Rogue One became the first Star Wars film to largely move away from the Skywalker family and George Lucas's other creations.
While we did get a glimpse of R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader and some other familiar faces, the film centred around original characters – a trend which will continue in the future, according to Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta.
"I think you've already seen us get 90% of the way there with Rogue One," he told ComingSoon. "Yes you see Leia, yes you see the Death Star and Vader, because those are elements of that story and they belong there... you can't tell that story without those characters.
"But for the most part, 90% of that story is completely new characters. Completely new planets and places you've never seen before. It's a Star Wars movie with no Jedi! You don't see a lightsaber once until Vader pops it out at the end."
Whitta described the film as having "very different DNA to the Star Wars films that have come before it".
He admitted that the Han Solo spinoff will feature a lot of old characters, but beyond that, films will increasingly follow Rogue One's lead.
"One of the things we really want to do at Lucasfilm is create a universe and not keep relying on old legacy characters," he continued. "We've got Rey and Finn and Kylo Ren, they've already introduced a new generation of characters.
"Whatever kind of Star Wars films they're making 10 or 20 years from now, I don't think they're going to be relying on the same legacy story elements as we have in the past."
Speaking of 'legacy characters', the late Carrie Fisher will play a significant role as General Leia Organa in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, although obviously both she and Harrison Ford's Han Solo will not play a part in the series beyond that.
How Whitta's comments might relate to whether Rey and Supreme Leader Snoke are completely original and unrelated to the classic characters or not remains to be seen.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released on December 15, with the untitled Han Solo film following in 2018 and Star Wars Episode 9 in 2019. Disney and Lucasfilm are yet to officially announce any other movies beyond those.
