It’s no secret that Disney’s portrayal of that galaxy far away has struggled to pluck the heartstrings of die-hard Star Wars fans. The sequel trilogy had a brilliant cast and a big budget but ultimately hit either extreme of the franchise takeover scale.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Suits?
From ‘The Force Awakens’ mirroring ‘A New Hope’ to ‘The Last Jedi’ setting out to shock everyone, Kennedy’s vision of Star Wars didn’t live up to the now-legends material of the 90s.
With focus shifting to Disney+ TV content, Star Wars has finally settled into a surprising yet satisfying throne of nostalgia and brilliant storytelling in ‘The Mandalorian’.
It seems that Disney is ready to hand the keys to Mando head honchos Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, but there are rumours of infighting at Lucasfilm. In one corner are the purists who wish to carry on George Lucas’ space opera, with determined reboot enthusiasts giving the stink eye across the room.
True or False?
Ultimately, we don’t know if this is true. We can only look at what is happening in the franchise as it stands today. 12 new Disney+ TV series are currently in production, including Mandalorian season three. These series are all under the watchful eye of Favreau and Filoni, with ‘The Acolyte’ building up to be a female-led end game for Lucasfilms High Republic initiative.
A new trailer showcased the start of a new story arc set roughly 200 years before ‘The Phantom Menace’. It follows the Jedi Order at its peak in novels, graphic novels and other media to be confirmed. The general idea behind it is allowing Star Wars plots to grow naturally from various media and into a big film event. At least that’s the consensus.
Comparing this trailer to episode 2 of ‘The Gallery: The Mandalorian” shows Star Wars content’s creative process flowing through two different conduits. Filoni is essentially George Lucas’ Padawan, making creative choices and risks concerning the source material. The High Republic’s writing team offers fans a different Star Wars experience with complete creative freedom, Disneys end-goal.
In with the Old, In with the New
Both are excellent approaches to have, but it’s Disney Lucasfilm’s past transgressions that have created this platform. Some people will argue that the sequel trilogy risks were necessary to open up creative freedom within the franchise. These same people may also massage the realism and tragedy of Luke Skywalker is the right narrative choice too.
The problem here is that Disney Lucasfilm would have all the freedom they needed after the sequel trilogy, no matter its form. The thing is, Luke Skywalker makes for some great reading in legends. While the Skywalker journey between ‘Return of the Jedi’ and Then Force Awakens’ hasn’t been explored too deeply, the sequel trilogy translates as mistreatment of the main protagonist mainline Star Wars features for a lot of fans.
A lot of fans, myself included shared at THAT moment in the season two finale of The Mandalorian of seeing Luke Skywalker return. It was magical, and what fans have wanted for nearly 40 years. Many of us cried and flat out screamed with happiness, which is why it’s so crucial that characters such as Luke Skywalker live by people who understand the subject’s weight.
A Throw Away Era?
Rian Johnson had Luke throw away his fathers’ lightsaber, Disney has also been desperate to throw out what’s come beforehand to make their mark on the franchise.
The High Republic does look promising with its time placement perfect for a new playground of ideas. Maybe someone resolved this apparent infighting by splitting the franchise into two dedicated wings of legacy and future content, with Filoni and Favreau in charge of the former?
No matter which way fans divide or agree on the current state of Star Wars, it seems Disney finally understands that the fans line their pockets. It’s great to take risks and push potential, but ensuring that content is for the fans is vital. For one, I haven’t been this excited for Star Wars since being a child, and you should be too.
