10 stand-alone Star Wars stories Lucasfilm could make next

Now that “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” has provided firm evidence Star Wars can exist as a stand-alone movie separate from the trilogies, we’re excited about getting out and exploring some of the rest of that Galaxy Far, Far Away.

Lucasfilm and Disney have already announced a young Han Solo stand-alone film, which we’re pretty excited about. There’s also the rumor that the third stand-alone film will be about a certain Bounty Hunter, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. The good news is that we have 10,000 years of Star Wars Galaxy history to explore, here are 10 ideas that could potentially make a great Star Wars movie, even if it isn’t part of the traditional trilogy series:

1) Escape from Yavin 4. After destroying the Death Star the celebrations are short lived when Darth Vader returns with a fleet of Star Destroyers that start to rain down devastating aerial bombardments on the rebel base. As the Rebel Fleet hyper-jumps around the galaxy attempting to avoid the Empire’s spies, The Ghost, with Luke Skywalker among its crew search for a new home for the Rebellion.

2) Dawn of the Force. Answer the question, who were the first Force wielders. Before light sabers, before Jedi, how did people who were force sensitive discover the fact, how did they train? How did it help them survive instead of being persecuted as witches. Set in the jungles of an alien planet, the story follows one young brother and sister as they explore the Force and have to help prevent the attack of another tribe that is led by a force wielder.

3) R2. Set prior to Phantom Menace, the droid R2-D2 find himself slowly gaining awareness of his sentience. While his master is out of town, he goes to find his maker and along the way finds love as well (Think Wall-E). But will he be able to gain freedom for himself and his new droid friend? Very little dialog in this one.

4) Planet of the Wookiees. Chewbacca’s family is enslaved by the Empire, he organizes a resistance and attempts a rescue. Just before he has to abort, he meets a smuggler with a soft heart – Lando Calrissian. Lando enlists his new buddy Han Solo for a special smuggling trip into the core of the Empire’s slave trade. Along the way, Chewbacca’s family is saved by Solo and he pledges a life debt to the pilot. Lando profits somehow.

5) Monsters vs Jedi. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One) to direct this action adventure film. Two jedi encounter giant oval shaped objects in space that appear to be devoid of The Force. They follow the eggs to a nearby planet and work with the local government to try and identify what they are and what to do with them. When the local populace unrest threatens to destroy the eggs, they hatch and quickly grow into giant monster creatures that can wield both dark and light force powers. The Jedi must find a way to protect the people of the planet while hoping to

6) Seven Jedi. In the early days of the Jedi Council, seven Jedi are hired by a town threatened by a neighboring warlord, who has Jedi of his own in his service. A re-envisioning of the Seven Samurai, which itself inspired the whole Star Wars mythology.

7) Rise of the First Order. Exploring what exactly happened after the dramatic events at the end of “Return of the Jedi” that destroyed the Empire. Would follow the Rebel Alliance turning into the Galactic Republic and the politics of the different factions, some of whom decide not to join at all. Second major storyline would be the rise of Snoke and how the scattered forces of the Empire are reunited to become the First Order. Tying it together are the stories of a family of spies for the Rebels who now find themselves entangled in another authoritarian regime. Can they escape or will their treachery to the cause be discovered?

8) Jedi Academy. Hundreds of years before the events of Phantom Menace, six young padawans struggle with the conflicts of friendship and the trials of the Jedi Academy. Will any of them become real Jedi and what will Master Yoda say of their deep friendships?

9) Mandalore Rising. As Imperial forces offer an alliance with the planet, various factions on Mandalore are played against each other as one family works its plot to become the sole remaining group in power on the planet. The Fett family must decide which faction to support.

10) Old Man Ben Kenobi. A few years after delivering the infant Luke to his new family, Obi Wan settles into his new role on the planet. He even finds love at a nearby trading post, but his allegiance to the old ways of the Jedi cause him to turn away and the trading post is attacked by Sand People. Obi Wan must rescue the hostages while avoiding the growing Imperial presence on the planet

The list could go on. That’s part of the beauty of the new Star Wars Universe. Did I leave your favorite movie idea off the list? Share your story idea in the comments.