watts. That first mate will be “a rusty old, cranky droid” known as SM-33. Voiced by Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost, SM-33 “sort of reluctantly helps the kids along the way,” says Watts while nothing Frost’s voice work was “fun” and “perfect.” It’s not Star Wars without a droid!

    With D23 just a week away, fans might expect a teaser trailer for the series to be right around the corner.

    Skeleton Crew wil begin streaming on Disney Plus on December 3rd.

    Source: People.com

  • ‘The Acolyte’: Exploring the Mystery Planet’s Connections to the Sith

    ‘The Acolyte’: Exploring the Mystery Planet’s Connections to the Sith

    Episode 6 of The Acolyte, “Teach/Corrupt”, may not have been the most action-packed of the series and it really didn’t do much to further the plot of the series. That doesn’t mean the latest installment of Lucasfilm’s newest Star Wars series didn’t have something to offer to the overall mythology of the galaxy far, far away.

    With both Master Sol and The Stranger seeing through the Parent Trap swap fairly quickly, the episode slowed down considerably compared to the previous installment which was as action-packed as Star Wars has ever been. “Teach/Corrupt” split time with the Aniseya twins and their swapped masters and while Mae and Sol still have some things to work out, The Stranger’s time with Osha was indeed revelatory. Together on an “unknown planet”, The Stranger begins his seduction of Osha, intending to have her replace her sister as his acolyte. As the two spend time in his bad-guy lair, The Stranger works to repair his helmet which Jecki damaged in the last episode. For the first time in Star Wars canon, the metal used to build the helmet, cortosis, is named and its properties are explained as it becomes apparent that the “unknown planet” is rich with the valuable metal. And as interesting as The Stranger’s tale of his time as a Jedi is, the island has been at the center of much of post-episode discussion and it turns out it may not truly be unknown.

    While some fans believed the island planet may have been Ahch-To, showrunner Leslye Headland dismissed the idea while keeping the name of the planet a secret. However, some fans have come to believe that the planet has already appeared in Star Wars canon in the novel Darth Plagueis. Published in 2012, the canonical novel by author James Luceno tells the story of Sleepy Sheev Palpatine’s Sith Master, Hego Damask, aka Darth Plagueis. In that novel, Plagueis killed his own Master, Darth Tenebrous, on an ocean planet rich with cortosis ore. That planet, Bal’demnic, clearly has a whole lot in common with The Stranger’s “unknown planet” and given that The Acolyte is set about 65 years before Plagueis killed Tenebrous on Bal’demnic, it’s entirely possible that the first season of the series is setting the stage for that part of the Sith’s history to ultimately be told should the series be renewed.

  • ‘Rogue One’ Star Confirmed to Return for ‘Andor’ Season 2

    ‘Rogue One’ Star Confirmed to Return for ‘Andor’ Season 2

    Nearly two years after it debuted on Disney Plus, Lucasfilm’s Andor remains the standard for a Star Wars streaming series. Set five years before the events of Rogue One, Andor dove into the earliest days of the Rebellion and boldly did so with an all-new cast of characters outside of the series’ lead, Cassian Andor, once again portrayed by Diego Luna. Recently, Luna teased that Season 2–which will cover the four years between Season 1 and Rogue One–would feature cameos from Rogue One characters and now it seems one has been revealed.

    The scale of the show is so huge. Directors work in blocks of three episodes, so we did four blocks [in Season 1] of three episodes each. We looked and said, ‘Wow, it’d be really interesting if we come back, and we use each block to represent a year. We’ll move a year closer with each block.’ From a narrative point of view, it’s really exciting to be able to work on something where you do a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then jump a year.

    –Andor creator Tony Gilroy on the structure of the show’s timeline.
    In an interview with The Playlist, Alonso Ruizpalacios, who is one of several directors to have worked on Andor Season 2, revealed that Ben Mendelsohn is set to reprise his role as the villainous Orson Krennic.

    While discussing Season 2 of the streaming series, Ruizpalacios said he was excited to have worked with “heavyweights” such as “Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, and Ben Mendelsohn.” While the return of Krennic makes plenty of sense, it’s the first news of Mendelsohn’s return; in fact, the actor had previously indicated that he did expect to be involved in the show. “As for being contacted by Lucasfilm for a new project, I can tell you that no, I have not been approached for something like this,” Mendelsohn told Bad Taste in February 2024. “And yes, it would be great to see him again somewhere, but for now, everything stops here,” he continued.

