Lucasfilm initially planned to release a Star Wars Disney+ TV show called Rangers of the New Republic in The Mandalorian era – but, although this has been canceled, its story lives on elsewhere. Rangers of the New Republic was announced in 2020 as one of the very first spin-off series of The Mandalorian, following the success of The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2. It was expected to follow characters such as Cara Dune and Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) as they investigated the problem of Imperial Remnants in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, as heavily foreshadowed in one of the final scenes of The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4 “Chapter 12: The Siege.”
Rangers of the New Republic was canceled, but its’ story still needs to be told; it was part of the buildup to an upcoming Star Wars movie in which Grand Admiral Thrawn will threaten the New Republic. This means Lucasfilm’s Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni haven’t given up the ideas behind Rangers of the New Republic. Many of these story elements can be seen in The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.
8 Din Djarin Is Working For The New Republic
The end of The Mandalorian season 3 sees Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin get just about everything he could ever want; a son, a home, and a job. Din is replacing the role Cara might have had in Rangers of the New Republic, flying all over the galaxy to fight and either capture or eliminate Imperial Remnant threats. She was notably grittier than many other New Republic rangers, and as one of the galaxy’s most renowned bounty hunters, it’s no surprise that Din’s been chosen as the one to take her place in this New Republic story.
As someone whose past is just as clouded by Imperial travesties as Cara’s own, it makes sense that Din gets to take on this role going forward. Mando is the one who approaches Carson Teva on Adelphi with the idea of doing Imperial Remnant bounty-hunting for the New Republic under the table, and by no surprise, Carson agrees to it. Not only is this because of Din’s bounty hunter reputation of being the “best in the parsec,” but he’s also been responsible for defeating Moff Gideon three times – the third of which has eliminated his threat from the galaxy permanently.
7 Carson Teva Is A Star Wars Series Regular
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Carson Teva has become a Star Wars series regular, telling the story he would have had in Rangers of the New Republic. Carson is growing deeply frustrated with the very institution he’s serving as he mobilizes the fight against Imperial Remnants the best he can. Carson would probably have been a major character in Rangers of the New Republic, but now he gets to do the same kind of things in other Disney+ TV shows.
Carson has swiftly gone from a “frenemy” of Din’s to a regular in Mandalorian-era Star Wars series. He’s appeared at least once in all three Mandalorian-era shows, even beating out Mando himself. Carson acts as the face of the good side of the New Republic, the person who still believes in all the same values he withheld during his time in the Rebellion. He was certainly set to lead the canceled series, but now, he acts as the face of the rangers in all these Star Wars stories.
6 Hera Syndulla Is Developed In Ahsoka
There’s no doubt Rangers of the New Republic would have done the work Ahsoka has in developing Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s General Hera Syndulla. Hera has been a beloved Star Wars character since her debut in Star Wars Rebels, but making the jump from animation to live-action is difficult. Rangers of the New Republic would have made the pivot into the Ahsoka show even smoother, and it also would have established the connection between Hera and Carson. As a New Republic general, Hera’s place in the new government and its fleet is very influential, and thus that would have won her a place in that series.
Instead, Hera spends most of her time during Ahsoka with the New Republic, whether it’s arguing her case against the frustrating senate or defying orders to follow her gut instincts and moral compass. Hera’s even given a connection to Leia Organa herself in Ahsoka, establishing her importance in the grand scheme of how the New Republic operates. These scenes in Ahsoka have done the work that Rangers of the New Republic could have accomplished, but instead, it’s Ahsoka that’s developed the live-action depiction of the beloved general.
5 Zeb Orellios Is Training New Recruits
Another animated character who could have made their leap to live-action in Rangers of the New Republic is Steve Blum’s Garazeb “Zeb” Orellios. The Star Wars Rebels character would have been training the new recruits of the New Republic in the midst of the fight against Imperial Remnants, established at the Adelphi Outpost alongside Carson himself. This would have looped Zeb into the New Republic early on, and it could have given him a smoother bridge into the story of Ahsoka.
Just as Ahsoka has done with Hera, it’s now The Mandalorian season 3 that sets up Zeb, giving him a brief amount of screen time to establish his place in the New Republic. He is, of course, connected with Carson by operating out of the same outpost at Adelphi, but what’s known about his role is actually revealed by Sabine Wren in Ahsoka. She tells Ezra that he’s training new recruits of the New Republic, though without Rangers of the New Republic, that story remains off the screen for now.
4 The Mandalorian Introduces The Amnesty Program
The New Republic Amnesty Program allows Imperials a shot at redemption, and it played a major role in The Mandalorian season 3 – with reveals that Imperial agents have successfully infiltrated the New Republic, including Katy O’Brian’s Elia Kane. There could well have been an entire side-story dedicated to this in Rangers of the New Republic, providing the origin and early backstory of the program. Even Jack Black’s Captain Bombardier of Plazir-15 is a member of the Amnesty Program, and perhaps even he could have had a brief appearance in the story of the New Republic rangers.
3 Star Wars Reintroduced The Shadow Council
The Imperial Shadow Council is first introduced in Chuck Wendig’s “Aftermath” trilogy, a group of Imperial leaders who act as separate warlords while secretly coordinating Imperial action across the galaxy. This was believed to have been destroyed after the Battle of Jakku, but The Mandalorian season 3 revealed it’s still active. Notable council members such as General Armitage Hux’s father Brendol Hux and Thrawn’s right-hand man Gilad Pellaeon are both present and established in this series, surely teasing a Star Wars future – but also perhaps showing what could have been in Rangers of the New Republic. These two alone could have been some of the leading antagonists in the canceled Star Wars series.
2 Coruscant Has Returned To Star Wars Live-Action
The city-planet of Coruscant is back as the galactic capital in The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka, and would have been at the heart of Rangers of the New Republic. The New Republic’s decision to base itself at the former Imperial capital is likely a mistake, because the Empire know Coruscant well. Both The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka visit Coruscant multiple times, taking their Outer Rim-based stories to the Core World. These series are doing hard work to establish where Coruscant is at, which was no doubt supposed to be set earlier on by the canceled series.
1 The New Republic Doesn’t Believe In Imperial Remnants
While the Shadow Council would have made for great antagonists in Rangers of the New Republic, the New Republic Senate itself may also have served as antagonists. It’s now clear the Senate do not believe in the threat of Imperial Remnants, which would have meant the Rangers were battling against the Empire without any support. It’s quite likely this idea will be in play in upcoming Star Wars TV shows, notably The Mandalorian season 4.
