A new Star Wars timeline? Well, it would be a cool idea...

There's this sensationalist rumour making the rounds that over at LucasFilm, there's an internal power struggle going on over the direction of the Star Wars franchise— and one faction wants to create a "Star Wars multiverse". This rumour is... let us be charitable and say almost certainly not true. Most likely, it's completely made-up. But... it's actually a rather interesting premise. So even if it's nonsense, let's speculate a bit. It's what we're here for, after all. The way this idea would supposedly get implemented if the supposed proponents got their way is clever and would actually work, both in-universe and out-of-universe.

I stress again, just in case you're getting ideas, that it's wise to treat the "rumour" as spurious nonsense. The source of it all is youtuber Overlord DVD, whose record with these things is, ah... hit-and-miss. The guy repeats every rumour he hears. So, yes, he's reported rumours accurately in the past, but he's also reported total bullshit. Repeatedly. To his credit: while his titles are often clickbait-ish, he always makes it clear when he's simply relating rumours, and doesn't falsely claim that it's all true. He's done that here, although he doesn't hide that he's none too pleased with Disney-era Star Wars, and as such he very obviously hopes that it's all true. Frankly, I can't blame him. It's a pretty cool idea.

So let's consider it for a moment. The rumour is that the world-between-worlds, introduced by Dave Filoni in Rebels, will be used to create a new timeline. The world-between-worlds exists outside of time and space. Palpatine is explicitly aware of it, and has sought to use it for his own purposes. The idea is that he used the world-between-worlds to escape the exploding Death Star II. That he somehow entered the world-between-worlds, and thus escaped annihilation. That's actually a pretty decent explanation for his survival. Of course, in Rebels, we see last Ahsoka trapped in the Sith temple on Malachor. Well, actually, we later see her again in the epilogue to the series—which is set years later—with no explanation as to how she escaped the temple. And that's fairly important, because as we see in 'Twilight of the Apprentice', that temple is in itself an otherworldly place, which we see with its entrance collapsing but also "closing in on itself"— which most fans seem to read as somehow closing itself away from the physical world.

That interpretation is certainly backed up by the consistent depiction of such temples (throughout Rebels) as supernatural, otherworldly places that are gatways to a realm beyond the physical world. See for instance the mural image of the Ones that is part of the temple on Lothal, and the way that that its appearance magically changes when Ezra is in the world-between-worlds: his presence there is linked to the nature of the temple itself, because the temple isn't wholly of this world. It already half-exists in the world-between-worlds. Same goes for the Malachor temple, we may assume, and the destruction of its entry point to the physical world would then mean that Ahsoka is left trapped outside the real world.

Vader is seen having escaped the Temple's destruction in 'Twilight of the Apprentice'. Ahsoka is walking deeper into the temple, literally and symbollically away from the physical world. Later, in 'A World Between Worlds', we witness how Vader's survival happened. Yet Ahsoka going deeper into the temple is (initially) prevented from happening because Ezra pulls her through the portal... into the world-between-worlds. The temple is still connected to it. At the end of the episode, Ahsoka returns to the temple, and is again seen walking into its dark and mysterious depths. Ezra, meanwhile, escapes from the worl-between-worlds via the Lothal temple, which still provides and exit to the physical world. So Ezra makes it back, but Ahsoka is... somewhere else. The implication is that if she wants to leave the Malachor temple, she'll have to find a way to travel through the world-between-worlds.

Of course, we know that she is going to find a way: we have already seen her again in the epilogue of Rebels. We have also heard by now that Ahsoka is going to appear in the second season of The Mandalorian, and there's talk of a follow-up series to Rebels— which would presumably also involve her. So by all accounts, we can at least say that were not done with the world-between-worlds quite yet. We still need to know how and when Ahsoka got out of there.

The idea posited by the rumour is that in this mystical realm between realities, Ahsoka encounters Palpatine after he escapes the Death Star explosion... and somehow prevents him from returning to the real world. The timeline that led to the sequels is predicated on the idea that Palpatine returns to the real world (specifically, to Exegol) and that he then creates Snoke as his puppet and thus directs the creation of the First Order. If Ahsoka prevents him from returning (by casting him into the void or something, one assumes), then the 'sequel timeline' is avoided, and we enter into a parallel timeline where Palpatine never returns and the First Order is never created. This would mean there is never a Snoke, Ben Solo never gets corrupted, Luke's students aren't butchered, Luke doesn't go into exile, Han and Leia stay together, Rey's parents aren't killed and Rey grows up with presumably loving parents...

In short, we get a timeline where everything is fixed. A timeline where a hopeful future is restored. In this context, not that when Dume (a manifestation of Kanan) tells Ezra about the Lothal temple (and the world-between-worlds) and what Ezra must do there, he describes Ezra's task as "restore past, redeem future". We later learn that "restore past" meant rescuing Ahsoka by pulling her into the world-between-worlds just as she was poised to die in the Malachor temple's collapse. The additional instruction of "redeem future" remains unclear. But what if that's literal? What if the outcome of Ezra's actions—saving Ahsoka—leads to the situation where she is present to defeat Palpatine? This would prevent his evil from creating a bleak timeline dominated by the First Order, thus "redeeming the future".

