The revelation that Starfighter would feature lightsabers — and lightsaber wielders — set fan tongues’ wagging, as they put two and two together with the fact that Starfighter is set post-Rise of Skywalker and the fact that Lucasfilm is keen to feature Rey Skywalker again the future in “several” movies.
Starfighter was originally announced by Lucasfilm as a “standalone” movie with no connection to the main Skywalker Saga or any other spin-off project — and now, the movie’s scribe Jonathan Tropper has doubled down on this to rule out any “legacy characters” appearing in any capacity.
“Obviously, lightsabers are a part of that universe and that part of that galaxy,” Tropper told Screenrant. “I’m so careful not to reveal anything, but essentially, I think it’s known that we have no legacy characters.
“You’re not going to see any of the characters you’ve seen in the other movies,” he continued. “So there are certain things that are still hallmarks of Star Wars that it’s good to have in there. But more than that, I can’t say.”
Not only will Starfighter feature a lightsaber battle, but the fight was filmed at least in part by none other than Top Gun star Tom Cruise — who visited the film’s set one day and ended up getting involved with its production.
So, who are Starfighter’s lightsaber wielders? Lucasfilm has kept details of the movie’s plot firmly under wraps, other than confirming that Ryan Gosling’s scruffy-looking rogue is an uncle to the movie’s younger star. Neither characters look like Jedi (although perhaps that is a deliberate choice, to hide one or both being Force-sensitive?) Production images released so far have seen the pair next to a speeder and on some kind of sci-fi raft, with a vibe that seems far removed from the franchise’s usual galaxy-defining space conflicts.
More likely, however, the lightsaber battle will involve one or both of the movie’s antagonist characters, played by former Doctor Who Matt Smith and Dracula star Mia Goth. Whispers from the film’s production have pinned the two as playing Sith-aligned foes, though this has not been officially confirmed.
“This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel,” director Shawn Levy previously said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. “It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet.” Star Wars: Starfighter is currently due to launch on May 28, 2027.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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