Why Rey Skywalker's New Jedi Order Movie Isn't Called Star Wars Episode 10

Lucasfilm's new Star Wars movie, Star Wars: New Jedi Order, is effectively Star Wars: Episode 10 in all but name, and it makes sense for Rey's film to not continue the Skywalker saga despite being a Skywalker herself. The post-sequel trilogy era remained murky for several years following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's release. Now it's all finally coming together as the Star Wars studio took a few steps back and evaluated exactly where they wanted to take the franchise next.

Rather than sticking to one era, they're exploring vastly different parts of the entire Star Wars timeline. While one movie will reveal the franchise's very first Jedi and origin of the Force, another will show Rey starting her own Jedi Order just as Luke Skywalker had done when he defeated Emperor Palpatine in the original Star Wars trilogy. But things are different here; this movie isn't a proper continuation of Disney's Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Rey Skywalker's New Jedi Order Is Episode 10 In All But Name

Custom image of Daisy Ridley as Rey and Mark Hamill looking angry as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

With Star Wars: New Jedi Order is Star Wars: Episode X for all intents and purposes; however, because it's not an ensemble with other returning characters or spanning the galaxy with a new Jedi vs Sith conflict, it's not officially Episode X and therefore not another installment in the Skywalker saga.

Imagine if Lucasfilm had done a Luke Skywalker-centric movie following Return of the Jedi - or if they did it now, building on what's been revealed in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett - it wouldn't necessarily be another Skywalker saga installment; it wouldn't have been Star Wars: Episode VII. It would only have been a Luke Skywalker film, one focused on his burgeoning Jedi Order that unfortunately had failed. It's the same circumstance but for Rey, who will be a Jedi Master herself in the new movie.

Not Calling New Jedi Order "Episode X" Makes Sense After The Sequel Trilogy

Strangely, while it may seem illogical for Star Wars: New Jedi Order not to be called Star Wars: Episode X, it makes sense thematically and for branding purposes. Star Wars as a brand is everything; a movie like Solo: A Star Wars Story can technically "fail" by Lucasfilm and Disney's numbers but still perform far better than its competitors because it's tied to the Star Wars franchise. The episodic installments work the same way; the prequels were blockbuster hits despite being ridiculed at the time. And now, because of the reaction to the sequel trilogy and especially The Rise of Skywalker, foregoing Episode X is for the best.

Lucasfilm wouldn't want a Rey movie to be tied down by the sequel trilogy. Making it Episode X comes with biases from people who liked and disliked - even hated - where the Skywalker saga went with the sequels. Moreover, the title comes with its fair share of expectations. Star Wars has always been a galaxy-spanning series - sometimes, weirdly focusing on a small number of planets - and traversing that galaxy means fantastical villains like the Sith and Palpatine, and heroes like the Jedi and Rey, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Finn, and more. They're massive movies with galactic consequences, most of the time having a weapon of mass destruction - or planetary destruction. They're not movies focused on one character and story, but that doesn't mean Star Wars can't do those stories.

Will New Jedi Order Become A New Star Wars Trilogy?

Daisy Ridley As Rey And Star Wars Franchise Poster

Lucasfilm, and particularly Disney, would be remiss if they didn't use this opportunity to launch a new Star Wars trilogy. There were plans for Rian Johnson to do a Star Wars trilogy of his own years ago, but nothing's come of it yet. Star Wars has always been built around trilogies, with one-off movies and stories here and there. The post-Rise of Skywalker era is unexplored, unknown, and full of potential. It's ripe for expansion, and given Daisy Ridley's Rey was arguably the most popular part of the sequel trilogy, it would make sense for Disney to use New Jedi Order to begin a new Star Wars trilogy, one that brings back the Jedi to the forefront.

The original and sequel Star Wars trilogies only had one Jedi at a time. Now a new trilogy can have several, giving Star Wars fans a Jedi Academy story they've wanted to see in live-action for so long, only to be teased of Luke Skywalker's academy twice - and never actually see it come to fruition. And with a new Jedi Order and new trilogy must come new villains. Star Wars has focused on the Empire, Sith, and First Order for far too long; even now, Disney+'s Star Wars shows keep calling back to the prequels, the Clone Wars, and the Separatists. Star Wars needs to let go and bring something new into the fold.

Having a new trilogy that fully launches a new era of Star Wars that doesn't have to connect to anything else is the best way forward - and the smart thing to do. One-off stories like Dawn of the Jedi and culminations like Dave Filoni's Mandalorian movie are wonderful, but the flagship of Star Wars is always a trilogy; Star Wars: New Jedi Order must be that new trilogy.

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