Kathleen Kennedy hasn't decided on one of the 'endless possibilities' after The Rise of Skywalker

As the final sneak peeks at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker filter in, fans of the long-running and iconic sci-fi series may be wondering what exactly awaits them once the Skywalker saga hangs up its robe and lightsaber. The Mandalorian is already showing off one possible route on Disney+, but what about the big screen? The movies are where Star Wars began, and the movies are where fans obviously want the future of Star Wars to continue.

The MCU’s Kevin Feige is supposed to develop a future film, while The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson is still on the hook for an original trilogy. Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are no longer in the latter boat, but that’s still quite a few big names being juggled for the future. So how and when do they all play into the franchise? Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has an answer, but fans aren’t going to like it.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Kennedy explained that right now she really, truly doesn’t know what comes next for Star Wars in a post-TROS world. But that’s only because there are so many directions the sci-fi franchise could go. There are also so many times that the franchise could go to. “We’ve got various things we’re looking at and various ways in which we can begin or not,” Kennedy said. “As you can imagine. You know, do you go back? Do you go forward? All those questions are being asked.” 

And does Star Wars even need to stay in that particular galaxy far, far away now that the Skywalker saga is over? That’s something else Kennedy has considered: “Do we stay in this galaxy? Do we go to another?” she asked. “The universe is never-ending. The good news and the bad news. They have endless possibilities. It’s liberating, it’s exciting, and it creates a lot of pressure and anxiety as well.”

That liberation comes as The Rise of Skywalker releases some final footage reveling in its finality — including the line "We're all in this 'til the end." Take a look:

Perhaps the ending of the Skywalker saga will be better recieved by Star Wars creator George Lucas than the beginning of the latest trilogy. Kennedy briefly touched on Lucas' disappointed reaction to The Force Awakens: “I think there’s plenty of examples where people create something that is fundamental to who they are, where it’s difficult letting go and watching that become something different. So I think initially, that was difficult for George – I don’t think he anticipated how hard that would be."

J.J. Abrams, who directed that film and is returning for The Rise of Skywalker, now has another chance to win Lucas over...but this was also a chance for Abrams to contribute his own piece of the galactic puzzle. "He had to make it his own," Kennedy said of Abrams. "Every director who comes into a movie has to make something their own; they have to find themselves in the storytelling. And then that's going to become a different point of view. And I think that's all George was reacting to."

The Rise of Skywalker's end will be judged by Star Wars' fans and creator alike when it hits theaters on Dec. 20.