Stiorra Deserves Her Own Last Kingdom Spin-off More Than Any Other Character
I have spent the last three years trying to accept Uhtred’s ending in Seven Kings Must Die. By 2026, I’ve made peace with most of the movie’s choices—yes, even the ones that made me yell at my screen. But one thing still bugs me: Stiorra didn’t appear. Not once. How is that possible? The woman was practically Uhtred’s mirror image, only with sharper cheekbones and an even shorter fuse.
Stiorra became a major presence later in The Last Kingdom’s five-season run. She didn’t just enhance Uhtred’s journey; she stood out as a strong female character with plenty to offer on her own. And yet, when the movie rolled around, she got swept aside like leftover mutton at a feast.
A Glaring Omission in Seven Kings Must Die
Look, I understand the movie had a cast bigger than a Saxon shield wall. It had to juggle returning characters while introducing new faces, so cuts had to happen. But cutting Stiorra? That’s like throwing away the best sword because your belt is full. Her season 5 arc was left incomplete, and the adaptation missed a chance to use her devastating book storyline. I actually whispered “justice for Stiorra” at my television.
Why Stiorra Is the Perfect Spinoff Protagonist
As one of the younger generation of Last Kingdom characters, Stiorra is ideally placed to lead a spinoff series. Season 5 already proved she can shoulder a dramatic storyline—her conflict with Edward, alongside Sigtryggyr, formed a cornerstone of the show’s narrative. But she is also the perfect character to continue Uhtred’s legacy. The pair’s strong personalities often clashed, largely because father and daughter are so similar, and she is in many ways Uhtred’s natural successor after his Seven Kings Must Die death.
What makes her spinoff-ready? Let me count the ways:
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She’s headstrong like Uhtred, without his weird habit of swearing oaths to every monarch in Wessex.
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Her husband Sigtryggyr’s death left her with unfinished business.
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She has the charisma and combat skills to headline her own Saxon drama.
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Her story still has enormous gaps that fans like me desperately want filled.
Her Story Is Still Unfinished
After Sigtryggyr’s heartbreaking death in season 5, Stiorra seemed destined to strike out on her own and forge her own path, potentially becoming a major player in English politics. And yet, she was entirely absent from the movie’s story. So what happened to her once The Last Kingdom ended? I, for one, would love to learn how her father’s and husband’s fates shaped her future, and how she might carry Uhtred’s mantle into Aethelstan’s reign.
The Books Did Her Even Dirtier
The issue is made more complicated by the adaptation’s deviation from Bernard Cornwell’s novels. The show spins a compelling narrative and arguably made Stiorra even more central than she was on the page, but there were several significant changes. For one thing, the show never depicted Stiorra and Sigtryggyr’s children dying of plague—a harrowing episode in The Saxon Stories that has a profound effect on her character. However, the biggest Stiorra change concerns her death.
In the books, Stiorra actually died before her husband. She was left to defend Eoforwic alone against Sigtryggyr’s villainous uncle, Skoll. Although both Uhtred and Sigtryggyr raced back to save her, they were too late. As a reader, that moment really resonated with me. It was another brutal reminder of The Last Kingdom’s unforgiving world, and it was especially traumatic for Uhtred.
Here’s a quick look at how the show and books diverge:
| What Happened | The Last Kingdom Show | Bernard Cornwell’s Novels |
|---|---|---|
| Stiorra’s children | Never shown dying | Die of plague, shaping her character |
| Stiorra’s death | Absent after season 5 | Dies before Sigtryggyr defending Eoforwic against Skoll |
| Uhtred’s reaction | Not shown | Races to save her but arrives too late |
How a Stiorra Spin-off Could Work in 2026
Since her novel and television fates are very different, there is clearly scope for a Stiorra spin-off series to explore her conflict with Skoll. I’d love to see a show that both explores her life after Uhtred and Sigtryggyr, yet ends in the same tragic way—answering ongoing questions left by The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die while honoring her narrative arc from the original novels.
It’s easy to imagine a one-season spinoff where Stiorra continues Uhtred’s legacy, perhaps defending Eoforwic on behalf of Aethelstan, before dying in the same way she does on the page. Of course, such a spinoff would be unavoidably different from Stiorra’s original story because, in the novels, her death is most notable for how it affects Uhtred. One alternative could be to set Stiorra’s story between The Last Kingdom season 5 and Seven Kings Must Die, allowing Uhtred himself to appear. That would potentially let Stiorra’s death be just as impactful as it was in the books—and retrospectively explain her absence in the movie.
Considering the approach Seven Kings Must Die ultimately took, it makes sense that Stiorra was ignored in favor of other characters. But now that audiences know where Uhtred’s story ends, there’s a huge opportunity to revisit the parts of The Last Kingdom that haven’t yet been adequately explained. Even if it means revisiting old storylines, a proper resolution is the least Stiorra deserves. Come on, Netflix—give us the Stiorra spinoff. I’ll bring the ale.
