For several years now, Star Wars has been at a crossroads.
The sequel trilogy did immense damage to the brand, and despite a few brave attempts by some to get things back on the right track, Disney has allowed the brand to suffer for far too long. The Mandalorian has been by far the most succesful attempt to recapture lightning in the bottle since the sequel trilogy concluded. There have been glimpses of good things in other series, but also much more damage inflicted, with Obi-Wan Kenobi being the most recent example. We are now at a point where the cinematic franchise has essentially been placed on ice, and the TV projects are the primary drivers of the future. Rumors of a second season of The Book of Boba Fett recently surfaced, and there are continued rumors that a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi could happen. (WHY?!) While the chatter is interesting, it doesn’t seem to be increasing the pulses of the fans. Star Wars is in very real danger of being a dead property, and it feels that all are now mostly waiting for the third season of the Mandalorian.
But there’s another way that a new foundation could be laid – two projects that I hold some hope for, and that I believe share a very strange but interesting bond.
Kyle Katarn.
Return of the Jedi – Sort of. In 1995, gamers were introduced to Dark Forces – a Doom clone that included some technical advances over id Softwares FPS. The protaganist was a mercenary who worked for the Rebel Alliance, and had been hand-picked by Mon Mothma to retrieve and exfiltrate the Death Star plans from an Imperial facility on the planet Danuta. An ex-stormtrooper who went AWOL after discovering that his rebel sympathizer father had been killed in an Imperial raid, the Death Star mission (Operation Skyhook: Part 1) – was only the beginning of his adventures. The bulk of the games plot dealt with the Darktrooper project, led by General Rahm Mohc. Fans of this early game were delighted to see the Darktroopers fully reintroduced to canon in The Mandalorian Season 2, with the project being under the control of Moff Gideon. Kyles later adventures eventually revealed that he was force sensitive, and his story was expanded in the sequels Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and as a secondary character in Jedi Academy. In these adventures Kyle dealt with Imperial Inquisitors in the search for the Valley of the Jedi, and fought against an Imperial Remnant engaging in dark experiments to infuse force powers into imperial soldiers. (Hmmmmm……)
For some time now, Disney has been cherry-picking portions of the old EU Legends and repurposing them in modern canon. The first of these adaptations was Rogue One. From a story idea by John Knoll, his original script treatment was altered radically, but in such a way that some of the old content was incorporated into it. In Dark Forces, Kyle was the protaganist, and Jan Ors was his mission officer. In Rogue One, the roles were reversed – even the names were similar: Kyle Katarn became Cassian Andor and Jan Ors became Jyn Erso. I believe the upcoming Andor will show us more of Cassians mercenary/spy adventures, in the vein of Kyle Katarns original backstory. If I’m correct, look for his homeworld to be a part of the burgeoning Darktrooper project that has not yet developed fruit. This provides an exciting opportunity to delve deep into the early days of the Rebellion, when they were still very much figuring out who they were and how far they were willing to take the fight to the Empire.
Recent comments by Tony Gilroy indicated that the show would mess with Star Wars canon. This is alarming taken in isolation (especially given how well that has gone for Disney), but here I think it could be a good sign. After Dark Fores and first sequel Jedi Knight had become qualified hits, novella adaptations of portions of both stories were written by William C. Dietz and published by Dark Horse Comics. Amazing audio drama adaptations (that bookend the NPR Original Trilogy Radio Drama Adaptations) were also produced by Highbridge Audio, and I highly recommend them. In these stories, there were early explorations of the darker side of the Rebel Alliance – fearing that Kyle may still have Imperial loyalties, Mon Mothma ordered Jan Ors to keep an eye on him, and execute him during the mission if she saw signs of betrayal. This showed a more ruthless side to Mon Mothma that we had not previously seen, and showed what lengths she would go to to ensure the success of her mission. If Andor takes the same tack, expect to see a more expansive look at politics both from within the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
If Disney REALLY wants to make a splash here, they could also introduce the character of Garm Bel Iblis – another EU character that was instrumental in the formation of the early rebellion, but was very suspcious of Mon Mothmas leadership. Introducing this character and early conflict would surely please fans of the original Thrawn trilogy. But – what about the Jedi Heritage of Kyle Katarn? That obviously can’t come to pass since Cassian died at the conclusion of Rogue One? Well – I think that portion of the characters backstory has been adapted as Cal Kestis in Jedi: Fallen Order (and soon the sequel – Jedi: Survivor).
Like Kyle, Cal tangles with the Inquisitorious, and has been dealing with ancient Force-related secrets. The first game had him tracking the fall of the Zeffo civilation, who seem to be the Disney canons version of the Rakata from the original Knights of the Old Republic. It is my hope that Jedi: Survivor will continue to explore the path of the Zeffo, as I think that could lead to some very interesting storytelling possibilities. The teaser trailer that was recently released may contradict this notion – it’s possible that the Zeffo were only intended to drive the plot of the first game. On the other hand, the teaser trailer didn’t really give us much more than a mystery box. I hate using those words after J.J. Abrams abused us with them so many times, but I believe that Respawn has more than earned the benefit of the doubt. There has been speculation that the plot may tie into the Bad Batch, if the bacta/(Spaarti?) cloning tank is located on Wayland – but however this series goes, I hope that Cal will continue to have to stay one step ahead of the Inquisitorious, and deal with the more esoteric Force Mysteries the Star Wars galaxy has to offer.
Though Kyle Katarn was one of my favorite EU characters, if both of these series manage to tell engaging stories that build a larger universe I believe his legacy will be secured as the progenitor of both characters.
Those are my thoughts – what are yours? Are you excited for Andor? Are you hyped for Jedi: Survivor? Has anybody besides me heard the audio adaptations I referenced above? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
For all the latest news, rumors and speculation, keep checking back with That Park Place for everything that should be fun.
