In a recent development that has Star Wars aficionados buzzing, a clever in-universe rationale has emerged to explain Disney’s substantial 2014 reboot of the franchise’s expansive timeline. This reboot, which relegated the former Expanded Universe material to the non-canon “Legends” category, was a decision aimed at granting the creators greater creative freedom without the burden of previous storylines.
Enter LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy—a new four-part animated miniseries that shakes the foundations of the galaxy as fans have come to know it, effectively reconstructing it in a whimsical “What If…?” narrative format. With the participation of talents like Bobby Moynihan, Gaten Matarazzo, Tony Revolori, and even iconic Star Wars alumni like Mark Hamill and Ahmed Best, the story follows a character named Sig Greebling, who inadvertently alters the Star Wars galaxy after extracting an enigmatic object known as the Cornerstone from a hidden Jedi Temple.
What unfolds is nothing short of comedic chaos. The first episode reveals that the act of pulling out the Cornerstone results in strange and humorous consequences, such as Admiral Ackbar unexpectedly becoming the model for the Clone Army instead of the traditional Jango Fett or Ewoks taking on the role of bounty hunters. Not to mention, the longstanding fan theory of Darth Jar Jar becoming a reality.
As viewers learn more, it is disclosed that the Cornerstone is a powerful artifact integral to maintaining the structural integrity of reality itself. Sig’s mentor, Bobarian Afol—dubbed “Jedi Bob”—informs him that pulling the Cornerstone irrevocably alters time and space, making it impossible to revert things to their former state. Instead, the only solution is to lock the Cornerstone back into its original position to stabilize this newly crafted timeline.
In a further twist, the tale unfolds in the third episode when Jedi Bob confesses to his own mishap with the Cornerstone, which he had previously removed ages ago, thus transforming his original reality into the contemporary Star Wars timeline, which includes the Disney-produced sequels and spin-offs that have proliferated since 2014. This leads to the tantalizing speculation that Jedi Bob’s original universe might have closely mirrored the prior Expanded Universe—the one fans yearn to see brought back into the fold.
What’s intriguing about this narrative is how it provides a playful yet poignant explanation for the narrative shift that occurred in the Star Wars universe. Instead of viewing the decision by Disney and Lucasfilm as a mere corporate maneuver to discard countless stories, one could entertain the notion that there was a legitimate, if fanciful, impetus behind the reboot.
Moreover, the uniqueness of this reimagined universe lends itself to a plethora of bizarre yet enjoyable scenarios, such as X-Wings and TIE Fighters swapping their wing configurations and the absence of the Rule of Two for the Sith, resulting in an ensemble of unexpected characters like Darth Jar Jar and even a Jawa Sith Lord.
Ultimately, while LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy may be deemed non-canon, it honors the spirit of the original works while paving the way for new tales. The concept of the Cornerstone also opens the door for potential future reboots within the franchise, providing a fun framework for how the narrative could evolve once again without erasing the rich history left behind.
As all episodes of this animated series are now available to stream on Disney+, fans are encouraged to dive into this new, yet familiar, take on a galaxy far, far away.