Wondering what the difference is between the “core” Star Wars movies and spin-off movies like Gareth Edwards‘s Rogue One and the announced “young Han Solo” project? Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has the answer — and, in the process, potentially reveals a spoiler about the future of the Star Wars franchise.
In an interview with, of all places, the Costco Connection — a free giveaway from the shopping monolith that has a surprisingly large readership — Kennedy revealed that the core movies are considered the “Saga” movies by Lucasfilm, while the spin-offs are “Anthology” movies (A terminology now replaced in titling by the phrase “A Star Wars Story,” judging by recent Rogue One announcements.).
“The Saga films focus on the Skywalker family saga,” she explains. “The stories follow a linear narrative that connects to the previous six films. The Force Awakens follows Return of the Jedi and continues that generational story. The Anthology films offer opportunities to explore fresh characters, new storylines and a variety of genres inside the Star Wars universe.”
What this explanation — and specifically, the phrase, “continues that generational story” — suggests is that The Force Awakens and subsequent movies Episode VIII (directed by Rian Johnson, and intended for release in 2017) and Episode IX (directed by Colin Trevorrow, set for 2019) will feature a new generation of Skywalkers, beyond Luke (Mark Hamill) and Leia (Carrie Fisher). Daisy Ridley‘s character, Rey, has been rumored to be the daughter of Leia and Han Solo, but that remains to be unconfirmed at this point. Could there be another Skywalker hiding in plain sight that no-one knows about just yet…?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens Dec. 18.
