Star Wars: Episode VII is making its way toward reality, which means we can turn our attention to the stand-alone features that are also part of the Disney deal. Here’s the new — delightful! — rumor about the first of those one-offs, from Ain’t It Cool News: The first stand-alone movie will be about Yoda. Yoda! Yoda is maybe getting his own movie! (No one make inside-out syntax jokes; that’s tired.) According to the same rumor, the stand-alones will all focus on existing characters.
So let us think about existing characters that would make for good movies.
1. Boba Fett
Is this too obvious? Perhaps. But for someone without a lot of screen time, Boba Fett has a huge volume of associated mythology and an existing place in pop imagination.
2. The Millennium Falcon Itself
The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy wasn’t always Han Solo’s main whip. Yes, there’s already a novel about the ship’s history, but those stories aren’t written in stone. What kinds of wild-and-crazy adventures did people have when the Millennium Falcon was still known by its serial number, YT-1300 492727ZED?
3. Jabba the Hutt
What’s tough here is that no one really wants to watch a whole movie of blubbery slug-creatures slithering around and drooling. But Jabba’s super recognizable, and he likes to hang out with ladies in bikinis. Franchises have been built on less.
4. The People Who Want to Stick It Out on the Remote Ice Planet of Hoth
Give us a whole movie of tauntauns and wampa attacks, of snow-beaten heroes and bundled-up leaders, of steely determination against a brutal climate and an encroaching political enemy. Just … take my money right now.
5. Lando Calrissian
The man wears a periwinkle business cape, for Christ’s sake. Of all the human characters in the original movies, and all those who appear in Episodes I to III, Lando’s the only one we’d actually want a prequel for.
6. Admiral Ackbar
Just kidding — it’s a trap.
