Grimdark has long been a buzzword for making or keeping any particular franchise edgy and cool. Is your main character too goofy for Gen Z? Throw in some amorality, murder, and dystopia, et voila!! A quick re-invention that requires very little in the way of mental gymnastics for fans or writers. But is the Star Wars fandom ready to go darker?
Well, plenty of folks on Reddit seem to be here for the idea. Reddit user u/theycallmeingot recently posted a self-made image of a diorama they created using Star Wars figures that shows droid K2SO from Star Wars: Rogue One strangling a stormtrooper. “Would anyone else be interested in a slightly “darker” take on Star Wars?” they asked.
Not everyone agreed with the idea and some quickly pointed out that a franchise that features the smoking corpses of the protagonist’s family, the destruction of entire planets, and the near-total genocide of a religious group, not to mention a veritable parade of magically-strangled naval officers, isn’t exactly a Disney movie (well, okay, not a Disney animated movie).
Many users were fans of the concept, with several suggesting various takes and new ideas for new series. Some were intrigued by the idea of a property focused on the history of the SIth, others wanted closer looks at the lives of the Imperials. Others just pointed out that the war movie aesthetic and already-fairly-grimdark feel of Rogue One is what made it such a fan favorite.
There’s no telling if Disney will take the cue in the future but given that the company will undoubtedly be making Star Wars series for the foreseeable future, its not all that bad of a bet to wager on seeing some darker (side) material coming out in the future.