    But as far as I’m concerned, I would be very willing to explore it further and significantly in that world. I never expected to play a character like that, but then again, I never expected to become an actor, either. For me, they are all wonderful things. I think Krennic has a tremendous amount of things left to give to the audience. What you need to understand about a character like Krennic is that, if he had the chance, he would have tried to take over the entire game, and it seems to me that this aspect has not yet been explored sufficiently.

    -Ben Mendelsohn on returning as Krennic, Bad Taste, February 2024

    Series creator Tony Gilroy has already stated that the last shot of Andor Season 2 will be set immediately before the opening of Rogue One. “Our final scene of the show is no secret. It’s going to be [Cassian] walking across the tarmac to get in the ship to go to the Rings of Kafrene to go meet Daniel Mays’ [the character Cassian kills in the opening of the film], he’s going there.” So where does Mendelsohn’s character fit in? As a member of the Republic’s Strategic Advisory Cell, Krennic was involved in the planning of the Death Star from its earliest days, suggesting that the work of his former colleague, Galen Erso, be utilized in weaponizing the DS-1. While Rogue One provided a flashback to Krennic’s tragic encounter with Erso after the former had failed in his work, Andor Season 2 leaves plenty of room to tell more of Krennic’s story and could even see him interacting with other high-level members of the Empire such as Tarkin or Thrawn. Whatever the case, we’ll have to wait quite some time before we find out as Andor Season 2 isn’t expected to hit Disney Plus until 2025.

    Source: The Playlist, Bad Taste

  • ‘Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures’ Sets Season 2 Release Date

    ‘Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures’ Sets Season 2 Release Date

    Debuting on May 4th, 2023 as part of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Day celebration, the animated Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures proved to be “a wholesome adventure series set in an ever-expanding universe that provides a wonderful jumping-on-point for young Star Wars newbies.” Set during the High Republic era and centered around Younglings Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay and Nub and their friend, Crimson Firehawk pilot Nash Durango, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures set its own course for adventure in Season One and was very well received. With the first 25 episodes available on Disney Plus and playing daily on Disney Jr., the series has largely been a hit for Lucasfilm and now we have word on when the next round of adventures will debut.

    Season 2 of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures will debut on Disney + and Disney Jr. on Wednesday, August 14th with new shorts arriving on both outlets on August 2nd. The second half of Season 2 will debut sometime in 2025.
    (L-R): Kai Brightstar (voiced by Jecobi Swain.), and Lys Solay (voiced by Juliet Donenfeld) from “STAR WARS: YOUNG JEDI ADVENTURES (Season 2)”, exclusively on Disney+ and Disney Junior. © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Set 200 years before The Phantom Menace, during the High Republic era, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures follows Jedi younglings Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, and Nubs as they study the ways of the Force, explore the galaxy, help citizens and creatures in need and learn valuable skills needed to become Jedi along the way.

    -Official synopsis for Young Jedi Adventures

    According to an official release from Disney, in addition to continuing to follow the Youngling’s adventures with Jedi Master Zia, Season 2 will introduce a new character to the series.

    Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Season 2 follows the younglings as they continue their training and embark on even bigger missions across the galaxy. Helping to lead the younglings on these missions is Master Zia’s new Padawan, Wes Vinik, and his astromech R0-M1. As they continue their training and grow in the ways of the Force, the young Jedi will travel to new planets with new and old friends and encounter adversaries like The Ganguls, who are growing in their pirate ranks…

    Ahead of the release, the first episode of a new digital series, Fun with Nubs, has been released and is available at StarWarsKids.com and at the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel. New episodes are set to debut each Friday.


  • Star Wars Creative Grand Admiral Provides Positive Update on Season 2 of ‘Ahsoka’

    Star Wars Creative Grand Admiral Provides Positive Update on Season 2 of ‘Ahsoka’

    Dave Filoni’s new role as Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm certainly keeps him quite busy. The role allows Filoni to be “involved at the inception phase” and “help [Lucasfilm creative teams] tell the best story that they want to tell.” If that were all Filoni was doing with his time, he would find himself with a full plate; however, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars creator also has many more stories of his own he’d like to tell in the best way possible, including more chapters in the lives of some of his most beloved creations.

