Disney has, by most accounts, done a fine job so far with the Star Wars universe since purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012. But there is always room for improvement. In the case of Star Wars, Disney could be doing more on the TV side of things. Say, for example, greenlighting a Star Wars: The Old Republic series on Netflix. There are absolutely no indications that they are going to do that, but if fans had their way, this would be happening.
A fan petition was recently started on Change.org to make just such a thing happen. The petition was started by a user who goes by the name Jasmine St-Phillipe, and the aim is to get an Old Republic Netflix series made. It turns out, this is something a whole lot of people want to see, since the petition is already nearing 200,000 signatures. Here’s some of the reasoning provided in the petition in regards to why Lucasfilm and Netflix should come together to make this live-action Star Wars series happen.
“The Old Republic era is a pivotal point in the Star Wars timeline because that’s where everything changed, from the Jedi Civil War and the fall of Revan, the First Jedi Purge, and an omnipresent darkness that not only watched the chaos from afar but also kick-started the downfall. Our fanbase would love to see this on Netflix, and I feel that you would enjoy creating and adapting these stories as much as we would enjoy watching them.”
Even before Disney was part of the picture, The Old Republic is something many fans have desperately wanted to see in live-action. For those who may not know, this particular era of Star Wars takes place more than 3,000 years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and tells some very important stories that fans would love to see made part of the official canon. Really, it is characters like Darth Revan and Darth Malak that would make The Old Republic a big deal, if a Netflix series based on the beloved Star Wars era. Here’s a little more from the petition, speaking to the importance of those characters.
“The Knights of the Republic series of games as well as the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic serve as the main vehicles to tell stories of characters such as Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Bastila Shan, Darth Traya, Meetra Surik, Darth Malgus, Satele Shan, and the list goes on. The popularity of this era in Star Wars history is felt throughout the fanbase, and I feel it would do a massive disservice to us if these stories weren’t told.”
It isn’t as though a petition like this will sway Disney and Lucasfilm’s plans for the future of the Star Wars franchise, but they aren’t immune to public demand, either. Not only that, but something like this doesn’t feel all that crazy. Netflix is investing billions in original programming currently, so they would probably be game for it. Lucasfilm will probably want to do something with The Old Republic at some point as well. They even included a reference or two in Star Wars Rebels. Plus, there are rumors that, after Star Wars 9, there will be a larger focus on TV projects in the Star Wars universe.
So, even though this petition may not will The Old Republic Netflix series into existence, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Maybe this will be the subject of the next animated series that will replace Star Wars Rebels? That show is ending after the upcoming season, so why not? If you want to read the full petition or sign it, you can do so by heading over to Change.org.