It’s not exactly a secret that Star Wars has been have a tough time throughout the last several years. While certain projects, such as Andor, have actually proven to be incredibly popular, for the most part, the franchise has struggled to break through what has frequently been significant backlash and criticism. That has been true of the movies for quite some time—in fact, while the most dominant rhetoric now seems to be that Disney “ruined” Star Wars, the truth is, long before Disney took over, George Lucas’ prequel trilogy was getting absolutely torn apart by fans and critics alike. It’s true, however, that the Disney Star Wars movies, particularly the sequel trilogy, have also received their fair share of backlash. Yet, at least with the movies, they tended to be money makers. Until Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke the record, in fact, it was Star Wars: The Force Awakens that was the highest-grossing movie of all time domestically.
Granted, there are examples to the contrary as well, with The Mandalorian and Grogu proving to be a box office disappointment just earlier this year, for example. Even with that in mind, though, the ‘flops’ for Star Wars movies still seem like they pale in comparison to just how poorly certain live-action Star Wars shows performed. There were some, such as The Book of Boba Fett, that were widely criticized and largely not watched, and then there were others, such as The Acolyte and even certain aspects of Obi-Wan Kenobi, that were met with outright vitriol and intense backlash. It seems Disney has taken note of that, considering that the franchise that was once putting out multiple shows a year now has just one upcoming live-action TV show, Ahsoka season 2. Nevertheless, former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has just shared her stance on live-action Star Wars shows, and it’s clear that she has a different opinion.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg Live, Kennedy shared that she hopes Star Wars TV shows will continue to be made alongside the franchise’s upcoming movies, saying, “I think absolutely you need to do both. I think what’s fantastic about streaming is it’s a different form of storytelling. It’s long-form storytelling, and interestingly enough, George Lucas started out with serialized storytelling. That’s what inspired him…So, I think absolutely something like Star Wars belongs on television, but it’s a different process than what you go through making a movie.” Ultimately, while her words will almost certainly cause some debate, she’s right. Yes, Star Wars having a greater focus on the big screen makes sense, and it actually seems like fellow Disney property Marvel is having a similar realization. However, Star Wars has long had TV shows too, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars beginning in 2008 and arguably being the first true Star Wars show, and those shouldn’t go away.
The trouble is that Disney might not see it the same way. Even with The Mandalorian and Grogu not performing as one might have hoped, there is clearly plenty of excitement (and investment, on Disney’s side) in the next Star Wars blockbuster, Star Wars: Starfighter, and it seems likely that this will be the strategy moving forward—including, somewhat bewilderingly, with what will apparently be the next installment in the Skywalker Saga. Part of the problem with the shows was that they became too expensive particularly when compared against their reception or number of viewers, so a greater focus on major movies instead, again, makes sense. Yet, Kennedy is also right that Star Wars would lose something essential if TV shows were truly entirely done away with. Hopefully, Star Wars Celebration next April will confirm that there are at least some TV shows still coming down the line, although that’s unknown for now.
Do you hope to see Star Wars keep making TV shows? What are your thoughts on Kennedy’s comments? Share your opinion down below.
