After a wait that feels like forever, The Rise of Skywalker arrived in theatres December 20 and the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga brought us emotional goodbyes, some fun new characters and a heck of a lot of opinions. With the original trio getting their final farewells and the current trio most likely bowing out when it comes to future stories, it’s safe to say that after 42 years, this chapter of the Star Wars universe is coming to a close. But even though most of the big plot points were tied up neatly, if not altogether satisfactorily, that doesn’t mean that the movie didn’t leave a few open-ended stories and potential lore to explore—after all, this is Star Wars. As General Leia likes to say, “no one is ever really gone,” and The Rise of Skywalker definitely left us with a few things that we’d love to see in sequels or spinoffs, should Lucasfilm decide there’s more stories to be told.
Lando & Jannah
Be honest: who else wanted more shenanigans with Lando and Jannah? Billy Dee Williams is a gem in his own right, and Naomi Ackie proved she could more than hold her own not just in a big battle but a huge franchise film. Their final exchange definitely suggest some potential for more story between the two, and given how densely packed The Rise of Skywalker was, we’d welcome any additional time with these wonderful characters. Lando and Jannah going on missions around space like the Mandalorian? Lando and Jannah bonding over their pasts? Jannah learning from Lando’s years of experience while Lando learning from Jannah’s in return, forging a bond between the old and new generations? That’s pretty much what Star Wars is all about.
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Babu Frick
Somewhere, everyone’s favorite new Star Wars character is hanging at an Outpost where he repairs robots and tells stories about his work and his life. And who wouldn’t want to watch at least six episodes of Babu Frick entertaining guests passing through the galaxy? Giving Babu Frick his own show would also make it a great place for other characters to make cameos (Lucasfilm, if you want to throw in gratuitous Baby Yoda, that’s fine), and could even connect things back to the Skywalker Saga by including new characters we didn’t get spend much time with, like Zorii Bliss. Speaking of Zorii…
Zorii Bliss
Star Wars loves introducing small but memorable characters, and we are here for so many more stories centered around Keri Russell’s sarcastic, “take-no-crap,” competent, awesome mercenary. What was she doing all this time on Kijimi? How did she get there in the first place, and what led her to this kind of life? Is there a reason she has no allegiance to either the First Order or the Resistance? How did she meet Poe and what’s their real history together? (If Disney can’t get Oscar Isaac on board to return for more Star Wars stories, maybe they could get a few cameos out of him and have some flashbacks about what he was up to during the time he was a spice runner/smuggler.) There’s so much that would be interesting to explore, it seems criminal that Star Wars wouldn’t consider giving one of its most interesting new characters a spotlight. Plus, giving Zorii a spin-off means that we’ll finally give a female character a chance to shine in her own show. Disney+, you know what you need to do.
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Rey’s Parents
We finally found out the answer to the long-lingering question concerning Rey’s parentage (her mother was none other than Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer!) As it turns out, she wasn’t “just” a nobody from Jakku: her father was the son of Palpatine, which meant Rey was Palpatine’s granddaughter. To protect her from her evil past, her parents abandoned her. Rey may have found peace on Tatooine, but her parents still have an entire backstory we don’t know about—plus, if Palpatine was Rey’s grandfather, just who was her grandmother? What was it like growing up under someone like Palpatine, and how did Rey’s dad meet her mom? The questions are endless.
Rose Tico
Unfortunately for Rose fans, there wasn’t much for Kelly Marie Tran to do in The Rise of Skywalker—which is a shame, because not only was she one of the most interesting characters introduced in The Last Jedi, there’s still so much of her story that would be worth exploring. In The Rise of Skywalker, She’s obviously an important and trusted part of the Resistance (as she should be), so why not let us see her adventures or experiences working with the Resistance in the space between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker? Let us see Rose bonding with other Resistance members, teaching them and mentoring them and giving them hope. There’s also backstory that could be explored about Rose and her sister Paige, since we never learned much about them together beyond the fact that they hated the First Order for destroying their home. In short: give Kelly Marie Tran the spotlight she deserves!
The Newest Citizens Of The Rebellion
Sure, it was fun to see everyone celebrate the galaxy being saved at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, but what about those random civilians who joined up with the Rebellion? What are their stories? Where did they come from? It feels like Star Wars just introduced a whole new slate of potential stories, where we could learn about the different people who decided to join the Resistance and their reasons for doing so. It would certainly be a nice tie-in to the theme of Star Wars—anyone can be a hero.
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General Pryde
We know Pryde worked alongside General Hux, but it seemed that he was also an old Palpatine servant. All we’re saying is, if Richard E. Grant is up for exploring more of his past with the First Order, we’re totally on board.
Tatooine
At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey returns to Luke’s home planet. Whether that’s where she intends to make her home or she’s just paying her respects remains vague, but it certainly makes for some potential stories. It would be interesting to see Rey interacting with the inhabitants of Tatooine, maybe sharing (or learning about) stories of Luke or just helping them with their daily lives. And if we got more BB-8, that would just be a welcome bonus.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm