It has been over a decade since Disney bought Lucasfilm and started respiratory new life into the Star Wars franchise, and it has been a fairly wild trip. With new movies, exhibits, comics, novels and far more, the Star Wars franchise is extra alive now than it has ever been earlier than. Nonetheless, regardless of the just about infinite stream of recent Star Wars tales, the franchise’s fan base can be extra divided now than ever. Gone are the times of a brand new Star Wars movie launch uniting the followers in anticipation. Now, every new launch appears to drum up extra controversy, debate, and preventing among the many most devoted followers of the collection.

That’s not all about Disney, although. In truth, we might go so far as saying that the Star Wars franchise has benefited from the brand new inventive management of Disney and Lucasfilm, and sure, that features Kathleen Kennedy. Now, issues have not been excellent by any means. There was no scarcity of lackluster Star Wars tales to be dissatisfied with for one motive or one other. However there has additionally been a whole lot of nice new Star Wars materials as effectively. Particularly contemplating the state of the franchise within the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Star Wars franchise is arguably in a a lot better house immediately than it has been in a very long time. Right here’s how.

The Earlier State of Star Wars

Whereas it has develop into more and more simple to view the pre-Disney Star Wars period by means of rose-tinted glasses, the fact is that Star Wars was a much bigger mess at that time than it’s now. Whereas the prequel movies could also be beloved by some Star Wars followers immediately (together with yours really), the reception to the prequel trilogy was extremely adverse upon its launch. Followers handled the prequel films as a punching bag. The hate towards the movies, significantly the negativity centered round characters like Jar Jar Binks, was relentless. The infinite negativity and abuse the forged and artistic staff behind the films needed to endure can’t be understated, and it had profoundly adverse results on actors like Ahmed Greatest, Jake Lloyd, and Hayden Christensen.

Even within the decade following the prequel movies, the Star Wars franchise was in every single place. Whereas there was greatness to be discovered, resembling within the Battlefront video video games, the Darth Plagueis novel by James Luceno, and the Clone Wars animated collection, there was additionally a whole lot of horrible Star Wars content material being produced as effectively. One of many largest examples of that is the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, which debuted in theaters in 2008. Whereas the present constructed off that film ultimately reached greatness, it actually didn’t begin there. The Clone Wars film will be the worst Star Wars film ever produced, and it was one of many largest failures the franchise has ever needed to endure.

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On prime of all this, the franchise’s creator, George Lucas, was clearly fed up. After the reception to the prequels and the hate directed at him because of this, he was insistent that the Star Wars franchise was lifeless and that Episodes VII, VIII and IX would by no means be made. It was the bottom level that the franchise had ever been at. It genuinely appeared that the one new Star Wars materials that might ever be produced shifting ahead can be the gathering of sporadic comics, video games, and animated exhibits being produced on the time, most of which felt like glorified fan fiction at greatest. For long-time followers of the collection, any hope of seeing new live-action Star Wars movies was basically misplaced.

A New Period of Star Wars Tales

Due to the hopelessness of that interval, the information of Disney’s buy of Lucasfilm was such an enormous deal. The announcement of recent Star Wars movies was one thing that many followers thought they might by no means see once more. Then, instantly, a brand new Star Wars trilogy was in lively growth, with stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher returning to affix a brand new era of galactic heroes and villains. It was trigger for celebration.

When Episode VII – The Power Awakens lastly hit theaters in late 2015, it kicked off a short couple of years wherein the Star Wars fan base gave the impression to be united in its love for the franchise. Whereas The Power Awakens had flaws, many have been forgiving of them as a result of the film managed to efficiently recapture the Star Wars magic and arrange a narrative with stable potential. This success was constructed on a yr later with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016, the primary spin-off film of the Disney period, which many individuals instantly thought-about among the finest Star Wars movies ever produced. On the identical time, the animated collection Star Wars Rebels was additionally making waves with die-hard followers, because it was broadening the spectrum of the Star Wars galaxy and eventually introducing fan-favorite ebook characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn.

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The franchise misplaced a lot of this goodwill within the following years after the discharge of divisive movies like 2017’s Episode VIII – The Final Jedi, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, and 2019’s Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. In late 2019, the franchise additionally made the soar to producing live-action collection on Disney+. During the last 5 years, these efforts have produced exhibits like The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, and extra, along with the continuing efforts in animation with exhibits like The Dangerous Batch, Tales of the Jedi, Visions, and the ultimate season of The Clone Wars.

Whereas not all the brand new Star Wars movies and exhibits have been nice, they’ve largely been high quality leisure, on the very least. That is already a a lot better atmosphere for Star Wars followers than earlier than Disney. As of late, Star Wars followers are persistently given one thing to stay up for, whether or not that’s a brand new present, like The Acolyte or Skeleton Crew, or a brand new movie, like The Mandalorian and Grogu or Dave Filoni’s upcoming Star Wars film.

Cleansing Up the Star Wars Canon

Among the best issues that has occurred to the Star Wars franchise since Disney bought Lucasfilm has additionally been some of the controversial: restructuring the broader Star Wars canon. Shortly after Disney started growing the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the announcement got here that any beforehand present Star Wars materials past the movies and the Clone Wars animated collection from Dave Filoni was formally deemed as “Legends” materials, that means it was not official Star Wars canon.

Whereas many followers objected to this resolution by Lucasfilm and Disney, it was one of many smartest and most blatant choices that Disney and Lucasfilm might have made with the franchise. Earlier than this level, Star Wars canon was a multitude. It wasn’t maintained, there have been many years upon many years of random tales set all through the timeline and plenty of of them overtly contradicted one another. As an alternative of choosing and selecting what acquired to remain and what needed to go, it was all accomplished away with. This threw open the inventive doorways for Star Wars’ future. Any new inventive or storyteller who joined the franchise now not needed to be tied down by the numerous present tales. New followers wouldn’t should do in depth homework to know who sure characters have been or what was occurring.

Whereas the Star Wars canon has been made considerably difficult within the decade since, as virtually each new Star Wars comedian, novel, online game, and collection formally exists within the broad canon, it’s nonetheless undeniably in a a lot better form than it was. That is primarily as a result of the inventive groups at Lucasfilm preserve it well-kept. Whereas there are nonetheless minor breaks in canon right here and there, it has not been too dramatic or impactful, and usually, these adjustments are made to raised serve the tales being advised. The Star Wars franchise is streaming now on Disney+.