Summary
- Lucasfilm gave George Lucas creative control, but was sold to Disney in 2012.
- Disney's focus has shifted to TV series on Disney+, causing a split in the fanbase.
- "Andor" showcases the success of standalone stories in the Star Wars universe, appealing to mature audiences.
The Star Wars franchise 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 the Star Wars franchise.
From the first release of Star Wars: A New Hope (simply titled Star Wars on release) in 1977, George Lucas used his own production company, Lucasfilm, to release all the Star Wars film 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 the Star Wars name.
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Disney's New Direction With The Star Wars Franchise
Disney's first major contribution upon acquiring Lucasfilm was the sequel trilogy, which kicked off with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. Set 30 years after Return 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 One and Solo. 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 the Star Wars franchise was just getting started by the time the sequel trilogy concluded in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker. The introduction of Disney's own streaming platform, Disney+, created a new home for Star 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 success The 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 for new stories being told in the Star Wars universe. After the success of The Mandalorian, Disney approved more and more Star Wars original 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, a Star Wars fan. His love for the franchise is evident in the media he creates, as well as his clear, extensive knowledge of Star Wars lore, earning him fans' approval. Filoni originally worked on animated Star Wars projects: Clone Wars and Rebels. But when Jon Favreau started work on The 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 made The Mandalorian now 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.
Since The Mandalorian, Filoni has worked on The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew. It's been announced that he will be directing a live-action Star Wars feature film, which will intertwine and conclude the storylines of all the Filoni TV series up 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 that died at the end of said movie. However, these doubts were quickly put to rest upon release. Andor was praised for its gritty and mature take on Star Wars. It explored the less glamorous aspects of the effort and sacrifice that goes into starting a rebellion against an oppressive regime, and did so in more depth than even the original trilogy did.
Unlike Filoni's Mandoverse, Andor was 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 and received equally well by fans, Andor has proved what The Mandalorian did in Season 1: there is still an audience for slower-paced, gritty, original standalone stories in the Star Wars universe. Ryan Reynolds has also pitched an R-rated Star Wars movie 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 the Star Wars celebration in 2017. He stated that he had always intended for Star Wars to be enjoyed by children, roughly around 12 years old. Lucas subtly implied that people have taken Star Wars too 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 the Star Wars franchise, Lucas' opinion on Star 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 his Star 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 in Star Wars has remained. This explains why installments like Andor and the early episodes of The Mandalorian were so positively received by long-time fans. So, even though this new gritty, mature take on Star Wars isn'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 to keep investing in producing these kinds of shows.
Despite the divided fanbase and the confusing brand image Star Wars is currently portraying, this isn't necessarily an immediate problem for Disney or the fans. When George Lucas was making the original Star Wars in 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 new Star Wars projects 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' and Star Wars fans fighting among themselves, but the spirit of Star Wars is still very prevalent in the modern media landscape. This is something to be celebrated by everyone. No matter where they fall on the Star Wars fandom spectrum.
