Star Wars News | Filoni on Retcon | Jimmy Smits Returns | New Show Rumors

Star Wars News | Filoni on Retcon | Jimmy Smits Returns | New Show Rumors
Kenobi:
Jimmy Smits will have another outing as Bail Organa in this May’s Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+. Jimmy Smits has played Bail Organa in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Bail is a key character to not only the Skywalkers but to the rebellion itself and an integral character for the saga on whole.

MSW sources observed Smits on set for the Kenobi series’ filming with Ewan McGregor. The filming was so secretive it wasn’t immediately clear if he was even in the series for a time. It is also why he has been left off the cast list (merchandise for the Kenobi series also have Smits’ Bail Organa in production for the coming year). So it is happening and the confirmations are coming from all over. Bail’s back.

Bail Organa is significant because he is one of the only people in the galaxy who knows that Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala have living offspring. Bail also knows the whereabouts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. I find him to be a very fascinating character with a unique position in the galaxy. Not to mention Jimmy Smits is fantastic in the part.

New Trilogy:
With few exceptions, the on-screen Jedi of the Star Wars TV series and films have continued the prequel’s “no attachment” rule. In The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Luke is still thinking about the rules exactly as the Jedi who taught his father. He presents Grogu with an unfair choice, which results in Grogu embracing not the Dark Side but his surrogate father, Mando.

On some level, Grogu’s choice let Luke off the hook. Nothing terrible came of Luke teaching these extreme and unfair values to poor Grogu, and instead, it seems Baby Yoda spared himself the pain of undergoing Jedi training.

So, will this cycle ever end? In Colin Trevorrow’s unused screenplay for Episode IX — “Duel of the Fates” — Rey would have faced a similar problem. In that unused story, Rey fell in love with Poe but avoided a true romance because of the old Jedi “no attachment” rule. Leia would have talked Rey out of this way of thinking, suggesting that the Jedi need to revise their entire philosophy. Obviously, this movie was never made, but it aligns with the rumored new direction a Star Wars movie trilogy might take.

But which movie would we see that in? Right now, the Taika Waititi-directed feature film is the most likely project to potentially tackle something like this. However, there are also indications that Waititi’s Star Wars film could be an uber-prequel, taking place in the “Dawn of the Jedi” time period. At this point, the release date for that film is also very unclear.

As far as the rumored post-sequel trilogy goes, Robinson also added, “you can fill an entire stadium with ideas Lucasfilm has been interested in but never realized.” While this particular idea for a Star Wars project could reverse the “no attachment” Jedi rule, we should all take Obi-Wan’s advice and maybe not deal in absolutes.

High Replublic Show:
While Star Wars preps a stellar year after taking much of the 2021 calendar off, the franchise's future slowly comes together in the background. It still may be a ways out until the galaxy far, far away returns to the big screen, but in the meantime, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and co. have plenty in store on Disney+, including Andor, Obi-Wan, and the rumored series set in the High Republic era.

This newly reported High Republic series has been described as "Stranger Things in space" and could begin filming as soon as June of this year.

The High Republic has yet to be explored in any visual medium, having been introduced as a literary first venture. But it seems to be only a matter of time before the new era of Lucasian lore makes its way onto the big and small screen, which is confirmed further thanks to new information about the show's cast.

Han and Leia Book:
For fans looking for something new to read, there’s always hope in upcoming Star Wars books. In 2022 alone, there is at least one book releasing almost all 12 months in a row. August’s novel has just been revealed, and it’s the continuation of a love story fans already adore.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, StarWars.com announced that Beth Revis, author of Star Wars: Rebel Rising, would be returning to a galaxy far, far away. She is writing The Princess and the Scoundrel, which will tell the story of Han Solo and Princess Leia’s wedding. And she’s been working on it for quite some time.

“I wanted this to be a story where the past was still present, but they were moving forward into new territory,” Revis said. “It’s an emotional journey — the aftermath of war always is, but so is the new foundling steps of love.”