Star Wars: Rogue Squadron Can Only Work In One Specific Era Of The Franchise

Back when the Rogue Squadron movie was first announced, it was supposed to be set sometime after The Rise of Skywalker. Of course, this was back before that film became nothing more than a punchline in the fandom, and it was before Jenkins exited the project. Now that she is once again working on the film, we hope she considers setting the movie in the time period shortly after Return of the Jedi rather than after The Rise of Skywalker.

Why should Rogue Squadron be set in this time period? For one thing, the core appeal of this movie is that we will get a return to the cool dogfights of the Original Trilogy. By setting the film in the early New Republic era, we can get onscreen skirmishes featuring the classic ship designs rather than the “we have Star Wars at home” inferior designs of the Sequel Trilogy.

Setting Rogue Squadron after Return of the Jedi also means Patty Jenkins can, via recasting, bring back some fun, fan-favorite characters. In addition to bringing in more of Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly has been killing it on Andor), it’d be great to see more of Admiral Ackbar, General Maxine, and especially Wedge Antilles. The Sequel Trilogy frankly has fewer memorable characters, and the ones fans do like (such as Finn and Poe Dameron) would be unlikely to return for basic cameos.

From a storytelling perspective, it would also be great for Rogue Squadron to be set in the early New Republic era because we haven’t seen much of how the Rebellion transitioned into the new seat of galactic government. Sure, we hear the occasional tidbit (usually, ironically enough, from X-Wing pilots) in The Mandalorian, but we know shockingly little about this new government except that it is basically destroyed in The Force Awakens. 

Keep in mind that creating this government was a goal that our Original Trilogy heroes kept putting their lives on the line to create. Wouldn’t it make sense to see a bit more of that government onscreen instead of just skipping to the disappointing Sequel Trilogy era, where it is destroyed?

Honestly, after the disappointment of the Sequel Trilogy and lukewarm television content like The Book of Boba Fett, I’d probably be happy with any Rogue Squadron movie that gives us an interesting story, captivating characters, and full-throttle action. But I can’t get over the fact that Patty Jenkins could make this movie stand out and even help it make Star Wars history by firmly focusing on the early days of the New Republic. This is Jenkins’ big shot…let’s hope she stays on target so we don’t get another disappointing Star Wars film that looks as incomplete and barebones as the second Death Star.