With no new live-action or animated TV shows on the docket,Star Warshas been playing their cards close to their chest, though one announcement for this year’s upcomingStar WarsCelebration has me convinced about what their next episodic endeavor will be focused on. Following the conclusion ofStar Wars: The Bad Batchin 2024, the franchise no longer has an ongoing animated series. Even in live-action, we’re only getting continuations ofAndorandAhsokawith season 2, respectively.
This has left me and many other fans curious about what Lucasfilmhas planned, but the recent announcement byStar Warsthat Vanessa Marshall, the original voice actress of Hera Syndulla inStar Wars Rebels, will be attendingStar WarsCelebration in April of this year has tapped in to one of my biggest theories about the franchise’s future TV slate. Big announcements are expected to be made there, and I think Marshall’s attendance could have everything to do withStar Wars’next animated TV show.
Vanessa Marshall Must Be Coming Back To Star Wars Again
Her Return Has Already Been Hinted At Before
It’s true thatStar WarsCelebration and its guests are often just a, well, titular celebration of pastStar Warsprojects, but Marshall’s attendance at this year’s event seems to align with other signs that the voice actress could be making a full return to the franchise. This isn’t the first major event Marshall has even attended in the last year regardingStar Wars;she hosted the Lucasfilm Animation showcase at 2024’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
It was at this event that Marshall assured fans “there’s so much more to come” - and while it may sound like nothing more than a simple, hopeful statement, it’s likely something much deeper than that. We already know that at least one animatedStar WarsTV show is in the works, evidenced by job positions posted by Lucasfilm themselves some time ago, and Marshall’s involvement at D23 in addition to her upcoming attendance atStar WarsCelebration seems to point towards her being a part of it in some way.
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This follows a logical pattern set by Marshall’s most recent return to the role of Hera Syndulla. It was inThe Bad Batchseason 1 in 2021 that Marshall reprised her role, voicing a younger version of Hera on Ryloth shortly after the conclusion of the Clone Wars.The two-episode arc holds even more significance afterThe Bad Batchseason 3’s ending, revealing just how much was foreshadowed for the future of her character - and one other.
Hera & Omega’s Rebel Alliance Story Was Set Up 4 Years Ago
It Was More Than Just A Chance Meeting
Hera became fast friends withOmega inThe Bad Batchseason 1, episode 11 “Devil’s Deal” and episode 12 “Rescue on Ryloth,” but 4 years after these episodes aired, it’s only become even more apparent just how muchStar Warswas setting up at the time with these two characters, particularly in the final scene of “Rescue on Ryloth.” We learn here thatit’s none other than Tech who shows Hera how to scramble a ship’s signature, something she does in her very firstRebelsappearance.
“If a war is coming,” Eleni tells Hunter, “it will be their fight as much as ours.”
Of course, after Tech’s tragic yet heroic sacrificial death inThe Bad Batch, this carries even more meaning now - especially because he’s also the reason why Omega knows how to fly, and will be serving as a pilot in theRebel Alliance, as revealed inThe Bad Batch’s epilogue. Presumably, Omega knows all this because of her relationship with Hera, who was known at that point as the best pilot in the Rebellion.
Even beyond all that setup, however, is some clear dialogue in “Rescue on Ryloth” between Hunter and Cham and Eleni Syndulla regarding both Hera and Omega’s futures. “If a war is coming,” Eleni tells Hunter, “it will be their fight as much as ours.” This is just before Hera and Omega exchange their own goodbye, whereHera assures Omega that they’ll see each other around, certainly seeming to promise another meeting between the two- one thatThe Bad Batchnever delivered on.
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This undoubtedly sounds like a clear setup for an animated TV show that follows Hera and Omega in the Rebel Alliance, most likely during the Galactic Civil War.Rebelsalready explored the years preceding the Battle of Yavin, which meansit’s more likely that this show would dive into the workings of the Rebellion during the course of the actual war. Hera and Omega would be the perfect characters to follow, given how much rich history each of them have in their own origin shows.
An Animated Show Like Clone Wars For The Galactic Civil War Works Perfectly
It Would Also Allow For More Iconic Characters To Return
Having a show likeStar Wars: The Clone Warsthat takes place during the Galactic Civil War would be perfect forStar Wars. It would allow them the chance to create so many riveting stories within a beloved time period, the same way they did with the Clone Wars era, and could even enhance future stories further - most notably those set in the “Mandoverse,” but potentially even the sequel trilogy era stories.
This would also pave the way for a more organic return from the franchise’s most beloved characters, notably none other than Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. The biggest reason why these three characters haven’t been seen more in the live-actionNew Republic erastories is becauseStar Warsis avoiding recasts for them at the moment, and the CGI required to emulate their original actors is both time-consuming and expensive.
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Animation, on the other hand, is a completely different story. It would be much easier to “recast” via animation, which was the case for Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and many other iconic characters inThe Clone Wars, by having voice actors come in to play these characters.This has already been the case for Leia inRebels, as the princess of Alderaan made a brief appearance in an episode of the animated TV show.
The Galactic Civil War era is such a rich storytelling time period forStar Wars, and with well-known and regarded characters like Hera and Omega leading the charge, a TV show inThe Clone Warsstyle during this era would be a massive hit - and above all else, an incredible story. I sincerely hope this is the case for the future ofStar Warsanimation, though I’m sure whatever they choose to pursue will be just as fantastic as all the rest.
