Amidst discussions of Star Wars’ future, specifically on the big screen, a new report emphasizes how the franchise may have made a big mistake in killing off so many of its own characters. Star Wars has proven that it’s not afraid to kill off its biggest characters ever since Obi-Wan Kenobi met his fate in Star Wars (later retitled A New Hope). Unfortunately, however, the continuation of this pattern has led to many of Star Wars’ best characters getting killed off – from Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Now, a source has told THR that Lucasfilm is starting to feel the weight of these missing options, as “the closet is a little bare” when it comes to characters who can lead the charge into Star Wars’ next era. This has left Rey as perhaps the only leading figure who’s capable of doing this, as even recent popular characters – such as The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin and Grogu and Ahsoka’s titular non-Jedi – either have yet to prove their cinematic worth or simply cannot stretch their stories to this far-away time period yet. There aren’t many options left for Star Wars.

What These Characters’ Fates Mean For Star Wars
Story Options Are Indeed Limited

While some of these Star Wars fates really do serve their respective stories, it still stands that they have indeed prevented any future expansion of these characters’ stories. While Luke’s death is arguably the most controversial in recent years, it’s certainly not the only one, as the entire original Star Wars trilogy trio met their fates in the sequel trilogy – although that of Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa was, sadly, necessary, due to Fisher’s own passing in 2016. Star Wars has thus taken some risks in this area, but it’s worth asking how that’s affecting the franchise in the long run.

Our Take: Sometimes Killing Characters Is As Bad As Resurrecting Them
The Shock Factor Can Only Go So Far

While not every Star Wars death is necessarily a mistake, there are certainly some that could have waited until a later time. For example, it felt as if Luke had only just reached his storytelling potential in the sequel trilogy era when he died; though his death did carry meaning in The Last Jedi, it still felt quite abrupt to his overall story, especially with so little to go off of in canon before that point. Luke could have continued to be a mentor to Rey moving forward, perhaps even helping her rectify his own Jedi Order’s mistakes.

Related 11 Star Wars Characters Who Came Back From The Dead Star Wars is science-fantasy not science-fiction, meaning death is only ever a temporary obstacle – and here are ten characters who overcame it.

There’s a point to which killing off characters is truly just as big of a problem as resurrecting them, because – after all – characters couldn’t be resurrected if they weren’t killed. There ought to be weight to character deaths, as proven by the heartbreaking tragedy of Tech’s sacrifice in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, that serves the greater story. If this takes place, then resurrections certainly shouldn’t happen. Many believe this to be the case with Palpatine and his resurrection as well. Overall, it seems as if the deaths of Star Wars characters need some more careful planning at times.

Source: THR

Star Wars Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.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 Expand