When you think “western,” what do you think? White hats and black hats, facing off at midday? Clint Eastwood and John Wayne? Perhaps you’re more of a gamer, and the Wild West is more the domain of Oregon Trail and Red Dead Redemption. Regardless, it’s obvious none of these works actually portray what happened on the frontier in the 19th century — at least not accurately.

Now, we know much more about the true story of the Wild West, and an acclaimed TV director is giving the western a more historically accurate makeover — one far more unflinching and brutal than anything you’d see in a spaghetti western. The result, now streaming on Netflix, is a fascinating look at an often whitewashed part of history, propelled by an excellent story.

One of the greatest joys of Star Wars is that there are hundreds of novels, comics, and games to be inspired by, meaning any creator — be they a filmmaker, an author, or just a fanfiction writer — is never bereft of ideas. However, that vast legacy can also be a creator’s biggest obstacle, as trying to create a story that fits seamlessly into an already complicated continuity is a challenging restriction.

An upcoming Star Wars movie is avoiding that problem by being almost entirely disconnected from the modern canon, and while its director considers that a blessing, is it actually the smartest move?