4 Star Wars Characters Who Deserve a Spin-Off

Now is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Actually, ANY time is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. But with a flood of new sequels and spin-offs coming our way, I think this generation’s fans are the ones who really lucked out. The Force Awakens is a few short months away, but people are already pumped about the future of the franchise beyond this film. With talks of various spin-offs in the works, it’s hard not to get excited. Here are four Star Wars characters we think deserve their own spin-off movies.

4. Jango Fett

There have been talks about a Boba Fett feature film coming along sometime in the next year or two. While I love Boba Fett, I think we should give credit where credit is due and make a movie about his “dad”, Jango Fett. The closest thing we have to a feature film about Jango is a PS2 game from 2002 called Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. The game was excellent, and it showed a lot of Jango’s background in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. However, the story was lacking something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. If Jango were to get his own movie, I think it’d be appropriate to follow the same timeline as the game with minor alterations. I don’t want an origin story; I want to see him in the midst of his bounty hunting endeavors, possibly including encounters with major film characters.

By the time Jango dies in Attack of the Clones, Boba appears to be around eleven or twelve, so maybe, just maybe, the spin-off can show Jango briefly training Boba in the basics of bounty hunting. That way, we can still get plenty of action scenes thrown into the movie while also having a father/son or master/apprentice relationship going on with the Fetts. My only request? For the love of Yoda, please do not cast Will Smith and Jaden Smith as Jango and Boba.

 

3. Darth Maul

A Darth Maul spin-off can go one of two ways: we can either have a chronicling of his pre-The Phantom Menace days, or we can take a look at his life after he was sliced in half. Believe it or not, according to the Expanded Universe, he somehow survived his “death” at the end of the film when Obi-Wan cut him in half and kicked his body into the pit. Apparently, Maul goes on to acquire metallic spider legs. The next few years of his life are dedicated to finding Obi-Wan and personally “thanking” him for his demise.

A spin-off taking place in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope would be great if it focused solely on Darth Maul and didn’t try too hard to incorporate Easter Eggs to the rest of the franchise. I would just love to see him trekking across the galaxy, interrogating aliens and Jedi acquaintances to find Obi-Wan. Another fun idea would be a prequel to The Phantom Menace showing Darth Maul’s rise to power and his acquisition of the infamous double-edged lightsaber. He deserved more characterization in the film aside from a few lines and a bad-ass fight sequence. I think it’s time we learn more about the man behind the tattoos.

2. Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the best parts of The Phantom Menace, but then again, Liam Neeson is often the best part of any movie. It’s a shame they had to kill him off in the end. So it looks like we’ll have to go with a prequel, and that’s totally fine with me. We first met Qui-Gon when he was already a seasoned Jedi Master with Obi-Wan as his apprentice. A prequel spin-off showing him first meeting and working with Kenobi would be awesome.

I’d like to explore the character and his background more to find out what made Qui-Gon so stoic and untraditional when it comes to the ways of the Force. It was pointed out numerous times in the film how he was unlike the other Masters on the Council. What made him this way? What led to him becoming so in-tuned with the Force? Why exactly did he trust Anakin so much and fought so hard to bring him onto the Council? The possibilities of this character on film are endless, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Neeson jumped at the opportunity to reprise the role. I’m just hoping it doesn’t become Taken with lightsabers…

 

1. Starkiller

If you want to play a great Star Wars game, you play The Force Unleashed. I don’t know why this project never got more love when it’s such a great tribute to the Star Wars franchise and lore. The story revolves around Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, whom he trains to carry out important missions in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Along the way, he encounters the Organa family, Boba Fett, Yoda, and other notable series characters. I believe that a Starkiller film can succeed as long as it involves Darth Vader as well. I’m not entirely sure whether James Earl Jones is willing to take on the mantle again, but if he does, then we could have a hit.

The film would take place right after Revenge of the Sith and possibly bridge the gap between the prequel trilogy and the original films. It could demonstrate a paternal relationship between Vader and Starkiller, seeing as Vader never had a chance to be a real father to his own biological children. Starkiller himself may strike die-hard fans as fairly bland, but given the right context and characterization, he could become as likable and iconic as Han Solo.

In the end, I don’t mind which characters they choose for the spin-offs, as long as the films are good. My biggest concern is there being too much fluff and not enough substance, but if they select someone as interesting as Jango Fett or Qui-Gon Jinn, then I see nothing to worry about.