Star Wars: Starfighter breaks 49-year tie to the Skywalker Saga

Lucasfilm has confirmed that its next theatrical Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter, will carry no story connection to the Skywalker family or the Jedi-Sith conflict that has anchored every prior Star Wars movie and television series since 1977. The announcement makes it the first entry in the 49-year-old franchise to stand entirely apart from the Skywalker Saga.

What was announced

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni revealed the project at Star Wars Celebration in Japan on April 17, 2025, according to an official Walt Disney Company press release. The studio describes the film as 'a standalone adventure' set approximately five years after the events of 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, introducing entirely new characters in a previously unexplored period of the timeline.

Shawn Levy, who directed Deadpool & Wolverine, is directing Starfighter from a screenplay credited to Jonathan Tropper, according to CBR. Ryan Gosling stars as Kade Auberon, described in coverage as a working-class rogue confronted by his mysterious past and thrown into a dangerous journey through a galaxy that currently lacks central governance, per Syfy and the Disney announcement. The supporting cast includes Mia Goth, Matt Smith, Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Daniel Ings and newcomer Flynn Gray, according to Syfy.

Disney has scheduled the theatrical release for May 28, 2027 — close to the 50th anniversary of the first Star Wars film's 1977 premiere. Filming has been completed and the film is in post-production, according to Syfy.

Why it breaks tradition

CBR reports that every Star Wars movie and series released since 1977 — nine mainline films, four standalone movies and numerous television series — has carried some tie to the Skywalker Saga, whether through characters, lineage or the overarching Jedi-Sith struggle. Starfighter is described as the first to cut that link entirely, focusing on new characters and a new conflict instead.

TheDirect separately highlights a second, narrower tradition the film is reported to break: in prior Star Wars stories, heroic protagonists have generally flown slower ships than villains. Auberon's vessel, a decommissioned Imperial-era starfighter referred to in coverage as the 'G17 Imperial Reaper,' is reported to outpace every starfighter previously depicted in the franchise.

CBR describes the project as establishing an identity separate from the broader franchise, telling an entirely new story set apart from established Star Wars lore.

Where it fits on the timeline

Set roughly five years after The Rise of Skywalker, Starfighter takes place in a period not previously depicted on screen in Star Wars canon. TheDirect places this at approximately 40 years After the Battle of Yavin (ABY) on the franchise's internal calendar, describing it as the furthest point any Star Wars film or series has reached to date.

The film follows The Mandalorian & Grogu, Lucasfilm's other 2026 theatrical release, marking a return to movie theaters after a seven-year stretch in which new Star Wars stories were released primarily through streaming on Disney+.

What is not yet known

The outlets reviewed do not detail the film's full runtime or how its new characters might intersect with existing Star Wars factions beyond a setting described as currently lacking central governance. A trailer has circulated in 2026 coverage, but full plot details remain limited ahead of the 2027 release.