Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was unique in that it was the first standalone Star Wars movie and the first film without Jedi. The Force was present (it's an energy field created by all living things, after all), but it wasn't central to the story. Instead, Rogue One centered on everyday heroes. The rebels who stole the Death Star plans had skills, to be sure, but they didn't have the advantages the Jedi possess.

Some of the X-wing books written by Michael A. Stackpole

The Bacta War

Rogue Squadron

Wraith Squadron

Starfighters of Adumar

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A pilot, an intelligence operative, former Guardians of the Whills, a reprogrammed droid, and a scrappy fighter -- that's the group at the heart of Rogue One. The story showed life as a Rebel Alliance soldier isn't a walk in the park fueled by righteousness. It's a dirty business that fails as often as it succeeds, and hope is the thin fuel keeping the tank running --- and sometimes the tank goes dry. After getting that glimpse of the additional layers and roles within the Rebellion, we're ready for more and we can start by diving into the world of X-wing pilots.Several stories in the Expanded Universe (EU) focused on the missions and roles of characters such as Wedge Antilles. The dashing tales expounded upon the role of the squadrons of X-wing pilots in the beginning of the New Republic, after the events in Return of the Jedi. The 10 X-wing books written by Michael A. Stackpole and also by Aaron Allston featured daring operations, intense dogfights, romance, and conspiracies. The characters couldn't save themselves with the Force, only with their skills, their wit, and their fellow pilots. It's a corner of the Star Wars universe suited to be the subject of the next spinoff film.You know bacta. The gelatinous substance has powerful healing properties, to the point of helping a body regrow tissue. We saw Luke use a bacta tank in The Empire Strikes Back, and we recently glimpsed Vader emerge from the liquid in his home on Mustafar in Rogue One . It's a valuable material to have on hand. So, consider what would happen if the bad guys manipulated the bacta supply to destroy the New Republic.The remnants of the Empire did just that in the fourth book of the X-wing series. X-Wing: The Bacta War by Stackpole is a prime candidate for the big screen. Ysanne Isard, former Director of Imperial Intelligence and current leader of the Empire, unleashed a plague affecting non-human species (the Krytos virus) in the book prior to The Bacta War, intending to make the burgeoning government go bankrupt from having to purchase bacta to heal those affected. Now, she's trying to hold the bacta supply in her grip and the Rogue Squadron is having none of it. One issue: the New Republic won't allow them to pursue action because they have bigger problems to solve.In some ways, the story's like Rogue One. The Rogue Squadron pursue what they think is right and resign their commissions in order to go after Isard. Action, feints within feints, carefully planned and also haphazard raids to hit bacta convoys -- it offers constant excitement. With the Krytos virus wreaking havoc, there's the particular brand of suspense you only get with outbreak movies. Will the brave and risky Rogue Squadron be able stop Isard and get enough bacta in time? Will they be busted by the New Republic? Combine that tension with memorable characters such as Isard and the ridiculously likeable Wedge (who would have to be recast), and you have a story that would play out beautifully on the big screen.The X-wing fighters have a reputation in the galaxy, particularly the Rogue Squadron. The first book of the X-wing books, X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Stackpole, leverages the fear and glamour associated with the Rogue Squadron name. It's soon after the formation of the New Republic, and the Imperials haven't relaxed their tight grip on certain areas of the galaxy yet. To help defend the new government, Wedge, a hero of the Galactic Civil War, sets out to reform the elite Rogue Squadron. He chooses his pilots, then a training montage of sorts ensues.This title sets the stage for the series, which has a decidedly Top Gun-in-space vibe. Things take a dramatic turn when Rogue Squadron has to go into battle long before their training is done. Being launched into action against Imperials before they're fully ready pushes relationships to straining points and tests the group's mettle and teamwork skills. You're invested in their success and failure. An adaptation of this (with changes to match canon, obviously) could stand alone or launch a trilogy or even a television series.Rogue Squadron makes Wedge come to life as a character, giving him much more personality than the films had time to exhibit. It also brings Corran Horn, a Han Solo-esque character, into the story. He and Wedge have different personalities that bounce off each other nicely, but on the screen, it would be interesting to see Corran gender-swapped.It's going to be an enjoyable ride to watch a squadron of pilots with Poe Dameron-level flying skills zip around the galaxy, but Wraith Squadron by Aaron Allston turns the volume up to 11, as they say. This is the fifth book in the overall series, but the first in Allston's trilogy. After seeing the success his pilots had during the Bacta War, Wedge proposes the creation of a covert group of X-wing fighters called Wraith Squadron. Pilots who are also spy commando types? It's a no-brainer.The group is comprised of the dregs of the New Republic. Wedge is the Goodwill of commanders, taking in pilots who don't necessarily have the most exemplary records. The resulting squadron is a hodgepodge combination of characters including Admiral Ackbar's niece Jesmin, a Gamorrean pilot, a former actor who used to recruit for the Empire -- you get the idea. Ragtag doesn't begin to cover it. The make-up of the squadron means potentially hilarious casting opportunities and jokes. Think Guardians of the Galaxy.The books in the X-wing series are very much of a piece, with each book building on characters and relationships you learned about in previous installments. You can pull them apart as we've done here, but of all the titles, Starfighters of Adumar by Allston is perhaps the most like a standalone. It's the penultimate title in the series and rather than follow a large squadron, it focuses on a group of four: Wedge, Tycho Celchu, Hobbie Klivian, and Wes Janson. Though their skills certainly do come in handy, the pilots are put to the test as diplomats on Adumar. They're sent to the planet -- the Adumari have a thing for pilots -- to try to sell them on the allure of joining the New Republic.You get to spend time with characters you know (well, saw for a few beats) from the original trilogy and, above all, it's a blast. The group isn't exactly experienced when it comes to the art of making friends on a planetary scale, and they don't have an easy task ahead. Watching them stumble, regroup, and dodge the politics and boundaries placed upon them is completely entertaining. A plot similar to this could be set before The Force Awakens and would be another option for a more lighthearted spinoff.Are there any stories from the EU you'd like to see turned into a standalone movie? Tell us in the comments.

Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN. She likes Star Wars a little. You can follow her on Twitter at @amy_geek