Last night, Kathleen Kennedy laid out the next three or so years of Star Wars projects, both on Disney+ and theatrically. All told, there were 12 properties discussed, with a mixture of live action and animation, and drawn from an array of different Star Wars timeframes and settings. It would be foolish to say that the long-term Star Wars strategy was laid out, but it appears that we have a better idea of what a galaxy far, far away will look like for the next four or so years. And that strategy has a lot of wisdom in it, even if it is, in one major way, not giving fans what they most want.
The first thing to notice is that 1/4 of the projects discussed are from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The Mandalorian, shepherded by these two writer/director/producers, has been the most consistent and critically acclaimed Star Wars has been in some time. The two spin-offs announced, presumably both live action series, are Ahsoka, following up on her appearance in The Mandalorian and her years-long story from The Clone Wars and Rebels, and Rangers of the New Republic.
Based on her dialogue in “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” it seems likely that Ahsoka will deal with her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn and, perhaps, her mission, along with Sabine Wren, to find Ezra Bridger. I would actually guess that Ahsoka is more of a limited series that will eventually lead into another animated series where the Sabine team-up will happen, but that’s just a guess.
We know even less about Rangers of the New Republic, but it seems like this is the rumored Cara Dune spin-off. I wonder if Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Cobb Vanth, Greef Carga, Mayfeld or any of the other Mandalorian supporting cast will show up. If anything, I would think that Vanth, as he is a marshal like Dune is, may play a role in the series, but who knows.
What we do know is that Filoni and Favreau are the engines driving Star Wars right now. Despite The Mandalorian predating The Rise of Skywalker by a month, it seems like the Skywalker Saga is in the rearview for Lucasfilm for the time being. We’ll get to this later, but it is arguable that this also signals the shift to Disney+ as the primary Star Wars destination.
The Filoni influence is also felt with the previously announced The Bad Batch animated series, which looks to follow up on The Clone Wars in both a direct way, and a way that focuses in a way that The Clone Wars never did. From what was always a series of four or five focuses, The Bad Batch seems like an extremely specific story.
Outside of the Filoni projects, most of the television series follow up a property some time after its initial run, and after fan reaction has softened or grown. While Solo: A Star Wars Story was never exactly a disaster, it took some time before fans properly appreciated it. I know this sounds silly for a film that is less than 3 years old, but a combination of Star Wars fatigue and the backlash to The Last Jedi, not to mention the rush job due to directorial change, all hamstrung Solo initially.
And while Donald Glover has not been named as the star of Lando just yet, the accompanying image was of the Millennium Falcon before losing its nose piece, and a Glover-focused limited series has been rumored for some time. It seems like this may be a project where both Glover and Billy Dee Williams get to play Lando at different points in his life, perhaps also including Jannah from Rise of Skywalker or Alden Ehrenreich as young Han Solo.
The creators behind these projects are all interesting as well. Lando helmed by Dear White People‘s Justin Simien, The Acolyte by Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland, and Rogue Squadron by Patty Jenkins of Wonder Woman. Along with the untitled Taika Waititi film, these all show a desire to hire a more diverse set of creators, which is exactly what Star Wars needs. Plus, Deborah Chow is directing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tony Gilroy is showrunning Andor, so they are also rewarding folks who have done good work in their projects before.
Continued belowThe two other series that had already been announced are the officially titled and aforementioned Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Andor is the least surprising of all of these in my opinion, as Rogue One was so beloved but limited that there would need to be a revisiting of at least some of these characters. Obi-Wan Kenobi is notable for two reasons: the return of the best part of the prequel trilogy, Ewan McGregor, and the return of one of the most maligned, Hayden Christensen. Most people, I think, realize that Christensen was not the reason that his Anakin Skywalker didn’t work, and time has been quite kind to both him and Jake Lloyd, each of whom wore the stigma of bad writing and wooden direction for far too long.
Both of these series, more than any other, take place in a very limited window, story wise, based on both the age of the actors and also the sheer number of stories that border them. Obi-Wan Kenobi, in particular, seems like McGregor’s last shot to play Kenobi outside of cameos or voice work in the future. Sure, since this takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, there is a little more time to cover, but we also know what Obi-Wan did, via Rebels, a few years after this.
While those constraints may be seen by some as shackles, they are actually a huge boon in two specific ways. First of all, it is far easier to convince actors for a short-term project than signing a long-term contract to return to this world. I can’t imagine McGregor wants to do a trilogy that would take him away from his family for a year at a time thrice over the next decade. Cram that into one miniseries and shoot it all at once and be done with it.
