With The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett having continued the trend of de-aging, and in Rogue One’s case, completely resurrecting a deceased actor from the Star Wars franchise, fans are pondering what former franchise glory may be in store for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

The tragic and sudden loss of Carrie Fisher in 2016 weighed heavy on the hearts and minds of Star Wars fans across the galaxy. Still, the moral and ethical conundrum remains a hot topic among pop culture enthusiasts.

So, should actors be resurrected? Any self-respecting horror fan knows the answer to that question is a resounding “No!”. But the film industry is a complex and dynamic beast, and over the past decade or so, it seems people are warming up to the idea. If done out of respect and with the approval of surviving family members, the return of past legends like Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher can be a meaningful tribute. Especially in Star Wars, where force ghosts are pillars of the mythology.

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There’s something beautiful there as art imitates life, life imitates art, and art transcends death. Let’s face it; the world is a better place if Mark Hamill is forever the face of Luke Skywalker. While fans of Solo may disagree, there may be an equal amount, if not more, who would pay to see Solo in theaters again with Harrison Ford’s likeness and voice. This is well within the possibility of reason considering the franchise’s history of special editions, re-releases, and so on.

A New John Candy Comedy?

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If Star Wars continues to roll out the practice without pushback, perhaps it opens the doors for more franchises to revisit the glory days. Ghostbusters: Afterlife just did a pretty classy job bringing Harold Ramis back to life. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to see Sean Connery return as a young James Bond, Christopher Reeve revived for Superman, or a new John Candy comedy? Okay, maybe that last one would be a horrific monstrosity, which reinforces the delicate nature of the subject.

It comes with a heavy mind and heart. After all, we, the audience, know what’s happening and become so focussed on every pixel it inadvertently breaks the fourth wall. You end up applying the highest level of discernment as an impossibly youthful Mark Hamill graces the screen. You’re removed from the narrative, forcing a good majority of the audience to question the quality benchmark of the visual effects. Every time they’ve done it, however, it creates a huge amount of buzz and gets everyone talking. There’s no sign we will be seeing any less of it.

There Is No Going Back

     20th Century Fox

Obi-Wan Kenobi will likely turn up the nostalgia volume even more, simultaneously tapping into the bygone fountains of the original trilogy AND the divisive prequel films. Love ’em or hate ’em, the prequels have a whole generation of fans who were brought into the Star Wars universe with pod racing and midi-chlorians galore. We may need to prepare for a double dose of juicy nostalgia-coated pop culture candy in the form of de-aging and resurrection, the likes of which have never been experienced before.

Still, many fans agree Disney Plus has delivered the best Star Wars content since the original trilogy. The brilliant creative decision-making of Jon Favreau, with the help of an excellent cast and crew, may have finally tapped back into the substance of what Star Wars fans have been craving since 1983. Until now, fans were secretly pillaging the 1984 Ewok Adventure movies for a hit of that sweet nostalgic fix. Some even went too far and overdosed on bootleg copies of the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978. The struggle is real!

While The Book of Boba Fett may have been a slightly more clunky continuation from where The Mandalorian left off, it still delivered plenty of thrills and nostalgic fixes, especially for the middle-aged audience who shamefully admit they may like Return of The Jedi more than The Empire Strikes Back. You can’t ever go back to that original feeling of when you first experienced an incredible film like Star Wars. The excitement you had when lightsabers and force magic first rocked your world can’t be duplicated, but if there’s one place where they might try, it’s Hollywood. If that means bringing the dead back to life, you can bet they’ll try.

Sometimes Dead is Better

The promise of successfully cheating death is too enticing to resist. Perhaps the warnings of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft should be taken to heart. Sometimes dead is better. Or, in Herbert West’s case, if we just keep at it a little longer, we may achieve fully sentient re-animation of a corpse. It’s often a cautionary tale, however. Maybe if they truly get it perfect, it will anger some ancient interdimensional space god who will punish all humankind for the sheer audacity to challenge death itself.