Star Wars Writer Wants A Series Based On Nazi War Criminals
Star Wars writer Gary Whitta has revealed that he and Chris Weitz had come up with an idea for a series in which a Rebel Alliance team hunts down escaped Imperials after the events of Return of the Jedi. Whitta said (via Twitter) that the basic concept is that a “Mossad-style” group of Rebel commandos would be on the hunt for Imperial officers and soldiers who went into hiding after the death of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, similar to how the Israeli intelligence agency pursued escaped Nazi war criminals after World War II.
However, according to Gary Whitta, neither he nor Chris Weitz has done anything with the concept. Both Whitta and Weitz worked on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, though not at the same time. Whitta was initially brought in to develop the story after it was initially pitched by John Knoll, a visual effects supervisor on George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels; Whitta and Knoll are jointly credited for the story of the movie. After Whitta left the film, Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy then rewrote the script and are credited for the screenplay.
As Gary Whitta puts it, this potential “Rebels hunting Space Nazis” could have been an interesting footnote to Rogue One, particularly as that installment in the franchise is noted for bringing a darker edge to the Star Wars universe. The idea of former Imperials essentially being fugitive war criminals and hiding out in the Star Wars equivalent of Argentina (which, as we all know, is Dathomir) would fit right in with the morally ambiguous, violent tone established by Rogue One and now continued by Andor.
It does seem that Lucasfilm has already extended itself in that direction with Andor, which serves as a prequel to Rogue One and follows the journey of Diego Luna’s character from refugee to ruthless Rebel agent. However, the Star Wars universe is a big place (and far, far away), so there really is no reason why this particular idea could not be developed.
The Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Ahsoka all take place in the time period after Return of the Jedi, when the Rebel Alliance is struggling to transform into the New Republic. It would be interesting for a show to be playing in the background of those series, exploring the grimmer and more vengeful fallout of the Battle of Endor.
In real life, Mossad was not particularly focused on hunting Nazi war criminals when it was founded in 1949 and considered it a low priority. However, the agency did cooperate with private hunters like Simon Wiesenthal and Beate Klarsfeld and pursued prominent escaped Nazis more actively in the 1970s.
As a franchise, Star Wars has often been analyzed for its themes of fascism, rebellion, and political maneuvering, so it already has the right background for a story like Gary Whitta’s. Perhaps he should bite the bullet and give Lucasfilm a call.
