The Star Wars prequel trilogy still receives a lot of backlash, yet the past several years have seen a shift in the overall opinion. Many fans appreciate the films for how they expanded the galaxy, and people who grew up watching them are now old enough to look back fondly. However, one lingering issue is that viewing the prequels from a chronological point of view throws newcomers into the deep end with no subtle introduction to the galaxy.
Despite being around for over 40 years, Star Wars' ever-growing popularity is constantly bringing in new fans. The vast majority of fans will suggest that Star Wars: A New Hope is viewed first for newcomers, and that's definitely for the best. Not only was it the first film to release, but it's also the best at slowly introducing audiences into the vast galaxy of Star Wars.
The problem is that many newcomers may naturally watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace first. It has a more modern appeal and having "Episode I" in the title is a pretty big draw for the uninformed. The issue with this is that, unfortunately, The Phantom Menace does a pretty poor job of introducing the galaxy. The opening crawl begins with, "Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The Taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute." For those who've never seen Star Wars, being thrown into politics over a galaxy that they've not yet seen is pretty overwhelming, and even who the Jedi are is barely explained.
Despite having 11 live-action movies and an ever-growing amount of Disney+ shows, The Phantom Menace still stands as the first piece of Star Wars content in the timeline. Given its less-than-ideal introduction, it's time for a new prequel movie to be made so it can take over as the starting point. And given that there's a whole galaxy worth of characters and stories to tell, there's more than enough to work with.
Set hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace, numerous Star Wars comics take place during the High Republic era. This period shows the Jedi at the height of their power, as they act as peacekeepers for the slightly-more primitive galaxy. There are plenty of stories to tell during this era, and even the recently announced Star Wars Eclipse video game takes place at the time. This means even more people will be interested in the High Republic and will want to see it in live-action.
The High Republic has the potential to be the perfect starting-off point for newcomers, as it shows off the world and feel of Star Wars without being tied to familiar characters. Hopefully, the upcoming Star Wars: The Acolyte series will be able to create a satisfying introduction, as the Leslye Headland show is set to take place during this new era.