Where I would personally like to take this franchise would almost certainly end up being in direct opposition to where most fans would want it to go. If there's anything I've learned from my time on this forum, it's that my view of what constitutes Star Wars at its best is out of step with everyone else. Plus, I don't believe you can keep an IP thriving at its fullest potential if you just focus on appeasing the same hardcore base (which will inevitably shrink over time).
Conceptually, my top priority would be to make SW less esoteric. Watching this latest episode had me wondering how anyone who isn't reasonably familiar with the Filoni lore could possibly appreciate what was going on. I knew it would have many hardcore fans loving the nostalgia hits, but even as a hardcore fan myself, I personally felt nothing for what amounted to little more than a repackaged retrospective on what happened in Clone Wars animated stories. I don't understand how any casual or new fan could've found any of it all that meaningful.
Thematically, I would return SW to being about us (the human experience) and not merely being about previous SW in such a self-referential way. There was so much more to the OT themes than just the hero's journey or good versus evil, and that helped keep it relatable and intuitive for people of all ages for 40+ years. It was just as much about family, personal accountability, rejecting tyranny, the value of older mentors and their wisdom, knowing what to fight for, and understanding how everything is interconnected. And too often overlooked is how it was also about the value of being able to let go.
On a strictly narrative level, I would explore a wide array of eras and settings. Here are a few examples of the types of stories I'd like to see told:
1.) I'd want to see stories about the distant past, before the galaxy was unified under any sort of single republic, and before hyperspace made every territory accessible. A setting where space exploration would be more reminiscent of the Wild West. An era when it would all be new, dangerous, and exhilarating to the characters setting out from these planetary systems to venture further into space. Also, to see what bounty hunting in a more lawless time would be like. To see how the pursuit of profit, glory, or knowledge would've manifested - along with its consequences.
2.) I'd want to see stories in the distant future. Maybe in a region so war torn that they were essentially ostracized from the rest of the galaxy and turned into a post-apocalyptic setting. I'd like see it portrayed as a breeding ground for tribal feuds. It could even include Force wielders recruiting followers; some aiming simply for power and control, some aiming to lead a better way forward.
3.) Stories connected to the world building of the OT would be of definite interest to me as well, though. Perhaps a series from the point of view of a common Imperial (somewhat similarly to your concept) as the central character so that we could explore how his brethren serving on the Death Stars, Star Destroyers, and battlefields perceived the Alliance and its rebellion. There's a great deal about war, subjective perspectives, and the general human condition that could be delved into this way.
4.) And as far as more of a lore-based SW story, I would like nothing more than seeing a post-ROTJ Luke going around the galaxy with R2-D2 in search of old Jedi relics and knowledge. Everything he'd find could be a story in itself with flashbacks to that era of Jedi history (maybe early Jedi could be shown to have been more Arthurian, for example). Of course, he'd also discover trouble at various stops and have to clean things up in service to the New Republic. We'd see Luke gaining the insight he needs to begin trying to rebuild the Order.
I just want to see SW remember its conceptual and thematic roots, but without covering the same narrative ground over and over again. How many times will watching a master fail an apprentice (or vice versa) remain compelling? How often can we watch a Jedi fall and turn to the dark side before it has lost all meaning? How many orphaned youngsters need to be taken in by a more seasoned freedom fighter to have exhausted that dynamic?
Sorry for the novel-length post, but that's kinda my thing. If you didn't know that before, now you'll know better than to ask for my take on anything in the future.
