The worldwide box office has made it clear that no one really wanted Solo: A Star Wars Story in the first place. It made only $140 million in its opening weekend globally, which makes Solo the worst performing Star Wars movie since 2002’s Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. With Solo turning out to be a disappointing failure, where does the Star Wars franchise go in the future? Should Disney and Lucasfilm just stop making spin-offs and focus on the main movies instead?

I believe that it’s not too late for the franchise to revitalize itself again. We desperately need another great Star Wars movie to remind us why the brand managed to inspire such a fervent fandom spanning people from different nations and different generations. I don’t claim to be the biggest Star Wars fan but here are a few suggestions I think would make great future spin-offs.

1. Darth Vader

Yes, I know the Prequel Trilogy was essentially the origin saga of how Anakin Skywalker became the Dark Lord of the Sith. However, we spent most of that time witnessing the transformation and not the actual Sith Lord in action. We only received a glimpse of him in 2005’s Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. As many comics and past Expanded Universe/Star Wars Legends material in the past would testify, the tales of Darth Vader between Episode III and Episode IV was the most interesting timeline of his life to dissect.

The most recent canon comic book featuring Darth Vader showed us how he had to build his reputation from scratch and how he earned his iconic red lightsaber. He hasn’t completely transformed into the Dark Lord of the Sith that we saw in the Original Trilogy. And that’s what makes the story interesting, as he’s hunting the remaining surviving Jedi throughout the galaxy with only his Force powers and skills as weapons. He’s still vulnerable at that point and that makes for a compelling story. I recommend reading the most recent Darth Vader comic by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli.

2. Knights Of The Old Republic (KOTOR)

Although Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) isn’t canon anymore in the new Disney timeline, bits and pieces of the original story are actually subtly being re-established. For example, the most recent Star Wars Annual Issue 4 published by Marvel, writer Cullen Bunn introduced a new Sith into the canon named Darth Atrius when smuggler Sana Starros attempts to sell an ancient lightsaber to a bunch of black market traders. What’s interesting here is actually what the black market trader says when he inspects the lightsaber. He confirms that the lightsaber is a “relic of ancient times when the Sith were plentiful and powerful.” It also looks almost identical to Kylo Ren’s lightsaber from the New Trilogy.

That statement is a surprising one, as it establishes the galaxy’s distant past as being similar to the KOTOR timeline. The KOTOR saga takes place thousands of years before the events of the Star Wars movies. It established that the two colliding galactic forces during that era as what is now known as the Old Republic and also the Sith Empire. There were as many Sith as there were Jedi back then, which made for a different story dynamic compared to the movies where the Sith mostly operated in the shadows.

There’s a reason why KOTOR remains one of the best and most beloved Star Wars sagas of all time, even after Disney erased it from canon. A KOTOR movie would deliver an epic story on a scale never seen before in the franchise, giving true meaning to the WARS in Star Wars.

3. Ahsoka Tano

She’s a fan-favorite Jedi for many, although most Star Wars fans wouldn’t recognize her if they’ve never watched an episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2014) and Rebels (2014-2018) animated series, which are canon. Anakin Skywalker was actually given an apprentice by Yoda, and it was a young Padawan named Ahsoka Tano. She developed from being an annoying character on the level of Jar Jar Binks to becoming one of the most beloved Jedi in canon.

Throughout the whopping 121 episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and several episodes in Star Wars: Rebels, she went from being an inexperienced Padawan to becoming a Jedi worthy of becoming a Knight. However, she was framed for murder and frustrated with the corruptness and idleness of the Jedi Council, she opted to leave the Jedi Order for good. She then re-appears in Rebels fighting against the Empire and even confronting her ex-master Darth Vader. At the end of the series, Ahsoka is still alive after the events of Episode VI: Return of The Jedi and was about to embark on another journey to find Rebels protagonist Ezra Bridger who disappeared.

A movie focusing on what’s next for Ahsoka Tano would be a huge service to the fans who watched both animated series, as well as providing the closure and payoff they deserve. However, a spin-off like this would be totally risky, considering that most casual audiences have no idea who Ahsoka Tano is. However, that was also the case for Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy and Doctor Strange movies, and people still flocked to cinemas when they were released.

(Left) Beginning of The Clone Wars (Middle) Later in The Clone Wars (Right) In Rebels

More Spin-Offs: Obi-Wan, Boba Fett, etc?

Of course, there are many more worthy characters to choose from in the Star Wars franchise for future spin-offs, besides the three I’ve mentioned above. For example, many Star Wars fans have been clamoring for an Obi-Wan movie for the longest time. In my opinion, his story has already been expanded and explored enough in both animated series, not to mention the five Star Wars movies.

As for Boba Fett, it has been confirmed that a spin-off starring the bounty hunter is already in development, with Logan director James Mangold at the helm. Fett is another fan-favorite character with big fan demand for a solo movie. It remains to be seen if this will turn out like Solo or more like Rogue One, which was a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon.

The Future of Star Wars

As a Star Wars fan, it is my ardent wish that the franchise continues to live long and prosper. No matter how bad recent movies have been (*cough The Last Jedi cough*), I still have hope for future Star Wars movies. I’m sure the legions of Star Wars fans out there each have their own spin-off suggestions on their wishlist. We at Kakuchopurei would love to hear from you. Comment below on what Star Wars character or property you would like to see from Disney and Lucasfilm. In the meantime, check out our review of Solo: A Star Wars Story here.