One of many unhappy truths of storytelling is that you just can not have all the pieces you need. You possibly can construct a compelling world and set your story in it, however basically it’s unimaginable to point out the whole lot of that world in a single story. Finally, the story itself should come first, not the world it’s set in. Which means you must decide and select what components you wish to showcase and what you wish to deliver to life. In the event you write a narrative about Luke Skywalker it implies that you must sideline individuals as, or extra, fascinating as the primary character.
This doesn’t imply that they all the time should languish in obscurity. In a universe as huge as Star Wars and one with as a lot business enchantment, there’s going to be fan curiosity in any variety of random facet characters, planets, or plots. There at the moment are motion pictures and huge-budget reveals about characters like Obi-Wan or Han Solo. This was helped by a wealth of comics, books and video video games broadening the universe and turning Star Wars into one of many first examples of a very transmedia property.
And but there are characters who’ve nonetheless needed to languish in obscurity. Regardless of how far into the longer term we get, a film about Greedo goes to be a really exhausting promote. Few persons are going to enter a theater to see a film completely in regards to the planet Shili, the Togruta homeworld, which has by no means appeared in any motion pictures.
There’s additionally the query of these characters created for spin-offs. Depend Dooku, performed by the late nice Christopher Lee, is a personality who was created for the Star Wars prequels, which existed to spin off the character of Darth Vader and provides his backstory context. In the event you look into the supplementary materials about this man, his story is fairly dramatic and tragic. His fall to darkness is precipitated by his want to deliver justice to the corrupt Republic. In the event you requested a Star Wars layman on the road, nevertheless, who Dooku was, they most likely won’t know or will have to be reminded.
Finally, ready for a Dooku film isn’t the reply. Even on the off-chance that your specific favorite facet character will get their film, there’s a excessive likelihood anyone else’s gained’t. Perhaps Dooku will get his tragic anti-villain origin film, however what about Assaj Ventress or Aura Sing? How will we embody all these beloved characters with out making motion pictures about every of them?
Are Shorts the Future for Star Wars Aspect Characters?
Shorts are a great way for us to see these characters have an entire story realistically. You could not go to see a complete film about Depend Dooku, however possibly you’ll be fascinated about seeing a group of shorts about numerous Jedi animated by the individuals who introduced us the superb Clone Wars TV present. It takes the stress off anybody specific story to be commercially viable whereas additionally giving individuals quick and concise tales.
Disney has taken a couple of swings at Star Wars character-driven TV reveals, and customarily, their greatest success has been once they do one thing greater than inform a single character’s story. The Guide of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan each struggled to take care of engagement persistently as a result of they didn’t have any theme or message past the primary character. Andor manages to dodge this by having a really stable roster of facet characters, taking a personality with much less expectation and mythology, and in addition by telling the story of not simply Andor however the Revolt as an entire.
In motion pictures, it’s a lot simpler to have a plot pushed by only a single character. Even when the collection is only some episodes lengthy, a robust roster of characters is usually required. These reveals aren’t business failures by any means, however it could be unsustainable to make one for each fan-favorite character.
Shorts then can help you inform concise and full tales a few character. You don’t have to fret about whether or not or not Greedo’s life would make for a Disney Plus collection, now you can inform a narrative that encapsulates the character in 20 minutes.
Themes In-Universe and Within the Story
It’s odd to speak a few unifying story when discussing what are numerous quick, self-contained tales. The opposite Star Wars anthology present, Star Wars Visions, didn’t actually have any connective ingredient aside from the truth that it blended anime aesthetic and storytelling with Star Wars.
Tales of the Jedi is completely different. Whereas it could appear innocuous to make a group of shorts in regards to the Jedi, there’s quite a bit to deal with within the story of their fall. The tales involving Dooku deal with the Jedi’s ethical decline and their compromise at having to work for a corrupt Republic. Those who contain Ahsoka deal extra with the Jedi in a barely hopeful means. Finally the collection as an entire interrogates whether or not or not the Jedi actually had been a pressure for justice and peace within the galaxy. It may have been known as Fall of the Jedi and it could nonetheless have been correct.
This can be a good determination on the a part of the individuals who made the shorts and finally looking forward to the way forward for Star Wars shorts. Linking shorts along with an in-universe theme is nice, however what actually elevates Tales of the Jedi is the themes that unite the tales as an entire. There are lots of funerals within the collection, and it really feels just like the dying of a Golden Age, as usually the colours of the collection are washed out and bleak.
Tales of the Jedi won’t appear all that spectacular by itself, but it surely provides a layer of richness to the Star Wars universe we might’ve in any other case missed out on. Shorts aren’t only a means for followers to get to know their favourite facet characters somewhat higher, they’re additionally a means of highlighting vital themes and throughlines within the universe, and right here’s hoping we see much more of these going ahead.
