The Creator Tackles A Subject Star Wars Has Been Afraid To Touch

"The Creator" will mark Gareth Edwards' hopefully-triumphant return to filmmaking after he kind of swore off big-budget sci-fi following the difficult shoot of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." (Has anyone ever come out of making a "Star Wars" movie mentally and emotionally unscathed?) Edwards' new film seems to be an ambitious sci-fi tale with a big scope despite a relatively modest budget (certainly compared to a Star War). The film is also unfortunately rather timely, as it tells the story of a world at war with artificial intelligence threatening to extinguish humanity. It's a timeliness Edwards did not anticipate or predict, but it's certainly the aspect of the film that makes it most intriguing in 2023.

Despite there being rather little commonality between "The Creator" and "Star Wars," other than Edwards' name, there's a theme that connects them, at least in that "The Creator" promises to tackle a subject "Star Wars" has eluded for decades: a robotic uprising.

Droids are as integral to "Star Wars" as lightsabers or the Force, but the films have rarely explored the topic of droids' place in the larger universe. Granted, the very first film did include the "we don't serve their kind here" line that implies discrimination against droids, and subsequent sequels and prequels have mostly portrayed droids as being comic relief tin cans that resemble pets, servants, or even enslaved beings. However, as much as droids are seemingly capable of emotion and have big personalities, the "Star Wars" franchise doesn't really treat them as people.

Granted, there are some exceptions. The biggest, of course, is "Solo: A Star Wars Story," which included a whole subplot about robot rights, seemingly teasing that the larger franchise would finally engage with the question of the droids' place in relation to sentience and personhood. Sadly, that film has been mostly erased from the canon (except in the comics), but shows like "The Mandalorian" and "The Clone Wars" have also explored the issues of droids being exploited, with the former specifically dedicating an episode to a murder mystery involving a "Blade Runner"-esque subplot about droid labor. Still, these portrayals are mostly kept at the surface level, never really exploring the implications or consequences of droids asking questions.

That's kind of a shame. Robot rights is a staple theme of science-fiction, going all the way back to Isaac Asimov's Robot Series (which includes "I, Robot") offering some of the most thoughtful and engaging sci-fi around even decades after its initial publication. Thankfully, Apple TV's "Foundation" is delivering the goods on the robot front with the storyline involving the robot character Demerzel (itself one of the best sci-fi TV stories in years and a gripping, twisty tale of betrayal and love on an interplanetary scale that spans centuries).

As for why "Star Wars" has never truly engaged with this topic, it is most likely due to the fact that George Lucas' galaxy far, far away has always been more of a space fantasy story than a proper science-fiction one, with knights, princesses, magic and more. It is part of why "Andor" was such a refreshing addition, because it felt like the first time "Star Wars" properly did sci-fi.

"The Creator" opens in theaters on September 29, 2023.