It’s been almost exactly one year since I posted about my grievances with Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker. Not much has happened in our favorite far, far away galaxy since then besides than The Book Of Boba Fett being a bit of a disappointment until it just turned into The Mandalorian Season 2.5 for the final three episodes. I had meant to do a follow-up post with my own pitch for the eventual Star Wars Episode X, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. So, here I am finally getting around to it.
For my starting point, I’m looking at the fact that the new Star Wars brain trust of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are spending a lot of time and resources in the unexplored period of time between Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens. My thinking is that they are trying to lay a sturdier groundwork for the future than the nostalgic quicksand that the sequel trilogy was built on. This may be optimistic, or I may just be way off the mark, but I’m choosing to believe there is a master plan in-place (again, unlike for the sequel trilogy).
My Star Wars X pitch starts – unsurprisingly – with Grogu. The most adorable little green dude in the galaxy would be in his 80’s when we come to the time after Rise Of Skywalker. My alien aging estimates are an imperfect science, but if 50 year-old Grogu acts a bit like a 5 year-old, then 80 year-old would make him about 8 years-old. I’m going to skew up a bit here, since Grogu would be a more functional lead character if he was behaving more like a 12-or-13-year-old. For the record – he is fully verbally communicating by this time, and not in a backward, Yoda manner either. In my mind he’s voiced by a Daniel Radcliffe or Tom Holland type.
In my mind, by the end of The Mandalorian’s run, Din Djarin is ruler of the planet Mandalore. He claimed the throne by wielding the Darksaber and by winning the trust and respect of his allies. Bo-Katan Kryze will still be involved, as she was a big part in helping Djarin’s rebuilding efforts. Both Djarin and Bo-Katan would be in their 60’s, and so vital enough to play the parts they are needed for. Grogu, as Djarin’s adopted son, was by his father’s side through the entire endeavor. This is why neither played a factor in the events of the sequel trilogy, and the war against the First Order.
Grogu has embraced his Mandalorian heritage, but he has also been training himself in the ways of the Jedi. Ahsoka Tano has helped him a bit along the way, but Grogu’s training has mostly been a personal journey. As he becomes more attuned to The Force, Grogu senses something dark and extremely dangerous growing in power. I’m not sure what this thing is, exactly, but it is absolutely not another Galactic Empire Wannabe, and it’s also not Sith-related. It’s something new and very old at the same time. Grogu feels the need to confront this emerging evil but, since he is still not what could be considered an adult, Djarin will not let his son fly out to face it alone.
Not really being able to hold his own in combat any longer – and having a planet to run – Djarin reaches out to their old friend Ahsoka Tano to accompany Grogu. Ahsoka, by this point, has been traveling for a while with fellow Jedi Ezra Bridger (rescued during the run of Ahsoka’s own show) and Mandalorian Sabine Wren (who helped with the aforementioned rescuing). I’m again speculating on the aging process of aliens, but Ahsoka will be fairly unchanged from the version we’ve seen in The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett. Ezra and Sabine may both middle-aged at this point but, for the most part, still in their primes. Grogu joins this crew, and they fly off to find one more powerful ally that they need.
Along their way, they pick up a couple of additional allies in the form of best buddies Poe Dameron and Finn. They’ve been living their best lives since defeating the First Order, but are still game to help out when it seems like trouble is on the rise. They are also more than happy to help the crew find the person they were seeking: Rey Skywalker.
Rey has started her own Jedi Academy on Tatooine where she teaches her students the value of finding balance in The Force, and not simply viewing things in terms of Light Side and Dark Side. When the crew arrives, Rey doesn’t hesitate to leave her star pupil in-charge (you may remember his as Broom Boy from The Last Jedi) as she goes where she is needed to help save the galaxy again. Maybe the whole gang swing into Mos Espa for a round of drinks, and chat with whomever takes over as Daimyo from the recently deceased Boba Feet before jetting off on their journey?
What happens after that? I’m not really sure. Space battles? Bitchin’ lightsaber action? Humorous bickering? Heart-warming discussions about found family? Some important lessons for Grogu as he continues growing into his own? Cool, Star Wars-y stuff like that.
Is evil defeated in Star Wars X? Or does it simply launch a new trilogy? I’m not sure about this either, and it doesn’t really matter to me. The most important thing to me is that the Star Wars Universe begins thriving in the present, rather than dwelling in the past. And that it rushes full-speed ahead to the future that it deserves.