Kingdom Hearts Shouldn’t Fall Victim To a Star Wars Movie Problem

At this point, it feels almost inevitable that Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature the Star Wars franchise in some shape or form. Now that Star Wars is one of the biggest parts of Disney, it’s nearly impossible for Kingdom Hearts 4 to be made without including one of the most iconic pieces of pop culture history. There is a lot of speculation about what Kingdom Hearts 4 will entail, but an appearance from the likes of Luke Skywalker or Han Solo seems to be set in the stars.

Kingdom Hearts 4 was officially announced two years ago, now. Since then, there haven’t been many updates offered by Square Enix, but there is a lot of speculation surrounding a potential Star Wars world. This is, of course, an exciting prospect, but adding Star Wars into the mix runs the risk of falling into the same trap that the most recent film trilogy fell into: focusing too much on the Skywalker family.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Avoid a Major Star Wars Mistake

There is no better time than now to be a Star Wars fan. Once Disney gained ownership of the franchise, there has not only been an all-new trilogy, but a variety of spin-off shows have proven to be major hits for Disney+. However, the newest film trilogy found itself making a major mistake that ultimately made the movie fall flat compared to its predecessors. Rey was an interesting character in her own right, and forcing her to tie into the Skywalker legacy felt forced. There are now three major Star Wars trilogies, and they all revolve around the Skywalker name, but future Kingdom Hearts games should avoid spending too much time on this legacy.

Featuring Characters Outside the Skywalker Saga

Of course, Luke Skywalker and his lineage is the beating heart of Star Wars and its history, but a new perspective that offers other characters who are just as interesting will give Star Wars more room to grow within the Kingdom Hearts canon. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo all make sense to feature in Kingdom Hearts 4 as a way to introduce the franchise into the world Square Enix has built, but other games in the future should explore non-Skywalker names, like the Mandalorian or Cassian Andor.

The likes of Grogu would be a perfect fit in the world of Kingdom Hearts. Although the Skywalker saga is the foundation of Star Wars, not everything has to revolve around this storyline. For future Kingdom Hearts titles, featuring too many of the mainline Star Wars characters could become predictable, and it’s almost always exciting to see side characters represented in an unexpected way. A wild card like Qui-Gon Jinn or Jyn Erso would also prove to be some exciting faces to see showcased.

Star Wars Should Be Handled With Care

Star Wars is a massive franchise that spans decades, and it can be incredibly easy to get too lost in the immense amount of lore and characters to work with. The Skywalker family has been explored time and time again, but Square Enix has a perfect opportunity to subvert the expectations of many who are hoping for a Star Wars world.

Only time will tell what a Star Wars world in Kingdom Hearts could look like, and if Kingdom Hearts 4 delivers on this speculation, there are plenty of great characters to work with. The Skywalker family will undoubtedly make an appearance in some form or fashion, but the iconic lineage only needs to play a small part in a bigger piece of Kingdom Hearts‘ Star Wars puzzle.

Kingdom Hearts

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts

Released

September 17, 2002