Last week, filmmaker J.D. Dillard announced hisStar Warsproject is no longer in development, highlighting that Disney still hasn’t figured out what to do with the franchise ten years later. News of films consistently being planned and then canceled are disappointing fans before filming can even begin.
Even whenStar Warsdoes make it to the big screen, every single release in theaters since the Original Trilogy has been met with mixed reviews at best or – more often than not – disappointment, contempt, and hatred at worst. But it’s a totally different story on the small screen.The Mandalorian –the franchise’s first major foray into television – is one of the most popular and praised shows across the world. Now, it’s clear that our only hope for the future ofStar Warsis not cinema but TV. Or, more accurately, streaming.
Shows Are Just as Important to Fans as Movies
Shows have proven to be just as important toStar Warsfans as the movies – even more so, in many cases.Star Warshas been on television screens ever since the first (and only) airing ofThe Star Wars Holiday Specialin 1978. After that, some animated projects, such asEwoksandDroids,were created and even spawned live-action sequels likeCaravan of CourageandThe Battle for Endor.Though aimed at very young audiences, all this helped expandStar Warsaway from the big screen early on.
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The first real expansion of theStar Warsuniverse through television was Genndy Tartakovsky’sCloneWarsin 2003. Set and released betweenAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith,Clone Warsquickly developed a loyal following to this day and changed the franchise. Setting up major events like Anakin’s Knighthood and characters like General Grievous,Clone Warsdisplayed the impactshows can have on the films and have equally important stories that are better told in episodes than movies.
Of course, Tartakovsky’sClone Warsled to George Lucas’s and Dave Filoni’sThe Clone Warsin 2008, which reached new heights in franchise and fandom. Based on its titular predecessor,The Clone Wars(note the addition) was released after the completion of the Prequel Trilogy and changed everything. Shining the ill-received trilogy in a new light bymaking the clones morethan canon fodder, re-modeling the politics of the war, and even making epic disappoints, like Anakin’s and Padme’s dead onscreen chemistry (“I don’t like sand”), into a beautiful romance,The Clone Warsproved that shows can change anything if the creators take enough time to make the story worth it.
Without even mentioning howThe Clone Warshas changed the face ofStar Warswithfan-favorites like Ahsoka Tanogetting her own series, with this show’s success cameThe Mandalorian.It needs no further explanation of the impact one show can have on a franchise. All other planned series have been coming to fruition and delighting fans when the films disappointed them.
Shows Succeed Because the Stakes Are Small
Star Warssucceeds on the small screen because the stakes are small.The Mandalorianis about a man making his way across the vast galaxy in weekly adventures with his impossibly ugly-but-cute son.Andoris a dramawith a pace slower than a Jawa Sandcrawler yet delivers a brilliant, engaging, refreshing story that could not be told in two and a half hours max.The Clone Wars, Rebels,andThe Bad Batchall tell little stories of little people on a little screen – and become important to us.
The expectations are small as well.Obi-Wan Kenobimay or may not have worked better as a single movie in theaters, but because the show focused on story and much of it would have to be cut to fit the movie format, it probably would’ve become another legacy-character bomb likeSolo.Solowould have been better as a six-part miniseries that would’ve instantly bombed, that we could write and discuss for weeks even after we learn that Maul’s still kicking his robotic legs, and could’ve continued Han’s story beyond his origin.
Related:Upcoming Star Wars Shows and Movies in 2023 and Beyond
Instead of every episode needing to satisfy our every little whim, shows can focus on telling us a good story, and we can tune in next week if we didn’t like this part. And if we did like it, which is more often the case, we can discuss and focus on that for a week and then do it all over again.
Star Wars Can Remain on TV As Long As Necessary
Star Warsdoesn’t need to be on the big screen to be a cultural phenomenon;Baby Yoda ahem Groguproves that literally everyone still pays attention even whenStar Warsisn’t in theaters every December.
The franchise can literally go on forever with this format and seems to be going this way anyway. With the potential of unlimited stories in a big, big galaxy, and all-in-one convenient Disney+ service, fans won’t get burned out by constricted films – they can be satisfied.
A new hope forStar Warsisn’t on the silver screen in theater; it’s on the small screen at home.
