The future of Star Wars is becoming clearer by the day. After going back to the drawing board with its movie division, Lucasfilm has returned with new energy and looks ready to dominate the box office again. It all starts with Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which has already earned positive buzz ahead of its 2027 release. Next up is a new trilogy from writer Simon Kinberg that all signs point to being a continuation of the Skywalker Saga.
Of course, the sequel trilogy failed to find its footing. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened a mystery box that Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker couldn't deliver on. By the end of the final entry, it felt like it was time for Lucasfilm to go in a different direction with its massively successful franchise. But the day was always going to come when Star Wars: Episode 10 entered development.
Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts is Lucasfilm's choice to usher in this new era after helming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+. That show didn't introduce any characters worth building a trilogy around, so Watts will have to look elsewhere for his North Star. Fortunately, Kinberg and Co. already have someone in mind for the role. The Hollywood trades reported that Daisy Ridley is expected to return for Episode 10 and reprise her role as Rey Skywalker.
At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey made her intention to restart the Jedi Order known after defeating Emperor Palpatine and his Final Order. More likely than not, Episode 10 will pick up on that plot thread and explore what's become of a galaxy far, far away in the years since the last trilogy concluded. However, Rey can't be the only character from the sequel trilogy to return, since plenty of others need a second chance.
Sequel Trilogy Characters Who Should Return for Star Wars: Episode 10
Finn
John Boyega's Finn got the short end of the stick in the sequel trilogy. He started strong as a stormtrooper who defected from the First Order and played an instrumental role in destroying Starkiller Base. After The Force Awakens, though, it's like the powers that be at Lucasfilm didn't know what to do with him. He traveled to a casino in The Last Jedi and helped lead the Resistance's army in The Rise of Skywalker while also discovering his connection to the Force.
The best way for Lucasfilm to make things right is to have Finn become a full-blown Jedi by the time Episode 10 rolls around. Making him wait any longer would do irreparable damage to a character who's been waiting patiently for his moment to shine.
Captain Phasma
Speaking of shine, Captain Phasma's armor looked great in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as she bossed around her lackeys. In that way, she took over the Boba Fett role quite nicely. But at least the bounty hunter eventually got to flex his muscles on Disney+.
Instead of having Phasma return as another cog in an Empire-like regime, Episode 10 should turn her into a ruthless monster hell-bent on revenge after losing everything thanks to Finn. She doesn't need to be the trilogy's big bad, but her character must have far more depth than the sequels let on.
Supreme Leader Snoke
Another villain who didn't reach their potential during the sequel era was Supreme Leader Snoke. The Force Awakens built him up as a larger-than-life villain on par with Palpatine. But the next two movies pulled the rug out by killing Snoke, then revealing he was nothing more than a clone Palpatine created on Exegol.
The Rise of Skywalker featured a number of retcons, so Episode 10 can make a few of its own. Snoke, or at least another version of him, can return in the next trilogy and wreak havoc across the galaxy, setting the stage for the conflict between him and Rey that everyone expected to see.
DJ
Finn's mission to Canto Bight in The Last Jedi led him to an interesting character: DJ, played by Benicio del Toro. When the acclaimed actor joined the movie's cast, fans had high expectations for his character. Unfortunately, he didn't serve the story much beyond teaching Finn a lesson about the gray area in conflict.
The sequel trilogy didn't do enough with DJ to make him off-limits for Episode 10. He can return in a new role, one that potentially grew out of the destruction of the First Order and the rise of a new government. Bringing DJ back might seem like nothing more than an excuse to have a great performer like Del Toro rejoin the fray, and maybe it is. But Star Wars' next trilogy won't be hurt by his presence.
Ben Solo
Before news about Episode 10 was dominating social media, all Star Wars fans could talk about was how Lucasfilm missed an oppurtunity by not greenlighting Steven Soderbergh's movie The Hunt for Ben Solo. Adam Driver would've reprised his breakout role in a movie set after The Rise of Skywalker. Since Lucasfilm now sees the excitement around Ben's potential return, it can, in a way, walk back its decision.
Whether he's back as a Force ghost or somehow returns to the land of the living, Ben can be there for everyone he hurt as Kylo Ren. And his second chance would solve the age-old mystery of what happens to a redeemed Star Wars villain when they have to reintegrate into a society they nearly destroyed.
