Star Wars The Last Jedi: 8 Plot Theories From The Expanded Universe

It was a dark time for the Star Wars fandom when Disney fired up their corporate Death Star and decimated the expanded universe. This meant that many beloved characters, settings and plotlines would never have the chance to appear onscreen.

That isn’t to say, however, that they didn’t do some pillaging before they hit the kill switch. They may have declared these stories defunct, but good money says that a pile of them have been sitting on Rian Johnson’s desk for the past year.

The Force Awakens, while often being criticised for following A New Hope’s plot beats like a drummer in a Cantina cover band, certainly wasn’t above drawing inspiration from outside of Lucas’ cinematic wheelhouse. The fact that Han and Leia have a child that turns evil, a superweapon that draws its power from the surrounding suns and even the idea of a Stormtrooper going rogue all sprang from the pages of expanded universe fiction.

So, as it’s not out of the question for The Last Jedi to draw from the vast trove of available lore set throughout the Star Wars universe, there’s plenty to go off to predict what course the next movie will take.

Oscar Isaac was perfectly cast as the hotshot rebel pilot Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens with the right mixture of charm and self-belief to allow him to fill the void left by Han Solo. However, as many are aware, his role was meant to be short-lived and the crash on Jakku in Episode VII was meant to be the end of the line.

Realising the error of his ways, J.J. Abrams promised bigger things for Isaac’s character moving forward. While this still remains quite cryptic at this stage there’s a good indication of what this could mean if you take a look at ‘X-Wing: Wraith Squadron’ by Aaron Allston.

Following a unit of commandos who take on only the most dangerous missions, there are clear parallels to Poe’s own actions at the beginning of The Force Awakens. What could possibly be cooler than a unit of the best pilots in the rebellion forming an elite team led by Dameron?

While the majority of The Last Jedi's story will undoubtedly concern Luke and Rey, it would be great to see the rebels actively conducting raids and sticking it to the New Republic. The story of Wraith Squadron and their exploits would form a great base to build these encounters around.

This approach would cement Isaac’s character as a key figure in the narrative, give some more context to his exceptional piloting skills and most importantly, it would be awesome to watch.