    Among those creations, it’s clear that Ahsoka Tano has carved out a large place in Filoni’s heart. Her story has been carefully curated over more than 15 years, including headline her own Disney Plus series in 2023. While the finale of Season 1 saw the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker stranded on the extragalactic planet Peridea, far away from her home galaxy, it still ended on a hopeful note and with a very clear indication that Season 2 was right around the corner. In January 2024, Lucasfilm made it official, announcing that a second season of Ahsoka was in development under the watch of Filoni. Not much has been said of the project since but recently, in an interview with Josh Horowitz, Filoni gave an encouraging update on the sophomore season.

    When asked by Horowitz if Filoni had produced a script for his live-action, New Republic-era film (which was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023), the CCO indicated that Season 2 of Ahsoka was taking up the bulk of his time. “Because I’ve been writing [Ahsoka Season 2], things have clicked and I have a much better idea about where things are going to go,” explained Filoni, before teasing his film a bit by saying, “I will say, I have an opening I really like quite a bit, I’m very excited about it for that picture. I’m excited about the potential of just doing it.”

    “Right now, my focus is clearly on [Ahsoka]” said Filoni before adding, “as well as the rest of the galaxy and how it’s spinning.” The rest of that galaxy currently consists of projects such as The Mandalorian & Grogu (which Filoni said has been “fun to dive into“), Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order-era film and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi-era film, which has been described as a “biblical epic” about the “first Jedi to wield the Force.” Of course, like with any studio, there are also multiple projects at different stages of production about which nothing is known which will also take up part of Filoni’s time; however, it seems clear that the future of Star Wars is in great hands with Filoni leading the way for a new generation of stories and storytellers.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Acolyte’

    REVIEW: ‘The Acolyte’

    Since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the studio’s projects, both film and television, have been unevenly received by Star Wars fandom. It’s been eight and a half years since the nostalgia-driven Episode VII-The Force Awakens launched the Disney Star Wars era and in that time, segments of the fandom moved from a sense of uncertainty and unrest to vocal and volatile about the direction of the franchise. Almost echoing the history of the Jedi Order itself, Star Wars fandom experienced the First Great Schism when Episode VIII-The Last Jedi hit theaters. As fans grew increasingly displeased with the further exploration of the Skywalker Saga and the themes originally developed within it by George Lucas, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy recognized a need to move away from the Skywalkers and the outline of The Maker. However, even as the ascension of heir to the empire Dave Filoni began as Disney Plus allowed for more stories to be told through streaming series, it seemed hard to break away from the addiction to the Skywalkers. Even as the Creative Grand Admiral of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars division, Filoni‘s projects continued to feature Skywalkers as Luke made an appearance in The Mandalorian and Anakin in Ahsoka.

    I think it is vital. Just staying within the construct of George’s storytelling, to keep chipping away at that, I think would be wrong. It’s our job to step away now, but still have a connection to the mythology that George created. That won’t stop. But we are moving on from the Skywalker saga. That’s what’s taking a lot of time, discussion, and thought right now.

    Kathleen Kennedy, Vanity Fair, 2022

    While the desire to connect each new project to the brand’s most recognizable names can be easily understood–especially since so many of the key creatives currently working on Star Wars projects grew up as fans of the brand–it remains a cord that has to be cut. Enter Leslye Headland. Like Filoni, Headland is a lifelong fan of the franchise who describes her love for Star Wars as existing on a “deep cellular level.” And, like Filoni, she has grown into adulthood pondering, meditating on and dreaming about the galaxy far, far away. And now, in The Acolyte, Headland gives fans a brand new entry point into that galaxy that allows fans to engage with the same themes and concepts that Lucas made central to Star Wars but in an all-new era of stories that does not depend on the Skywalkers or, so far, even a passing familiarity with their stories. Steeped and connected in the mythology of Star Wars yet independent of anything that’s come before it, The Acolyte is Disney’s boldest storytelling effort to date within the franchise as it looks to redefine itself.

    I just love Star Wars—I always have. Every time I’m asked the question ‘what is your fandom like?’ or ‘what do you love about Star Wars?’, it’s difficult for me to answer because I love it on a deep cellular level. I almost think Star Wars has been a part of my personality since I can remember.

