Rumors are circulating that Star Wars is developing its own version of a What If…? TV series – but it wouldn’t be the first time Star Wars has delved into the realm of infinite possibilities. Marvel’s animated Disney+ show, What If…?, follows the format of the What If? comics, which explore what the Marvel universe would look like if some of Marvel’s biggest superheroes (and villains) had made wildly different choices. These stories have always been experimental but fun, pushing the boundaries of these heroes’ characterizations and the limits of the Marvel universe. Some audiences are worried that this same format couldn’t work within Star Wars, however.
The MCU’s What If…? TV show takes place in a vast multiverse – each story is contained in universes separate from the franchise’s main timeline but may, in the future, influence the MCU’s “sacred timeline.” The multiverse is not a part of the Star Wars narrative, however, and doesn’t need to be – the galaxy is big enough to tell multitudes of stories without the need for a multiverse as a storytelling device, and Star Wars canon is already quite fragile. Why make it even more complicated? And yet, Star Wars has already asked itself “what if?” before, and it could do so again with great success if it simply continues what was started in the early 2000s.
Star Wars’ What If Stories Launched In 2001 With The Infinities Comics
In 2001, Dark Horse Comics launched the Star Wars Infinities series, which explored how the events of the original Star Wars trilogy movies might have played out if key events had been altered. Each installment, or “episode,” picks up from where the original canon movie left off – the Infinities stories were all separate from one another, granting great creative license to explore the choices, story beats, and themes unique to each movie, rather than building off of what happened in the previous alternate version. The tagline for the Star Wars Infinities comics was “The world of endless Star Wars possibilities” – sound familiar?
Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope asks what would have happened if Luke Skywalker had missed his once-in-a-lifetime shot to destroy the Death Star. Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back speculates what might have been if Han Solo hadn’t managed to save Luke in time on the icy planet of Hoth, and Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi explores what could have happened if they’d never managed to save Han from Jabba the Hutt’s clutches on Tatooine. These stories aren’t part of some big multiversal plan but rather just a simple one-off exploration of what could have happened instead. The Infinities stories are non-canon, and as such do not affect Star Wars’ continuity.
It Would Be Thrilling To See Star Wars Infinities Continue With Other Eras
Given the Star Wars Infinities comics do not influence Star Wars canon, it would be undeniably interesting to see what could be done with other Star Wars eras, especially if Star Wars further develops the concept of the Infinities comics into a TV series. What if Qui-Gon Jinn hadn’t died in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace? What if Anakin Skywalker had been able to save his mother on Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones? The sequel trilogy, too, could be explored in this same manner. What if Finn hadn’t found Rey on Jakku in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? What if Rey had accepted Kylo Ren’s hand in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? The possibilities are truly endless.
The 10 Most Exciting Star Wars What If Stories
If Star Wars followed in Marvel’s footsteps and created their own “What If…?” series, ten stories from the Skywalker Saga would be most exciting.
Marvel Has Proven Animation Is The Best Approach For What If
Marvel’s What If…? has proven that animation is key to making “what if” storytelling work on the small screen. Star Wars, unlike the MCU, has produced several canon animated projects, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars Resistance, but using animation to tell canon-divergent stories can still help separate them from the canon stories visually, especially if Lucasfilm were to introduce an entirely new style of animation. Though Star Wars animation is mostly made up of stylized 3D animation, Star Wars Resistance and the non-canon anthology series Star Wars Visions, especially, have introduced a plethora of new animated styles that Star Wars could explore.
Additionally, animation offers even greater creative freedom than live-action does. This creative expression would help to prove why a particular question is worth exploring in a franchise that still has so much history left to delve into. Though many have questioned why Star Wars would ever focus on “what if” stories as opposed to digging further into its established timeline – the High Republic and the Old Republic, for instance, still hold great potential – making this an entirely separate animated project, akin to Star Wars Visions, would make this endeavor feel more worthwhile. Though, for now, Star Wars’ “What If?” show is just a rumor, Dark Horse Comics’ Infinities series has set an interesting precedent.