But it also allows the stories to feel more special and unlike some of the novels/comics, which can feel like the most crass cash grabs, trying to get folks to buy a book that tells a story that is, at best, inconsequential. If you know you’ve got one shot at an Obi-Wan series, you’ll make it matter.
There are a few interesting projects that are specifically looking to expand the Star Wars brand into two areas that it has flirted with before, but never really leaned into. A Droid Story seems to be a more lighthearted, kid-friendly Star Wars film, something we really haven’t seen since the Ewok films of the mid 1980s. Visions looks to use an anime-influenced style, much like Star Wars Resistance, but in short form stories. This seems to be the option to most go viral and bring new people in, due to both the brevity of the episodes, and the appeal to the, frankly huge, anime market that may have ignored Star Wars.
That leaves three other announcements, and the ones we know the least about. The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic, a time period that will be officially introduced next month, and will be the primary push of the publishing line for the next year or more. It is interesting to set a story at the end of that period, especially if that era is going to be a concern for awhile. But the galaxy is a big place, and the events of that series may not touch the novels at all.
But this also may be a good indication of the sort of multi-media synergy we can expect to see going forward. There are so many beloved Star Wars characters in the novels and comics, and until recently, it seemed unlikely that we would see those characters on screen. But if there’s going to be this type of connectivity, then things like a Doctor Aphra series or a film about Rae Sloane seems more likely than ever.
It is presumed that Rogue Squadron will be set during the Original Trilogy timeframe, but I honestly have no clue about that. We’ve heard the ‘Rogue’ indicator in various places before, an so while this is a new film, it is likely to retread a little territory that we’ve seen before. Taika Waititi’s film has little known about it, and it’s not even worth speculating on it, aside to say that it will likely be great.
Continued belowI mentioned earlier that there is precious little that spins out of the Skywalker Saga in these plans, but there is almost nothing that spins out of the Sequel Trilogy at all, save for maybe a Jannah appearance in Lando, and that is pure speculation. This continues onto Rian Johnson’s proposed trilogy that has never officially been cancelled, but also has not been mention by Lucasfilm in quite some time. The recently released, and lovely, Lego Star Wars Holiday Special looked, in a way, to be the capstone on the Sequel Trilogy for the time being and, frankly, that’s a good thing.
As I said earlier about the Prequels and Solo needing time to be properly evaluated, the Sequel Trilogy also needs that space. The Rise of Skywalker will never be a good film, but it won’t be the flashpoint of rage that it is right now, just as the shittier takes on the prominence of people of color and women in The Force Awakens and the anti-Rian Johnson trolls will simmer down over time. There is too much money in Disney’s coffers to not entice at least some of the Sequel cast back in the future, but there needs to be time for that move to be celebrated.
I still think we get Rian Johnson’s film – maybe not a trilogy – in the future. If Star Wars wants to re-start its yearly cinematic experience, we can pencil in Rogue Squadron for 2023, perhaps Waititi’s for 2024, and maybe Johnson’s for 2025. That sounds like a long way off, but these projects take a lot of time to flower. I also wouldn’t bet against a Rose Tico series or a Babu Frik animated special. In 2005, it would’ve been inconceivable to think that fans would be cheering Christensen’s return to the franchise; is that any crazier than seeing the sequel characters return?
But giving these characters and creators a break from the spotlight is smart and, likely, a good long term move for Lucasfilm. We are likely reaching the tail end of the Original Trilogy’s actors’ willingness and availability, and the Prequels offer their own problems in that way. The Sequel Trilogy crew should be around for decades to come, so there is no rush on that front.
Beyond the idea of pausing these characters’ stories, we’re also seeing a decision to specifically move away from the ‘missing’ years of Luke, Leia, and Han as well. For years, the idea of removing the Skywalker Saga from being synonymous with Star Wars has been discussed, but this seems like the clearest indication yet that Lucasfilm is indeed looking to do that. While many of these projects have some Skywalker DNA in them, there seems to be a real desire to move forward with these other characters.
With no shortage of new projects, Star Wars seems both healthier and more decentralized than ever before. Of course, there are things in these projects that won’t work, but the central thesis behind this next phase seems very logical to me: hire good people to tell unique stories. Yes, Disney is a corporate behemoth and, no, Lucasfilm is not known for exactly letting people have their artistic visions presented in tact. But for the next few years, it looks like Star Wars may, for the first time ever, move beyond the shadow of the Skywalkers and of older white men at the helm. May the Force be with us all.