    -Leslye Headland
    (L-R): Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Set at a time in the High Republic era that precedes the events of Episode 1-The Phantom Menace by a century, The Acolyte represents a daring new direction for Star Wars. And through four episodes, it blazes the trail that the franchise sorely needed. Headland‘s intrepid exploration of the High Republic is ripe with thematic parallels upon which Lucas built the foundation of the franchise and toys with the expansion of the mythology similar to Filoni’s work. However, The Acolyte is singular in that outside of the briefest of cameos that casual viewers will never recognize, Headland does it all with a new cast of characters who are incredibly easy to like from jump street.

    As the franchise sputtered through the sequels, Kennedy believed the future depended not only on moving away from the Skywalkers but also on allowing talented creators to expand the Star Wars sandbox beyond Tatooine and to tell character-driven stories. The Acolyte succeeds on both counts. While it’s billed as Star Wars-noir, it tells a Star Wars tale as old as time that explores the duality of good and bad and centers around relationships. At the center of the story are twins, Osha and Mae, and Jedi Master Sol, whose history with the twins allows Headland to explore flaws inherent in the Jedi Order. Within the first four episodes of The Acolyte, the dynamics of the Jedi–who are at their peak during the High Republic–reveal the beginnings of the cracks in the firmament that ultimately allow for their fall. Star Amandla Stenberg‘s transition between twins Osha and Mae is smooth and effortless and among the franchise’s best in years and Lee Jung-jae’s compassionate Sol joins the ranks of the Jedi Order’s most loveable Masters.

    We’re not defined by what we lose; we’re defined by what we survive.

    -Jedi Padawn Jecki Lon

    Despite the Great Schism, Star Wars lives on and as Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon shares with Osha, “we’re not defined by what we lose; we’re defined by what we survive.” The Acolyte stands as a wonderful example of survival and adaptation. It’s an all-new era of Star Wars with no keepers standing at the gate and no background necessary to enjoy. It delivers one of the franchise’s most beautifully shot episodes to date in Episode 3, many of its most interesting new characters in what seems like forever and some of the best-looking action sequences ever shot in the galaxy far, far away. The screener package left us at one helluva cliffhanger but should the second half of the series deliver on the promises made in the first, The Acolyte will become the first step in a new direction the franchise sorely needs.

    Sources: Vanity Fair,

  • First Reactions to ‘The Acolyte’ Give the High Republic Series High Praise

    First Reactions to ‘The Acolyte’ Give the High Republic Series High Praise

    Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, The Acolyte, premiered in London on May 23rd, with attendees having the opportunity to see the first two episodes. Meanwhile, select journalists were sent a screener package that included the first four episodes. After the screening, fans and critics took to social media to share their initial reactions to the upcoming show.

    The High Republic Era Kicks Off with a Bang

    The Acolyte provides Star Wars fans with the first live-action look at the High Republic era, a time when the Jedi were at their zenith as protectors of the galaxy and the Sith were long since believed to be extinct. Long-time media personalities such as Screen Rant’s Joseph Deckelmeier and Peter Sciretta felt the new setting provided a fresh perspective on the galaxy far, far away.

    Star Wars Noir

    Star Lee Jung-jae, who plays Jedi Master Sol, said The Acolyte fits into the “detective genre.” For several critics, the noir nature of the series was a highlight.

    The Cast Carries the Show

    While maybe not quite on the same scale as Game of Thrones, the main cast of The Acolyte is fairly large. While it’s sometimes tough on an audience to have so many characters to get to know, it sounds as though the great writing by showrunner Leslye Headland has made that quite a bit easier.

    The first two episodes of The Acolyte debut on Disney Plus on June 4th.

  • Merch Leak Provides First Look at the Leads of ‘Skeleton Crew’

    Merch Leak Provides First Look at the Leads of ‘Skeleton Crew’

    Though Lucasfilm rolled out a trailer for its live-action streaming series Skeleton Crew exclusively for those in attendance at Star Wars Celebration 2023, next to nothing has been made public about the show. Due to hit Disney Plus around Christmas, the series stars Jude Law, Kerry Condon and a group of largely unknown child actors. While fans wait for some kind of footage from the project to be shared, a new listing for a collectible from the show has provided a first look at tht young leads.

    Found on the online store Fanatik, via r/StarWarsLeaks, a collectible ingot shows the four children who are the main focus of the series along with an unknown character who is either a droid, cyborg or just wearing a very intricate mask.