Well, that's pure speculation and interpretation, of course. But it does sound pretty good. So let's consider it for a moment. The epilogue of Rebels, where Ahsoka returns, is canonically set in 5 ABY. This could match up, and indicate that Ahsoka has returned after encountering Palpatine in the world-between-worlds (after he tried to cheat death in 4 ABY), whereupon she destroyed him or locked him out of the real world somehow. This would mean that everything after 5 ABY is actually a separate timeline already, and that the rest of Filoni's own "Filoniverse" (including The Mandalorian, which is set in 9 ABY) has sneakily been part of another timeline all along. That would be an extremely bold move.

More likely, if they went this route, Ahsoka's future plot-arc (be it in The Mandalorian and/or the Rebels follow-up and/or any other future series) will be deeply tied to the world-between-worlds. Her supposed struggle to keep Palpatine from returning would probably be the subject of a longer arc, instead of being already "over and done with" when we see her again. If I were tasked with writing this, I'd have her return in 5 ABY after having already faced Palpatine in the world-between-worlds, but without having definitively beaten him yet, and with her memory damaged by the experience. A lot of her plot could be about finding out what actually happened, and—when she discovers the truth—permanently preventing Palpatine's return.

In this context, we should note that there is currently nothing at all set between The Mandalorian (9 ABY) and the novel Bloodline (28 ABY). Only an upcoming Poe Dameron book is set to occur in between those two (namely in 18 ABY). Now, Bloodline explicitly deals with the First Order and events leading up to the sequels. So that's definitely after Palpatine's return. I'd say that given these facts, we can put the point of divergence, where Palpatine's definitive return should be prevented from happening, somewhere between 9 ABY and 18 ABY. This can be made to work. Ahsoka is set to appear in The Mandalorian. She can appear alongside Sabine, briefly explaining that Ahsoka doesn't know quite what happened to her in the world-between-worlds or how she got back, and that she and Sabine have been spending the past four years searching for their missing friend Ezra. (who, to wit, was last seen nine years before, being dragged into hyperspace along with Thrawn.)

The actual follow-up series to Rebels, which would almost certainly be about the search for Ezra, can then be set after this, in c. 10 ABY. Let's assume that in the course of this series, Ahsoka also regains her memory of what really happened in the world-between-worlds, and (probably along with Ezra, after re-uniting with him) manages to prevent Palpatine's return. The stakes can be raised easily: Thrawn is preparing a plot of his own at the same time! While in the world-between-worlds, Ahsoka and Ezra have to choose whether they will dedicate their energies to stopping Thrawn or permanenly vanquishing Palpatine. They choose the latter. This then becomes the point of divergence, with the implication that the "sequel timeline" is the result of a choice to stop Thrawn, which presumably also results in their demise. (Thus explaining their absence in the "sequel timeline".)

This would mean that you preserve everything in the current continuity up to that point, but everything after that point becomes the new timeline. This can be the dramatic season one finale, and you can leave the viewers with this stunning reveal: that the instigator of everything in the sequel trilogy (Palpatine) has just been vanquished, and that a new timeline has been created in which our heroes now reside. Ahsoka can even mention that there are endless worlds... infinities... out there, and that certainly there is a reality in which Palpatine managed to return. But it's not this reality.

Thus, a multiverse will have been established. It being the season finale, the audience will then have at least a few months to get used to the idea. This allows you to see what the reactions are. Of course, in the next season, you will have to deal with this stunning turn of events. But you can simply prepare two possibilities for wrapping up that season. If the idea of this new timeline is clearly well-received, you simply set that season in the new timeline and take it from there. You make this the new "main" timeline, which gets most of the attention. If the idea of a new timeline is received negatively, you simply add a season two finale wherein our heroes have to cross back over to the "sequel timeline"... in order to preserve the fabric of the multiverse or something. (That's the usual way sci-fi stories resolve stuff like this.) So then the "sequel timeline" is restored as the "main" timeline, and the excursion into the alternative course of events was... just a temporary thing.

I personally suspect that an alternative timeline of this sort, introduced in this way, would be quite well-received. The fans would love it, because it would offer them a universe wherein a happier future is possible again. As it stands, everything is leading towards the ultimately very bleak future of the sequels, where the OT heroes die sad and alone. But with a new timeline, there would be... a new hope. And i feel that's something Star Wars could do with, these days. Besides, everything in the current continuity that doesn't relate directly to the sequels would be 100% preserved, so it wouldn't be a repeat of killing off the entire old EU. (Nor would you have to terminate the "sequel timeline" at all. If there's still interest in it, the sidelines can very well exist side-by-side.) Most importantly, you'd get an opportunity to tell new stories set after 10 ABY. Better stories, that are more engaging and make more sense than the sequels.

