We’ve got Rogue One released next year, as well as the young Han Solo spin off movie in 2018, but what other characters and backstories would we like to see in more Star Wars spin off movies? (This is taking all Expanded Universe stories as non-canon, so don’t get annoyed if you’ve read the books already.)
Contains Episode I-VI SPOILERS – be warned…
Princess Leia Organa
We’re getting the Han Solo spin-off in a few years, but what about the backstory of his other half, Princess Leia, arguably the most badass princess in movie history?
All we know about Leia pre-Episode IV is that, following her birth with twin brother Luke to her mother Padmé, who died in childbirth, she was given to Bail Organa, one of the Senators of the planet of Alderaan to be raised there.
Surely it’d be fantastic to learn about Leia’s early 20s-30s, as she grew up and turned into the expert fighter and battle commander she is in Episode IV, and maybe what her relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi was pre-‘you’re my only hope’. One thing can be sure, it would be a seriously fun movie with a strong female lead that the older Star Wars movies just don’t have.
Mace Windu
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most beloved actors of all time, and although he’s getting on a bit now, we’d still love to see his wise character from the prequels, Jedi Master Mace Windu, make a return in an origins story.
Considered second only to Yoda as a great Jedi on the Council, it’s obvious that Windu was a major player in the final years of the Jedi’s Galactic Republic, so wouldn’t it be cool to see such a powerful Jedi just before he came onto the scene in the prequels?
We’d get to see the return of that epic purple lightsaber, and of course, Samuel L. Jackson would be able to throw in a ton of wise-cracking one-liners too, so it would surely be a hugely fun film to watch.
Boba Fett
When Disney announced that there would be Star Wars spin-off movies to go along with the new trilogy, all the fans immediately vied for a Boba Fett stand alone adventure.
The shady fan favourite bounty hunter from the original trilogy got a small backstory look-in in Episode II with the story of his father, Jango Fett, and his duels with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but what we’d really like to see is Boba Fett, the nastiest bounty hunter in the galaxy, as the main character.
We heard in Episode V of Boba’s dark past, when Darth Vader told him ‘no disintegrations’ when dealing with Han Solo’s frozen body, and we also know of his relation to ganglord Jabba the Hutt, so surely it would be a thrilling and dark crime story to see how Boba Fett became the notorious bounty hunter he is known as so well today.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Another well-liked actor who may be getting a bit too old for the role, Liam Neeson. However, the character he played in Episode I, Qui-Gon Jinn, was obviously an absolute master of the force, considering he taught the great Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Sadly, we didn’t see much of Qui-Gon, considering he was killed by Darth Maul at the end of the film and that was that. However, we’ve heard in whisperings that his master was once Count Dooku, who later turned to the Sith, and surely that would be a great story to tell.
Following Qui-Gon as a now graduated padawan, it would be fascinating to see his reaction as his master turned to the dark side, and the emotional conflict it would throw up for him in choosing to follow or stay with the Jedi, lending something different to the Obi-Wan/Anakin conflict in Episode III.
Lando Calrissian
Arguably the coolest character in all of Star Wars history, a Lando Calrissian stand-alone movie would be a sure-fire hit.
Although we may get some details of his past in the Han Solo spin-off, considering the two were best friends at some time as explained in Episode V, we’d love to see Calrissian’s own story. We know from The Empire Strikes Back that he’s not a perfect guy, and liable to be bribed one way or the other, so that would surely make for a pretty entertaining and still interesting movie.
If we don’t learn about it in the Han Solo movie, then we’ll definitely want to see how Calrissian and Solo’s rocky friendship progressed over the years, until Lando became in cahoots with the Empire.
