Summary
TheStar Warsfranchise is one of the most iconic and successful of all time. Taking the form of not only movies, but also television shows, video games, graphic novels, books, and more, there is no shortage of content to consume from a fan’s perspective. However, the sheer amount of content being released in recent years has created some uncertainty about the identity of theStar Warsfranchise.
From the first release ofStar Wars: A New Hope(simply titledStar Warson release) in 1977, George Lucas used his own production company, Lucasfilm, to release all theStar Warsfilm releases. This lasted until the franchise’s sixth installment,Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, in 2005. Lucasfilm was established so that George Lucas could have complete autonomy and creative control when creating his movies, after having bad experiences working with Hollywood studios. Yet, in 2012, Lucas ended up selling Lucasfilm to Disney for it to become one of its subsidiaries. This meant that Lucas no longer had control over the direction or the output of his production company or theStar Warsname.
Disney’s New Direction With The Star Wars Franchise
Disney’s first major contribution upon acquiring Lucasfilm was the sequel trilogy, which kicked off withStar Wars: The Force Awakensin 2015. Set 30 years afterReturn of the Jedi,the film focused on a mostly new set of characters led by a force-sensitive scavenger named Rey. Disney also released two spinoff movies between the sequel trilogy;Rogue OneandSolo.The films had mixed receptions. Some fans criticized them for playing it too safe and not trying to create anything new. Others went as far as to claim that the sequel trilogy was harmful to the previous movies.
But Disney’s contribution to theStar Warsfranchise was just getting startedby the time the sequel trilogy concluded in 2019 withThe Rise of Skywalker. The introduction of Disney’s own streaming platform, Disney+, created a new home forStar Wars. It also meant Disney had somewhere to release all future content without needing a cinematic release or television network approval.
This is when Disney started to turn its focus towards TV series. The first release was the hit successThe Mandalorian,which focused on an unknown Mandalorian bounty hunter and his adorable companion (dubbed ‘baby Yoda’ by fans). The series' success proved that there was an audience fornew stories being told in theStar Warsuniverse. After the success ofThe Mandalorian, Disney approved more and moreStar Warsoriginal TV series, which is what caused the fanbase to begin to split apart.
Dave Filoni As Chief Creative Officer
Dave Filoni is, first and foremost, aStar Warsfan. His love for the franchise is evident in the media he creates, as well as his clear, extensive knowledge ofStar Warslore, earning him fans' approval. Filoni originally worked on animatedStar Warsprojects:Clone WarsandRebels. But when Jon Favreau started work onThe Mandalorian, he brought on Filoni because of his encyclopedic knowledge.
Over his time working on the show, Filoni had more input on narrative decisions and the overall direction. Whether fans view this as a good or bad decision, it must be said that FIloni’s impact has madeThe Mandaloriannow almost unrecognizable to its Season 1 release. As a die-hard fan, Filoni has sometimes been criticized for “smashing his action figures together” when telling his stories; in other words,choosing spectacle over story-telling quality.
SinceThe Mandalorian, Filoni has worked onThe Book of Boba Fett,AhsokaandSkeleton Crew. It’s been announced that he will be directing a live-actionStar Warsfeature film, which willintertwine and conclude the storylines of all the Filoni TV seriesup until now. This kind of storytelling may be familiar to fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is also, unsurprisingly, owned by Disney.
This way of releasing media is very profitable, as it culminates in a big spectacle crossover finale movie, which modern audiences have grown comfortable and familiar with. But in order to understand what’s happening, audience members must first watch every piece of side content. Disney has created a fear of missing out within its audience. This was once very effective, but now fans are starting to get burnt out by it all. This is especially relevant when it comes to Dave Filoni’s Mandoverse, as it has been dubbed.
What Andor Teaches Disney About The Future Of Star Wars
When it was announced that Disney would be working on a TV series focused on Cassian Andor, fans were skeptical and confused as to why Disney would choose to base a series around one character from a spinoff movie thatdied at the end of said movie. However, these doubts were quickly put to rest upon release.Andorwas praised for its gritty and mature take onStar Wars. It explored the less glamorous aspects of the effort and sacrifice that goes into starting a rebellion against an oppressive regime, anddid so in more depththan even the original trilogy did.
Unlike Filoni’s Mandoverse,Andorwas not dependent on spectacle. It consisted mostly of original characters, which was a financial risk, but paid off and restored a lot of fans' faith in the franchise. With Season 2 now concluded andreceived equally well by fans,Andorhas proved whatThe Mandaloriandid in Season 1: there is still an audience for slower-paced, gritty, original standalone stories in theStar Warsuniverse. Ryan Reynolds has alsopitched an R-ratedStar Warsmovie to Hollywood, so there’s clearly a section of fans who believe that this is the right direction for the franchise.
Who Is Star Wars For?
George Lucas answered this question at theStar Warscelebration in 2017. He stated that he had always intended forStar Warsto be enjoyed by children, roughly around 12 years old. Lucas subtly implied that people have takenStar Warstoo seriously and strayed too far from his original intention, which was to teach kids about the importance of doing the right thing and avoiding the dark side.
As the founder of theStar Warsfranchise, Lucas' opinion onStar Wars' intended audience carries a lot of weight. His interpretation seems to support Dave Filoni’s vision, which priorizes the kind of spectacle and action that’s engaging for a younger audience. Filoni’s Mandoverse, while criticized for not having as much substance, still adheres to the principles of Lucas' vision for hisStar Wars.It teaches kids the importance of doing the right thing, friendship, and honesty.
However, there is always the question: “Should the content mature with its audience?” Fans who fell in love with the franchise as children have grown up, but their interest inStar Warshas remained. This explains why installments likeAndorand the early episodes ofThe Mandalorianwereso positively received by long-time fans. So, even though this new gritty, mature take onStar Warsisn’t what George Lucas envisioned, it’s doing an important job of not isolating this section of fans. Therefore, from a financial perspective, it makes sense for Disney tokeep investing in producing these kinds of shows.
Despite the divided fanbase and the confusing brand imageStar Warsis currently portraying, this isn’t necessarily an immediate problem for Disney or the fans. When George Lucas was making the originalStar Warsin 1976, he encountered a lot of practical issues as well as running over time and over budget. He needed the film to pay off in a big way, and if it hadn’t, there likely wouldn’t have been any further installments of the beloved original trilogy. But now, because of the funding going into newStar Warsprojects and Disney being able to release new content directly to Disney+, they don’t have to be as selective with what they produce. Some projects can be more niche because of the way the fanbase has evolved.
George Lucas may be saddened about ‘mean critics’ andStar Warsfans fighting among themselves, but the spirit ofStar Warsis still very prevalent in the modern media landscape. This is something to be celebrated by everyone. no matter where they fall on theStar Warsfandom spectrum.
