Credit: LucasfilmThe sequel trilogy promised a bold new direction for Star Wars, but left the saga without a clear throughline.
The Last Jedi (2017) challenged expectations, portraying Luke Skywalker as a broken recluse and leaving Rey’s origins and the Jedi’s future ambiguous. The Rise of Skywalker (2019) then undid much of that (in the same way the 2017 film retconned its own predecessor, 2015’s The Force Awakens), resurrecting Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), resolving Rey’s lineage, and presenting her as the “last Jedi.”
All that back-and-forth left many storylines unresolved, and the trilogy ultimately lacked narrative cohesion and direction.
However, Lucasfilm’s next cinematic entry, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine), could follow suit by retconning the 2019 film. Disney officially describes it as a standalone adventure set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, featuring entirely new characters in a previously unexplored era of the galaxy.
Ryan Gosling and young actor Flynn Gray are confirmed to star (alongside Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams in supporting roles), though character and plot specifics remain tightly under wraps.
Recently, however, an official first-look image was shared across social media, although it doesn’t tell us much:
View this post on Instagram
Related: Three New ‘Star Wars’ Sequels Will Bring Back Familiar Faces
Now, some rumors suggest that Gosling’s character is a non-Jedi pilot tasked with transporting his Force-sensitive nephew (Gray’s character) across the galaxy. If true, this storyline could essentially “replace” Rey as the seemingly only Jedi in this era, revisiting elements that The Rise of Skywalker largely ignored.
The ending of The Last Jedi showed a young farmhand on Cantonica exhibiting Force abilities, hinting at possibilities that were dropped in the final sequel. Now, Starfighter could suggest that there are more Jedi left. While this was likely always going to be the case, the last two films certainly positioned Rey as “the last Jedi”.
Though also rumored, Rey’s presence in Starfighter remains unconfirmed, but speculation holds that Gosling’s journey may ultimately bring the boy to her. If this proves to be true, Rey would essentially be taking on a similar role to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the sequel trilogy, while Gray’s character would, in a sense, replace Rey.
But even if Rey doesn’t appear in the film, this approach would set the stage for her own film, which is reportedly set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, where she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order. However, that project remains in development with no word on where it’s at or even a release date.
Meanwhile, rumors about Starfighter keep stacking up. According to insider MyTimeToShineH, Lucasfilm also has plans for the film to be the first in a new trilogy.
Star Wars: Starfighter is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 28, 2027.
Are you excited about Starfighter? Let us know in the comments!