The Star Wars universe has existed for long enough and been given enough movie trilogies and shows that they’ve had time to explore a lot of different themes. Most of the time, these stories seem to be focused on vague, grand ideas like legacy or balance (and, of course, the ever-present fight of good vs. evil). Though these themes are interesting in their own ways, they only really scratch the surface of issues that Star Wars as a franchise could explore.
The Last Jedi comes close to diving into something deeper with its message about war profiteering, but otherwise, Star Wars likes to focus on a very specific group of people in the galaxy and hits all the beats of the typical hero’s journey storyline without ever really going more in-depth. There is such a rich universe here with a plethora of characters, planets, and societies that would be interesting to explore, but even more than that it, would be incredible to see what Star Wars could do if they focused on deeper themes and more personal, intimate stories.
Because the story is always so focused on the Skywalkers, Solos, and any other character that might have come into close contact with them, the audience is always seeing the universe from the Chosen One’s point of view. But what is this world like for an everyday, average Joe? It would be fascinating to see how this seemingly endless war affects everyday people in Star Wars. How do the people who just exist in this universe and do their everyday tasks and go to work (while Luke Skywalker shoots lasers at the Death Star) feel about the Empire, or the Jedi, or the state of their world in general? Do the citizens always feel unsafe because at any moment, a massive fight between the Resistance and the First Order could occur in their city, or is that just an average Tuesday for them?
Star Wars could explore that war profiteering theme even more, and really spend time examining it. Who makes these weapons and funds these conflicts? Are everyday people affected by the war in terms of having food and supplies? Do they have to ration? What are their thoughts on the Rebellion and the Empire? These are all questions that the fans have never had the chance to see answered, because the everyday people of the Star Wars universe usually end up being inconsequential to the plot, and there isn’t enough time to dig into these themes.
It would also be really valuable to see how significantly these huge battles affect our heroes. They always seem to be able to go from one to the next relatively unscathed, mentally, at least. Realistically, it would be safe to assume that they experience some sort of PTSD, especially characters who have lived through multiple wars and have been involved in numerous conflicts where there was a huge loss of life. Diving into these deeply emotional and psychologically complex themes would be a great way to give more depth to the universe, and to make the Star Wars stories richer and more meaningful, rather than just fun popcorn entertainment.
What about socio-economic status in this universe? What does poverty look like in different cities or on different planets? Does the upper class exploit the lower class? Does race play a role in status? Perhaps our real-life version of racism isn’t as present in the Star Wars universe, but maybe it’s just never been seen in the stories they’ve told so far because it seemed like too heavy of a topic for a fun-for-the-whole-family Star Wars movie. Or perhaps racism shows itself through the variety of alien species we see throughout the franchise. Are certain alien races discriminated against on certain planets? Do humans have a higher status in this world?
These are all topics that would be really interesting to explore, though it’s understandable that they might not have had time to get into complex topics like this in the films. However, with Disney Plus, Star Wars now has the perfect opportunity and platform to start diving into much more intimate subjects such as these. The MCU has certainly figured out that by creating limited series on Disney Plus, they’re able to flesh out their characters more and get into complex topics that they couldn’t fit into their films. Why couldn’t Star Wars do the same?
After all this time, the Star Wars movies are starting to feel repetitive, and in fact, many fans complained about the similarities between the Original Trilogy and the Sequels. What better way to freshen up their writing than by finally digging deep into this universe that they’ve created, and taking the time to really examine the smaller and more intimate details present in this universe? It’s time for Star Wars to move away from surface-level storytelling and pivot towards and much deeper and more nuanced themes. Stories are always much more interesting when they can draw a parallel between the problems in a fictional world and the problems we face in our own lives.
