Lightsabers and The Force - those are the two main staples from the Star Wars universe that fans and audiences can instantly point to and say, “I know where that’s from!” (aside from Jedi and Sith). It’s also no secret that lightsabers and The Force are two of the most popular elements of the Star Wars universe. Spaceships, aliens, and intergalactic travel are all popular as well, but those three traits are staples of nearly every sci-fi movie or tv show ever created. So, that leaves lightsabers and The Force as the two key sci-fi characteristics that make Stars Wars what it is.

But what if there was another, lesser-appreciated sci-fi component of the Star Wars universe that next-to-no other sci-fi franchise had an equivalent to? Good news: there is. It’s Podracing, and it deserves its own series on Disney+ immediately. The interstellar NASCAR was introduced to audiences on the large-screen in 1999 during the premiere of The Phantom Menace. While the prequels have certainly aged better over time, one thing was indisputable from the start - the Podracing scene was beyond epic (even with pre 21st-century special effects). Sadly, this was the last that fans have heard or seen of Podracing in the Star Wars universe, and with it being such a unique sci-fi component, it’s borderline criminal that Star Wars has yet to explore it further.

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Success of Recent Disney+ Shows

     Disney+

Without even going into the emotional reasons why it would be awesome to get a Podracer series, it still makes sense from a practical and marketable standpoint. Disney+ has been killing it with the original Star Wars content for the past few years (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Visions, The Book of Boba Fett, etc.), not to mention that ratings for all the other Star Wars projects (original trilogy, sequels, prequels, animes) are through the roof.

With that said, it might also be safe to say that Star Wars has bought itself some wiggle-room among fans and critics and could use that wiggle-room to wander into unexplored territory - i.e., Podracing. Now, Star Wars isn’t without its flops. It’s always a possibility that any new series or movie they put out isn’t going to resonate with fans. However, something that fans have always hated is getting bogged down with the same old content over and over again, and that’s a Sarlacc pit that Star Wars is coming dangerously close to falling into.

Could Be Live-Action or Animated

     Lucasfilm Ltd

As already stated, Star Wars is no slouch when it comes to live-action or animated series - they can knock it out of the galaxy either way. Thus, they would have total freedom to choose whether a Podracer series could be done as a live-action show or an animated show. The Phantom Menace already proved what a live-action version of Podracing could look like, and it looked incredible (still holding up over 20 years later). Not only that, but recent breakthroughs in filming methods have been utilized on shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, where green-screen CGI is no longer required. In other words, the already stunning visuals from the podracing scene filmed over 20 years ago would have even more stunning visuals with today’s advanced technology (go figure).

On the other hand, even with the breakthroughs in filmmaking, having an anime series would allow the filmmakers to push the bill even further. It’s no secret that anime allows for more creativity when it comes to visuals due to the nature that a person can draw pretty much anything that they can imagine (whereas with live-action, not so much). Either way, the main point remains that a Podracer series could work as a live-action or an anime series - so it’s high time that fans and audiences get at least one of them.

Chance to step away from the Star Wars norm

Lightsabers and The Force are undoubtedly the two key staples in the Star Wars universe - even when they’ve tried to step away from the narrative of Jedi vs. Sith, somehow, lightsabers or The Force always find their way back into the story. So, shouldn’t Star Wars try and experiment with a unique element of their universe that has absolutely nothing to do with Jedi, Sith, lightsabers, or The Force? While fans love all of those things, what they truly love is the whole Star Wars universe - Gungans and all.

If a Podracer series were to premiere, not only would it allow Star Wars to further explore an untapped market in their universe, but it would also give fans and audiences the chance to genuinely explore the furthest reaches of the Star Wars universe. This means entire planets, solar systems, and even galaxies that might not know what Jedi, Sith, lightsabers, or The Force even are.