Lucasfilm has officially confirmed that 2026 will be the end of an era for Star Wars, even as the franchise works to return to the big screen. The last few years have been difficult for Lucasfilm, with the studio struggling to reorient itself and various Disney+ TV shows generally releasing to diminishing returns. Next year feels like a relaunch moment, with The Mandalorian and Grogu bringing Star Wars back to the big screen, but it seems this will be a year for endings as well as new beginnings.
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Lucasfilm has revealed that Star Wars Insider, the official magazine that’s been running in one form or another since 1978, will be ending its current run in early 2026. Star Wars Insider issue #237 will be the magazine’s last with current publisher Titan.
“Insider has been a big part of my Star Wars experience for a very long time, both as a fan and professionally,” editor Christopher Cooper explained in an official press statement. “It’s been an honor to explore the galaxy far, far away with our readers during my eight year tenure. But publishing has changed immeasurably since the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine, and we live in an increasingly digital age, which sadly means that this chapter in Star Wars Insider‘s history is coming to an end.”
Star Wars Insider Has A Fantastic Legacy
Star Wars Insider has a proud history, and leaves behind a phenomenal legacy. It started out as a newsletter in the membership kit for the Official Star Wars Fan Club, morphing into its current form back in 1994. Insider has endured so many changes; the growth of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, George Lucas’ prequel trilogy return, Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, and so much more. It has become a mainstay of the Star Wars fandom, and its end will leave many heartbroken. Insider has been a home for news, official (canon) fiction, epic interviews, and so much more.
Lucasfilm’s press statement seems to hint that all is not lost for Insider. It notes that this is the end of Insider‘s “current run,” and Cooper referred to the end of “this chapter” of the magazine’s history. That hopefully means Insider is soon to be reborn in another form, just at a time when Lucasfilm hope to relaunch the Star Wars franchsie with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
At the same time, though, the end of Star Wars Insider feels disturbingly symbolic. The first trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu landed with a whimper, not a bang; a month after release, the version on the official Star Wars YouTube account has yet to be watched 10 million times (to give a sense of comparison, the Percy Jackson season 2 trailer has beaten this in its first five days). Engagement in Star Wars currently feels perilously low, and the closure of Insider stands as a symbol of that. Whatever Lucasfilm’s plans may be, it can only be hoped they land well.
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