George Chrysostomou with five characters who could feature in the Star Wars live-action TV show…
Disney’s new streaming service means big things for the galaxy far, far away. With many groundbreaking announcements coming out of Disney in the last week, including a new Star Wars trilogy and a Marvel TV show exclusive to the upcoming streaming platform, there was one piece of news in particular that perhaps surprised and intrigued many in the Star Wars audience. The announcement that a live action TV show is being developed for the above mentioned streaming service means fans can expect to experience a brand new set of stories from Lucasfilm. But what will these stories focus on? Here, we look at five characters or groups who could feature prominently in the upcoming show.
The Hutt Clan
The most notorious Hutt of them all is Jabba the Hutt, first seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Of course, the Hutt Clan is one of the most dangerous groups in the whole Star Wars universe. Not only do they hold a lot of influence over various bounty hunters and smugglers in the region, but have also been known to strike deals with both the Republic during the Clone Wars and the Galactic Empire during Palpatine’s rise. Their headquarters can be found on Nal Hutta and is organised by the Grand Hutt Council, a grouping of the most important clansmen to fully spread their power into all realms of the galaxy, but especially the Outer Rim where they find their resources centralised. A TV show which follows the Hutts through their family squabbles, dodgy deals and their rise to the height of their power would serve for an interesting watch. Whilst the language barrier is obvious, Hutts have been known to speak English before – the Hutt Lord Ziro for instance. Where Jabba’s son Rotta – first seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – fits into all of this could be a unique way into the narrative.
Asajj Ventress
A character who has already gone through a series of redemptive arcs, played with both the light and the dark side, ran away from her Master, Count Dooku, rejoined her Nightsisters and fallen in love with a Jedi Master, the current bounty hunter has really done it all. Audiences are so familiar with this character now, from novels and comics to the critically praised Clone Wars, that it is about time Asajj was given justice and allowed to lead a TV show. Following the daily struggles of the bounty hunter, in the depths of Coruscant and beyond, this TV show could explore the life of Ventress during her years as a bounty hunter, from mission to mission, with the potential for other bounty hunters such as Boba Fett to appear. Asajj is one of the most complex characters in the franchise and giving her some room for extra exploration, perhaps even allowing for the development of the plot of Dark Disciple, which is essentially a cancelled Clone Wars arc, could allow this beloved character to have a fair conclusion to her story.
Cad Bane
Another bounty hunter with a dubious set of morals, Cad Bane is perhaps the least well known character on this list, but should not be passed up. Little is known of what happened to Bane after the Clone Wars which allows for a lot of wriggle room for where he goes from here. Bane has had a particularly strong rivalry with Obi-Wan Kenobi, so there is potential here to have this as an end goal, leading into the Obi-Wan spinoff film that is being planned by Lucasfilm. His travels across the galaxy are of particular interest, as his set of skills are both vast and varied; a unique set of situations which he would have to overcome could start to bring sympathy to this rogue criminal. Links to other events in the galaxy could also be a route to go down. Having Cad Bane as the behind the scenes mercenary for many major events could give the character a lot more history. For instance, Bane’s work with General Grievous to bomb the Jedi Temple is something which is often overlooked. Having him as the go to man in situations like these could be very intriguing.
Mandalorians
Boba Fett’s popularity comes from one particular thing in my opinion – his Mandalorian origin. The links with Mandalore, from his armour to his role as a bounty hunter, is what has by default also made the Madalorians popular. Their exploration in both The Clone Wars and Rebels has only enhanced the lore surrounding them, with Sabine Wren in particular becoming a very popular character. The Death Watch as well served as particularly intriguing villains and the whole Mandalore plot during the Clone Wars helped to serve the larger narrative moving forward. A Mandalorian who has found themselves in the midst of the era we find our current trilogy in could offer quite a different take. With the Death Watch in particular still loosely formed throughout the galaxy, a plot to see the Madalorian culture and Mandalore itself rebuilt to its former glory, countering the rule of the new Republic that has formed and standing against even the First Order in an attempt for galactic independence, could be a path to tread which would be both politically-led and action-packed.
Ashoka Tano
This one speaks for itself. Ashoka is the most popular extended canon character within the franchise as a whole. Spanning across both The Clone Wars and Rebels, as well as countless other source material, Ashoka should finally lead her own show. Of course, we do not know of Ashoka’s exact fate yet following season three of Rebels, but if she is to survive until the conclusion of the series then there are plenty of directions Lucasfilm could take her. With Dave Filoni a particular fan of the character, it wouldn’t surprise me if, following the end of Rebels, Filoni embarks on a new live action project, bringing Tano to the screen as an outcast Jedi who is left to pick up the pieces after the Empire has fallen. This would not only be an incredibly popular decision but would be the best way to move the extended canon forward and break new ground.
SEE ALSO: Five Things a Star Wars: The Old Republic Trilogy Should Focus On
What would you like to see from the live-action Star Wars series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
George Chrysostomou
Originally published November 19, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
