There’s only one key way the next Star Wars trilogy can avoid repeating the Skywalker saga. With nine films already covering that arc, both Lucasfilm and Star Wars fans alike seem eager for something new. The challenge now is finding a meaningful way to move the story forward in the galaxy far, far away and explore new narratives.

Audiences will soon see The Mandalorian & Grogu in 2026, the first Star Wars film since 2019. Other solo projects, like Starfighter and Dawn of the Jedi, are also in development. However, Simon Kinberg is currently writing this upcoming Star Wars trilogy, so here’s the one key thing it must do to stand apart from the previous Skywalker saga.

Simon Kinberg’s Trilogy Can’t Feel Like More Of The Skywalker Saga

The one thing that will dampen excitement for Lucasfilm’s next Star Wars trilogy is if it feels like more of the same.

The story of the Skywalkers spans generations, exploring their epic struggle within the light and dark sides of the Force. Anakin Skywalker began as the prequels’ primary hero. He then became original trilogy’s villain with his children rising as heroes. Years later, Anakin’s grandson becomes the sequels’ antagonist while a scavenger inherits the Skywalker name and legacy for a new era.

By all accounts, it’s a truly epic saga, and one of the greatest cinematic stories to ever be told on the big screen. However, in the nearly fifty years since 1977’s A New Hope, the Star Wars galaxy has become so incredibly vast that it has evolved to become so much bigger than the Skywalker saga alone.

As such, it’s easy to argue that the best thing Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars trilogy can do to be exciting is to provide something completely different from what we’ve seen before in the previous saga (preferably without a Skywalker as the lead).

Andor Season 2 Shows Star Wars Is More Than Just The Force

Recently, Lucasfilm’s Andor has proven that the Star Wars franchise has the ability to look and feel unlike anything the galaxy far, far away has seen before.

Set in the critical years before Rogue One and A New Hope, Andor is all about the true cost of Rebellion and what it really took to resist an authoritarian system of oppression as large and powerful as Palpatine’s Galactic Empire.

Full of moral ambiguity and major sacrifice, Andor has been praised for its grounded tones and deeply personal arcs, offering a very real take on the Star Wars galaxy and those who still fought for a free galaxy, despite not having lightsabers or a strong connection to the Force. For many, keeping Skywalkers and the Jedi out of the show’s spotlight was quite refreshing.

As such, it’s certainly very exciting to hear that Simon Kinberg has reportedly been looking at Andor as a source of inspiration while writing the next Star Wars trilogy, particularly when it comes to telling personal stories in the midst of mᴀssive stakes.

Keeping that in mind, it would be very exciting if Kinberg’s trilogy similarly didn’t have its focus on the Jedi, and instead on more grounded heroes in the Star Wars galaxy who can be just as compelling (regardless of their midi-chlorians count).

While Jedi could still be present and featured in the background or in secondary roles, a new Star Wars trilogy that puts its focus beyond Force wielders would certainly set it apart from the Skywalker saga.

Poe Dameron’s Return Could Help Make This Trilogy Stand Out

As a prime example, Oscar Isaac recently reaffirmed his willingness to return to Star Wars as Resistance leader Poe Dameron, albeit on the condition that the story would be good and compelling enough to warrant a meaningful return.

It’s not hard to imagine a new Star Wars trilogy where Poe is a core protagonist, leading the Resistance presumably in the face of new threats in the aftermath of the sequels. It would certainly be exciting to see a Star Wars character as beloved as Poe being utilized to such a high (and very much deserved) degree.

Sure, someone like John Boyega’s Finn could also be involved with his implied Force sensitivity in The Rise of Skywalker, but the bulk of the New Jedi Order presence and narratives could be saved for the upcoming Rey movie in development with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

At any rate, it does seem like the way to provide a truly unique Star Wars trilogy would be to primarily focus on something other than the Jedi at its core.

Poe could easily serve as a solid lead, though who’s to say a brand-new cast of characters couldn’t be just as compelling with the sequel heroes serving in support roles (much like Luke, Leia, and Han Solo). While we currently have to wait until we learn more about Kinberg’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy, it’s still thrilling to imagine the possibilities.

Simon Kinberg’s new Star Wars trilogy does not yet have release dates from Lucasfilm.