The trilogy will be separate from the Skywalker saga and will, according to an official announcement on StarWars.com, “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.” Though it has yet to premiere, Johnson’s The Last Jedi has already turned heads, thanks to the creative world of the Canto Bight casino and the friendly new creatures called porgs. Speaking with StarWars.com earlier this week, Kennedy praised Johnson’s “fertile imagination,” saying: “There’s a brief little moment in The Last Jedi where there’s a little porg, and then there’s a baby porg next to the porg. It’s the cutest thing. It doesn’t get better than that.”

In the official announcement of Johnson’s new trilogy, Kennedy said: “We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi. He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

This announcement addresses two concerns from the Star Wars franchise fandom. Johnson writing and directing all three films is a move towards stability for a franchise that has weathered multiple stories about departing directors—and the notion that Johnson will be given room to play with developing new, Skywalker-free stories, creatures, myths, and legends means that Star Wars can deflect criticism that it’s too constricting when it comes to creative freedom. If all goes according to plan, Johnson will, when all is said and done, have directed as many Star Wars films as George Lucas himself. Not bad for an indie director from Maryland. According to StarWars.com, “no porgs were available for comment.”