The Star Wars franchise is going somewhere it’s never been before, and Ryan Gosling is behind the controls. At the Disney Entertainment Showcase during D23, Lucasfilm pulled back the curtain on Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming feature directed by Shawn Levy that will take the saga into unexplored temporal territory. The teaser was shown exclusively to the audience in the room—no online release, at least not yet—but detailed descriptions from the press in attendance paint a vivid picture of what’s coming.
The biggest revelation isn’t just the footage. It’s the character. Gosling is playing Kade Auberon, a pilot who exists on the wrong side of the galaxy, a man whose fate becomes entangled with the fastest fighter ever built. The reveal came with Gosling taking the stage in a jacket worn by his character, decorated with a skull and crossed shins—the Rebel Alliance symbol turned upside down. It’s a small visual detail, but it carries weight. This is a Star Wars story about someone who isn’t aligned with the forces we’ve spent decades rooting for.
Star Wars: Starfighter: The Teaser
According to multiple accounts from the room, the footage opens with a young character played by Flynn Gray entering a garage. He finds a starfighter covered by a tarp, pulls the covering aside, and touches the hull. That’s when Kade appears. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch anything?” he says. The boy asks what the ship is. Kade’s answer is matter-of-fact: “It’s a decommissioned G-17. The fastest ever built.”
When the boy says he’s never heard of it, Kade’s response is telling. “There’s a reason.”
From there, the teaser accelerates. Quick cuts of a speeder racing across a beach. A vehicle gliding over an oceanic alien world dotted with towering spires. Drones and ships taking off. Troops opening fire. The closing shot frames Gosling at the controls of the fighter, filmed from the front in the cockpit, a composition that more than one reporter compared to Top Gun. The implication is clear: this is Star Wars by way of a pilot movie, all velocity and adrenaline, built around a protagonist who lives for speed.
The new logo for the film was also shown, confirming that Starfighter is the title Lucasfilm is committing to. No colon, no subtitle. Just Starfighter. Clean and direct.
Who Is Kade Auberon?
Gosling described his character as “a man on the wrong side of the galaxy, whose fate is intertwined with that of the fastest fighter ever built.” That’s not a heroic description. The Rebel Alliance symbol turned upside down suggests someone who’s rejected—or been rejected by—the causes that defined the original trilogy. Kade isn’t a Jedi. He’s not a soldier fighting for the Resistance. He’s a pilot, pure and simple, and the G-17 he’s protecting is more than just a ship.
Levy brought Gosling on stage with the jacket, and the actor took a moment to acknowledge his Disney roots. Before introducing him, Levy aired footage of Gosling as a young Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club, his first steps in show business. Gosling walked out wearing a Mickey Mouse-themed jacket and admitted he owed Disney a debt of duty. It was a charming moment—a full-circle narrative for an actor who’s now headlining one of the studio’s most important franchises.
Where This Fits in the Timeline
This is the detail that matters most to Star Wars fans. Starfighter is Lucasfilm’s first feature film set after the events of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. It’s not a sequel to that film. It’s not a prequel. It’s a standalone adventure with new characters, set in a period that has never been explored on the big screen.
That’s a significant decision. The sequel trilogy ended with the defeat of the First Order and the apparent restoration of hope to the galaxy. But what comes next? How does a galaxy rebuild after decades of war? What new threats emerge when the old ones are gone? Starfighter is positioned to answer those questions, but through the eyes of a character who isn’t aligned with the heroes we know. The official synopsis describes a galaxy rebuilding, a lone pilot on a crucial mission, and new threats emerging as the future of the Force hangs in the balance.
For a franchise that’s often been criticized for looking backward—for returning to familiar characters and familiar eras—this is a genuine step forward. No Skywalkers. No Palpatines. No legacy characters showing up to remind audiences of the past. Just a new story, in a new time, with new people.
The Creative Team
Shawn Levy directs, coming off the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine. Levy has proven he can handle large-scale action while maintaining character focus, and his experience with effects-driven storytelling makes him a logical choice for Star Wars. The screenplay is by Jonathan Tropper, who’s worked with Levy before on This Is Where I Leave You and The Adam Project. Their collaboration suggests a film that will balance spectacle with genuine emotional stakes.
The cast is substantial. Alongside Gosling and Flynn Gray, the film features Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. That’s an eclectic mix—Goth in particular brings a dangerous edge to whatever role she’s playing, while Smith has proven he can move between charming and menacing with unsettling ease. Adams, a six-time Oscar nominee, adds prestige. The ensemble suggests a galaxy populated by complicated, morally ambiguous characters.
Filming wrapped in late 2025, which means the film has been in post-production for nearly a year. That’s a healthy amount of time for a project of this scale—enough to get the visual effects right without rushing.
The Release Date
Levy made a point of highlighting a coincidence that feels like a tribute. Starfighter arrives in American theaters on May 28, 2027—the same weekend the original Star Wars debuted fifty years earlier. It’s a symbolic release date for a project that aims to restart the film franchise from a fresh perspective.
The Memorial Day weekend slot is also a statement of confidence. This is the weekend that’s traditionally belonged to major blockbusters, and Lucasfilm is putting its new era there. The film is expected to arrive in international markets around the same time.
The Bigger Picture
Starfighter represents a pivot for Lucasfilm. After years of Disney+ series and legacy-driven storytelling, the studio is betting on something new: an original story set in the Star Wars universe, anchored by a major star, directed by a proven hitmaker, and positioned as the beginning of a new era. It’s the most significant creative gamble the franchise has made since The Force Awakens, and the stakes are high.
If it works, Starfighter opens the door to more stories set in the post-Skywalker era, free from the weight of established continuity. If it doesn’t, Lucasfilm will face renewed questions about whether Star Wars can move beyond its original icons. But the signs are promising. Gosling’s involvement signals that the material is strong enough to attract an actor who doesn’t do franchise work by default. Levy’s track record speaks for itself. And the decision to set the film in unexplored temporal territory suggests a willingness to take creative risks.
The teaser shown at D23 has already generated the kind of buzz that money can’t buy—a room full of fans and press reacting to footage that hasn’t even been released online yet. The logo is simple. The title is confident. The star is ready. May 2027 can’t come soon enough.