Star Wars has always been fairly consistent in its television series, something which (at least according to fans) cannot be said about their movies. Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars was praised for its portrayal of the fan-favorite villain, General Grievous, while Star Wars: The Clone Wars was praised for its darker tone, characterization, and animation. Star Wars: Rebels was also met with great acclaim.

Star Wars has no shortage of live-action television for those who perhaps aren’t that well-versed with animation. The Mandolorian started Star Wars’ live-action series, which has led to The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi. And Star Wars has shown no signs of stopping, with a TV show based on the character Ahsoka from The Clone Wars animated series on the horizon.

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Knowing that Star Wars won’t stop making new shows until it becomes the unprofitable thing to do, the question becomes whether the next series should be animated in 3-D like The Clone Wars, Rebels, or The Bad Batch? However, before even that question can be answered, what should the new series be about?

Here’s why the next Star Wars show should be about the Old Republic and animated in 3-D like many of its predecessors.

The Animation in Clone Wars & Rebels is Amazing

     Lucasfilm Animation

It’s easy to see how one might be turned away from either of these series. Biases against animation aside, the 3-D art style can take some getting used to. But once one has learned to embrace it, the animated choreography is nothing short of amazing. Characters move quickly yet strategically, and it is just a pleasure to watch. Both Rebels and Clone Wars execute this perfectly, with even brief lightsaber exchanges being so interesting that they warrant a rewind.

Perhaps one of the most beloved fights occurs between fallen Sith Lord Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. Just the sheer fluidity of their combat is enough to inspire awe. And the choreography is nothing to scoff at as the two opponents transition stages throughout their battle. It all boils into an epic conclusion as Darth Maul disarms Ahsoka above Mandalore, only to be captured. Having foreseen Anakin’s turn to the dark side, Darth Maul is hauled away, begging Ahsoka to let him kill Anakin.

The moment is haunting, with the visuals of the night sky of Mandalore providing a perfect backdrop to Maul’s defeat. While there is nothing but money preventing this from occurring in live-action, the smooth animation allowed this scene to truly flourish.

Fans Have Wanted to See The Old Republic for a Long Time

     Disney / Lucasfilm

Fans who are especially intimate with the Legends (pre-Disney buyout) continuity are undoubtedly familiar with the era of the Old Republic. It’s the era in Star Wars where everything seemed much more violent, with the Sith more closely resembling soldiers than conniving and sneaky masterminds. The Old Republic is perhaps most strongly associated with the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, as well as an MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Perhaps because of its strong ties to video games where players have absolute freedom, The Old Republic feels like an era based entirely around the proverbial “rule of cool,” with characters like Darth Nihilus, who exists as a ghost barely tethered to the physical world, and Darth Revan, a complex Jedi Knight, turned Sith, turned Jedi again.

For all of its iterations in books, comics, and video games, The Old Republic has never been seen in its true scope either in television or film. That is why an animated series would be a great addition to the Star Wars canon. The animation would allow for the scenery to be sculpted with much more creative freedom and fluidity in how the characters interact with it. It would also allow for more amazing lightsaber battles like in Clone Wars and Rebels, which would truly give justice to the more action-packed expectations of The Old Republic.

The Lightsaber Choreography Would be Better in an Animated Medium

     Lucasarts

As stated previously, The Old Republic is most associated with incredible action sequences. However, training actors is expensive and time-consuming. This, along with the fact that lightsaber choreography has a history of looking absolutely stunning in animation, should be sufficient reason for an Old Republic series to be animated. Even books that take place in the Old Republic, such as Revan, seem to place a stronger emphasis on force abilities, which are less subtle than in the original trilogy or even prequel trilogy.

An animated series also means that the action can be less restrained, as there are no actual actors or stunt doubles who are risking their physical health for the sake of a scene. It would also be befitting of The Old Republic since the action sequences seem to make up most of their place in the collective consciousness.