Star Wars Destroys Jedi Origin Movie Theory & Makes 25,000-Years-Ago Prequel More Exciting

Star Wars’ upcoming prequel movie set 25,000 years before the Skywalker saga just got a major update that proves all of the Jedi origin theories wrong. Director James Mangold, who was announced to be directing a Star Wars movie during Star Wars Celebration 2023, recently discussed the upcoming project. Mangold described his Star Wars film as “Ten Commandments of the Force” (via Gizmodo), a comment that changes everything audiences thought they knew about the “Dawn of the Jedi” movie.

James Mangold’s Star Wars movie does not have a title, yet the project had been described by Lucasfilm as a “Dawn of the Jedi” story. The conclusion was that Mangold’s Star Wars film would explore the first Jedi and the birth of the Jedi Order, two elements that have been tackled in canon already. The Dawn of the Jedi film will be the furthest back Star Wars has ever gone in its movie timeline.

James Mangold’s Star Wars Movie Isn’t Just The Jedi’s Origin – And That’s Great

According to James Mangold, the untitled Dawn of the Jedi Star Wars movie is “a kind of origin story of how the Force came to be known.” Initially, it was believed that the Dawn of the Jedi film would explore the rise of the first Jedi, who is known as the Prime Jedi in the current Star Wars canon. Likewise, it was expected that Mangold’s Star Wars movie would see the origins of the first Jedi Temple in Ahch-To as well as how the Jedi Order came to be. However, the story Mangold really wants to tell seems to be much bigger than just the Prime Jedi’s origins.

It can be assumed that the Force has always existed. Therefore, a story about how the Force became known could very well be about the birth of the galactic civilization the Star Wars movies have followed since the original film. The Force does not belong to the Jedi, and it is only logical that the Star Wars galaxy discovered the Force way before a person or a group of people decided to create the Jedi Order. Essentially, James Mangold’s Star Wars movie is not the Jedi’s origin story. Going by the filmmaker’s comments, it is rather a story about the Force’s legacy itself.

How The Force’s Origin Movie Can Improve Star Wars Canon

Firstly, the fact that Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie is more about the origins of the Force than the origins of the Jedi avoids some lore issues. There are already a few known elements about Star Wars‘ first Jedi and Jedi Temple, especially after Star Wars: The Last Jedi visited Ahch-To with Luke Skywalker. Of course, there was still a lot of room to expand the Prime Jedi’s story but still limited by canon. Any changes would have been seen as Star Wars retcons and could have led to criticism. As such, Mangold’s approach to his Star Wars movie grants the director a lot more creative freedom.

In terms of the story, the Force’s origin movie can change everything about how audiences perceive the Force. Most of what the main Star Wars characters, and thus the audiences, know about the Force comes from the Jedi. A movie about the Force before the Jedi even existed can repurpose all the elements that have built the Star Wars galaxy and deconstruct the concept of the Jedi Order. It is also interesting how Mangold’s Star Wars film will be about how the Force become known rather than how the Force came to exist. That difference makes sure the Force itself will continue to be a mystery.