Star Wars has had an interesting, at times perhaps troubling history over the last several years. Although things were not perfect for the franchise even when George Lucas was still at the helm (the backlash to the prequel trilogy is more than enough proof of that), there’s no denying that once Disney acquired the franchise, Star Wars movies and TV shows had considerably more obstacles to overcome. Those difficulties came in part in the form of even more intense scrutiny than Star Wars had faced before, with the sequel trilogy movies in particular being torn apart by many viewers.
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Yet, this period has also given way to a concerning trend: Disney/Lucasfilm cancelling movies and TV shows that seemed like a sure thing. This has happened to several projects, from Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron movie to Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy, among many others. Sadly, movies like James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi and even Rey’s movie, rumored to be titled New Jedi Order, seem to possibly be on this chopping block as well. However, Star Wars did (sort of) bring back the concept for one cancelled project in its newest movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Star Wars Cancelled Rangers of the New Republic
Along with the movies that have been slashed over the years, one TV show that Star Wars fans were particularly excited about, Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic, was also cancelled. This live-action TV show would have been set around the same time as The Mandalorian and would have focused on the New Republic’s efforts to take down the Imperial Remnant, focused on characters like Cara Dune and Carson Teva.
Allegedly, Disney elected not to move forward with the show after the House of Mouse cut ties with Cara Dune actress Gina Carano, following a string of social media posts that led to swift backlash online. That situation became its own complicated series of events, which included a lawsuit filed by Carano. In light of that, it’s not surprising that Rangers of the New Republic hasn’t had any updates, nor does it seem likely to ever truly be revived. However, The Mandalorian and Grogu did manage to give audiences a taste of what that show would have been.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Offers Audiences Part of This Story
While Rangers of the New Republic seems to be fully dead, The Mandalorian and Grogu gave viewers at least part of that story. The central plot of the movie was, of course, about the titular leads, Din Djarin and Grogu, and their relatively siloed story took up most of the narrative. However, as Din had agreed to work with the New Republic in The Mandalorian season 3’s finale, the movie also shed some light upon what the efforts of the New Republic looked like when it came to hunting down and capturing lingering Imperials.
This was, after all, the entire point of Sigourney Weaver’s character, Colonel Ward, and other key New Republic players, including Carson Teva and even Zeb Orrelios, had roles in the film as well. It wasn’t a specific focus on the New Republic’s rangers as the cancelled TV show would have been, but this new movie is the closest the franchise has come to really showing what this era and the New Republic’s fight to completely bring an end to the Empire really looked like.
This Still Doesn’t Totally Make Up For Rangers of the New Republic Being Cancelled
While it was exciting to see this era of the Star Wars timeline on the big screen and get a better idea of what the fight to take down the Imperial Remnant entailed, one of the biggest and most valid criticisms of The Mandalorian and Grogu has been that the trailers teased quite a bit more of the New Republic than the movie actually included. Yes, Din was working with the New Republic, but the comments about Grogu saving the galaxy make little sense in retrospect, and the New Republic really wasn’t the primary focus at all.
In fact, while major New Republic character Carson Teva was in the movie, he played a shockingly small role. The New Republic’s rangers really only became involved towards the end of the movie, when they swooped in to save Din and Grogu. In that sense, The Mandalorian and Grogu is certainly the closest that Star Wars has gotten to bringing Rangers of the New Republic to life, but it still hasn’t really made up for the loss of the cancelled TV show.
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