Star Wars Starfighter Director Shawn Levy Says the Post-Rise of Skywalker Galaxy Has No Governing Order

Star Wars Starfighter is heading into territory the franchise has never shown on screen, and director Shawn Levy has now explained exactly what that looks like five years after the Battle of Exagol. This matters for fans because Starfighter is widely seen as the real test of whether Star Wars can move past the Skywalker era, and Levy's comments give the clearest picture yet of what state the galaxy is actually in.

According to comments Levy gave after the film was showcased at D23 on Friday night, the battle that ended the Emperor's return left the galaxy in a much bigger state of upheaval than when the original rebellion took down the Empire. The Resistance never stepped up to fill the void left by the fallen First Order, leaving a lawless galaxy with nobody calling the shots. Levy put it this way: "It's a period of time that's never been on screen in any Star Wars story. And to create that, to play around and explore what is the future of the galaxy, was incredibly fun. Our characters in Starfighter are on the wrong side of the galaxy. It's about these sort of marginalized outsiders who find each other and have a shot at discovering heroism through their connections." Levy also said he was essentially drawing on the idea of outsiders when he built the project, describing a galaxy with no governing enforcer where everyone is just trying to survive and get by.

Ryan Gosling's Cade Auberon comes from the wrong side of the galaxy

Per the reporting we discussed on the show, Ryan Gosling's character, Cade Auberon, fits squarely into that world. He is from the wrong side of the galaxy and did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth, which lines up with Levy's framing of marginalized characters discovering heroism through their connections to each other.

Mike Kalinowski already thinks he knows how it ends

Mike Kalinowski, joining me on the show, said he and I have wanted Star Wars to move away from the Skywalkers for years, going back to conversations on Sith Council. He mentioned seeing an online image of the Starfighter ship that looked great, and said he plans to see the film in theaters because of Gosling and the concept alone, even though he has not yet seen The Mandalorian and Grogu. But Kalinowski joked he already has a feeling where the story goes: "He's going to pop up and Ray's going to come with a hood. And she's like, 'Oh, he's my trainee. Come and may the force be with you.' And he's like, 'All right, I'm out.'"

Adam Driver rumors and the Hunt for Ben Solo speculation

I asked Kalinowski about the buzz after Adam Driver was spotted at Shepperton Studios, which got fans speculating about a Force ghost appearance or the long-rumored Hunt for Ben Solo project. Kalinowski said he does not think that is what is happening, noting Shepperton is a big studio that could be hosting any number of productions.

My concern: does the rebellion ever actually take control?

My worry with this setup is that Star Wars is repeating itself: once again the rebels cannot seem to take control of the galaxy after winning. The first time, they let the First Order rise up again, and now instead of establishing any government after defeating Palpatine, the story is choosing a wild west scenario. Kalinowski offered a different read on that, pointing out the real world parallel: "We can't get our stuff together as people. Like, we want to rise up, but we never can get there. And the same people keep coming back. And so maybe this First Order, they're just kind of taking a page out of the world." I agreed that was a strong point.

Is this another lone wolf and cub story, and did Dave Filoni ask for it?

Kalinowski also flagged that Cade does not seem like a rebellion leader, more in the vein of Solo, raising the question of whether Starfighter could repeat those same story beats, essentially functioning as a Force Awakens for Solo. He pointed out that Star Wars keeps leaning on the lone wolf and cub setup, the seasoned vet paired with a cute kid, noting that Mando and Grogu just did that and now Starfighter appears to be doing a swashbuckling version of the same trope, and that similar setups are showing up elsewhere too, including the upcoming film Onslaught and a new A24 trailer about a man discovering he has a son. I mentioned that Dave Filoni reportedly raised this exact question to Lucasfilm and Disney Plus, asking whether they should do another lone wolf and cub storyline, which suggests he may be aware of the trope and could be trying to put a twist on it, though that is not confirmed. Kalinowski suggested the difference here could come down to chemistry between the actors, since Grogu does not speak, whereas Cade's story may play out differently.

Does Shawn Levy fit Star Wars better than Marvel?

The conversation shifted to Levy's move to Ghost Rider. Kalinowski said he is largely indifferent toward Levy as a director, though he called Deadpool and Wolverine a great time in the theater and pointed to Real Steel as a completely underrated film. He argued that Levy's sensibility feels better suited to Star Wars than to Marvel. I told him I think he is right, adding that I believe Levy's style is a better fit for Star Wars than it is for a character like Ghost Rider.

Do you think Starfighter can avoid repeating the same rebellion problems and lone wolf and cub tropes Star Wars has leaned on before?