Multiverse stories have become more prominent than ever in recent years, and I have a few theories about how different franchises could connect to Star Wars. While any movie or TV show should stand on its own merit, revealing that separate stories exist within a multiverse creates countless possibilities. It makes crossover events possible and allows individual narratives to become part of something greater, allowing viewers to revisit them with new context.

Despite this potential and the growing popularity of multiverses, Star Wars has only dabbled with alternate timelines. The original Star Wars Expanded Universe was replaced by the new official Disney canon; the Star Wars: Visions animated series tells multiple non-canon stories based on Star Wars, and the Star Wars: Infinities comics explored alternate outcomes for the original trilogy. I believe Star Wars can take this a step further and welcome other sci-fi and fantasy franchises into a larger multiverse.

10

Dune

A classic sci-fi story that heavily inspired Star Wars

Frank Herbert’s Dune was one of several stories that George Lucas drew inspiration from when creating Star Wars. Story concepts Star Wars took from Dune include being set on a desert planet, a galactic empire, and a chosen one’s fall from grace. Because Star Wars is based on the hero’s journey, which notes the similar story structure present across cultures, I believe having Dune in the same galaxy or multiverse would be fitting.

9

THX 1138

George Lucas’ directorial debut

THX 1138 was George Lucas’ first sci-fi movie and his directorial debut, and the тιтle has continually appeared as an easter egg in Lucas’ other projects. Set in a dystopian future where humanity lives underground and suppresses all emotions, THX 1138 tackles several themes that Lucas would later explore in greater depth with Star Wars.

Being created by the same man gives THX 1138 and Star Wars ample justification to exist in the same multiverse.

8

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Fun easter eggs between filmmaking legends

As longtime friends and collaborators, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have included several references to each other’s films. In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the little alien seems to recognize a kid dressed as Yoda on Halloween. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, E.T.’s species have their own pod in the Galactic Senate Chamber. The only problem here is Star Wars being a movie and a real place, but I’ve noticed how another sci-fi franchise offers a possible explanation.

7

Men In Black

George Lucas may have lived Star Wars before writing it

As a story about aliens living in secret on Earth, the Men in Black films have a lot of fun referencing famous people. One scene in the first movie shows several recognizable figures being monitored, including George Lucas, implying that Star Wars‘ creator is an alien in Men in Black. This would be a hilariously fitting explanation for how Star Wars made its way to Earth from a galaxy far, far away, and alien species could cross between franchises.

6

Lucasfilm’s Alien Chronicles

Books that could easily connect with Star Wars

A trilogy of novels written by Deborah Chester, Lucasfilms’s Alien Chronicles was based on alien creatures from Monsters and Aliens from George Lucas (1993) by Bob Carrau.

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While not officially connected to Star Wars, some elements from Alien Chronicles later appeared in official Star Wars reference guides. The trilogy was originally conceived as humanity’s origin in the Star Wars universe, and while the final product only features aliens, the story would be a fascinating addition to Star Wars lore.

5

Willow

An official part of Star Wars lore (at least for one day)

On April Fool’s Day 2006, StarWars.Com’s Databank was updated to include Willow, temporarily retconning Warwick Davis’s background character in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as Willow Ufgood. While this was a joke, Leland Chee later confirmed that Lucas Licensing had considered incorporating Willow and its sequel novels, The Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, into Star Wars canon.

Making Willow part of a Star Wars multiverse would be another way to capitalize on these ideas.

4

Spaceballs

The definitive Star Wars parody film

A parody of the Star Wars original trilogy, Spaceballs has an aesthetically similar structure with a comedic twist. This makes Spaceballs the ideal story to establish as an alternate timeline in a Star Wars multiverse, with similar characters and events that play out in different ways.

The upcoming Spaceballs 2 sequel is the perfect way to not only address how Star Wars has changed since 1987 but to break the fourth wall by showing the actual Star Wars galaxy.

3

Star Trek

Star Wars’ oldest sci-fi rival

Star Wars and Star Trek are two of the biggest rivals in modern sci-fi and are very different, and that’s why I find a potential crossover so fascinating. Star Wars takes place long ago in another galaxy, bringing classic mythological motifs into modern times, whereas Star Trek is about what our galaxy could become in the future. It’s no wonder that there are so many fan-made crossovers between these franchises, and a Star Wars multiverse could make it official.

Star Trek has repeatedly utilized the multiverse, so crossing over to the Star Wars galaxy would be entirely possible. The canon short story “The Whills Strike Back” by Tom Angleberger, published in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, confirms that some version of Star Trek exists in Star Wars:

Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet–

Wait… “Starfleet”? Did you just say “Starfleet”? Are Kirk and Spock going to show up next?

I don’t even know what Kirk and Spock are!

While this may just be a fun reference, officially seeing Star Wars and Star Trek in the same story would be a dream come true.

2

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

A multiverse connection is very possible

The MCU and Star Wars are the two biggest franchises owned by Disney, so if Star Wars were to cross over with another property, this is likely where we would start. The multiverse concept is highly prominent in the MCU, especially since Avengers: Endgame, with Phases 4, 5, and 6 collectively dubbed “The Multiverse Saga.” Even before the MCU was conceived, Marvel Comics explored the multiverse for decades through their “What If…?” imprint.

This concept was adapted as an animated MCU series, and What If…? season 1, episode 8 “What If… Ultron Won” possibly features Mustafar as the characters battle across the multiverse. If this does confirm that Star Wars and the MCU are part of the same multiverse, I think it would be interesting to see teams like the Guardians of the Galaxy interact with Star Wars characters. We could always start small, as Marvel currently publishes Star Wars comics.

1

Indiana Jones

More connections to Star Wars than Harrison Ford

I believe George Lucas’ second major franchise, Indiana Jones, has the most justification for fitting into a Star Wars multiverse. Indiana Jones is the only franchise on this list to have an officially published crossover with Star Wars (albeit a non-canon one) in Star Wars Tales #19’s “Into the Great Unknown” by W. Haden Blackman. After accidentally traveling to Earth via lightspeed, Han Solo is killed by Native Americans, and his body is eventually discovered by Indiana Jones.

Aside from this humorously dark tale, there are multiple Star Wars references in the Indiana Jones movies and vice versa, including the hieroglyphs of R2-D2 and C-3PO in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Star Wars: The Clone Wars also has several Indiana Jones references, most notably the Crystal Skull of Akator in the Trandoshan trophy room in season 3, episode 22 “Wookiee Hunt.” It is this easter egg that provides the most solid link between the two universes.

Near the end of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harold Oxley says the Crystal Skull aliens are “Interdimensional beings” who went to the “space between spaces.” The Star Wars TV shows have introduced a realm connecting space and time called the “World Between Worlds.” This seems like a solid foundation for a Star Wars multiverse, one that could expand to Indiana Jones and beyond.

Star Wars

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

Character(s)

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

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