There’s been a lot of talk about ditching the Skywalker saga when it comes to Star Wars and there are several reasons why this shouldn’t be on the docket and a few why it would be a good idea. In all honesty, it won’t matter what folks say since the minds behind the franchise at this time have made it clear that they know best and won’t be moved until Star Wars has been driven entirely into the ground. The sequel trilogy has made it clear that the direction that Lucasfilm is heading in isn’t one that a lot of people agree with, and yet one can easily imagine that people are going to attend every Star Wars movie and watch every show that comes out in the hope that things will be turned around or given a chance to redeem the franchise at some point. The talk of moving away from the Skywalker name though is a little problematic since this name is one of those that happen to have built this franchise, and just ditching it doesn’t sound like a great idea.
Putting the name in the background might be a better way to do things, since creating an homage to the Skywalker name would be great considering that it could keep the legacy in the background without having to highlight it so often. But simply pushing past and moving beyond the Skywalker name doesn’t sound like a great idea at all. It sounds like an attempt to say ‘We don’t need you’ and then dump it in the rearview to begin working on something else. There is some sense in moving past the name, and working toward something new and unique, but at this point, it’s tough to think that Lucasfilm either doesn’t know or doesn’t care what the fans want to see, especially since laying down the Skywalker name is a big thing to ask of any Star Wars fan.
It’s true, Star Wars is not all about the Skywalkers, but those who bear the name have done a great deal to push the story and have been able to be a big part of the overall story. It’s a big hope that the Skywalker name will be able to live on and still be mentioned now and then, but moving beyond them feels like a dicey proposition at the moment. It almost feels as though the name might fade into legend anyway if Daisy Ridley has no intentions of coming back and there aren’t any other kids out in the universe that might be connected to Luke or Leia. That would be quite the retcon if it did happen, since at this point if there are any surprises yet to be unveiled then they would be a little late in the game and not quite as believable. But then again, this is Lucasfilm, and it’s also Disney that we’re talking about, so it’s very likely that anything could happen at this point. If that sounds cynical then so be it, because there’s a very good reason for this, and it happens to be because while the franchise isn’t dead, Disney has managed to mangle the movies even if it’s managed to create success with the TV shows.
The Skywalker name is essentially etched in stone when it comes to the franchise, and while it might sound kind of dramatic, it almost feels as though Disney is trying to lock that fact away, or find a manner by which they can destroy it entirely. The latter isn’t likely to be fair, but the former doesn’t sound too far off the mark since it is true that a story has to move forward and keep changing to be new and innovative. But doing so at the expense of one of the greatest elements of the story is a risky proposition since one thing that has to be taken into account is that when a franchise has relied so heavily on one aspect for so long, the transition needs to be handled with a bit of finesse, rather than being given a swift kick into the uncertain future. Star Wars has been continuing to push forward for many years now, despite any setbacks, and as such it’s fair to think that the franchise can still keep going for a while to come.
But the fact is that the Skywalkers have spent too much time in the franchise to simply be chucked to the side. Even if those at Lucasfilm don’t have any plans to dump the Skywalkers and run, keeping them around is still far wiser than trying to push them all the way to the background. The Skywalkers can still be of great use to the franchise, especially if the Jedi and the Sith are going to evolve.
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