Tales of the Underworld has come and gone, kicking off the new speculation cycle of what the next Star Wars: Tales will be. So far, we've covered two Jedi who left the Jedi Order, two Imperials who gave in to hate or went to the light, and two fan favorite bounty hunters. So, I'd like to take a moment to pitch the next entry of the Tales franchise:
Tales of the Do's!
This idea first came from my co-podcaster in an off-hand joke. It was so off-hand that I still can't find which episode he brought it up. (Look, we just celebrated our 400th episode. There is a lot to go through.) The basic idea of "Tales of the Do's" is Lando Calrissian and Hondo Ohnaka getting to be the scoundrel types they are, doing whatever they want.
The fun part of Tales of the Do's is that we know Hondo and Lando were both operating at the same time. Instead of the normal six-episode format with Lando getting three and Hondo getting three, what if this was six episodes of them working a heist together? They need to do a job, they need a crew, and they decide to team up! It would be a great way to tie other media, too!
My absolute favorite Star Wars audiobook is the Middle-Grade story Pirate's Price by Lou Anders. This is one I highly suggest listening to on audiobook, because it's read by Jim Cummings, Hondo's voice actor. The story is Hondo recalling tales of run-ins with Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Millennium Falcon over the decades. The majority of the novel is in first person. Ignore the "Middle Grade" part! The audiobook is like you're sitting at a table while Hondo tells you stories, complete with him doing his own sound effects! Of course, Lando also had the Millennium Falcon as the owner before Han. Depending on when Tales of the Do's is set, this could be a great way for Hondo to connect with the ship.
There is also the Star Wars Outlaws timeline, into which both Lando and Hondo were added to the video game in the latest DLCs. That's a time that could be explored too, with the two working a heist, navigating through the underworld and all the criminal organizations to pull off a job. Maybe they team up with Kay Vess, Nix, and ND-5 during their next adventure.
Even if it's not one story, Tales of the Do's would still be fun with three episodes for Lando and three for Hondo. Donald Glover could reprise his role, maybe showing off some big moments of the Calrissian Chronicles. If the supposed Lando movie ever actually happens, Tales of the Do's could help set up whatever the Glover brothers are cooking up with that.
Hondo also has a lot of ties overlapping with characters who still have unknown endings, like the Jedi youngling, Katooni, whom he later names his ship after. Or even just a simple story of him doing a job on Tatooine, sees a familiar face, and has one last drink in his "Old friend Kenobi's" house. He doesn't turn in the Jedi and leaves with the peace of knowing his once "best friend" survived Order 66. Especially since Tales of the Underworld already ties in so closely with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe Hondo helps The Path.
As far as scoundrels go, Lando and Hondo are the best. It's why I want Tales of the Do's to let the two of them shine.
(Though, Star Wars should probably come up with a better title.)