It’s amazing how swiftly the fan base shifts when it wants to, isn’t it? Solo was one of those movies that really didn’t get a lot of love when it was released, and unfortunately, a lot of it was due to burnout from The Last Jedi and the fact that a lot of Star Wars fans were beyond irritated with what the Mouse House had done to their favorite franchise. But that’s the problem with a fan base that can turn toxic in such short order, they don’t always think about what they’re doing before they do it. As a result, Solo became one of the least-respected Star Wars movies that have come along since the prequels. But now people are wanting a sequel, and happen to think that bringing Solo to Disney+ as a series is a good idea. Why would anyone speak out against this, especially a fellow Star Wars fan? That’s pretty simple, the Mouse House is attempting to make up for a mistake by placating a bunch of fans that will continue to turn on them at the slightest mistake made and without any real provocation. It’s like putting a bandage on a wound that needs stitches to close, and putting another bandage on it isn’t going to make things any better. It won’t be likely to make things worse, but it’s definitely not going to elevate Solo in anyone’s eyes since like it or not, people will find things to berate when it comes to the movie and they’ll continue to bash it in one way or another. The series is a way to placate those that have done an about-face from complaining about the movie to ask for a sequel.
At this time there appear to be no concrete plans on the table for a sequel, but talk of a series might be picking up, and what’s unfortunate about this is that everyone appears to be banking on the idea that the same type of success that The Mandalorian has had can be experienced by every show that Disney decides to make when it comes to Star Wars. After all, there is an idea to make a Lando Calrissian series and there’s the Obi-Wan series that a lot of people are still hoping for. The Mouse House has a lot in the works when it comes to ideas, but getting them all out and making certain that people will actually want to see them. When it comes to the Obi-Wan story that’s a definite affirmative, but despite the calls for a Solo series, it feels that this idea could use a lot more thought and a little less action at this time. That’s hard to say since Solo is a great character and the movie wasn’t so horrible that it needs to be wiped from the records, but it also wasn’t nearly as great as it could have been. I won’t harp on the fact that the EU had more enriching stories than Disney has come up with as of late, even if it’s true, but something really needs to be done to kick the writers into gear when it comes to this franchise since they’ve got enough material to work with thanks to George Lucas, but have somehow missed the mark more than once.
Could a Solo series work? Yes, yes it could, but not in the current state that it exists. It’s true, Han and Chewie are one of the greatest pairings in the history of movies, and the Millennium Falcon is one of the most recognizable vehicles in all of pop culture. But at the same time, Star Wars feels like it’s getting played out at the moment when it really needs an overhaul and a new set of writers at the helm that might be able to convince Disney to stop and recognize the source material for a bit. It hurts to say this, so brace yourself, but even George Lucas might need to be kept out of the mix at this time since he’s already shown to be a bit disconnected from his own creation, at least until Disney decided to butcher it. Then he decided to say something, but as much as he deserved to spend more time with his family, it’s probably time that he admitted the fact that took hold a while back: Star Wars is his creation, but it’s no longer his responsibility. Yeah, that hurts to say since it’s hard not to respect Lucas for what he gave the world when it came to Star Wars. But it’s time for Lucas to stand aside and let someone else come in to see what they can do with the wealth of material that’s there to be explored. I’d toss my hat in the ring to sure, as would many writers.
