The opinions on sequel trilogy films differ. However, one thing cannot be denied: the setting they created sets up ample opportunities for spinoffs. Here, I would like to specifically talk about stories with Force user protagonists that would be amazing material for video games, specifically those with “Jedi” or Force-user thematic, using familiar characters from the sequel era.
Jedi Academy Reboot
Lucasfilm are probably going to keep their hands free for telling the story about what came after The Rise of Skywalker. Unless Kathleen Kennedy and co. completely backtrack from the sequel trilogy material altogether, I would expect if not a series, then at least books or comics telling what Rey, Finn and Poe did after.
One obvious choice is that Rey could become the founder of a renewed Jedi Order that has learned from some mistakes of its past (which was the main theme of The Last Jedi), probably with Finn as Rey’s first pupil.
A screenshot from the video game classic Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.
Such story would be perfect for a remake of one classic video game, Jedi Knight: The Jedi Academy. I do not mean an one-to-one copy that would swap Kyle Katarn for Rey and Jaden Korr for Finn, but the basic idea of a student starting from zero, going on missions to various planets, with some more dangerous enemy slowly emerging from behind the scenes.
Playing as student Finn would be perfect for the game mechanics, as one could start from zero and learn various Force powers while levelling up. At the same time however, as opposed to a new, unknown protagonist, the audience would have someone they know and they already relate to. Majority of the sequel trilogy fans would probably jump at the idea straightaway.
A still of the Knights of Ren
Young Kylo Ren
A darker take on a similar theme could appear in the form of a young Kylo Ren story. The films left enough of a gap and only vague information about his childhood and fall to allow for a long, long story. His relationship to his parents, first meeting with Snoke, his fall, the Knights of Ren, all the havoc he has wrought that has been hinted at for example in Resistance.
To be sure, also in this case I predict that we are more likely to see a TV series first (even though, who is going to play younger Ben? Adam Driver is not getting any younger – but many Kylo Ren fans would never forgive Disney if they cast anybody else!).
But why not both? And a video game with Kylo Ren as the protagonist would allow for an interesting, darker version of classic “Jedi Knight” gameplay. Travelling, intimidating the enemies of the First Order, fighting alongside the Knights of Ren, learning dark secrets from Snoke – but also “temptation to the light” at the most annoying moments. Am I the only one who sees the potential here?
Children from Tehar, Eila and Kel, in Star Wars Resistance.
The Children from Tehar
The last idea comes from a matter that was left open after Star Wars Resistance ended. The two children, Kel and Eila, are the survivors of a massacre. They appear in the show as secondary characters. We learn that their village was obliterated by Kylo Ren and the First Order. Eila is apparently Force-sensitive. That makes her, too, a perfect protagonist for another “Jedi Academy reboot”, ideally as pupil of Rey. (That would also allow for Finn to appear as a secondary character, a fellow student.)
Such a character would draw on the advantages of exploring a fresh new character with a bit of background to start from. Traditional challenges of temptation to the Dark Side could be present through resurfacing anger towards those who destroyed the village: remnants of the First Order, and perhaps could escalate into a confrontation with Kylo Ren’s ghost, with whom they could “talk it over” (or not).
Are these possibilities not cool enough to consider?
