Star Wars: Episode VII Time Period Revealed By Disney CEO
We already reported the big news about the Incredibles sequel, but that wasn’t the only highlight of Disney’s annual shareholder’s meeting on March 18. CEO Bob Iger also clarified when Star Wars: Episode VII will take place. The much-awaited sequel will pick up 30 years after the events from Return of the Jedi.
Return of the Jedi first came out in 1983, which means the gap in the fictional timeline will be almost the same as in real life, as long as Episode VII is released in December 2015, as planned. That opens up the possibility of the original cast reprising their old roles, should Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, or Carrie Fisher decide to sign on.
Fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe will note that the film’s timeline coincides with the well-loved Yuuzhan Vong War saga. The story deals with a pan-galactic conflict between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong, a heavily militarized species from the Outer Rim. Under the leadership of Princess Leia, Admiral Ackbar, and other Rebel Alliance veterans, the New Republic must face an enemy willing to resort to terrorist acts, subterfuge, and guerilla tactics.
For now, screenwriters J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt, and Lawrence Kasdan have remained mum about how much they intend to draw upon existing Expanded Universe ‘canon’. But the Yuuzhan Vong War definitely seems like a plot that would resonate with contemporary viewers.
What kind of changes do you expect to see thirty years after the victory of the Rebel Alliance?
