One upcomingStar Warsfilm,Star Wars: Starfighter, seems to be copyingThe Mandalorianseason 3’s best retcon trick. TheStar Wars: Starfightermoviewas first announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025 and is set to be directed by Shawn Levy with Ryan Gosling in the starring role. TheupcomingStar Warsmoviewill be the second sinceThe Rise of Skywalkerafter 2026’sThe Mandalorian and Grogu,with a provisional release date set for Jun 25, 2025.
The movie will apparently be set in the sequel era of theStar Warstimeline, five years afterThe Rise of Skywalker, and focus primarily on the titular aspect of thefranchise. Therefore, audiences can expect a lot of starfighter aspects, be they ship chases or dogfights, marking a big difference from the Force-based stories of the Skywalker Saga. What makes this overall concept all the more interesting is how it links to anotherStar Warsmovie andThe Mandalorianseason 3, with a neat retcon trick employed by the latter linkingStar Wars: Starfighterto the former.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Retconned Rangers Of The New Republic Into Its Story
As WIll Another Upcoming Star Wars Movie
Firstly, it is worth exploring the retcon trick in question and howThe Mandalorianseason 3 utilized this. After the success ofThe Mandalorian, Lucasfilm initially announced several spin-offs, one being titledRangers of the New Republic. After troubles with the expected star Gina Carano that resulted in her being fired by Lucasfilm, the show was placed on hold. Rather than be scrapped entirely, though, it became clear by the time ofThe Mandalorianseason 3’s endingthat elements fromRangers of the New Republicwere incorporated into the former.
Another upcomingStar Warsstory,The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set to continue this.Rangers of the New Republicwas seemingly going to be about the titular heroes, like Carano’s Cara Dune and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Carson Teva, investigating the rise of Imperial remnants inStar Wars’New Republic timeline.InThe Mandalorianseason 3, Din Djarin took the spot of Cara Dune as an unofficial aid of the New Republic Rangersin hunting down Imperial warlords. This will continue inThe Mandalorian and Grogu, completely retconning the canceledStar Warsshow into Din Djarin’s franchise.
Following In The Mandalorian’s Footsteps
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Concerning how this all connects toStar Wars: Starfighter, it could be the case that this movie is replacing anothercanceledStar Warsproject:Rogue Squadron.Rogue Squadronwas actually announced alongsideRangers of the New Republicas a standaloneStar Warsmovie that will focus on a new group of starfighter characters in a story that will take the franchise into the future. Initially set to be written and directed by Patty Jenkins,Rogue Squadronfaced development issues.
Jenkins was caught up developingWonder Woman 1984and a potential sequel for the DCEU. When the DCEU became the DCU, though, Jenkins' schedule was freed up. Nonetheless, little has been mentioned aboutRogue Squadronin the meantime, with a script never being delivered to Lucasfilm by Jenkins.
Starfighterwill also be mostly standalone from the Skywalker Saga and feature an entirely new batch of characters, both of which were said to be attributes ofRogue Squadron…
Conceptually,Star Wars: Starfightersounds similar toRogue Squadron. The former is set at the furthest point in theStar Warstimeline any project has gone thus far, proving to be a story that will take the franchise into the future.Starfighterwill also be mostly standalone from the Skywalker Saga and feature an entirely new batch of characters, both of which were said to be attributes ofRogue Squadron. Finally, the focus on starfighter pilots speaks for itself. As it turns out,Star Wars: Starfightermight be taking a leaf out ofThe Mandalorian’s footsteps and incorporating a failedStar Warsproject into its story.
Star Wars' Cancelations Are Frustrating, But This New Trend Makes Them More Bearable
At Least These Stories Are Not Lost Forever
Star Warsunder Disney has fallen into the unfortunate trap of announcing projects that will never happen. This is always frustrating, just like it was withRangers of the New RepublicandRogue Squadron.That being said, this retcon trick of folding previously conceived stories into new, fresher ideas makes these situations a lot more bearable. This way,Star Warsis still telling a story that might have sounded cool in concept only with a more fleshed-out script and a more compelling cast of characters. Hopefully,Star Wars: Starfighterproves to do the same withRogue Squadron, lessening the sting of the latter’s abrupt cancelation.