    New Skeleton Crew collectible give us our first look at the main characters of the show
    byu/Matapple13 inStarWarsLeaks

    The biggest revelation is that one of the leads is an Ortolan, the same species as renowned Jizz-wailer Max Rebo, first seen in Return of the Jedi. And so we have our first look at the four kids who “make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.” Their journey will lead them to cross paths with Law’s Force-wielding character, a mysterious Jedi we still don’t know much about at all.

    Skeleton Crew will stream on Disney Plus beginning in December.

    Source: Fanatik

  • Star Wars Characters We’d Like to See in the Next Installment of Lucasfilm’s ‘Tales’ Anthology

    Star Wars Characters We’d Like to See in the Next Installment of Lucasfilm’s ‘Tales’ Anthology

    As part of the annual Star Wars Day celebration, the second installment in Lucafilm’s Tales anthology, Tales of the Empire, debuted on Disney Plus on May 4th. Like the first installment, 2022’s Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire was well received by critics and fans, with former Jedi Barriss Offee’s three-episode arc stealing the spotlight. Dave Filoni, who has created both seasons of the anthology, has made it clear he’s having a lot of fun with these animated shorts which means a third season of Tales has a good chance of coming together. While we await official confirmation from Lucasfilm, we put together a list of characters who might be worth exploring further.

    Tales of the Jedi: Plo Koon and Baylan Skoll

    Obviously, there’s a story there. We’re in a wait-and-see pattern [about the rest of Skoll’s story] at this point.

    Dave Filoni on Baylan Skoll’s future in Star Wars media

    In the first two seasons of Tales, the two key figures of the series have been juxtaposed against one another, helping to shine a brighter spotlight on some central themes. Should Lucasfilm be interested in producing a true sequel to Tales of the Jedi, two characters who could make the cut are Jedi Master Plo Koon and former Jedi Baylan Skoll. It’s fairly well-known that Koon is a favorite of Filoni’s and while his age is undefined in canon, he lived quite a long time and helped the Jedi Council navigate many major crises before being killed following Order 66 being given. If Koon were chosen, Skoll, who was played by the late Ray Stevenson in Ahsoka, would be a fascinating character against which to juxtapose him. Disillusioned with the Order, Skoll lost his faith before Order 66 and after surviving the Jedi purge, moved on in search of power. Given the very divergent paths the characters took, there’s plenty of fertile storytelling ground to craft some intriguing 3-episode series.

    Tales of the Sith: Asajj Ventress and Darth Maul

    Though the two have had plenty of screen time already, the best parts of the stories of Asajj Ventress and Darth Maul may have yet to be told. The excitement around the return of Ventress in Season 3 of The Bad Batch should be all Filoni needs to give the audience a three-episode arc focused on the Nightsister who has truly walked one of the most interesting and complicated paths of any character in the Star Wars universe. The series could pull from the novel Dark Disciple to fill in the gaps between The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch and give a glimpse of what the former Jedi padawan is up to following her brief appearance in The Bad Batch. As for Maul, given his cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the studio clearly had plans to tell more of his story on screen. If Maul’s arc were to flesh out the “Son of Dathomir” story that was never used in The Clone Wars and follow up on his Solo appearance, fans would eat it up.

    Tales of the Bounty Hunters: Embo and Bossk

    From Cad Bane to Zuckuss and everyone in between, bounty hunters have been a staple of Star Wars storytelling since A New Hope. It seems like a near certainty that Filoni–who has given plenty of screen time to Bane, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand and other hunters–will eventually get around to putting the focus on a pair of the galaxy’s most dangerous hunters. One solid bet to make the cut if such a Tales series does go into development is Embo. Voiced by Filoni in The Clone Wars, Embo lived a long and interesting life that lasted beyond the time of The New Republic. Another favorite of Filoni’s from his time on The Clone Wars, Bossk was revered as one of the galaxy’s finest bounty hunters and, like Embo, survived well into the New Republic era.

    Of course, dozens upon dozens of other characters may deserve the spotlight of the animated shorts more than these characters; however, given previous rumors that some future seasons of the Tales anthology may focus on Sith and bounty hunters and the uncertainty of how to move forward with Skoll’s story in live-action, these are some characters that merit some consideration.

    Tales of the Empire is now streaming on Disney Plus.