Star Wars Outlawshas shown players a side ofStar Warsthey have never really seen before: the open-world smuggler adventure. Finally, they are able to explore some of their favorite locales, shoot their way across the galaxy, and experience the turbulent underworld of the galaxy far, far away. This has made for an experience unlike any other, and yet,Star Wars Outlawshas also fallen into a common trend with modernStar Warsprojects.
For years, theStar Warsfranchise has seemingly struggled to move on fromthe Age of the Empire. While the sequel trilogy andThe Acolytemay have explored other timelines, the majority ofStar Warsprojects have stuck betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope, or explored another period still filled with the Empire. Even though those stories have been interesting, there is also so much more within the galaxy waiting to be explored. AndStar Wars Outlawsreally needs to be the end of this era, for now.
Star Wars Outlaws Needs to Be the End of the Empire
Star Wars Has Used the Empire Way Too Much
Since the franchise’s inception,Star Warshas put an emphasis on the battle between the Rebellion and the Empire. That battle formed the backbone of the first three films, so it has always been one of the most iconic eras in the sci-fi franchise. The prequels andStar Wars: The Clone Warsmay have exploredthe infamous Clone Wars, but the franchise would quickly return to it once Disney acquired it in 2012. And since then, it has not really left.
Since 2012, there have been countlessStar Warsprojects set during the Age of the Empire. In the movies, fans have gotten to furtherexplore it throughRogue One: A Star Wars StoryandSolo: A Star Wars Story. On Disney Plus,The Bad Batch, Tales of the Empire, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian,Ahsoka, andTheBook of Boba Fetthave all dealt with the Empire in various ways. And through video games,Star Wars Battlefront, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Star Wars Squadrons, and nowStar Wars Outlawshave also explored it. The only projects that really have not areThe Acolyte, Clone Warsseason seven,Tales of the Jedi, and the sequel trilogy.
Star Wars Has So Many Untapped Eras to Explore
There is nothing wrong with exploring the Empire, as it is a remarkably interesting time within theStar Warsmythos. However, with the release ofStar Wars Outlaws, it really seems like the era has been a bit overdone. The galaxy is a massive place with so many different stories waiting to be told, so it feels like it is time to actually explore them. No matter if it isduring the Clone Wars, High Republic, Old Republic, or even the Sequels, at least it will be something different.
In the future, fans can likely expect more Empire-focused stories withthe likes ofSkeleton Crew,Andorseason two,Ahsokaseason two, andStar Wars Jedi 3looming on the horizon. Luckily,Star Wars Eclipsewill allegedly be set outside this era, and hopefully more projects follow suit. If the film side of things will not, then the video game side definitely should.
There is so much potential for exciting stories to be told outside this era, so besidesStar Wars Jedi3, hopefully,Star Wars Outlawsis the last Empire-focused video game for the time being. But, if it is not, then at least the next round of video games should follow its example by telling a different type of story set within the era. Because even if it is with the Empire, its focus is more so on the underworld, which makes it an exciting change of pace from everything that has come before or is yet to come.