Without Palpatine, there is no Snoke, and no First Order. But that doesn't mean there will be no challenges. The First Order is very poorly defined in canon, but let's assume that the First Order, in the current timeline, absorbed all remaining fragments of the Empire— and that this is where they got their resources. This means that in the new timeline, there is room for someone else to step into the power vacuüm and become the impressive villain that Snoke never was. I refer, of course, to Grand Admiral Thrawn. After all, the point of divergence here would be set during the Rebels follow-up series, which is no doubt about the search for Ezra, and Ezra was last seen in the company of Thrawn... This isn't exactly rocket science. We re-introduce Thrawn, and in the absence of the returned Palpatine and his First Order shenanigans, it is Thrawn who unites the disjointed Imperial forces.

This obviously didn't happen in the "sequel timeline", so this leads us to the implication that by allowing Palpatine's return, our heroes could've prevented Thrawn's return. But by stopping Palpatine's return, they have created a timeline wherein Thrawn returns. Have they made things better... or worse? Only time will tell. And we really don't know. So there are real stakes! There's excitement and tension again. And there's a good story, albeit not an extremely original one. Because what we get to do here is a repeat of the Thrawn Trilogy, but in the context of the new canon. I'm not even a big fan of Thrawn, personally, but my dollar-sense is tingling, and it tells me this would go over really well with the majority of the fan-base. The old EU fans mostly love Thrawn, and the new Rebels fan crowd loves him, too. So it just makes sense.

Meanwhile, in this new timeline, Ezra and Ahsoka (along with their compatriots, such as Sabine and Hera) can join forces with Luke, Leia, Han and the other heroes of the OT. This can all take place in the setting of a 3D animated series, with books and comics and games to fill out the universe. Just as The Clone Wars gave us Anakin, Obi-Wan, etc. in animated form, a new series can bring Luke, Han, Leia etc. to the screen in that way. If you're not going with live action, opportunities are very broad. And The Clone Wars conclusively proves that Star Wars doesn't have to be live-action to be a huge hit.

The future will be wide open again. As long as you stay bound to the sequels, any hypothetical animated series starring Luke, Han and Leia that is set before those sequels can still only ever be a story leading up to their sad demise in the years to come. As long as the sequels are set in stone, telling any more stories about the OT heroes feels... well, a little bit pointless. It's only a step along the road to their sad fates. But if you create a new timeline, then there is no such fixed ending. Stories that lead somewhere else become possible again. Narratively speaking, that's an infinitely exciting option. Just think of a timeline where Luke, Ahsoka and Ezra establish a new Jedi Order; one that is truly better than the old Order, and one that isn't fated to end up getting butchered by Luke's murderous nephew. Because said nephew doesn't turn into a murderous monster. There are now endless opportunities for new stories to be told.

The only thing we still need to deal with is the fact that we hear Ahsoka's voice among the "voices of Jedi past" in The Rise of Skywalker. If Ahsoka is permanently staying in the new timeline (thus handily explaining her absence in the sequel timeline), how can her voice be heard in said sequel film? Well, that's easily addressed. Just retain her connection with the world-between-worlds; make her the wise mystic who can walk the paths between different realities, when needed. And then write a book set in 35 ABY in the new timeline, where an aged Ahsoka steps through the world-between-worlds once more, in order to help Rey defeat Palpatine in the sequel timeline, "so that his evil will finally be vanquished in that world, too."

Problem solved. Loop closed, new timeline made logically consistent. We're all set.

It really does sound like a great plan, and I'm quite sorry that it's most likely never going to happen. This would be a great, revitalising thing that LucasFilm could do right now. It would fix a lot of narrative issues of Star Wars in one fell swoop. And it makes good business sense, too. The sequels have essentially killed the potential for Star Wars stories set in the (in-universe) future. Their very existence makes a lot of potential stories either pointless or very difficult to tell in an engaging way. It's not a co-incidence that the focus of all upcoming Star Wars projects (both confirmed and under discussion) are set in the 'past', as it were. The Mandalorian, the Cassian Andor series, the Kenobi series, the Rebels follow up, the High Republic project, the expected sequel to Fallen Order... none of that comes close to the sequel era. Even the upcoming fighter game Squadrons is set to take place in the aftermath of Endor, and not during the sequel-era war against the First Order.

There's no way around it: the sequels are, narratively, an anchor weighing down anyone trying to go forward with the saga. The considerable gap between the "post-Endor" period and the "lead-up to the sequels" period creates a great cut-off point. Right now, there really is a great opportunity to split the timeline, and move the focus to a new reality in which the sequels simply "never happened". For all intents and purposes, LucasFilm is already doing that anyway. As already noted, there is nothing new being made that will be set just before, during or after the sequels. They are being ignored even now. So why not just cut the Gordian knot and be done with it? Change the timeline, and embrace a an alternative future. A more hopeful timeline.

Again, I don't think that they actually have the sheer guts or the creative vision to go through with this. But I think they should. It's a good idea, full of energy and potential, and there's no better time than right now to press on with it and make this happen. So if there's anyone left in charge over at LucasFilm with real courage: this is your chance to make a difference. Go forth and tell new stories. Create new worlds.