The Next Big Star Wars TV Series: The Podracing Chronicles

The Rise of Podracing

Star Wars fans may have just cracked the code on how to keep things freaky and fresh in a galaxy far, far away. This franchise has already done dramas, comedies, heist movies, and even a holiday special that fans will rightfully never let George Lucas forget. But what about something that focuses on a little-noted aspect of the universe? What about something... faster?

Podracers lined up at the race start in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

It's no secret that Star Wars arguably hasn't been particularly creative in recent years. It seems like everything is focused on a typical Jedi-centered story with some 'chosen one' storyline. Not only that, but they also always have humans as their main characters despite being set in a galaxy where countless different alien species hang out together on the reg. Sure, masterpieces like Andor exist, and upcoming shows like The Acolyte seem to promise more diverse stories with better representation both in-universe and out. But some fans got tired of waiting.

On the official Star Wars subreddit, one fan introduced the idea of a series centered on the franchise's underutilized podracing subculture. Reddit user Scientist2021 asked whether anyone would be interested in a TV series based around the sport, prompting a ton of replies in the affirmative. Not only did the response appear overwhelmingly positive, but pretty much everyone had their idea about how to turn it into a full show. Lucasfilm may want to take notes.

The Alien-Centric Cast

Almost immediately, one user pushed the idea of an alien-centric cast. This alone would be a big stride in the general lack of aliens in many Star Wars projects lately. Sure, aliens can be seen milling about in the background of shots or as secondary characters. But fans rarely get to see starring roles filled by non-human characters, and even when they do, they're usually humanoid like the Togruta Ahsoka Tano or the Twi'lek Hera Syndulla. A story allowing some really 'alien' looking aliens to take center stage would be a nice change of pace, especially since podracing is not made for humans.

Other users offered up ideas inspired by real-life documentaries and famous movies. Specifically, the idea of a Fast and Furious-like vibe was tossed around in the comment section. It's a given with how the Fast and Furious movies love their racing but still manage to tell stories. Granted, the quality of those stories can arguably range from halfway decent to 'did they seriously write this just so the characters could go to space?' But if Star Wars can bring in the guy behind the Bourne movies to blow audiences away with Andor, then Fast and Furious can inspire a bunch of plucky aliens to band together in a well-written race for their lives.

Expanding Horizons

Whatever the case, there's some real potential there. It seems like Star Wars is afraid to go outside its Jedi-centric wheelhouse lately, so something like a podracing series could go a long way in expanding its horizons. Fans have been asking for a new Star Wars podracing game for years now after loving the previous two games, Star Wars Episode I: Racer, and Star Wars Racer Revenge, so it only makes sense that such an idea would get a friendly response in a TV show as well. Maybe they could find a way to include Cal Kestis, Dash Rendar, Iden Versio, and even Rianna Saren. Bring all the video game heroes to have some fun in one star-studded swoop.